Car for teenage son

WellKnownSid

born_again said:

Grey_Critic said:

You propose not getting a Motability car but using the allowance to buy your own. 

IF you get the car from Motability it will be taxed/insured and maintained by them they will as part of the deal insure you to drive it.

There are 167 (37 actual cars) for under 25 cars on the Motability list

They can also use Motability to fund some driving lessons.

OP needs to study their site for the options.

Op needs to sit down & cost out the options, as well as will Mokka be suitable for them to drive?

Op also needs to be aware that the car will be for their son use, so they will not be able to use the car for their own use such as going to work etc.

I think that's the key point here - use for the disabled person's benefit.  Buying shopping for the family would be fine, but as you say not for going to work or indeed getting a haircut.

Grey_Critic

Was just going to make the point re the car being for the son. Recent discussions in the media have complained that people are getting Motability cars and using them to go to and from work etc. There is currently questions being asked about the cost of SEND transport. Very high cost to local authorities whilst people are getting Motability vehicles and then making use of LA transort - in some cases Taxis - It is suggested that people are using the Motability cars for personal travel

Herzlos

It's a very grey area and one that's very much abused especially in single car households. I know a few people with motability cars and they are all used for all car tasks albeit the working parents have their own cars. 

It's quite hard to identify what counts as a benefit to the DLA recipient; family shopping is, but the parent/carer being able to get to work may be, and the parent/carer getting some leisure time may be. 

And morally/environmentally, if you need a car with adaptions for the recipient, then is it really necessary to force the carer to buy and run another car just for a subset of driving tasks? Is there space to park a 2nd vehicle? It's also worth noting that the car isn't free; it's paid for by the recipients DLA budget and often requires a large deposit. 


So what to do is more likely to be down to 3 factors:

1. Will 16 year old son be using the car for stuff that isn't for the benefit of the DLA qualified child? If so, then they shouldn't be using a motability vehicle. 

2. If not, then if they can get insured via Motability it may be a lot cheaper than insuring the 16 year old separately, and will certainly be cheaper than running 2 cars. 

3. Is the Mokka a suitable car for the DLA child, or do you need a new car anyway?