Motability Questions (car arrival date/ Payment deposit / car modifications allowed ? )

Jane_gs

If you can try to answer as many questions as you can below thanks xx

Here are some questions for a new motability car to be used for 3 years by a pip claimant.

The car is to be applied for on motability and has been decided, and chosen.

For simplicity of the questions here are some example dates.

For Example

JANUARY 1st, you meet dealer, they complete see paperwork with you sitting in their office,
You give them copy of PIP letter and show your photo ID.

If this is done on 1st Jan 2026, and the car will be coming in 1st April 2026 (due to the car manufacturing’s manufacturing time) then. This date might be more extended than usual but it is just an example.

Here are questions

1)When does the initial deposit get taken out? the upfront payment of £x,xxx.
Is it:

a) on this first appointment? - January 1st 2026

b) on the day the car arrives? - 1st April 2026

c) weeks before the car arrives? (march - April 2026)

2) How does the motability car arrive? does it come to your address where you are registered with PIP? (on the pip letter)
Can they come to any alternative address on your request?

or you have to go and collect the car from the dealer?

3) When does your PIP Mobility payment start to be taken by motability?

In otherwords when do you NO longer start receiving motability, which is a loss of PIP every month in your bank account due to it being taken by motability?

a) on this first appointment? - January 1st 2026

b) on the day the car arrives? - 1st April 2026

4) How long does it take for the application to be approved? is it Instant

5) Do they do an electronic check on you ?

6) How many weeks can it typically take maximum for the motability vehicle to come and arrive to you from the date you have your application?

7) are you able to modify the vehicle with an alarm system installed by notifying the motability team? (if you want to add a more advanced alarm/tracking on the vehicle, do you have to let them know? and do they approve it usually?

8) Have you had a motability vehicle car and modified it with their approval? what was your process?

Can you please give your answers in 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) order please, answering as many as you can, thanks xx

poppy12345

1/ You can pay in instalments if you want but it must be paid in full before you can take the car. If you prefer you can pay on the day you collect the car.

2/ Usually you collect from the dealership.

3/ Payments start once you collect the car, usually the first PIP payment after you collect.

4/ It's instant.

5/ Not sure what you mean by this but they check you're eligible through computer. When I had my last mobility car I didn't need my PIP award because they can check digitally.

6/ There's no timescales, it takes as long as it takes. Some can be weeks, others months.

7/ You would need to speak to motability about this. I've never personally done it.

8/ Answered above.

chrisw

Fully agree with Poppy. With regard to 7 and 8, they own the car and do not generally like any modifications, specifically mentioning you must not hard wire dashcams. You should be ok if it's easily removable such as a steering wheel lock or AirTag type tracker, otherwise, the only way to know is to ask them.

IOWJJBTM2025

Motability are really good and you can talk to them on the phone. I know that some dealers want deposit up front and some are happy as long as you pay before collection. I remember being told that Motability have guidelines for how dealers take deposits. The dealer we ended up using did not want full deposit. If concerned with anything just check with Motability. It is important to select a dealer that you are happy with. Will they supply courtesy cars when the car is serviced. One dealer wanted us to pay for insurance when Motability said that their insurance swaps across. Our dealer was great. The receptionist used toto collect the car for a service and deliver the car back to us when it was done. She used to leave her personal car on our drive for a few hours. We could have had a courtessy car but that would have been a hassle going back and forth to the dealer.

Collection is usually at the dealer where you inspect the vehicle before taking responsibility. If you want something different talk to Motability - they will bend over backwards to help you if they can.

If you want to modify or add something such as a tow bar or alarm, just ask Motability and they will advise yes or no. They are really good and will help you as much as possible. As a rule if something is professionally fitted and you get a receipt showing it is compliant they are happy. The condition may be that it has to be left in the car at the end or professionally removed without any damage to the car.

born_again

https://www.motability.co.uk/how-it-works