Protecting the Scheme

What are the changes?

We’ve revised our car price list so it reflects the choices made by the vast majority of our customers:

•  The core range of cars available through the Motability Scheme has been revised to focus on cars with an Advance Payment of £2,000 or less
• To make sure we continue to offer a wide range of cars to suit our customers’ disability needs, automatic, diesel and estate versions of these cars will also be available, even if they exceed the £2,000 limit. To find out more about these models, speak to your dealer. Over 95% of customers currently choose cars within this range so, for most customers, their preferred model will still be available
• Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles are not subject to these restrictions. Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles and a number of specialist vehicles, such as those with eight or more seats will continue to be offered even if they require an Advance Payment of more than £2,000.

To help combat misuse of our cars, and to make sure that all Motability cars are used for the benefit of the disabled person:

• As of 1 January 2012, all nominated drivers added to a Motability lease should live with, or within five miles of the disabled customer. We will however, consider requests to include drivers outside of this range where this is essential to support the customer’s needs. In these cases, we will require additional information to be provided
• When you order your next car, as part of the ordering process, you, your nominated drivers and the Motability dealer will need to sign a Statement of Responsibilities to confirm you understand and agree to abide by the guidelines on how to use your car. This document has been developed to ensure anyone who will be driving the car understands the policies surrounding its usage and to help combat misuse of Motability cars

To enable us to continue providing affordable motoring for all, from 1 January 2012:

• Drivers aged under 25 will be restricted to cars with an ABI Insurance Group 16 or lower and with a power output of 115 brake horsepower (BHP) or less. This does not apply to Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles. For more information, speak to your dealer or visit thatcham.org/abigroupratingOpens in new window
• Only one named driver under 21 is permitted. This could be the disabled customer, or another driver living at the same address.

If you are choosing your next car and nominated drivers, you will need to take these policies into account, however,the vast majority of customers will not be affected by any of these changes.

Location trackers

The Motability lease package includes cover for two named drivers, however regardless of who is driving the car should always be used for the benefit of the disabled customer. To ensure that our customers are gaining direct benefit from their Motability car, Motability has started to fit a limited number of location trackers to applications for new cars where the risk of potential misuse is highest, for example customers who permanently live in a care home and have a number of drivers who have access to the car.

We expect to fit location trackers in fewer than five percent of the more than 600,000 cars leased through Motability. Where a location tracker has been identified as appropriate we will always speak to the customer in advance of the tracker being fitted. Data will only be collected on the location of a car at any given point and we will only make use of this data where we receive a report, or suspect, that a car may be being misused.

Location trackers are just one of the many ways that we act to protect the Scheme from abuse and to ensure that the cars are used for the benefit of our customers.