Motability Scheme  Avis 

Not what it used to be!
I've used Motability for almost 20 years, over that time I've seen the vehicle choice get worse and worse. Far too many SUV and EV vehicles and really limited choice of large estate vehicles.
Also, with the new changes coming in and reducing mileage to 10k per year, it's no longer fit for purpose so I'll have to look elsewhere. Then a ridiculous 25 pence per mile if you do go over, talk about insulting and money grabbing!
Previously the scheme had been very good.

Impossible to contact following the death of my mother and need to contact to terminate the contract for her car. Have tried on 2 separate days spending countless hours on hold or requesting a call back which has never yet been received. Their repetitive message directs me to the online account where there is NO facility to report a death and terminate the contract. In the meantime I have contacted the Bank, Pension and Insurance companies, utility companies, Local council, housing association etc many of these have dedicated bereavement lines / teams but STILL impossible to connect to anyone in Mutability. Horrendous stressful experience at the worst of times.

I’m new to the scheme and joined 20th April. I’m so anxious about the drive smart as I can’t have my location on due to personal issues.
Why are those who are new to the scheme having to pay the price with drive smart because the insurance costs are high?
Surely it should be those who have had multiple claims. I’m 47 years old and have been driving since I was 17. I really feel like leaving the scheme as it will jeopardise my safety.

ATROCIOUS QUALITY SERVICE FOR MOTABILITY CAR USERS

Direct line is the insurance company for Motability cars.
The changes this company is enforcing on disabled people is outright disgusting, one of the changes is the mileage cuts, 20 thousand miles a year and then 5 pence per mile after that is good and sufficient for the majority of Motability car users, now the company Direct Line has made astronomical changes lowering it to 10 miles per year "NOT PRACTICAL AT ALL FOR THE MAJORITY OF MOTABILITY CAR USERS" and then raised the extra mileage to 25 pence there after, well knowing "AGAIN" the majority of users simply cannot afford the extra "THOUSANDS OF POUNDS" they are expecting to receive.
Direct line & The Motability Scheme need to quickly have a rethink were they are going wrong with their Motability customers and correct it before this situation gets too far out of hand, and customers start getting proper legal advice.
Direct line & The Motability Scheme need to "PLEASE LISTEN TO THE CUSTOMERS"

I haven’t yet had Drive Smart installed, but based on what I am seeing and reading, I am extremely concerned and frankly appalled—by the direction Motability is taking.

I have been part of the Motability Scheme for many years without issue. It has always been built on one fundamental principle: providing independence to disabled people. Drive Smart appears to do the exact opposite.

This system introduces what can only be described as intrusive monitoring and behavioural control. Disabled people are effectively being tracked, scored, and judged on how they use a vehicle that is supposed to support their daily lives. Penalising people for how often they drive, when they drive, or how they live their lives is not support, it is control.

For many of us, our vehicle is not optional—it is essential. It enables access to healthcare, caring responsibilities, and basic day-to-day living. The idea that this usage is being monitored and could result in penalties or loss of rewards creates anxiety and undermines confidence in using the vehicle at all.

More worryingly, this kind of constant monitoring risks increasing social withdrawal and isolation. If people begin to feel anxious about being judged or penalised for simply going out, it discourages them from using their vehicle freely. For disabled people, that loss of confidence can very quickly lead to reduced independence, fewer outings, and increased isolation, exactly the opposite of what Motability is meant to prevent.

This raises serious concerns around privacy, dignity, and autonomy. It feels like disabled people are being subjected to a level of scrutiny that would not be considered acceptable elsewhere.

Motability was never intended to function as a surveillance scheme. Yet this is exactly what Drive Smart risks becoming.

In its current form, this system appears fundamentally flawed, not fit for purpose, and completely at odds with the values Motability claims to represent.

Long-standing customers are now questioning whether the scheme still exists to support them, to monitor them or remove them from the scheme altogether. To conclude, If this system restricts independence, then it’s harming the very group it’s meant to support

We were not informed that new “Drive Smart” would be included when renewing my son’s Motability car. I happened to do some investigations myself after reading about it online and discovered that the car we’d ordered has this. After several phone calls to the dealership and Motability, who blamed each other for not informing us of the new rules, we have cancelled and will not pick up the new vehicle. The driver who is under 30, is an HGV driver, he drives for a living yet because of his age, he has to be monitored! None of the named drivers has had an accident nor have made a claim in the 9 years we’ve been a customer. This used to be a fantastic scheme; now it is not.

This is honestly not worth the stress. It's taken years to get my daughter in a stable place with her mental health and get her through her test, a few weeks into this scheme and she's going downhill again. Don't understand why this not fit for purpose app is being used, why as her appointee I have to have permissions allowed. Just ridiculous been told different things every time I phone, couldn't get through on Friday. Rural area so town miles away, she's constantly counting her journeys, speed, tractors, animals, pot holes, cyclists, which to me makes driving unsafe! Time to leave after only a month, I won't put my daughter through this so back to no independence as we're in a rural area. Well done motabilty and don't leave a reply to get in touch, I've lost hours of my life trying to sort this and I'm recovering from a heart attack and the stress is not helping me either

MISSOLD BY MOTABILTY - Save your money and go elsewhere !

First time Motabilty customer here. Was super greatful to be added onto the scheme last December.

Signed up for our car in September and at no time was drive smart, mileage reduction, tracking apps, limiting 6 trips a day, or only 6 tyres replaced in three years was not mentioned.

Two months from December all was well and boom. I have now been added to drive smart for being under 30 years of age. No warning. No advertisement when introduced to the scheme, not mentioned by the dealer either as they had no idea about this as I queried to be certain.

I’m currently waiting on a response from the CEO and another complaints handler to explain how this is fair primarily on not being told about drive smart. But also what drive smart is and the impact it has had on so many disabled people.

Drive smart is so inaccurate peoples insurances are being cancelled left right and centre. All shared on the Motabilty groups online. Measuring the speed limit incorrectly, having Bluetooth on at all times, recording people driving around in supermarkets… for real !
You are scored on a points system red orange and green. 6 reds and you’re out of the scheme and banned from joining again.

Such a shame, as a lone carer I felt I could breath for two months knowing a scheme that was always created to support those in need would protect me from so much worry. Now I sit here worrying about my insurance being cancelled due to drive smarts inaccuracies and not even being told about having to have this.

If I’d of known I wouldn’t have bothered joining and all this ( amongst hundreds of others ) now have to find money for a deposit on another vehicle. Before drive smart cancels it for us and looking for another car will be impossible … thanks Motabilty !

Drive Smart device and app are not fit for purpose

New motability customer here and I thought this would be life-changing for my disabled son. The Drive Smart app and device have, however, rendered the whole experience a total nightmare. I had to buy a new mobile phone to work with the system, which was not a great start. Things went ok for a while, but out of nowhere my son's journeys have stopped recording on his phone, and my journeys have gone from being all green between 90% and 100%, to the majority being below 70% and amber, and also some not recording.

This is causing a huge amount of anxiety, in a life that is already full of hardship. I wish we had never joined the scheme.

Drivemart -If could give minus score I would inflation on privacy very inaccurate product that is designed for safer driving but in fact makes journeys unsafe. Unfit for purpose
It is not a black box like everyone thinks but a device to cause stress and anxiety amongst drivers. Constantly worrying about their scores
Scores are marked down for
Instance not taking into account everyday things like a child stepping out in road. If u stop marked
Down (what a joke ). Can’t use music maps or hands free in car totally unfair disabled being treated like 2nd class citizens
By a scheme that is
Supposed to help

I've been on the scheme for almost 20 years now but I certainly won't be renewing with them when my lease expires next year. They clearly don't care about their customers or disabled people in general, they're purely about making a much profit as possible and benefitting from disabled people's suffering. They've made sweeping, devastating changes to the scheme with no consultation with scheme users or disabled people. As such they have no understanding of the impact the changes would have. Reducing the milage limit from 20,000 a year down to 10,000 a year based on an average ABLE BODIED UK average milage being 7500. They do know disabled people depend on their cars more, right? Then on top raising the pence per mile over the limit from 5p to 25p (way above the vast majority of lease agreements). They blame this need for increase on rising insurance costs because they've had more claims. Clearly related to the fact that they're taking on more younger drivers who are much higher risk. So why don't they charge them more for insurance? They'd pay a LOT more elsewhere. The low risk users that depend on their cars more are expected to subsidise the high risk drivers that choose to drive like idiots but THEY are not expected to subsidise low risk users that NEED to use their care more?! Disgusting. The move is clearly just an easy, lazy way to boot off what thay see as the least profitable customers.

As a disabled person I cannot fail to notice the devastating effects the roll out of the 'Drivesmart' app is having on users, it's all over social media. Ill thought out, not fit for purpose, illegal, discriminatory and to be frank, an appalling thing to do. It's tracking users 24/7, pushing out false, inaccurate data, Motability won't listen, Direct Line won't listen and the fall out is that lives are being utterly destroyed for no valid reason. The anxiety and distress they're causing is enormous.... Do they care? No. This won't be forgotten and as they realise users are leaving in droves they'll maybe realise that they're very close to destroying the scheme entirely. I suspect they won't survive this.
I don't expect the CEO will miss his almost million pound salary and £21,000 car allowance, he'll just move on and leave the scheme in tatters.

**I won't be affected by the changes but I refuse to support a company that treats disabled people this way, I won't give them my money.

***Edit since response added. How long are you going to trot out the same nonsense over and over again? Blame it on the government tax changes.....everybody else's fault. Yes, I'm sure that was part of why the changes were made but your sums just don't add up. You've passed on the VAT on the APs to your customers so that is paid for. That leaves the 12.5% tax on the insurance. Well you've removed European travel breakdown, you've reduced the tyre limit from 8 to 6 over the lease, you've increased the insurance excess from £100 to £200. My insurance quote privately is £625 for this same vehicle with zero no claims history. 12.5% of £625 is a whopping extra £78.12 a year. You've saved that so many times over. You can't really blame the government for the reduction in milage allowance from 60,000 to £30,000 and the obscene rise of 25p per mile from 5p a mile excess milage charge now can you?
Either way you paid your CEO just short of a million last year including hundreds of thousands in bonuses (and a £21,000 car allowance on top just to add insult to injury), despite knowing you were going to make a loss and despite making a loss the year before. You're sat on £4.2 BILLION in reserves and you shaft your vulnerable customers for every penny you can again and again. You can claim to be non profit as much as you like but the banks that own you are making massive amounts of profits from the disgusting amount and ever rising reserves sat there earning them money. It's very clear looking in from the outside that the downfall of Motability is due to greed, mismanagement and the appalling way that customers are being treated.
Motability has totally lost its way sacrificing support to gain profit. It's no longer a fair scheme and they do not care how much distress or damage they cause their customers. Note not one customer that was booted off the scheme and had insurance cancelled due to the massively floored 'Drive Smart' system has been put right by Motability. Disgraceful.

I’m so thankful to have a car through mobility, I’ve got my independence back and Skoda Maidstone was brilliant, I received my enyaq when they said I would , brilliant service 👍

Shameful how the new invasion of privacy called Drive Smart is causing so many problems for people and motability seems to be sticking its fingers in its ears when anyone complains. Drive Smart even records if somone is walking in their house it is not fit for purpose.
Many will either leave motability or take them to court.

Had been a customer for years with no problems. Changed my car to an EV which I believe I was misled with. Had problems constantly with the home charging point, Motability customer service was so unhelpful. Thankfully I had a very understanding installer who helped me out. The issues couldn’t be resolved and the EV team basically told me it was my problem not theirs. They had spent the money on the car and now I had to deal with it. The EV team is so unlike the usual customer service team who are very helpful. The EV team were rude and to an extent nasty. I paid the £250 fee to return the car and have been sanctioned for 12 months but after seeing the new rules I don’t think I’ll bother again

This is my 5th car through motorbility. I have never had issues with the cars I chose. Had issues with Honda when I had a jazz from them. The dealer was pressuring me to get him a gift to say thankyou for helping me get the car!. I refused. My issues come from a no fault traffic accident. A drugged driver hit me head on at 70mph whilst he was on the wrong side of the road. I was trapped in a wrecked car awaiting to be cut out while the other driver was arrested at the scene. Then my problems started. I was put with a solicitor firm that only review 1 star on the majority of review sites. They have been bloody awful and over 2 yrs since my accident I have just been moved to a new solicitors by direct line. But even direct line can not get the solicitors to answer emails or phonecalls. I now have the financial ombudsman involved because of how all parties have reacted. (Motorbility/solicitors/direct line) the stress they have put me through whil I fight to get medical reports and treatment has added to my stress. And that's before I find out if I have to have this new live tracker thing on my car and restricted milage.

I have a car on the scheme for my little boy
He has many disabilities..we rely on the car for his many hospital appointments..we will not nd getting another car as we live rurally and the mileage will not be enough .

Once a lifeline to remove the stress of mobility and being able to live as much a normal life as possible.
But now a feeling of dread hangs over me, 10,000 miles a year will restrict me rather than help, they’ll tell you you can do more but it’s 25p per mile an even bigger slap in the face.
50% cut in mileage and a 400% increase in extra mileage charge.
Not even to mention all the other changes, drive not so smart and other financial blows.
No focus any longer on the key reason for the scheme, just a focus on being a used car dealer!
Keep that mileage down and we make a nice little sum, #AndrewMiller gets another bumper years earnings while the real people that need help pay for it.
Greedy disgrace.

My whole experience with motability has been a positive one on the whole nothing has ever been too much trouble any questions always answered positively. Both me and my son have cars but the latest changes with the drive smart has caused tremendous anxiety for my son who doesn’t drive far anyway and to be monitored he said he won’t drive again so I have made the decision that when the lease comes to an end later this year I will give the car back and will have to get him something second hand so at least he will continue to drive even if for small journey once a week to his dads. It’s a terrible shame that motability say it’s direct line enforcing this yet when talking to direct line they say it’s motability? So who’s telling us the truth? When this drive smart is rolled out to us all which has been indicated when speaking with direct line I shall also leave as the feedback on this app is appalling and I will not have my life monitored such as it is for the information to be sold to the DWP cos that’s where this is going.

Discriminating, hostile, anxiety inducing and all round terrible service provided to disabled people & their families!

The drive smart limits people’s ENTIRE lives. The reduction in mileage limits people’s ENTIRE lives!!

Why are people having to choose between keeping within the mileage & 6 journey limit and going to healthcare appointments or education settings?

Honestly just horrific from Motability! Stress free motoring my back side!!!!

im a first time user on mobility scheme they say its run 3 banks on mobility operations n yet there CEO is on £924k a year plus bonuses and they say its affordable for disabled people no it isnt when government steps in and makes changes the mobility operations/scheme should stand up for disabled people and as for the prices of Advanced Payment its high i had to pay £2K for a car i could fit into the prices go up every quarter by time my lease is due it will be out of reach just wont be able to afford it and with this drive smart gizmo i receive a letter saying my mobile isn't compatible so i ring up mobility scheme only to be told continue to use it ya feel like you're been watched 24-7 its totally unfair the drive smart says distracted driving when my mobile isn't out of sight under centre console in car n doesn't move. surely you would think that mobility scheme would look after its customers rather than pushing them away and remove all the new changes from april n july 2026 its about time mobility operations/scheme stands up for us disabled people n helps us n drop your AP asap.