Motability Scheme  Avis 

Once you cared not any more you have no idea the stress and huge anxiety you have caused me my driver refuses to use my car you have rrd sorry him every time for nothing you track his phone he has his own private life am.lucky he helps me as am wheelchair user and need help to dress wash and everything I need my car to get me to hospital and be able to live a life . Now am back housebound ... he turned off his Bluetooth he has his own car aswell u sore him on that u send none stop messages me emails about it being off some nkt so nice messages I have ptsd also and my anxiety and mh has suffered because of you I don't even wanna go in the car anymore . Am paying for it to sit on a drive because of your app . And u have cost me in data it used ot all I had to pay to add more . Also had to buy a new ohine because app would not work on my old phine so as I dont have mkney to buy a new phine I had to take out a contract thay I wpuld never normally do putting me in debt .. bullies is what you are BUllies

I joined the Motability Scheme in 1978 as one of its first users. It was life-changing and gave me real independence. I returned in 2019 and initially found it still excellent.

But over the last five years, the decline has been stark.
What was once an empathetic, needs-based service now feels like a cost-driven fleet operation. Decisions appear increasingly political rather than focused on disabled people.

The removal of my Mini Convertible, purely because it’s a convertible? With no clear or reasonable explanation, feels discriminatory. My needs haven’t changed, yet the scheme has decided what I can and cannot drive.
At the same time, costs are rising while services are being reduced, including mileage limits. The introduction of the “Drive Smart” app has made matters worse. What should be a tool for support feels instead like invasive monitoring, turning the driving experience into something stressful, uncomfortable, and frankly unwanted. For many users, it adds anxiety rather than reassurance.

I now have one year left on a car that suits me perfectly but won’t be available again. As a result, I’m unlikely to renew.

A scheme that once stood for freedom and independence now feels like it’s losing its way.

Reply to 12 June Motability response’

Hi Lisa,
Thank you for the response, but you have entirely missed the core of my point.
Sustaining the scheme itself is not, and should never be, the primary objective. The objective is sustaining the dignity, independence, and mobility of disabled people.
The Motability scheme has drifted dangerously far from its core charitable roots. What we are seeing now is a scheme being terribly mismanaged, with an over-focus on transitions and political ideologies that have pushed it into financial strife and losses.
By prioritizing these external agendas over the immediate, practical needs of your customers, you are turning a vital social lifeline into just another commercial enterprise looking to survive. Cutting essential vehicles and manufacturers under the guise of "sustainability" directly compromises the independence of the very people you were founded to protect.
If Motability loses its heart and its focus on disabled people, there won't be a scheme worth sustaining.
Best regards,
Roger

I’m very disappointed with the direction Motability has taken. What was once a genuinely supportive charity aimed at helping disabled people maintain independence now feels like an organisation driven more by profit than purpose.

The introduction of the 10,000-mile limit is restrictive and doesn’t reflect the real needs of many disabled users who rely on their vehicles for daily life, medical appointments, and maintaining independence. It feels like a one-size-fits-all policy that ignores individual circumstances.

Even more concerning is the use of black box monitoring for drivers under 30. This feels intrusive and unfair, especially when applied broadly rather than based on individual driving behaviour. It creates a sense of mistrust and adds unnecessary stress for younger disabled drivers who are already dealing with enough challenges.

Overall, Motability no longer feels like the supportive charity it once was. Instead, it gives the impression of prioritising cost-saving and risk reduction over genuinely helping disabled people. This shift undermines the trust and goodwill the scheme was built on.

Our experience of the scheme so far has been fantastic
Last yr we had to upgrade early due to my mobility getting worse quicker than expected. After a nice chat with the dealership, we rung the scheme the same day & told them why & they accepted it as was unexpected, but we still had to pay the £250 & told them we were going back to the same dealership as they had recommended a car
The communication is good throughout the process & we were able to pick up the new one very quickly
The member of staff on the phone was very polite & guided us through everything as we were new to the scheme & had alot of questions, so was very patient
I find the magazine very interesting to read & the newsletters sent online very good as there's been alot of worry over the changes & how they might affect us, but it was clearly laid out, what & when was coming in

Absolutely unacceptable experience with the Motability Drive Smart system. This app is not only unreliable, it raises serious privacy and safety concerns.

The app is tracking my named drivers outside of the Motability vehicle, including in their own personal cars and during working hours. I have clear evidence of journeys being recorded that were not in the insured vehicle at all. This is completely inappropriate and raises major concerns about how personal data is being collected and used.

One of my named drivers works in a sensitive role attending private addresses, including vulnerable individuals. The idea that their location is being tracked outside of the Motability vehicle is extremely concerning from both a confidentiality and safety perspective.

At the same time, the app fails to record actual journeys properly, yet I am receiving repeated messages and warnings that my lease may be affected if journeys are not recorded. I am effectively being threatened with losing my vehicle due to faults in a system that is not working correctly.

I am disabled and rely on my named drivers. I have been told to remove them or “deal with it”, which is not a realistic or acceptable option. This situation has caused significant stress and distress, particularly due to my conditions (ADHD, autism, anxiety, depression and CPTSD).

I have clearly stated that I am more than willing to have a black box telematics device fitted instead of using this app, which would resolve these issues and ensure tracking is limited to the vehicle. However, this has been refused without proper justification, despite being a reasonable and safer alternative and despite other customers being allowed these.

Despite raising multiple complaints, Motability and Direct Line continue to pass responsibility between each other and refuse to resolve the issue.

This is not inclusive, not supportive, and not acceptable for a scheme designed to help disabled people. I have escalated this further due to serious concerns around privacy, safety and data handling.

I would strongly caution anyone about relying on this system in its current state.

I’m not surprised that this company has a low score. They treat their disabled customers appallingly and are patronising. They make the complaints process so obtuse and so convoluted so as to make it almost impossible. Finally with me they were not only dishonest covering up the poor discriminatory attitude of their customer service operators but they also attempted to cover up a clear blunder they made. Most importantly they are trying to prevent me from leasing a new car which has severely impacted my multiple disabilities.

I currently have my second car on the Motability Scheme, which is a van with a hoist. I'm 29 and when I got it I was told that I would have to have the Drive Smart device installed. However I didn't have a choice as otherwise I would be housebound.
The first few weeks with the device were fine, I was receiving mostly 100s, but all of a sudden my scores dipped and I was getting faults for breaking and accelerating, nothing has changed with my driving at all. I get these faults at stop lights, along straight roads etc and i'm not going over the speed limit at all.
The smart drive device and it's 'feedback' have made me incredibly stressed and anxious to drive, which is not what you want when driving, and is affecting my mental health quite badly. I fought so hard for this car, the grants, etc, and without it I can't even get groceries or my medications, attend Dr's appointments.
I turn 30 in 5 months, at which point I can remove the device, but i've just left a domestic violence situation of 17 years. I want my freedom more than anything and now it seems i'm in yet another controlling situation where my every move is monitored.
I was so excited to get this car, to be able to go out and explore, to enjoy life and to finally live after everything i've been through and now I feel like I can't.
I don't have the option of leasing or buying a car as escaping my previous situation destroyed my credit. I don't want another car on this scheme but I literally don't have a choice.
I just wanted freedom, and now i'm back in a horrible situation, so, thanks for that, Motability.

Well, I think this is the end for Motability. Scheme user for 15+ years and I could not be more appalled at their behaviour. They certainly do not support disabled people or care one iota about the lives they're destroying and the massive amounts of anxiety they're causing. They're a disgrace.
New changes (made without any consultation, despite their pitiful claims that 1000 scheme users were invited to 'focus groups' (889,000 user so even if the full 1000 attended how would that be a fair and balanced opinion of all users anyway?)). Milage allowance for the year slashed from 20,000 to 10,000 overnight and the pence per mile for extra miles changed from 5p to 25p overnight. They claim that 75% of users drive less than 10,000 limit. Great, that's 25% that are now priced out of the scheme. Over 220,000 drivers that are now booted from the scheme. Bye bye.
The they introduce a new tyre limit down from 8 to 6 over the scheme. *Apparently* most users only use 2 tyres over a three year lease. Now bearing in mind the current milage allowance is 60,000 miles over the lease we must all be driving on bald tyres....and who only ever changes 2 tyres when all 4 would wear at relatively the same speed?! Either way they pushed the Evs on us and they need a full set of 4 every 12,000 miles or so(no one told me this when I took my ev on) so even on a 30,000 mile lease limit you'd need at least 8 tyres! Oh and don't forget they only allow you to put premium tyres on so better start saving!
Drive smart..... Don't get me started. **not** a black box but an appalling, not fit for purpose app. This is forced onto anyone who has a driver under 30 on their lease and all new Motability customers(likely rolled out to all customers eventually). Pushed as a way to improve driving skills it's illegal, intrusive, breaches GDPR (and several other laws), is discriminatory, is causing massive amounts of anxiety and is leading to users having their insurance cancelled by Direct Line and incorrectly being booted off the scheme through faulty data because it's not fit for purpose. It tracks users 24/7 even when they're not in the car (despite Motability claiming otherwise), all named drivers are forced to leave Bluetooth on (and phone on) 24/7 - because they want to use YOUR phone and YOUR data to make their app work. If any of the drivers turn their phone or Bluetooth off or don't drive for a few days you get harassed with persistent texts and emails asking why you're not connecting to the car. It gives you a red reading for : starting the car more than 6 times in a day (says 6 journeys but every time you start the engine it's classed as a journey), driving for more than an hour, driving after 11 at night, going just slightly over the speed limit by accident, taking a turn slightly too quickly, braking slightly too hard, if your phone screen happens to become active (can't use it for apple play, navigating, alarms etc and god forbid someone calls or texts you while you're driving, even if you don't answer it's marked as 'distracted driving' but if course you're not allowed to turn the phone off......) You get the idea and it's clearly far, far too sensitive and doesn't understand real world driving. It records routes and journeys incorrectly and some of the alleged journeys it's formulating just could not possibly happen. Two red weeks in a row or 4 in a year = insurance cancelled with immediate effect and car removed.
The kicker? There's no right of appeal even with dash cam footage to prove the data is wrong (why should users have to prove it's wrong anyway when they already know how appallingly flawed it is?) Zero support or understanding, Motability pass the buck to Direct Line who pass the buck to Motability. Oh, and of course once your insurance is cancelled because this app is so appallingly flawed you'll struggle to find insurance for your own car and if you do you likely won't be able to afford it. All because they're using Motability customers as Guinea pigs to test an app that they already know is massively flawed. How much are Direct Line paying Motability for this I wonder?
I do hope that all the customers that have been illegally tracked, had their data handled in a way that breaches GDPR, been discriminated against and/or had their insurance and lease cancelled for no legitimate reason and are left without any form of transport at all are planning to sue. (legal action is pending)
Steer well clear of Motability, they don't give a toss about disabled people, they are 100% about profit. 4billion in reserves and the CEO took home just short of a million last year. The 25% that did more than the new 10,000 miles limit - they were the least profitable customers so they get kicked out.
I won't touch them with a bargepole now, who wants to support a company that treats disabled people so appallingly.

Motability has lost sight of its purpose and replaced it with a focus on money, control, and targets.

As a long-standing customer, I’m genuinely disappointed with the direction things are going.

The response to the removal of the government tax levy feels completely out of touch with the people who rely on this scheme. Instead of working with customers, these changes are being imposed on them.

The introduction of app-based monitoring feels intrusive and unnecessary. For many users, this scheme represents independence, not surveillance. It’s difficult not to view this as a “big brother” approach.

Even more concerning is the idea of capping mileage without meaningful consultation. Many customers have complex, genuine mobility needs that don’t fit neatly into a fixed limit. This risks penalising the very people the scheme is supposed to support.

There were better, fairer options. For example, offering the ability to pay for additional mileage would have provided flexibility without restricting independence.

Right now, it feels like financial pressure is being passed directly onto customers, rather than being handled in a balanced and considered way.

Motability has always stood for independence. At the moment, that principle feels like it’s being undermined.

The drive smart is not fit for purpose, you get marked down for stopping at traffic lights if they turn at the wrong time, get marked down for doing over 6 journeys a day or driving for over an hour.

Left Housebound After Non-Fault Accident – No Support, No Adjustments

My experience with Motability has been extremely disappointing.

I was nearing the end of my lease when I was involved in a non-fault accident in September 2024, which resulted in my vehicle being written off. Prior to this, a grant had already been approved for a Mercedes Sprinter WAV (internal transfer).

In January 2025, the order was cancelled. The reason given was that my new wheelchair was taking too long to arrive.

I made it clear that I had a spare backup wheelchair available and was willing to self-fund the transfer of any required brackets so that I could proceed. Despite offering a practical and reasonable solution, this was not accepted.

Then in February 2025, the hire vehicle was taken back, leaving me with no accessible transport at all.

As a result, I have been left housebound.

There has been:

No flexibility in approach

No willingness to consider interim solutions

No recognition of the real-world impact this decision has had

Losing access to a suitable vehicle has removed my independence completely. Simple, everyday tasks like attending appointments or getting food have become difficult or impossible without relying on others.

To make matters worse, communication has been poor. I have requested accessible electronic communication, but this has not been consistently followed, making an already stressful situation harder to manage.

Overall, this experience has felt:

Rigid and process-driven rather than person-focused

Dismissive of practical solutions

Lacking in understanding of the impact on daily life

For an organisation that is supposed to support disabled people, the outcome here has been the opposite.

totally appalling
after 16 years no more for me
the errors they’ve made cost me not ordering a car in march
they put it all sun to human error
i was treated rudely .told three different versions and was told there is no complaint address

NOT worry free motoring anymore. 10,000 a year mileage is a JOKE

All they care about is their PROFIT

10,000 a year mileage 50% cut

Insurance excess gone up to £250 so it has More than DOUBLE

You can not have a under 30 driver UNLESS your happy to be tracked like a sea turtle

Uk road are in a poor state snd they decided to CUT TYRE ALLOWANCE

good condition bonus CUT from £600 to £200

And yet the advance payments keep getting higher for a standard car

SAVE YOUR MONEY

DON'T USE THESE MONEY GRABBING PEOPLE

It is not a charity anymore it became a LTD OWNED by Direct line insurance company.
Motability put The faith of disabled people in the hands of the DIRECTLINE INSURANCE.
What a shame!?
Disabled people are now bullied by a crock insurance company.

Absolutely heartbroken. My son finally has been awarded enhanced PIP after a year of fighting back and forth and now it looks like getting him a vehicle isn't going to happen because of the DriveSmart roll out. I'm 41 years old with no points, what on Earth do I need a DriveSmart for? And as for having my location tracking on 24/7 so the insurance company can trace me at the drop of a hat, what an incredibly harrowing invasion of privacy. Imagine you're sat at the gynaecologist clinic and someone from Direct Line is reviewing your telemetry and there you are. Being emailed with threats to cancel the insurance on the vehicle unless you turn tracking on EVEN WHEN YOU ARE ASLEEP AT 3AM is disgusting, and as for Motability insisting your lease won't be affected by the new policies, I believe that, but the INSURANCE WILL BE affected, that's the hidden detail they don't admit. The mileage is crazy, we don't all live in the city, we have rural locations and hospital visits in other cities... and as for 6 journeys a day... it's every time you turn the engine off! So not 6 journeys, it's 6 engine switch offs. Just when my son could've had a better quality of life, it's snatched away. I am beyond anguish.

Shocking Mobility Scheme should be called Mobility Scam.
Only got one key Perrys Burnley shocking.
Sending mine back early they can have the £250.
Avoid the scam sorry scheme if you can.
Patronising online chat staff.
Avoid the Mokka absolutely disgusting on fuel & handling is utter rubbish.

I would advise any other disabled people before signing a contract with Motability, to be aware of your consumer rights regarding faulty cars, as Motability disregard them

I know this as I took them to court & won

I had a VW Tiguan Allspace that developed an airbag fault 14 months into lease. In total, this car had 19 separate airbag incidents, along with other safety system faults, mechanical breakdowns & 2 episodes of severely corroded & crumbling brake discs

Each time it went in for repair, often needed RAC towing, I was mostly left for weeks without a car (24+separate incidents & only given 4 courtesy cars) all while still paying for a car the was off the road

The only option Motability offered was for me to end the lease & not charge me the penalty fee. This meant walking away when nothing. Under the Consumer Rights Act, this warranted a rejection, which should have seen me receive some of my deposit back

I have seen recent posts regarding people in the same situation. You do not need legal advice from a solicitor. If your car has a persistent fault, or multiple faults, you can bring a claim in the small claims court & represent yourself

You have to follow the process of complaint, starting with direct complaint to Motability (they may offer token 'gesture of goodwill' but will be nowhere near what you are due, then Financial Ombudsman (this takes quite a long time but courts prefer you to have done this, although not essential), if not satisfied, in my case Ombudsman award was one third of what court judgement was, you can reject decision, write Letter of Action to Motability & start online small claims

Do not let Motability bully or intimate, as they did me

This organisation claims to provide safe, reliable, worry free, continuous mobility. This in legal terms is 'puff' and not promise. But they'll still take you money, making billions along the way

Motability is now a scam for all disabled individuals who are looking for vehicles to get them around. I believe the DriveSmart is not fit for purpose - targeting disabled drivers under-30 and new lease holders when we have years of no claims.

Myself being under-30 means I’ll be one of those people who will have a DriveSmart system and unfortunately I paid nearly £3K for a BMW when it was on the scheme and only I will be monitored until I’m 30. Disgraceful. I don’t know what Motability are thinking but they need to change these rules because it’s harming all disabled individuals who do drive safely and are still punished by the stupid app or black boxes.

The scheme used to be good, now no-one who works for Motability, or the CEO, cares about how it affects the disabled individuals and only think of themselves and the profits they’re generating. If they could put themselves in our shoes then maybe the CEO should resign out of respect and replace him with a disabled influencer who knows how disabled people feel, financially, emotionally and physically and not to target the disabled audience adding more onto their stress, anxieties and worries.

However, I am considering moving away from the scheme in future due to this for more freedom and would like some compensation for the advance payment I paid as you’ve illegally changed the contracts T&C’s mid-contract.

It use to be worry free motoring with a good package to help enable freedom but the changes have left me in a position where I can’t even use the car to get to work and back each day without getting additional charges when I renew my lease.

The scheme use to be 60k for the 3 years but now it’s been reduced.
The 5p to 25p excess per mile will leave me needing to pay an addditional £7500 at the end of the lease, then an additional £3k for a suitable new lease advance payment on a car to fit my wheelchair in and pram for baby (yes, disabled people do have children!)

The app that would also be required to be used on my next lease for my carer to drive for me, is not reliable,
The isolation and discrimination towards customers is shocking…. I raised my concerns with motability asking to log a formal complaint about it all.
No consultation has taken place and the vast majority of users need the miles to carry out visits to hospital, physio and work!
I was told by customer service that they won’t log it as a complaint as it’s a policy change and not a performance issue

Honestly - I don’t quite think they realise how inhumane this is! I hope they go bust! I hope the staff think ethically about what company they work for!
The more of us who leave will impact them financially!

So thanks motability for the lack of care and service as you’ve put so many customers out of the scheme.
Gradual changes I could understand but backtracking makes no sense

The application was going fine until drive smart was mentioned. I queried this with the supposed drive smart expert who did everything the evade answering my questions and did his best to talk over me and try to put me through to new business colleagues as I was new to the scheme. I refused and asked him to clarify the amount of intrusion involved with this new app. Again he was totally evasive. The reasons appear to be that drive smart monitors everything you do in the car in order to mark you down. If you make a phone call, driving at night, where you go, the number of trips, cornering ability the list is endless. It’s a joke. All this information being retained and commented on by Direct Line insurance under the guise of safety but ultimately they are harvesting information about you that they have no right to and no doubt would sell or share this information regardless. I know motability has some problems and has been hijacked by some nefarious characters but this level of intrusion to address this is way too much. Companies can’t help themselves but model themselves on big brother is watching and think it’s acceptable. It’s not. I implore you to think carefully about the scheme and the information you surrender. Read the forums please.