Motability Scheme  Avis 

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.

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.