The Motability Scheme is well known for cars. Rather less well known is that it also covers mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs — and for a lot of people, that's the more useful option.
We're an accredited Motability dealer, so we handle these applications regularly. Here's the honest overview.
What the scheme actually is
Instead of receiving your mobility allowance as money, you exchange all or part of it for the use of a brand-new scooter or powerchair. You choose the product from the accredited range, and one regular amount from your allowance covers everything associated with it.
What's included
- A brand-new scooter or powerchair, chosen from the accredited range.
- Insurance, as part of the package.
- Servicing and maintenance for the length of the agreement.
- Repairs, including wear-and-tear items.
- Breakdown assistance if you're stranded.
That last group is the bit that matters most in practice. A scooter is not a one-off cost — batteries wear out, tyres perish, controllers fail. On the scheme those aren't your problem.
Who qualifies
You'll generally need to be receiving a qualifying mobility allowance, with at least 12 months remaining on your award. The most common one is the Enhanced Rate Mobility Component of PIP, but other qualifying allowances exist, including for people still receiving the higher rate mobility component of DLA and for some armed forces payments.
If you're not certain which allowance you receive or how long is left on your award, don't guess — it's on your award letter, and we can help you check. The definitive eligibility criteria are published by Motability Operations, and they're the authority on who qualifies.
Plenty of people who qualify have no idea they do. If you receive Enhanced Rate PIP mobility, it's worth a phone call to find out — it costs nothing to ask.
The free home assessment
Where the criteria are met, we'll come to you at no cost. This isn't a sales visit dressed up as an assessment — it's genuinely more useful done at your home than in our showroom, because the questions that decide the right product are all about your house and your routes.
We're looking at things like:
- Doorways, thresholds, hallways and any gates or ramps.
- Where the product will be stored and charged.
- The ground immediately outside — gravel, slopes, dropped kerbs.
- How you transfer on and off, and whether a swivel seat or different seat height would help.
- The journeys you actually want to make, and whether they need pavement or road capability.
You get an honest recommendation at the end of it, including if the honest recommendation is that the scheme isn't right for you.
How the process runs
- Call us and tell us which allowance you receive and roughly how long is left on the award.
- We arrange the free home assessment at a time that suits you.
- We recommend suitable products and you try them — at home, not just in a showroom.
- We handle the Motability application paperwork with you.
- Once approved, we deliver, set up and hand over the product properly, and show you how everything works.
- Servicing and any repairs come back to us afterwards.
If you don't qualify — or don't want the scheme
Not everyone is eligible, and not everyone who is eligible wants to commit their allowance. That's a perfectly reasonable position.
Two things worth knowing. First, we offer a free home demonstration on every scooter and powerchair we sell, whether or not there's a scheme involved. Second, we take part exchanges and keep second-hand stock, which often makes a good machine affordable outright. Our used stock moves quickly, so it's worth a call rather than a browse.
Talk to us
Call 01234 267393 and ask for a chat about Motability. We'll tell you straight away whether it's worth pursuing, and we won't start an application that isn't going to be approved.
You can also read more on our Motability page.
