Context
The Motability Scheme provides affordable, reliable mobility for disabled people who face barriers to accessing suitable transport.
For more than a decade, people with mobility difficulties have made around 38% fewer journeys than those without.
Disabled people also face difficulties accessing suitable vehicles and essential motoring services. Our research shows that without the Scheme, 60% of customers would find it difficult to access car finance, while 29% would struggle to access insurance. Those who need adapted and specialist vehicles can also face additional costs.
The Scheme helps address these challenges by enabling disabled people who receive a qualifying mobility allowance from the government to use that allowance to lease a vehicle. Recognising the difficulties disabled people face accessing motoring services, the Scheme brings together insurance, servicing, maintenance and breakdown cover in one lease package.
Eligibility for the Motability Scheme
Eligibility for the Motability Scheme is determined by government through the qualifying mobility allowances it awards to disabled people.
Government bodies, including the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Social Security Scotland and Veterans UK, are responsible for applying eligibility criteria, assessing claims and determining who receives qualifying mobility allowances.
The Motability Scheme doesn't have a role in deciding who qualifies for these allowances. We do not assess people's disabilities or determine the level of financial support they receive. This is done once, and by the government - we do not duplicate this.
How many people who receive an allowance use it to pay for a Motability Scheme lease?
Around 1 in 3 people who could join the Scheme choose to do so - this isn’t automatic. This proportion has remained broadly stable over recent years and the proportion joining the Scheme was lower in 2024 than in 2019.
Receiving a qualifying mobility allowance does not mean someone must join the Motability Scheme. Eligible people choose whether to exchange their allowance for a lease through the Scheme or use it to meet their mobility needs in other ways
Is PIP means tested?
Personal Independence Payment (PIP), one of the main qualifying benefits for the Scheme, is designed to help disabled people meet the additional costs arising from their disability, rather than replace income.
Independent research from disability charity Scope estimates that disabled households face additional costs of £1,095 a month, on average, to achieve the same standard of living as non-disabled households. These costs can include higher energy bills, specialist equipment and additional support with everyday activities, and do not necessarily disappear as household income rises.
Whether qualifying benefits should be means-tested or subject to different eligibility criteria is a matter for government, not the Motability Scheme.
Andrew Miller, CEO of Motability Operations, the company that runs the Motability Scheme, said:
"Government decides who receives a qualifying mobility allowance, not the Motability Scheme. Disabled people then choose whether to use that allowance to lease a vehicle through the Scheme or meet their mobility needs in other ways.
"The Scheme exists because there is a real gap in the market for affordable, accessible transport. Six in ten of our customers say they would struggle to access car finance without the Scheme, while almost a third would find it difficult to get insurance.
"At its heart, this is about freedom and independence for disabled people. It's right that the Scheme is scrutinised, but we shouldn't lose sight of what it delivers. The UK has built a unique service that helps disabled people get to work, education and healthcare, and gives them the freedom to get on with their lives."
What are the allowances that can be used to join the Motability Scheme?
Eligibility depends on receiving a qualifying mobility allowance from the government. These include:
- The enhanced-rate mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
- The higher-rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA).
- The enhanced mobility component of Adult Disability Payment (ADP) in Scotland.
- Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP).
- War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement (WPMS).
