It’s never been easier to get your hands on a wheelchair accessible vehicle, whether through leasing, hire purchase or some other funding option. However, it has to be said, the leasing of wheelchair accessible vehicles through the Motability Car Scheme is by far the preferred route for most wheelchair users. And no wonder. For when it comes to choice of car, convenience, affordability, expertise and after-sales support, the Motability Car Scheme is simply top drawer!
So what exactly is a wheelchair accessible vehicle anyway? As the name suggests, it’s a vehicle – usually a car – which has been adapted to allow a wheelchair and its user to travel inside as a passenger or even as the driver. The wheelchair vehicle usually starts out as a ‘base’ vehicle, no different from the car any able bodied person might buy from a garage or car dealer. It is then converted into a wheelchair-carrying vehicle by the fitting of a ramp at the back to enable the disabled person sitting in their wheelchair to get in and out. The floor of the vehicle is strengthened and lowered – or the roof may be raised instead – with some of the able-bodied passenger seating either removed or rearranged to enable easier wheelchair access.
To be eligible to lease a car through the Motability Car Scheme, the wheelchair user must be in receipt of either the higher rate mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or the war pensioners’ Mobility Supplement. Then you agree to turn part or all of either allowance over to Motability and they take care of all the paperwork. All you do is choose the car you want. There are no waiting lists or credit checks and no tiresome assessments either. It just couldn’t be simpler.
So what do you get in return for handing over your cash every week? The answer is a lot, not least years and years of worry-free motoring. But there’s much more, such as the 4,000 brand new cars to choose from. Also included in the leasing package, at no extra cost, is insurance, servicing and maintenance, full RAC breakdown assistance, annual tax disc, tyre and windscreen replacement, a 60,000 mileage allowance and many free adaptations to your car to make the driving experience more pleasurable.
And if you don’t actually drive yourself, can you still lease a car from Motability? Yes, no problems. Just nominate up to two people to do the driving for you. Pay a little extra to have a third driver. It’s a package that has no equal anywhere. When you reach the end of the three-year lease, simply choose another brand new car and Motability will take care of the transfer paperwork, too.
Of course, if you’re one of the few people who’d rather obtain their wheelchair accessible vehicles through hire purchase, thus owning your own car at the end of the term, Motability also takes care of all that as well. However, be warned, you’ll have to pay for your own insurance, servicing, maintenance and breakdown cover.
