Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum'

Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum'
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Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE

Posted by Mac Cummings on 28/6/2025, 2:16 pm

Astonishingly, Motability has become one of the UK’s largest buyers of electric vehicles 13% of sales, and about 20 per cent of all new car sales including ICE. So now, as a taxpayer, you’re not only funding someone else’s motor — you’re being forced to bankroll the green transition, whether you like it or not.
It is becoming ever more of a gravy train. Not every disabled person is taking the p*** and some deserve help but many are playing the system and I begrudge paying for spongers!
One of my club members for instance has a very, very substantial pension and assets which are more than sufficient to allow him to buy and run his own car but he also has a disablity so he qualifies. A means test needs to be applied but I think that the morons in charge would never allow that!

Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE

Posted by Brian on 28/6/2025, 2:55 pm, in reply to "Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE"

Mac there's millionaires that qualify and probably take it. There's genuine people who have lost itinerary the past, a gent I worked with was an amputee and had a mobility car and they decided he was no longer as disabled as he was and revoked it. He went to appeal and stated that he isn't a lizard and didn't expect the leg to grow back in the foreseeable future. It was reinstated.
A means test has been needed for years but it hasn't been applied no matter what government has been in power.

Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE

Posted by Liz Dance on 28/6/2025, 3:26 pm, in reply to "Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE"

The Motability system is a complete mess, why does someone have to have a top of the range car, I have seen BMW dealerships advertising the Motability scheme. To my mind if someone needs a car, maybe taxis might be cheaper, but if a car is required the person should be given a low spec vehicle that will get them from A to B, it should also be a vehicle that has been manufactured in the UK, I also don’t see why these vehicles have to be changed, I believe, every 2 years, people with company vehicles usually have to keep their cars for 4 maybe 5 years.

To be honest I and I am sure many others, are thoroughly fed up subsidising all and sundry, I am fed up still having to pay tax on everything, I recently completed my Self Assessment on line was told I needed to pay tax, there’s a surprise, anyway as usual I paid immediately, imagine how annoyed I was to receive, 3 weeks later, another demand , on account for the Tax Year 25/26, this new demand needs to be paid by the end of July, I guess I will be paying for these scroungers until the day I die - oh can’t we have a Tax Payer revolution??

Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE Brian/Sheila

Posted by Mac C on 28/6/2025, 3:28 pm, in reply to "Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE"

Yes of course the stupidity in the civil servants running the system has been there for years but I repeat that the morons in charge now wont change the over-riding legislation to cut out the real spongers..
On the stupidity front I read just today that a man lost his leg aged two following a severe leg injury, the cricketer is legally registered as disabled, takes medication for his disability and wears a prosthetic limb. Because one person reported him as a scrounger because he could still play cricket and took his family to Disneyworld all his benefits, including car has been taken from him. His appeal will take the standard 16 weeks but he will win on the basis of his disability it being agreed that his leg is unlikely to regrow.

Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Mac C

Posted by Sheila on 28/6/2025, 3:15 pm, in reply to "Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE"

Mac, in the financial year 2022/23, Mobility Operations provided £525million in customer support. The CEO of Mobility Operation has a salary of£750,000 a year, including bonuses. You see a few at our local Primary School if they have a child with special needs. Lovey 4x4s. My friend who has a lung disease drives a Audi Q5. I think she changes it when it’s 2 years old. I think you pay extra for a car of your choice.

Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Mac C

Posted by Norman on 28/6/2025, 3:38 pm, in reply to "Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Mac C"

I worked at RW Transmissions in Hebburn late 60s & there was a lovely man (jimmy) always smiling from Gateshead there with the crippling muscular dystrophy. He could have sat at home but he wanted to work.He came to work in a tiny bluey green plastic one seater car with a sliding door. He was genuine and loved coming to work.
Some scroungers can drive top of the range free cars nowadays.

Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Mac C

Posted by Sheila on 28/6/2025, 4:09 pm, in reply to "Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Mac C"

I think if you want a more expensive car you do pay something towards it. The thing is it’s difficult to judge if a person needs a mobility car. I think prople with heart problems can apply as they can’t walk far.

Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Mac C

Posted by Brian on 28/6/2025, 4:38 pm, in reply to "Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Mac C"

You have a limit allowed , anything over you have to pay. It will always be abused, like most benefits but the majority are genuine.

Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Brian.

Posted by Mac C on 29/6/2025, 10:47 am, in reply to "Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Mac C"

Are there any stats covering that assertion that the majority are genuine Brian?
It would at least give me some comfort because I have no wish to remove benefits from the genuine.

Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Brian.

Posted by Brian on 29/6/2025, 12:30 pm, in reply to "Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Brian."

Mac, are there any that there not?

Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Mac C

Posted by Mac C for Sheila and all on 29/6/2025, 10:45 am, in reply to "Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Mac C"
Edited by administrator Admin2 29/6/2025, 10:48 am

Interesting because when people are diagnosed with certain heart problems or minor strokes they are suspended from driving by the DVLA......

Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Mac C

Posted by Sheila on 29/6/2025, 11:48 am, in reply to "Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Mac C"

Yes that is correct Mac C, but I know you can apply for a disabled sticker for someone to drive you. I was thinking perhaps it might be similar for someone to drive your car. I have a neighbour with MS and her husband mostly drives their EV car. I’m sure it’s mobility, but perhaps it’s not. A friend who has MS always had a large mobility car to accommodate her wheel chair, which her husband drove, but sadly her husband now has dementia, so they don’t have the car now.

Re: For Sheila-Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Mac C

Posted by Mac on 29/6/2025, 11:54 am, in reply to "Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Mac C"
Edited by administrator Admin2 29/6/2025, 11:56 am

That is perfectly acceptable Sheila.

Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Mac C

Posted by ricky on 28/6/2025, 7:15 pm, in reply to "Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Mac C"

Was it one of these Norman?

Can you imagine what would happen if this was the only car you could get on Motability.

Bring them back I say !

That's the one Ricky

Posted by Norman on 28/6/2025, 10:23 pm, in reply to "Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Mac C"

Yes that looks the same one and the colour I described aswell. Thanks Ricky.

For Mac Cummings

Posted by norman on 29/6/2025, 10:22 am, in reply to "That's the one Ricky"

I wonder what fiddles there are with the Motability Scheme?
Motability will definitely get great discounts for purchasing cars in bulk.
Then after 2 years they put those cars into auctions & could well get close to what they paid originally for the cars.

Re: For Mac Cummings for Norman

Posted by Mac Cummings on 29/6/2025, 11:19 am, in reply to "For Mac Cummings "

Yes.
It is similar to the deals that the big Car Rental Companies like AVIS get. The heavily discounted cars are kept for usually just 6 months and then sold on the aftermarket recouping most and often more than the cost and the interest cost on the huge loans granted to buy them.

Re: For Mac Cummings for Norman

Posted by Brian on 29/6/2025, 9:12 pm, in reply to "For Mac Cummings "

A motability contract is 3 years, for a wheelchair accessible vehicle it's 5 years. They do sell on the vehicles depending on condition. Nearly all the the big dealerships have a motability scheme dept.

Re the return of Motability Cars

Posted by Liz Dance on 29/6/2025, 10:32 pm, in reply to "Re: For Mac Cummings for Norman"

If these vehicles are sold on depending on condition surely there should be penalties on the ‘owners’ of the vehicles if they are returned in poor condition, if you have a company car you are meant to return the car in a good condition.

Re: Re the return of Motability Cars

Posted by Brian on 30/6/2025, 7:50 am, in reply to "Re the return of Motability Cars"

I believe there is Liz

Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Ricky

Posted by Brian on 29/6/2025, 5:56 pm, in reply to "Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Mac C"

They were made by the company who made the Reliant Robin, no steering wheel but a handle which was a cross between a joystick and half handlebar, body was made of fibreglass, the first couple of models had no heater, they weren't very well balanced and if you took a corner too sharply you could topple the vehicle.

Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Ricky

Posted by ricky on 29/6/2025, 7:10 pm, in reply to "Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Ricky"

Brian, I remember seeing them in the 60's & 70's. It must have been a godsend to some folk, giving them a little independance and a means to visit friends and relatives. I bet they were cheap to run and service.

Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Ricky

Posted by Liz Dance on 29/6/2025, 7:35 pm, in reply to "Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Ricky"

Were they similar to Bubble cars?

Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Ricky

Posted by Brian on 29/6/2025, 8:54 pm, in reply to "Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Ricky"

They were incredibly cheap to run, but for a disabled person with a family they were no good, one seater no good to a family. I don't know what they were like for reliability but there wasn't much inside the car and the engine didn't take up much space either. The less you've got potentially means less can go wrong.

Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Ricky

Posted by ricky on 29/6/2025, 10:17 pm, in reply to "Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE: for Ricky"

I'm positive they had a motorcycle engine inside, so very cheap and economical. Motor bike tax and cheap to insure.............I want one!

Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE

Posted by Davy on 29/6/2025, 11:19 am, in reply to "Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE"

I know someone on pip nowt wrong with him but has a new car and other benifits living the life of riley.

Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE

Posted by Jim Gemmell on 29/6/2025, 2:04 pm, in reply to "Re: Motability -Gravy train. EV and ICE"

Best suggestion yet Ricky.

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