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NEWS FEED TIMELINE: 

March 31st 2020

Motability search tool taken down, no cars listed as none can be ordered. All cars extended for six months (presently) Motability Scheme all but mothballed.

 

March 25th 2020

Coronavirus and Motability info here: https://www.whichmobilitycar.co.uk/coronavirus-and-motability/

 

March 10th 2020

(up by 96) 2081 Vehicles Avaialble on the Scheme (15) 879 are automatic gearbox  (19) 346 Nil Advance Payment or less (54 Automatics)

(4) 29 Electric vehicles,  (3) 11 Plugin Hybrid,   121 Hybrid,  (54) 1207 Petrol,  (15) 638 Diesel)

Cars suitable for Under 25 year old – (increased by 60) 737  –  (2) 195 are Automatic Gearbox

Motability Sales in 2020 – 26191  down 888 on 2019 and down 180 on 2018 

The MY21 (Model year 2021) Volvo XC40 has a range of new engines, trim lines and the dreaded packs. (Read more about model years here)

The new B4 engine is a 48v mild hybrid (boo) attached to the old T4 engine, the hybrid will give an extra boost (assume this is what the B stands for) the horse power is increased by 7 to 197 but there is no increase in torque over the old engine or a decrease in the the 0-62 mph time (8.4 seconds). The Economy range increases from 33.6 – 36.7 mpg to 34.7 – 39.2 mpg in the B4 FWD.

The price of the basic B4 FWD in Momentum trim has increased from £31835 to £32635 over the old T4

The Brochure and price list is here: https://www.whichmobilitycar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Volvo-XC40-MY21.pdf 

Prices for the MY21 XC40 should be released on 1st April 2020 when we change to Q2 pricing. 

 

February 6th 2020

(down by 125) 1985 Vehicles Avaialble on the Scheme (41) 864 are automatic gearbox  (49) 327 Nil Advance Payment or less 

(5) 25 Electric vehicles,  (4) 8 Plugin Hybrid,   (56) 121 Hybrid,  (87) 1207 Petrol,  (78) 623 Diesel)

Cars suitable for Under 25 year old – (reduced by 13) 677  –  (17) 193 are Automatic Gearbox

 

Toyota Rav4  – Back again

Toyota’s big booted, 580 litres, SUV is only avaialble as a petrol hybrid. The 2.5 litre petrol engine is joined by a self charging electric motor that combine to give 219 brake horse power and return a claimed 52.3 miles per gallon, flags have been raised around the CVT Automatic gearbox however so a test drive is essential.  Trim lines are Design and Excel and only the AWD car is available. Following a holiday from the Scheme the Advance Payments have increased by £650 and £500 for the two cars that are available.  

Winter Best Buy –  Toyota RAV4 2.5 petrol Hybrid All wheel drive CVT Automatic  ‘Design’  –  £3445 Advance Payment (£2331 wpms)

Winter Best Buy –  Toyota RAV4 2.5 petrol Hybrid All Wheel drive CVT Automatic  ‘Excel’  –  £3745 Advance Payment (£2630 wpms)

 

February 4th 2020

Following a period where the Motability search engine has not been stagnant, apparently there was an issue adding new vehicles, there has been a lot of activity:

Peugeot 2008 

The New 2008, is based on the excellent 208, as with the smaller car there are petrol, diesel and a full electric version available. The new car is 140mm longer than its predecessor and 20mm lower. At 4.3m, the new 2008 is only 150mm shorter than the larger 3008 SUV.  A 60mm longer wheelbase helps boost boot space by 10 litres up to 434 litres across all versions including the electric e-2008, while also increasing rear passenger legroom over the outgoing model. Prices start at £299 (manual) £599 (Automatic) or £1799 As an Electric car. 

 

 

January 7th 2010

Motability registrations over the last three years – 663795 vehicles.

2017 – 33.16%, 2018 – 32.43%, 2019 – 34.14%

Busiest months in 2019 were March (11.74%) and September (10.97%) 

Quietest are February (5.21%) and August (6.28%)

 

December 14th 2019

Toyota C-HR

The Toyota Coupe High Rider (C-HR) has been updated for 2020 with new trim lines and new engines. In the UK the C-HR is now only available as a self charging hybrid, the engine choices are 1.8 or 2.0 litre petrol paired to the electric power. The power output is 120bhp and 182 bhp respectively, all cars are front wheel drive CVT automatic and the larger engine has a 0-62mph time of 8.2 seconds and returns a claimed 49.50mpg. The 2.0 litre has a larger battery back offering 32 additional bhp compared to 23 in the 1.8.

 

December 10th 2019

 

Mazda CX-5

Just as the news that the new Mazda CX-30 has joined the Scheme was filtering through we have to report that the largest UK Mazda SUV, the CX-5, has left the Scheme. Sad day.

 

 

 

Peugeot 208

The New 208 comes as a petrol, a diesel and a full electric, E-208. Sharing many of the components of the Vauxhall Corsa (chassis, engines, gearbox, electrical architecture, dimensions) the 208 has the edge on design, inside and out the little Peugeot is incredibly pleasing on the eye. The engine choices are 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol with either 75bhp, 99bhp and 128bhp, a 1.5-litre diesel with 99bhp or a 134bhp (100kW motor and a 50kWh battery 0-60mph in 7.8 seconds) BEV version offering a WLTP range of 211 miles with no loss of space as the electric motor sits under the bonnet and the batteries under the rear seats. Charging times from empty to full are 20 hours using a conventional three-pin household socket, eight hours when using a dedicated home charging point, while a 100kW fast charger will provide an 80 percent charge in 30 minutes. Trim Lines are Active, Allure, GT-Line and GT. Prices for the E-208 start at £1499 Advance Payment for either the Active or Allure, rising to £1699 for the GT line and topping out at £1999 for the GT trim only available as an E-208. The petrol and diesel cars offer a much smaller Advance Payment starting at Nil and rising through the grades to £849 AP for the Automatic 1.2 litre petrol with 128bhp.  

 

Mazda CX-30

Mazda’s new SUV, sits between the CX-3 and CX-5 for size. (Why is it not called the CX-4? The number 4 is considered unlucky in Japan) Powered by their excellent turbo less 2.0 litre petrol front wheel drive engine producing 120bhp (badged Skyactiv-G) or 178bhp (Skyactiv-X). The larger engine delivering improved fuel economy, 47.7 combined mpg compared to 45.6 for the lower powered car and an improved 0-62 time of 9.0 seconds compared to 10.2 seconds, The CX30 also incorporates a mild hybrid system but it is so mild Mazda do not make reference to it in their literature. Trim lines are SE-L , SE-L Lux, Sport Lux and GT Sport.

 

December 6th 2019

Toyota Rav 4

Toyota Rav4 has been removed form Scheme. The high demand and subsequent lengthy delivery times have forced the popular Hybrid off the Scheme.

 

 

 

December 5th 2019

Volkswagen T-Cross

Finally the VW Polo based T-Cross is added to the Scheme, bumper retail sales and the resultant build delays have kept it off until now. Sadly as demand is high, the Advance Payment prices (starting at £1149) do not make it anything like a bargain – but if you want what is generally perceived as the best small crossover then the price is worth paying. Trim Lines are S, SE, SEL and R-Line, to have parking sensors (front and rear) you have to choose the SEL trim, equipment is excellent aside from this; 8 inch touchscreen with CarPlay / android auto alongside automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection and lane keeping assist. Two engines, a 1.0 litre three cylinder petrol, with 95 or 115 bhp (go for the 115 if you want six manual gears or a 7 speed dual clutch Automatic) or a 1.6 diesel with 95bhp with 5 manual gears or a 7 speed Auto. Prices for the 115 manual T-Cross are £1299 SE, £1699 SEL £2199 R-Line or as an Auto: £1599 SE, £1999 SEL and £2499 R-Line. Told you it was expensive!  

November 26th 2019

(up by 55) 2110 Vehicles Avaialble on the Scheme  (21) 907  are automatic gearbox  (7) 376 Nil Advance Payment or less (57 Automatics)

((5) 20 Electric vehicles,  12 Plugin Hybrid,   (10) 65 Hybrid,  (18) 1295 Petrol,  (5) 701 Diesel)

Cars suitable for Under 25 year old – (reduced by 1) 690  –  (2) 176 are Automatic Gearbox

November 23rd 2019

Skoda Kamiq

The Skoda Kamiq is a small crossover (SUV) and the sister car to the Seat Arona and (sadly not on the Scheme) VW T-Cross. The Kamiq is largest of the three and offers a conservative looking alternative to the Nissan Juke. The 400 litre boot is 22 smaller than the Juke but the wide opening makes it a more practical solution. The 1.0 litre petrol is available with 94bhp (manual only) or 113bhp (manual or DSG Automatic). The larger 1.5 litre petrol offers a148bhp and genuine pace, 0-62 in 8.4 seconds. Two trims SE and SE L, The SE has 17 inch alloys, rear parking sensors, cruise control, wireless SmartLink for Apple Car Play (wired for Android Auto and mirrorlink) to the 8 inch Touchscreen, the SEL adds 18 inch alloy wheels ambient interior lighting, privacy glass, 9.2 inch Touchscreen and a virtual cockpit.  Prices start at Nil Advance payment, the 113bhp car starts at £195 manual and £795 Auto. The 1.5 litre cars starts at £995 manual and £1595 automatic.

 

November 20th 2019

Vauxhall Corsa 

The new Vauxhall Corsa is 108kg lighter, 44mm lower, 39mm longer and 19mm wider that the outgoing car. The boot capacity has increase by 24 litres to 309 litres and unlike the previous Corsa, the new car is 5 door only. Power comes in the form of a 1.2 petrol with either 74bhp, 5 speed manual only or a much better 99bhp turbo charged version with a six speed manual or 8 speed automatic, a 1.5 litre 101bhp manual diesel is also avaialble. The 99bhp petrol being the pick.  Trim lines are SE, SE Premium, SRi, Sri Premium, Elite and Ultimate with nav versions of each adding a built in Sat nav. Prices start at Nil Advance payment and the best value is £99 Advance payment for the top of the range Ultimate trim with the 8 speed Automatic paired to the 99bhp 1.2 litre petrol. The Ultimate trim includes sat nav, 10 inch touchscreen infotainment, adaptive cruise control, 17 inch alloy wheels, leather trim with electronic driver’s massage seat, LED headlights and keyless open and start.

 

Vauxhall E-Corsa (Electric Car)

The all electric E-Corsa has a 50kWh battery paired to a 100kW motor equating to 134bhp in old skool numbers. 0-62 mph can be achieved in 8.1 seconds but more impressive is 0-30mph in 2.1 seconds, top speed is limited to 93 mph. Range from a fully charged battery is 205 miles according to WLTP, Rapid charging from 15-80% can be achieved in 30 minutes from a 100kW rapid charging station, charging from an 11kw AC outlet takes five hours fifteen minutes from empty to full. Two trim lines, SE Nav and Elite Nav, SE cars have a 7 inch colour touchscreen with sat nav, rear parking sensors and an 11kw 3-Phase charger, Elite cars add a black roof, tinted rear windows and a 10 inch touchscreen. Prices are £1499 for the SE and £1699 Advance Payment for the Elite trim  

 

DS3 Crossback E-Tense (Electric)

The DS3 Crossback was designed with electrification in mind and as such the batteries are littered around the underside of the car meaning that the 350 litre boot is the same regardless of powertrain. The 50kWh battery paired to a 100kw electric motor offer a 0-62mph time of 8.9 seconds, a top speed of 93 mph and a WLTP driving range of 199 miles. The fast charging DC mode will charge from empty to 80% in 30 minutes, if you have access to a public 100kW charger, standard AC 7kW charging will take nearly 8 hours to go from empty to full. Prices start at £1999 Advance payment for the well appointed Prestige trim, for an extra £500 you can move up to the Ultra Prestige or for £2749 Advance Payment you can have the sumptuous La Premiere trim. 

 

November 18th 2019

2055 Vehicles Avaialble  886 of which are automatic gearbox  369 Nil AP or less (57 Automatics)

(15 Electric vehicles,  12 Plugin Hybrid,  55 Hybrid,  1277 Petrol,  696 Diesel)

Cars suitable for Under 25 year old – 691 (174 Automatic)

 

November 15th 2019

The new Ford Puma is a compact crossover, similar in size to the Nissan Juke, Renault Captur and Mazda CX-3 and sits between the Ecosport and Kuga in the Ford stable and as with the previous Puma from the 1990’s it is based on the Ford Fiesta. The 456 litre boot is largest in class and by comparison the Ford Focus offers only 370 litres. The only engine option presently is a 1.0 litre three cylinder petrol manual booted by a mild 48v hybrid system to offer either 123bhp or 153bhp, both offer a sub 10 second 0-62 mph time, 9.8 and 8.9 seconds respectively. Economy is a claimed 67.3 mpg for the 123 car and 64.2 mpg for the larger output, realistically if you get 50 mpg you are doing well. The only trims are Titanium, ST- Line X and STLine X + with the first edition packs making them very well equipped indeed. Prices start at £545 Advance Payment for the Titanium first edition and rise to £1395 for the higher output ST Line X +. 

 

 

November 5th 2019

1983 Vehicles Avaialble  851 of which are automatic gearbox  373 Nil AP or less (59 Automatics)

(15 Electric vehicles,  12 Plugin Hybrid,  58 Hybrid,  1251 Petrol,  647 Diesel)

Cars suitable for Under 25 year old – 680 (174 Automatic)

 

October 26th 2019

Nissan Juke

Production began on 14th October in Sunderland first deliveries in Showrooms and now avaialble to order on the Scheme – good work. The 1.0 litre 3 cylinder petrol producing 115bhp will hit 62mph in 10.4 seconds and will return a claimed 45.6 miles per gallon. 422 litre boot is 20% larger and the rear seat knee room has been increased by 5.8cm and rear head room by 1.1cm.  Review video here. Prices start at Nil Advance Payment in N-Connecta trim for the manual or £399 as an automatic. Tekna trim is £699 manual or £1099 for an Auto.

 

October 21st 2019

1995 Vehicles Avaialble  860 of which are automatic gearbox  371 Nil AP or less (58 Automatics)

(15 Electric vehicles,  12 Plugin Hybrid,  81 Hybrid,  1245 Petrol,  651 Diesel)

Cars suitable for Under 25 year old – 685 (182 Automatic)

 

October 11th 2019

Volkswagen Passat

VW Passat now on the Scheme as a saloon or Estate. The R-Line trim is avaialble with the 2.0 litre diesel 187bhp as a Saloon but not an estate as it tips over the cap limit. Other engines are the 1.5 148bhp and 2.0 187bhp petrol (Estate R-Line available £2799) and the 1.6 diesel with 118bhp or the 148 bhp 2.0 litre diesel. Prices start at £1899 Advance Payment for the 1.5 litre petrol but the real value is to be had in SEL and R-Line trim with the 2.0 litre diesel, prices top out at £2899 AP for the Saloon DSG auto 187bhp 2.0 litre Diesel in R-Line trim.  

 

 

September 26th 2019

1995 Vehicles Avaialble  852 of which are automatic gearbox  389 Nil AP or less (64 Automatics)

(20 Electric vehicles,  12 Plugin Hybrid,  62 Hybrid,  1230 Petrol,  671 Diesel)

Cars suitable for Under 25 year old – 713 (197 Automatic)

 

September 23rd 2019

The new 2019 Hyundai Ioniq electric has an increased battery size of 38kWh (134 bhp) offering a range of 165 miles. Charging is via a Type 2 connector, maximum 7.2 kW, this charges a fully depleted battery back to full in around 6 hours 15 minutes or 19 hours 45 minutes using a three pin domestic plug. Rapid charging is possible through a CCS connection, maximum rapid charge power is 47 kW, this charges the battery from 10% to 80% in around 50 minutes. The new IONIQ features Bluelink that can remotely control the temperature of the car, lock or unlock and charging can be remotely controlled and scheduled. The Ioniq Electric has a useable 350 litre boot and comes well equipped with adaptive cruise control, heated seats, climate control, auto LED lights, rear view camera, wireless phone charging, 10.25 inch touchscreen with sat nav and Apple Carplay/Android Auto. For £500 extra the Premium SE adds leather seats, electric (drivers only) and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats and privacy glass. 

Summer Best Buy – Hyundai Ioniq Electric 38kWh Premium’ Automatic  –  £1749 Advance Payment (£649 wpms)

 

September 23rd 2019

1974 Vehicles Avaialble  840 of which are automatic gearbox  389 Nil AP or less (64 Automatics)

(18 Electric vehicles,  12 Plugin Hybrid,  51 Hybrid,  1225 Petrol,  668 Diesel)

Cars suitable for Under 25 year old – 708 (197 Automatic)

 

September 20th 2019

The new BMW 1 Series is added to the Scheme in SE, Sport or M Sport trim, Manual or Dual Clutch Automatic. The only version presently is the 118i, a 1.5 litre three cylinder petrol which is shared with the Mini, X1 and 2 series BMW. It offers 138bhp and can return a claimed 46 ish MPG, the reality is mid to high 30’s from our experience. 0-62 is 8.5 seconds and the 3 cylinder makes a nice rasping noice when pushed hard.   The major change is the move from rear to front wheel drive which does away with the propshaft tunnel making more foot room for the rear passangers, other changes are a larger boot, up to 380 litres and a long options list. Upgrade from SE to Sport trim and you have 17 inch alloy wheels and one years Apple Pay free, year two and three are chargeable -Disgusting. Full brochure and specs here. Prices are excellent for a new car and despite the retail price increasing by over £1000 the Advance Payments are less than the outgoing car. Prices start at £499 for the SE, £749 for Sport and £999 for the M- Sport in Manual. Auto cars are £749, £999 and £1249 across the trims.

 

September 19th 2019

The Mazda 3 Joins the Scheme, powered by the Skyactiv G engine a 2.0 litre non turbocharged petrol engine with 120 brake horse power.  This car is suitable for under 25’s as it is insurance group 16 up to Sport Lux trim. Sadly GT Sport and GT Sport Tech jump to group 17 so these are out of bounds. The more powerful and economic Skyactiv X engine is not represented, which is a shame. The trim lines are SE-L, SE-L Lux, Sport Lux, GT Sport and GT Sport Tech. Prices start at £199 and rise to £899 for the manual car, add £200 for an Automatic gearbox.

 

 

August 30th 2019

1941 cars on Scheme – 11 cars removed overnight:

Mercedes CLA 2 cars – 180 and 200 without additional packs

Hyundai – 5 off. Ioniq, Hybrid and Electric

Nissan – 1 Juke removed

Vauxhall 3 off- 2 Grandland X and one Insignia Grand Sport

 

August 26th 2019

1951 Vehicles Avaialble  835 of which are automatic gearbox  392 Nil AP or less (68 Automatics)

(20 Electric vehicles,  12 Plugin Hybrid,  54 Hybrid,  1215 Petrol,  650 Diesel)

Cars suitable for Under 25 year old – 690 (194 Automatic)

I can report that at 8:20 on the morning of Monday the 26th August the number of cars on the Scheme remains at 1951. No Change

Interesting facts:

The Ford Focus is avaialble in 98 different variants, making up 5% of the choice. (The Ford Focus (98) Ford Fiesta (51) and the Seat Leon (46) are the top three)

There are only two manufactures that have more diesel cars listed than petrol, Citroen and Peugeot with Renault listing 39 of both. Those French love their Gazole.

Toyota are the Greenest with 42 of their 80 vehicles either a hybrid or a PHEV. The other cars are all petrol the 7 diesels listed are all Proace Verso (Van based people carrier)

 

July 26th 2019

BMW X1 is added to the Scheme. This is not a new car but a facelift of the outgoing model. Changes include a larger kidney grille, redesigned taillights and an automatic tailgate. Three engines, a 1.5 litre petrol with 136bhp badged 18i, a 2.0 litre petrol with 189bhp badged 20i, both claiming over 50mpg but the 18d 2.0 litre diesel is the pick, 148 bhp and enough grunt to move the x1 seamlessly, claimed economy is 61mpg. The new trim lines to the Scheme are SE, Sport and xLine. All cars have a 6.5 inch infotainment screen with DAB and sat nav built in and the xLine has leather seats. Full brochure here. Prices start at £749 for the 18i SE front wheel drive. Full X1 Pricing here

Summer Best Buy – BMW X1 xLine 18d s-drive 2.0 litre diesel 148bhp Automatic –  £1999 Advance Payment (£898.71 wpms) 

 

July 24th 2019

1948 Vehicles Avaialble  807 of which are automatic gearbox  407 Nil AP or less (74 Automatics)

(20 Electric vehicles,  7 Plugin Hybrid,  47 Hybrid,  1198 Petrol,  676 Diesel)

Cars suitable for Under 25 year old – 721 (202 Automatic)

 

June 19th 2019:

Motability Operations issued a press statement, which said:

• The Board resolved to release capital reserves to a level of £370m below the September 2018 balance sheet position.
• The Board plans to commit £100m of this release to support customers. The balance of the remainder, along with all this year’s profits, will be donated to Motability to provide wider support for disabled people and their families.

 

June 18th 2019:

2074 Vehicles Avaialble  840 of which are automatic gearbox   416 Nil AP or less (84 Automatics)

(18 Electric vehicles,  7 Plugin Hybrid,  54 Hybrid,  1262 Petrol,  733 Diesel)

Cars suitable for Under 25 year old – 819 (227 Automatic)

 

June 18th 2019:

12 Peugeot 2008 added 6 diesel and 6 petrol, Signature trim line added, replacing Allure.  (New 2008 due early 2020)

 

 

June 8th 2019:

Nissan X-Trail Diesel Automatic added (9 cars): The 148 bhp 1.7 litre Diesel (CVT) auto is priced at £1449 Advance Payment for the 5 seat 2wd Acenta Premium car and rises to £2449 for the 4 wheel drive 7 seat Tekna car. Click Here to download full Brochure.

 

 

June 1st 2019 – BMW I3 Electric car – Added 

The all electric BMW I3 has been added to the Scheme in both standard and ‘S’ trim. The WLTP range is quoted as 193 miles and real life users are suggesting around a 145 mile, the I3 can move quickly from the single speed Automatic gearbox, o-62 as fast as 6.9 seconds. The battery offers 37.9 kWh and is able to fast charge from 20 -80% battery power in as little as 40 minutes. Prices for the standard 125kW car are from £1999 – £2749 Advance Payment depending on the internal ‘world’ and from £2999 – £3499 for the ‘S’ car. Full Review is here.

 

May 29th 2019:  

Nissan X-Trial rejoins with new engines, only auto option is the 1.3 petrol in top Tekna Trim. The new 1.7-litre dCi diesel engine develops 150PS and emits from 137g/km of CO2. It is available with two- or four-wheel-drive and a six-speed manual gearbox. 2WD WLTP MPG 41.5-43.5, 4WD WLTP MPG 39.8-42.2.  The 1.3-litre DiG-T petrol engine offers 160PS and has CO2 emissions from 145g/km. It comes with front-wheel-drive and an automatic Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT). Prices start at £749 for 5 seat Acenta Premium 2WD and rise to £1749 for the Tekna 1.7 diesel 4WD. The only Auto is £1649 AP for the 7 seat 2WD 1.3 litre petrol in Tekna trim.

 

May 21st 2019:

2101 Vehicles Avaialble 42  868 of which are automatic gearbox 45   413 Nil AP or less 10 (86 Automatics 6)

(11 Electric vehicles,  7 Plugin Hybrid, 54 Hybrid, 1271 Petrol, 758 Diesel)

 

May 17th 2019:

2019 Ford Mondeo added to Scheme, 26 versions hatchback and estate but sadly no Hybrid. 1.5 petrol manual or 6 speed auto, economy quoted as between 22.8 mpg and 38.2 mpg for the Auto – Ouch. The two diesels (148 bhp and 187bhp) are a better (more expensive option) Prices range from £1595 to £2195 Advance Payment for the petrol and £2395 – £3195 for the Diesel.

 

April 15th 2019:

2059 Vehicles Avaialble 72   823 of which are automatic gearbox 22    423 Nil AP or less 21 (92 Automatics 3)

Ford Remove 29 C -Max/Grand C-Max as it is being removed from range, VW remove 22 cars from across the range.

 

 

April 13th 2019: DS 3 Crossback joins Scheme. Read here: 

 

 

April 1st 2019: New Prices released, latest updates here. 

2131 Vehicles Avaialble 43   845 of which are automatic gearbox 7    444 Nil AP or less 48  (95 Automatics 9)

 

March 7th 2019: Mazda CX-5 removed from Scheme. Motability citing insurance issues, no plan for a return to the Scheme in the short term. (1st April 2019 CX5 returns, price increased by £700)

 

March 5th 2019:  2174 Vehicles Avaialble 5    852 of which are automatic gearbox 22    396 Nil AP or less 10  (86 Automatics 16)

 

January 22nd 2019: New Audi A1 joins the Scheme in ’30’ 1.0 petrol 114bhp (manual or Auto). Under 25’s will have to wait for the 94bhp version of this engine to be released. 

 

January 10th 2019: SsangYong joined the Scheme in January 2015 and presently have no cars on the Scheme. With the lack of large vehicles the Turismo was a welcome addition with its second row individual seats. We are unsure at this stage if they are to rejoin. 

 

January 1st 2019: New cars:  BMW X2, Renault Zoe, Honda CRV, Citroen C5 Aircross, Peugeot 508 fastback.

Cars removed: Alfa Romeo Giulia, Ford Mondeo, Toyota Auris, Toyota Rav4, Mini Clubman and Nissan X-Trail – Read more https://www.whichmobilitycar.co.uk/motability-prices-2019-january-quarter-1/ 

 

December 31st 2018:   2179 Vehicles Avaialble 189    830 of which are automatic gearbox 57    386 Nil AP or less 25  (70 Automatics 1)

 

December 21st 2018: All the Q1 pricing information on this page: https://www.whichmobilitycar.co.uk/motability-prices-2019-january-quarter-1/

 

December 17th 2018: Multiple reports coming in that due to the changes in the Government Grant for Plugin Hybrid Vehicles ‘October 12th 2018: UK Government announce an end to the £2500 Grant for Plug in Hybrids (PHEV) that can travel less than 70 miles on electric power alone), the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV will not be on the Scheme from January 1st 2019.

 

December 11th 2018: Motability Operations announce that Sir Stephen O’Brien will become the new Chairman when Neil Johnson departs in April 2019.  Sir Stephen O’Brien used to be the MP for Eddisbury, Cheshire from 1999 – 2015. Read more on Sir Stephen here.

 

December 7th 2018: 

The boss of Motability Operations is stepping down after it emerged he is set to receive a £2.2m bonus on top of his seven-figure salary.

Mike Betts, the chief executive of Motability Operations, came under fire earlier this year after MPs called his annual £1.7m pay package “totally unacceptable”.

A report by the government spending office, the National Audit Office, published today says as well as his “generous” remuneration, Betts is also in line for a previously undisclosed performance bonus worth about £2.2m.

Following the report, Mobility Operations announced Betts would stand down from his position by May 2020, while the group’s chairman, Neil Johnson will retire in April 2019.

 

December 4th 2018: Friday 7th December sees the National Audit Office (NAO) publish its report into Motability Operations. There are also reports in the print press relating to bonuses paid. Expect TV News and Print to take up the story on Friday. Heavy sigh.

 

December 3rd 2018:  2133 Vehicles Avaialble 143   822 of which are automatic gearbox 49    377 Nil AP or less 16  (70 Automatics 1)

 

November 28th 2018: All MINI cars on the Scheme rebadged Classic, Sport and Exclusive. Chili and Pepper packs are thankfully discontinued

 

November 14th 2018:  1990 Vehicles Avaialble 1    773 of which are automatic gearbox 18    361 Nil AP or less 18 (69 Automatics 7)

 

October 17th 2018: Number of Vehicles avaialble against  September 27th. WLTP is affecting the numbers, manufactures have reduced the number of trim lines per model and there are still new engines being developed to pass the emission rules, there is also a continued cull of diesel engines.

1991 Vehicles Avaialble 582    755 of which are automatic gearbox 186   343 Nil AP or less 92 (62 Automatics 14).

 

October 12th 2018: UK Government announce an end to the £2500 Grant for Plug in Hybrids (PHEV) that can travel less than 70 miles on electric power alone. The Grant for Electric cars is also reduced from £4500 to £3500.

 

October 2nd 2018: Motability Operations donate £400 million to Motability Charity link

 

October 1st 2018: Q4 prices announced – https://www.whichmobilitycar.co.uk/new-motability-prices-1st-october-2018-quarter-4-autumn/

 

September 27th 2018: Number of Vehicles avaialble against 25th June, we expect this number to be slashed on 1st October.

2573 Vehicles Avaialble 189    941 of which are automatic gearbox 45   435 Nil AP or less 83 (76 Automatics 14).

 

September 26th 2018: Quarter 4 preview: https://www.whichmobilitycar.co.uk/new-motability-prices-1st-october-2018-quarter-4-autumn/

 

September 20th 2018: Good condition bonus, paid on return of vehicle increases:

 

August 16th 2018: WLTP continues to cause a blockage in new car deliveries, the current list of vehicles that have pass the testing can be seen here (updated regularly)

 

July 28th 2018: The Fiat 124 has now been removed from the Scheme. We have it on good authority that Skoda are not taking orders for petrol Karoq / Kodiaq cars.

 

July 23rd 2018: The Forum is littered with tales of woe relating to extended waits and sudden cancellations. Alfa have cancelled all orders of new cars, hence the Giulia being removed from the Scheme, the Mazda CX-3 is being updated and temporally unavailable, The Ford Kuga AWD Petrol have issues with completing the ordering process, (now resolved)  same for the Mercedes CLA diesel – we could go on and on. WLTP continues to cause havoc, thankfully step 2 has to be complete by 1st September 2018 so every car listed for Quarter 3 will have to be avaialble to order.

 

July 23rd 2018: Motability inform dealerships to contact all customers who have a vehicle affected by WLTP to either be offered a new order or to inform customers that  all cars will need to be registered on 18 plates even if the collection date is when 68 plates are avaialble (after 1st September)

 

June 30th 2018: New prices are coming in, read more…. https://www.whichmobilitycar.co.uk/new-motability-prices-1st-july-2018/

 

June 22nd 2018:  2384 Vehicles Avaialble 179    896 of which are automatic gearbox 62   352 Nil Advance Payment or less 30  (62 Automatics 6).

The WLTP effect is really kicking in, this will affect Q3 greatly. https://www.whichmobilitycar.co.uk/wltp-delays-and-withdraws

 

June 18th 2018:  New Ford Focus Joins Scheme: https://www.whichmobilitycar.co.uk/coming-soon

 

June 8th 2018:  2563 Vehicles Avaialble 79    958 of which are automatic gearbox 30   382 Nil Advance Payment or less 29  (68 Automatics ).

 

June 6th 2018  Apple have announced a new Software update (ios12) for all phones as far back as the iphone 5S and ipads from air/mini 2. This new software will allow the use of the two most popular sat nav systems to be linked to Carplay, namely Google maps and Waze, meaning you will no longer be shacked to apple maps alone.

The new software is available in beta form (may not be compatible with existing apps) to download now for paid up developers, later this month in beta form for all customers and will go on general release when the beta testing is complete around September 2018.

Wireless Carplay is the next obvious technological step to be rolled out in new cars. Wireless Carplay is not a software update as it has been an option since ios9, it is a hardware issue down to the capabilities of the head unit fitted to your car, there are only a couple of cars that offer these units, BMW 5 series being one (not on Scheme) and the new 2018 Mercedes A Class will offer it on all models (Joining Scheme soon – hopefully)

 

May 14th 2018: 2484 Vehicles Avaialble 76    928 of which are automatic gearbox 15   353 Nil Advance Payment or less 23  (68 Automatics 5).

 

May 2nd 2018: DS7 Crossback Joins Scheme as a manual diesel, the Auto diesel is over the cap. The 1.2 litre petrol with an auto box will join late 2018. https://www.whichmobilitycar.co.uk/ds7-crossback-motability-car/ 

 

April 27th 2018: 2560 vehicles avaialble 15   943 of which are automatic gearbox 7   376 Nil Advance Payment or less    (73 Automatics ).

The continued drop is for a few reasons and nothing terminal:

1.  Mini and BWM are changing the automatic gearbox fitted to their cars from an eight speed torque convertor to a seven speed dual clutch. Number of MINI cars on scheme last quarter 78, this quarter 55. BMW 84 last quarter 70 this.
2. Models are being updated and production of outgoing model stops prior to launch of new model: Honda CR-V last quarter 34, this quarter 19, new Mercedes A-Class pending, Mercedes cars dropped from 118 in Q1 to 106 now, Renault Megane last quarter 49 this quarter 6.
3. VAG (Audi, VW, Skoda, Seat) are changing their 1.4 petrol engine to a 1.5 litre petrol and trimming lines, Skoda 156 cars last quarter 141 now, Seat 119 Q1 105 now.
4. Nissan drop Pulsar and trim Qashqai and X Trail lines. Q1 Nissan 82 Q2 Nissan 45.

 

April 18th 2018: 2575 vehicles avaialble 42   950 of which are automatic gearbox 85   376 Nil Advance Payment or less 6   (73 Automatics  4). From Q1 Pricing we have lost 232 vehicles, 85 of which are Automatics.

 

April 12th 2018: Toyota Prius+, seven seat hybrid joins Scheme read more here https://www.whichmobilitycar.co.uk/coming-soon/

 

April 5th 2018: Volkswagen T-Roc joins Scheme, read more here https://www.whichmobilitycar.co.uk/coming-soon/

 

April 3rd 2018:  2617 vehicles avaialble 190   1035 of which are automatic gearbox    370 Nil Advance Payment or less 9   (69 Automatics  2).

 

April 1st 2018: The Motability search tool can be found here  it should be live now but as of 5.30 am 1st April it is not. Search working intermittently at 6.55 am.

 

March 29th 2018: Confirmed: XC40 will join Scheme on 1st April with a limited range headed by the T3 petrol. The Mitsibushi Outlander PHEV is also new this quarter. Full details of latest price changes will be posted here: https://www.whichmobilitycar.co.uk/q2-new-motability-prices-1st-april-2018/

 

March 26th 2018: 2807 vehicles avaialble4.    1035 of which are automatic gearbox 2     361 Nil AP or less    (67 Automatics ).

 

March 21st 2018: New cars for Q2 (dependent on final pricing agreements in some cases) – Volvo XC40, Volkswagen T-Roc and Golf SV.  Cars not joining in Q2  –  Nissan Leaf (Electric), Renault Zoe (Electric) and Citroen DS7

 

March 19th 2018: 2803 vehicles avaialble 17.    1033 of which are automatic gearbox 11     361 Nil AP or less 1   (67 Automatics ).

 

March 14th 2018: 2786 vehicles avaialble 10.    1022 of which are automatic gearbox 4     362 Nil AP or less 1   (67 Automatics ).

 

March 10th 2018: BMW are making changes to the X1, changing the gearbox in the automatic front wheel drive cars to a 7 speed dual cutch, resulting in a reduction of X1’s on the scheme. The X1 xdrive 20i xline will also cease production in May. This gearbox change will be phased into Mini cars over the coming months.

 

March 6th 2018: SMMT announce February car sales decease by 2.8% year on year. 11 months in a row sales have decreased. We have a look behind the headline numbers: here

 

March 5th 2018:  Work and Pensions and Treasury Committees hold joint session on the Motability Scheme’s finances and executive pay. Upshot is the  National Audit Office will take a look.  Letter here or watch here

2796 vehicles avaialble 25.    1018 of which are automatic gearbox      361 Nil AP or less 6   (67 Automatics 4).

 

March 1st – 3th 2018:  The ‘Beast from the East’ and Storm Emma combine to bring snow, winds and freezing temperatures, closing motorways and roads across the UK.

 

February 28th 2018: Geneva Motor show lineup (First look at new models to be released later in the year or early 2019) Mazda 6, Mercedes A-Class, Citroen Berlingo/Peugeot Rifter, Kia Ceed, Hyundai Kona Electric, Honda CRV and Toyota Auris.

 

February 27th 2018: Toyota CH-R prices return to 1st January 2018 level, Prices now start at £495 AP for 1.2 Petrol

 

February 26th 2018: Toyota CH-R price drop, a rare event prices change mid quarter, Prices start at £195 AP for 1.2 Petrol

2771 vehicles avaialble, 1018 of which are automatic gearbox. 367 Nil AP or less (71 Automatics).

 

February 23rd 2018: Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer added

 

February 21st 2018: Volkswagen Motability send an email stating that the 7 seat Tiguan allspace is avaialble only for it to be ‘fake news’ we suspect it will be avaialble for Q2 pricing on April 1st.

 

February 21st 2018: Peugeot 5008 GT Line Premium added

 

February 15th 2018: Lord Sterling, who co-founded Motability in 1977, wrote to Esther Mcvay outlining the “litany of inaccuracies” in the comments made by her and fellow MPs in a debate earlier this month to be “deeply troubling”. Neil Johnson, Chairman of Motability Operations writes an equally frank letter.  See Letters here.

 

February 13th 2018: Stratstone MINI Tyneside increase discount to up to £500. Amber Taylor 0191 234 5500 amber.taylor@stratstone.com (you have to travel to dealership to place an order)

 

February 8th 2018: Esther McVey, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, calls for the the national audit office to look into the finances and pay policy of the Motability charity.

 

February 8th 2018: Labour’s John Mann MP (along with a collection of other MP’s) stands up in Parliament and makes an urgent request which is riddled with inaccuracies. Transcript 

 

February 5th 2018: Daily Mail publish a article where they confuse Motability the Charity and Motability Operations that causes division and hatred amongst readers.

 

30th January 2018: Hyundai Kona added

 

24th January 2o18: MG-ZS added

 

17th January 2018: Mazda CX-5 added

 

12th January 2018: £300 discount on MINI from Stratstone MINI Tyneside, Amber Taylor 0191 234 5500 amber.taylor@stratstone.com (you have to travel to dealership to place an order)

 

10th January 2018: VW Marshalls Oxford 01235 424242 chris.allsopp@marshall.co.uk or kitman.wong@marshall.co.uk offer £500 discount on VW Tiguan and discount on other VW cars too. (you have to travel to dealership to place an order) more info here: https://forum.whichmobilitycar.co.uk/forums/topic/cashback/

 

1st January 2018: New Prices released for Q1 2018 (Winter). New Pricing guidelines: vehicles with a retail value up to £35000 (Auto) can now join the scheme, BHP limits introduced at 200bhp and 225bhp for Hybrid cars, Advance Payments limit for Automatics increased to a maximum £3750 and £2999 for Manual Cars. Full details here: https://www.whichmobilitycar.co.uk/new-motability-prices-q1-winter-1st-january-2018/

New cars added: Skoda Kodiaq, VW Polo, Mini Countryman Hybrid, Audi Q2, Jeep Compass, BMW 2 Series Coupe, Renault Koleos, Skoda Karoq, Mitsibushi Eclipse Cross, Ford Mondeo Hybrid