FAQs: Charitable Grants

Motability can look at the best solution that can satisfy your everyday mobility needs and a Charitable Grant won’t necessarily be given if you have financial means to make the payments. You will need to pay what you can reasonably contribute towards a car that meets your needs and you must inform Motability of any available funds you have when applying to avoid the risk of a grant being withdrawn.

If you are unable to afford the right mobility solution for your needs, Motability, the Charity, may be able to provide a Charitable Grant towards an Advance Payment for a Scheme car, Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV), driving lessons or adaptations.

Charitable Grants only count towards a Motability Scheme car.

Motability could help disabled people to join the Scheme who do not have the means.

Motability will only consider Charitable Grants for people who need to travel with you on a daily basis, such as a paid carer. Motability also consider immediate family members who live in the house, this means parents, spouse/ partner, siblings or children up to 16 years old. Luggage or equipment for respite care, frequency or location can also be taken into account providing the care is frequent and a considerable distance from home.

At 16 years old, you can learn in a Motability Scheme car. Drivers with a provisional driving licence need to be over 21 if you want them to drive your Scheme car and you can only have a single learner driver on your Motor Insurance at any time. You may also be able to get a Charitable Grant to help pay towards your lessons from Motability.

Motability help disabled people to join the Motability Scheme who does not have the means to. Motability will only consider Charitable Grants for people who need to travel with you on a daily basis, such as a paid carer. Motability also consider immediate family members who live in the house, this means parents, spouse/ partner, siblings or children up to 16 years old. Luggage or equipment for respite care can also be taken into account, frequency or location dependant, providing the care is frequent and a considerable distance from home.

Motability can provide Charitable Grants which can help with costs of adaptations so you can drive your Motability Scheme vehicle, sitting in your wheelchair or transfer internally from your wheelchair to your car seat. Motability could be able to provide Charitable Grants towards complex driving controls.

Applications for Charitable Grants are prioritised to those who need it most and are available to those eligible for the Motability Scheme. Motability considers the need to: travel to work, drive to study, care responsibilities, getting to appointments, hospital visits and whether care or support is in place to achieve essential mobility needs.

If you apply for a Grant, Motability look at what you will need for your mobility needs. Registered assistance dog(s) will be taken into account of a Charitable Grants application. Pets may not manage to travel if it means you need a grant towards a larger Scheme vehicle to take them with you.

If have a Motability Scheme car or one on order, you can ask for help with the costs of up to 40 hours of learning to drive.

Motability provide Grants towards Advance Payments for Motability cars, Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles (WAVs), learning to drive and or adaptations.

If you’d like to apply for a Grant you can follow the steps below.

If you find that what you need is not affordable, please contact Motability Customer Services Team on 0300 456 4566 to discuss. Motability will discuss personal circumstances and, if we think you may qualify for a Grant, we will direct you to a application form.

Once you return the application form, along with supporting documentation needed, Motability contact you within 48 hours to confirm and discuss the next steps. You will be assigned a Case Manager who will look after the application throughout the process. Your Case Manager will make sure Motability understand your needs and will deal with any concerns.

Existing customer can also apply for a Charitable Grant on 0300 456 4560 to discuss.

When applying for a Charitable Grant to help fund a new Motability Scheme car, you can apply from four months before the end of your current lease term. Applying for a Charitable Grant towards a new Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) on Motability can take place from six months before the end of your current Scheme lease.

Motability can arrange an extension if your vehicle remains in a good working order, good condition and not in excessive mileage. With an extension, you can stay in the car which meets your needs, insurance, maintenance, roadside recovery, service and repairs continuing to be included.

Motability is a national charity (Registered Charity in England and Wales No.299745) which sets the strategic policies and direction of the Motability Scheme and oversees its performance to ensure that it meets the needs of disabled people.

Motability may be able to provide Grants towards Motability Scheme car, adaptations or Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV). Motability may also be able to offer help with the cost of up to 40 hours of learning to drive.

It can be possible for Motability to offer Charitable Grants towards Advance Payments for Scheme cars, Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles (WAVs), driving lessons and/or adaptations. Applications for Charitable Grants will be means-tested.

Yes, Charitable Grants will be means tested.