Motability in Cornwall, Somerset, Devon & Dorset

It is possible for a new customer starting a lease with Motability to trade-in a vehicle. This must be discussed and arranged with the Helston Garages Group dealer. 

You may want to order a vehicle where you pay an Advance Payment in addition to the payments made with your allowance. The Advance Payment is the remainder of the cost of the agreement that is not covered by the allowance over the length of the agreement.

If you have chosen a car with an Advance Payment, it will need to be paid in full to your dealer either before or on the day you collect your new car. This is a non-refundable upfront payment (not a deposit). In some cases, according to individual dealership policies, your dealer may ask for a deposit to be paid when you are ordering your new car. Any deposit paid will be deducted from the Advance Payment when collecting your car.

No, as you are on a leasing scheme, ownership of the vehicle remains with Motability Operations. At the end of your agreement you will have three options:

• Lease another car through the Motability Scheme
• You may be able to keep your current car longer by extending your lease
• Return your car and have your allowance reinstated

When you collect your vehicle you will need to enter your PIN, or 'Personal Identification Number' to confirm you accept the terms and conditions of your lease agreement. This unique number is sent to you along with your customer acceptance letter.

Entry of the PIN is like an electronic signature so, with the exception of your dealer, it is essential that you do not let anyone else use it on your behalf. You should ask your dealer to show you around your new car to make sure you're happy with it before entering your PIN.

What to do if you've lost your PIN .

Yes, once the application has been made, we will run some eligibility and insurance checks. Then once we have accepted your application, you will be sent a letter confirming details of your order. Please note that this will usually be sent within two weeks of making an application, however if you have not received a letter within this timeframe you should contact your dealer.

Track your application

You can learn to drive in your Motability Scheme car. Disabled drivers can take lessons from the age of 16. Any other drivers with provisional licenses must be over 21 if you want them to drive your car, and you can only have one learner driver on your Certificate of Motor Insurance at any one time. You may also be able to get financial help towards the cost of your driving lessons.

We strongly recommend that you take a test drive . Even if you are not the driver, we recommend that you try getting in and out of the car, test the seating and ensure there is plenty of space for yourself and any equipment before placing an order with the dealer. Test drives can be arranged with Motability dealer of your choice.

It may be possible to arrange an extended test drive with your Motability specialist to help you make the right choice.

When it comes to placing an order , you will need to take:

• Your Certificate of Entitlement (this is a letter from your benefits agency) to prove you are in receipt of the allowance
• A recent utility bill to prove your address (i.e. gas/ electricity/ water bill, bank statement)
• Anyone who will be on the insurance needs to be present with their driving licence or if they cannot attend, ask them to complete a Driver Consent form. Your chosen Motability dealer will complete the online application for you.

PIP , the new benefit introduced by the Government, will replace DLA for disabled people aged between 16-64, even if you currently have an ‘indefinite’ or ‘lifetime’ award.

Disabled children will continue to receive DLA until they reach the age of 16. DLA will also continue to be available for those aged 65 or over on 8 April 2013 (on 20 June 2016 in Northern Ireland). If you receive the War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement or Armed Forces Independence Payment, you will not be affected by this new allowance.

DLA recipients in Great Britain can use the PIP checker at gov.uk/pip-checker to see if PIP affects them.

DLA recipients in Northern Ireland can find out more about PIP at nidirect.gov.uk/personal-independence-payment .

You can also find out how PIP will affect your eligibility to the Motability Scheme as a customer.

When you lease a vehicle on the Motability Scheme the lease agreements are typically for a period of three or five years. Customers do not have an automatic right to end the agreement early. If however, you have a valid reason to end your agreement early, you will need to call us to discuss this further.

We will need some details from you, including confirmation of whether you plan to apply for another vehicle on the Scheme. Once we have received all the necessary information, we will review your request and confirm our decision with you.

Please note that if you cancel your lease agreement we will charge an administration fee of up to £250 to cover our costs and you will not be entitled to a Good Condition Bonus . Once you have returned the vehicle any Advance Payment you have paid may be refunded on pro-rata basis. Please be aware that your eligibility for the Motability Scheme may be affected if you cancel your agreement more than three times in any seven year period.

If you would like to discuss cancelling your lease agreement, please call the Motability Customer Services team on 0300 456 4566

Many adaptations on the Scheme are now available at no additional cost providing they are fitted at the beginning of your lease. If you are unable to afford essential adaptations, Motability, the Charity, may be able to help.

You can find more information about financial support on Motability’s website at www.motability.org.uk

You can view our full list of adaptations prices for adaptations added at the start of your lease at the same time as ordering your car through a Motability Scheme dealer. Many of our most popular adaptations are supplied and fitted at no extra cost when arranged at the same time as ordering your car. Please note if you need to fit adaptations mid-lease, the prices may differ – speak to a local Motability Scheme adaptation installer to discuss these. Authorisation must be given by our Customer Services team before any adaptation is fitted mid-lease.

The best person to speak to is the Motability adaptation installer who fitted your adaptation, should you have any concerns about your adaptation working correctly. Any repairs required due to general wear and tear, or a mechanical fault, are included in the cost of your lease providing you had your adaptation fitted at the start of your lease. If a repair is required due to an accident, you will need to speak to RSAM on 0300 037 37 37 to register a claim.