The Motability Scheme was established with one clear goal in mind; to help people with a mobility allowance gain access to brand-new vehicles without all of the additional costs.
In essence, it lets eligible parties lease a new car without worrying about things like insurance, breakdown cover, tax, services, adaptations and more. It’s become an extremely popular scheme, encouraging more and more people with a mobility allowance to look for a Motability car dealer. Road users thinking of joining the scheme might think where can they find the best motability SUV, or a cheap automatic car, here is the place!
However, finding the best Motability car dealer is often easier said than done, especially if you’ve never done it before. Today’s blog hopes to clear everything up by delivering some top tips for choosing a Motability car dealer near you.
Ensure The Dealer Is Motability Approved
To start, double and even triple-check that the Motability Scheme officially approves the dealer. You can do this by visiting the link here and searching for Motability car dealers near you. It’s the easiest and most sufficient way of establishing whether you’re dealing with a legitimate company that can offer proper deals on the Motability Scheme, or not. You also might want to find cheap automatic cars that suit your requirements.
Research The Dealer’s Vehicles Online
Finding an approved Motability car dealer near you doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the right company. What cars/vehicles do they offer, and will they suit your needs?
For instance, you may be looking for an automatic vehicle, a used car, one with a wheelchair hoist, or just a five door vehicle with lots of boot space to keep crutches or a wheelchair. Different dealers will have various vehicles in their stock, so it always helps to research their offers online and see if you can find cars to match your requirements.
At Swansway Motor Group, we’ve got a wide range of Motability Scheme offers across our dealerships - from Audi, BYD and Volkswagen we’ll be sure to find something to suit your needs.
Make Sure The Dealer Offers Adaptations
Part of the Motability Scheme involves getting adaptations for your new car. Perhaps you have specific mobility requirements and need the vehicle to be adapted to suit your personal needs. The best Motability car dealers will offer these adaptations to you - and will ensure they’re installed before you buy the car.
It makes life easier because you can order a car with the right adaptations, instead of getting a new vehicle and then taking it elsewhere.
Moreover, see how much the car dealer charges for these adaptations. Compare different dealers to see who’s providing the best offers, ensuring you pay as little as possible for your car.
See If The Dealer Provides Test Drives
You need to test a car before buying it, so make sure the dealer provides extensive test drives for customers. Every dealership should do this - it’s an immediate red flag if they refuse to let you test drive a car.
With a Motability car dealer, you should also look for disability-friendly test drive options. For instance, instead of making you go to the showroom and drive the car, someone visits your home and lets you test it out in a more comfortable setting.
Some may only let you drive the car for an hour, while others let you take it for a couple of days to get a proper feel for how it drives and if it suits your lifestyle.
Check For Accessibility Features At The Dealership
The alarm bells should sound if a Motability car dealer near you doesn’t have the appropriate accessibility features at their dealership, right. What if you want to visit the dealership in person to look at the different cars? If you’re in a wheelchair, you need there to be various ramps or lifts to help you get around.
This should be an absolute given, but you’ll be surprised how many car dealers neglect simple accessibility features like this.
It’s never a good sign, especially when you’re looking for a car on the Motability Scheme. A lack of accessibility screams that the car dealer doesn’t truly care about helping customers with disabilities and is simply on the scheme for branding or money-saving purposes.
Ask About Additional Motability Scheme Services
Look through the Motability Scheme itself and you’ll notice that car servicing is included as one of the covered costs. This will help you save money and maintain your vehicle, but it’s extremely helpful when your Motability car dealer provides these maintenance services for you.
Ask different dealers if they offer Motability servicing as part of the overall package. Some will say yes, others will say no. We’re one of the dealers that provides Motability Car Maintenance services, which means you can book an MOT or general car service through our garage.
Even better, we can arrange and book the appropriate services for your vehicle when you lease it. You won’t have to worry about remembering anything and can bring the car in whenever it needs an MOT or annual service check - and it’s all for FREE.
Scroll Through Customer Reviews
Before you decide which Motability car dealers to visit, you should always read the customer reviews. See what other people think of the dealers and try to spot any promising (or worrying) patterns.
There’s another instant red flag to watch for: if a car dealer doesn’t have any Google Reviews, then that’s a very strange sign.
You should want a dealer with at least 4 stars out of 5, though the quantity of reviews also matters. A 4-star dealer with 1000 reviews is more trustworthy than a 5-star dealer with only 10 reviews. Moreover, use the search function in Google Reviews to look for keywords like “Motability Scheme”, “accessibility” and so on. This will help you find the most relevant reviews for you.
These seven tips will help you identify the best Motability car dealer near you, meaning you can shop with confidence. If you need any assistance or would like to learn more about the Motability offers at Swansway Motor Group, then feel free to get in touch with us today.