Grants for Cars and Vehicle Adaptations

Yes, Motability Foundation is a national charity (Registered Charity in England and Wales No.299745 and in Scotland No.SC050642) 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.

We may offer charitable grants to disabled people who would not otherwise be able to afford the car, adaptations or Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) they need. We may also be able to offer help with the cost of up to 40 hours of driving lessons.

Find out more information about us.

Yes, to request an online application form please contact us. Once you have received your online login details, they are valid for 30 days.

We will consider who has to travel with you on a day-to-day basis including your children, dependents who live with you and your carer/s. Luggage and equipment for respite care is taken into account. We award grants which are cost effective solutions based upon the individual disabled person’s mobility needs and not wants. All grant applications are means-tested to ensure Motability supports those most in need of a charitable grant to ensure they help as many beneficiaries as possible with the charitable funds available.

We are not able to award a grant if you have already ordered your vehicle. This is because your Case Manager will consider your individual circumstances. Grants are awarded in line with Motability Foundation’s policies and following thorough consideration of the information submitted in the application. All grant awards are final. Applications that we consider do not meet their criteria will not receive grant funding.

If you would like to apply for a charitable grant, please contact us on 0800 500 3186 and keep your National Insurance number at hand. Children aged 3-15 years old have their National Insurance number or reference number at the top of their Higher Rate Mobility Component of Disability Living Allowance award letter. To make the best use of our charitable funds we award grants which are cost effective solutions based upon the individual disabled person’s mobility needs.

Our opening times are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.

We are currently experiencing a high level of incoming calls,  so it may take longer to answer your call. 

Please note that there is an increased demand for charitable grants in this current period. Our estimated lead time is around four weeks for us to commence a review of your application.

If your login details do not work, the quickest way to resolve this is by replying to the original email that you were sent to request new details. Alternatively, please contact Charitable Grants on 0800 500 3186. Our opening times are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.

Our charitable grants are awarded for vehicles that meet the disabled person’s mobility needs and not wants. Using the information that you provide, our Case Managers will carefully consider your individual circumstances. Your grant letter will include a list of suitable vehicles or vehicle categories that the charity is prepared to fund.

The majority of beneficiaries will not choose to make any contribution on top of their Advance Payment grant, however, if you choose to order a vehicle that costs more than the agreed grant award, then we may contact you to better understand your requirements.

If you choose to make a voluntary contribution towards your Advance Payment grant, there are limits within our policy. Grant applicants can add up to £750 or 50% of the Advance Payment grant, whichever is the least.

Our charitable grants are awarded for vehicles that meet the disabled person’s mobility needs and not wants. Using the information that you provide, our Case Managers will carefully consider your individual circumstances. All grant applications are means-tested to ensure we support those most in need of financial help so that we can help as many beneficiaries as possible with the charitable funds available.

Grants are awarded in line with our policies and following thorough consideration of the information submitted in the application. All grant awards are final, except in cases where additional compelling information is provided. Applications that we consider do not meet our funding priorities will not receive grant funding.

If, after considering your application, we believe you are able to afford to make a contribution towards the vehicle yourself, we may make this a condition of your grant award.

Yes, we may be able to help with these types of vehicles and adaptations. As these types of vehicles are individually tailored for you, they are more expensive than a standard production vehicle, so we will look at a wider range of factors when considering your application.

Find out more information about Complex Driving Solutions.

Yes, when reviewing your applications, we will talk to you about the people who will need to travel with you on a regular basis, so that we can determine who we need to consider as part of the application.

We will consider who has to travel with you on a day-to-day basis. This may include your children (those you receive child benefit for), dependents who live with you, for example, an elderly parent who you have caring responsibilities for and your carer/s. Luggage and equipment for respite care is taken into account when looking at a grant funded solution.

If you apply for a charitable grant, we will look at your everyday mobility needs. Assistance animals can be considered as part of the application for a charitable grant, however pets may not be able to travel if it means that you need a grant towards a larger vehicle in order to accommodate them. When your application is being considered by a Case Manager, they will contact you to gain a full understanding of your circumstances.

You may also be able to get a charitable grant towards the cost of your driving lessons. Find out more information about charitable grants.

Where we have provided a grant towards driving lessons, they will normally be carried out in an instructor’s vehicle. If the instructor is unable to carry out lessons in their vehicle due to your adaptations, we will work with you to identify the best way forward.

No, we will not reimburse you. Theory and practical tests are paid for by the learner. The Driving Lessons Grant is to cover the cost of practical driving lessons.

Yes, you will need a valid theory test pass certificate to apply. You will then be able to access all of your grant-funded lessons in one go. All learner drivers must pass their theory test before booking their practical test. You can apply for the theory test as soon as you have a provisional licence.

To make the best use of our charitable funds we award grants which are cost effective solutions based upon the individual disabled person’s mobility needs and not wants. Unfortunately we can’t offer funding to cover personal preferences, such as fuel type. We focus our funding on meeting people’s needs, so that we are able to help as many people as possible.

Post is being processed and being dealt with by our teams. Once an application has begun, the relevant Case Manager will be given the posted documents.

Please note that there is increased demand for charitable grants at this time therefore it may take us longer than usual to get back to you.

Documents can be emailed to grantsteam@motabilityfoundation.org.uk  

If you are unable to email them, you can post us copies but please do not send originals as we are unable to return them.

If you have sent your application by post, a member of our Grants Team will contact you within 48 hours of receiving your completed form, to let you know that we have received it safely. For applications completed online, you will get an automated reply to let you know that it has been successfully submitted.

Please note that there is increased demand for charitable grants at this time and therefore it may take us longer than usual to get back to you. Following the re-opening of dealerships, our lead time is currently around four weeks for a Case Manager to commence a review of an application so we would really appreciate if you could wait for us to contact you.

We thank you for your understanding and patience on this as we work through the applications as swiftly as we can.

Please visit motability.co.uk/contact to speak to a Scheme advisor.

Please contact your Case Manager using the telephone number provided within your award letter.

Your grant award letter should detail the name and contact details of the Case Manager looking after your application and you can contact them directly on this number. Following the dealerships re-opening, there is a higher demand on our service. This means that it may take us longer to answer the phone.

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 licences 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.

The car industry is currently experiencing challenges with stock levels and vehicle build times due to the global shortage of semiconductors, or ‘chips’, and availability of new cars may be further restricted in the coming months as a result. We award grants in line with our policies and with thorough consideration of the information submitted in the application. This is essential to ensure we support as many beneficiaries as possible with the charitable funds available. For this reason, we will only consider increasing a grant award to speed up delivery of a vehicle in exceptional circumstances, such as when the beneficiary has a life-limiting condition.

If you would like to reschedule your appointment, please call our Field Administration Team on 01279 632282.

Our Mobility Driving Advisor will update the Case Manager who is considering your application with their findings. You can contact your Case Manager on the telephone number that they have given to you or by calling Charitable Grants on 0800 500 3186. Our opening times are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.