Labour to target Motability users with new car insurance rules as offenders risk being stripped from scheme

Hemma Visavadia
Fri, 03 Apr 2026 09:09:35 +0000

Disabled drivers under 30 who use the Motability scheme will be required to have tracking devices installed in their vehicles under new rules that have sparked anger among users.

From April 13, the black box monitors will assess driving behaviour, including speed, braking and smoothness, generating weekly scores of green, amber or red through a companion app called Drive Smart.

But if the driver accumulates more than four red ratings within 12 months, they could be expelled from the scheme entirely.

The scheme allows eligible disabled people to lease a new vehicle by exchanging part of their benefit payments, which in turn would make the car cheaper.

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The policy will initially apply to 15 per cent of the scheme's 930,000 customers on new leases, with a review to follow before any wider rollout. But critics have argued the UK-wide change will undermine disabled people's freedom and employment prospects.

Keron Day, an actor who appeared in the Netflix series Sex Education, uses a specially adapted wheelchair accessible vehicle fitted with a steering aid, floor-mounted indicators and buttons controlling lights, wipers, gears and the handbrake.

"Disabled people need to have the choice, just like everybody else," he told the BBC. He pointed out that someone who passed their driving test at 17 would face 13 years of compulsory monitoring, a requirement not imposed on non-disabled peers.

"We all have to pass the exact same driving tests that everybody else does, so it's not a point about our safety," he added.

Mr Day, who has cerebral palsy, noted that his access requirements mean he cannot easily switch to another vehicle or rely on public transport.

The fairness of the monitoring system for adapted vehicles has also been questioned.

A 21-year-old who drives using hand controls said she has received amber and red ratings that she could attribute directly to her adaptations rather than poor driving.

"The braking and acceleration can be a bit more sensitive, because obviously it's not the same as using your feet," she explained.

"You have to pull on the brake a little, or you have to pull on the accelerator to get it going.

"So I've found that during my journey I might have braked too hard or accelerated too harshly."

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Nigel Fletcher, chief executive of the Motability Foundation, acknowledged this was not something the organisation had been aware of but said it would investigate.

Motability has defended the policy as necessary to offset significant financial pressures following last year's Budget.

The Government removed the scheme's tax break on insurance, meaning Motability must now cover 12 per cent of each premium.

Combined with new VAT requirements on some vehicles, the scheme faces an additional £300million in costs from July 1.

He explained that this equated to a price increase of £1,100 for every driver on the scheme.

"A lot of disabled people won't be able to afford that, so we're now having to try and work out how we can make changes to the scheme that protect pricing as much as we possibly can," Mr Fletcher said.

He added that the organisation's data showed younger drivers posed the highest risk, citing one case where a driver was recorded travelling at 117mph in a 30mph zone.

"This is a serious safety issue, not just for that individual, but for everyone else in that community," Mr Fletcher said.

A pilot scheme launched in Northern Ireland in September has already resulted in 300 drivers being removed from Motability.

Mr Fletcher said drivers would receive multiple warnings before being expelled, and the organisation would examine policies for allowing them to rejoin in future.

Beyond the tracking devices, Motability has halved the annual mileage allowance from 20,000 to 10,000 miles, with excess charges rising from 5p to 25p per mile over the limit.

The scheme says its average customer travels 7,500 miles annually.

New recommendations also encourage drivers to rest every hour and limit themselves to six journeys daily, though exceeding these will not affect lease agreements.