WAV vehicles are life changing for a lot of wheelchair users. For many, they give a sense of freedom that didn’t exist in their lives beforehand. Now getting down to the shops and the ability to see somewhere new is accessible and possible. The great news is that you don’t need to come from a background of wealth to get one; you may be eligible to receive the funding to lease your own car. Wheelchair accessible vehicles are available and affordable, and we’re here to show you how to apply for one.
It kind of is – but think of it more as an extended accessible vehicle hire that is customised to your needs. To apply for a mobility vehicle lease, you have to have 12 months remaining on one of the applicable living allowances, war pensions or armed forces payments. If you do, then you’re applicable for an allowance via not-for-profit, government-funded organisation Motability. This allowance can be used, partly or fully, depending on the vehicle, to pay for the lease of used wheelchair accessible vehicles. While it depends on the type of vehicle you get, it is likely that you will make an advance payment to get access to your WAV. This can range from a few hundred pounds to a few thousand pounds. The advance payment (or AP) is a fixed fee that is non-refundable, which is payable upfront to the supplier of your WAV. Irrespective of the supplier, the AP price will be the same across different sellers, instead technological knowledge and experience is far more prized in a supplier that you deal with. APs are calculated using facts such as the cost of the vehicle, the projected serving and maintenance costs and the expected resale value at the end of the contract. If you are unable to pay for the AP, it is possible to apply for a grant from Motability to cover this fee. The contract for the lease lasts five years, meaning that, at the end of the five years, you take on a new contract and, therefore, a new WAV.
Your selection of WAV cars is not restricted if you have the savings or an insurance claim to back up the hunt for your desired vehicle. However, if you are relying on an allowance, you will find your selection more restricted, but not completely. There are a number of accessible vehicles to choose from. If you wish to use the whole of your Motability allowance, there’s a choice of 500 cars. However, if you are using some of that allowance for other mobility-related purposes, then you may be restricted to 150 cars. If you can manage to cover the cost of an advanced payment, you’ll be able to choose from thousands. In any case, the car will be unique to whatever specifications you require – government-funded or not. And you do have a choice in what colour you’d like it to be too. The great thing about going through the government-funded scheme is that despite the slightly restricted choice, you are given a ‘worry-free’ lease package. This means that you don’t need to worry about insurance, servicing and maintenance, breakdown services, and, finally, replacing or repairing windscreens, windows and tyres. Your lease covers all of this. Kwik Fit replaces the tyres, and you get full breakdown assistance from the RAC. This means that you only need to budget for your fuel. Thankfully, at the Automotive Group, some of our high-quality cars have rather low advance payments, making them accessible to most.
So if you’re spending a lot of time looking at different WAV vehicles, look no further than the Automotive Group. We guarantee that you’ll find a car that you love within our range of high-quality wheelchair accessible vehicles, and you’ll also find that it’s completely affordable.
