6,000 Motability cars seized for crimes including drugs, drinking and no insurance ...Middle East

More than 6,000 taxpayer-funded cars leased to disabled people have been seized by police due to criminal activity.

Motability vehicles were removed by officers after being used in crimes or being stolen from those who lease them. In some cases the driver did not have insurance or was over the limit for drugs or alcohol.

The cars were seized almost 2,000 times last year alone, according to police figures obtained by The i Paper.

Disabled people say the scheme – in which cars are leased in exchange for the personal independence payment (PIP) benefit and upfront payments – is a vital “lifeline” boosting their independence.

But there are fears the cars are being abused by “rogue” friends and family members who are “exploiting disabled people”.

Motability defended the scheme, saying that only a very small proportion of its vehicles are seized and that it is trying to crack down on misuse.

While experts claim that criminal activity in relation to the cars is not Motability’s fault, the company is facing calls to further tighten its rules.

It has been using tracking devices to identify those exploiting the system for some time. A “special investigations unit” is also being set up to look into misuse.

But politicians called for wider changes, saying taxpayers would be “furious” that cars partly subsidised through benefits were used as “an accessory for criminality”.

The number of Motability cars taken away by a group of police forces has trebled over the past five years – rising from 610 seizures in 2021 to 1,932 in 2025.

In total, 6,146 vehicles were seized during that period.

However, the figure is likely to be the tip of the iceberg, since only 10 of 43 police forces in England and Wales provided figures after Freedom of Information (FOI) requests submitted by The i Paper.

Police gave examples of the offences involved in seizures, including driving without a licence, reckless driving, or when cars were involved in road traffic collisions.

The driver of this Motability vehicle drove off from a RTC without leaving his details. We tracked him down and found that he was a PLH driving unaccompanied and was positive for Cocaine on a @DrugWipe . The vehicle was returned to @MotabilityOps & the driver was arrested. pic.twitter.com/9A0gSAy5Jt

Statistics from seven forces – Suffolk, Norfolk, Surrey, Sussex, Gwent, South Wales and Dyfed-Powys – show a steady increase in cars seized because they were stolen from Motability users.

Figures from these same forces also show a rise in Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) seizures since 2021. This is when officers suspect a non-traffic crime – such as drug possession – has been committed.

For example, South Wales Police revealed that it had 32 Motability car seizures under PACE last year. This was up from 19 such cases in 2021.

Charges for drug trafficking, shop theft and house burglaries have involved Motability cars, according to police records separately obtained by the TaxPayers’ Alliance.

Driver caught ‘going to work in dad’s Motability car’

Road policing units have also shared details about Motability car seizures on social media.

Some drivers have tested positive for drugs while using someone’s else Motability car. In some cases, younger drivers have been caught misusing their parent’s vehicle.

A vehicle in Derbyshire was seized after the driver was found “going to work in his dad’s Motability car” without any insurance in December 2022.

Heanor Acting upon a call from another concerned member of the public this Vauxhall Grandland was stopped as the driver was suspected of drink/drug driving. Passes both tests but unfortunately going to work in his dad’s Motability car. No insurance = No car #Seized #Gp2 pic.twitter.com/qy9XF2Gwrx

One driver in Manchester was found using his “mum’s Motability car” to pick up a TV without even having a driving licence in May 2020.

Motability scheme rules allow two additional drivers to be named on the user’s insurance, so a friend, family member or carer can drive them around if needed.

But these additional drivers are only supposed to use the car for the disabled person’s benefit – not their own purposes.

Disabled people losing control of cars to friends and family

Noah Bear Nyle, a benefits expert who gives advice on TikTok and YouTube, says Motability’s rules are being very “loosely” applied by some people.

He told The i Paper that some people discuss online how they drive a relative’s car for their own use, mistakenly believing it is within the rules.

“Some people seem to think they can take a family member’s Motability car and use it for themselves, just because they take the disabled person out shopping once a week.”

Nyle suspects many of the crimes are happening when disabled people effectively lose control of their car to someone else. “There are disabled people who don’t know how their car is being used, or where it is – it’s not in their control.”

If you let your partner drive your shiny new motability car it’s best to make sure that they are not disqualified and on the insurance policy. Car made off from officer in Blackpool and tried to evade #MN38 & #HR91. Driver reported and car seized. #T2RPU. pic.twitter.com/Jh3aySIfI9

“There needs to be more clarity in Motability’s rules. I think they should use more tracking devices. It’s a great scheme that helps a lot of people. We should want to protect it, and make it more effective.”

William Yarwood, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said the company “needs to take a close look at tightening the rules for adding additional drivers to the insurance”.

Labour peer John Mann said “the big concern” was disabled people losing control of the vehicles “and perhaps even being pressured to hand them over”.

“It’s absurd that there’s this level of crime involving Motability cars. The company needs to protect its reputation with immediate action. The rules are clearly not tight enough.”

More trackers could help catch ‘exploitation’

Motability Operations, which runs the scheme, said in November that a “special investigations unit” had been expanded to 80 staff members in an effort to crack down on misuse.

Trackers are already installed to vehicles whenever there is a higher risk of misuse, such as when none of the drivers added to the insurance live at the disabled person’s home.

Motability’s chief executive Andrew Miller said last year the company was reviewing the policy which allows up to three named drivers for a vehicle.

He said tracking data had revealed cars being used daily for school runs and suspicious late-night journeys. “Are we perhaps being too generous on the insurance criteria?” he told the Financial Times.

Matt Ryder, the former head of the DWP’s Motability policy, said the increase in crime-related seizures was “concerning” – even if it reflected a wider rise in the number of overall motorists using the scheme.

“I think Motability Operations could clarify the rules. They could perhaps reduce the number of named drivers on the insurance. They could increase use of trackers,” said the ex-government official.

Defending benefits claimants, Ryder said criminals were abusing other people’s Motability cars “which is exploitation of disabled people”.

“You can’t blame Motability Operations for these offences. If you’re using someone else’s car to go on and commit a burglary, then you know you are doing something wrong.”

The shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately said taxpayers would be “rightly furious” that the cars “subsidised through disability benefits are an accessory for criminality”.

The scheme has to be “radically altered”, say the Conservatives – vowing to stop those with “low level” mental health conditions from being eligible.

Motability ‘trying to root out rogues’

Motability said the number of police seizures – 6,146 – represents less than 1 per cent of its overall fleet of 890,000 vehicles.

There were 214,000 seizures among all vehicles – not just Motability cars – across the UK in 2023, according to figures from 23 police forces.

A Motability spokesperson said: “Misuse of a scheme vehicle is unacceptable, and we act quickly when it happens.

“We work closely with police and share information so that where misuse is proven, people are removed from the scheme.

“The vast majority of people use their vehicles responsibly, but we will continue to take strong action to protect the integrity of the scheme for the disabled people who rely on it.”

Motability also said it had introduced more trackers for “riskier driver groups” and was reducing the number of short-term changes allowed when it comes to naming additional drivers on the insurance.

Gail Ward, a 67-year-old Motability user from Northumberland, defended the scheme. She said the vast majority of people use it “properly” and that in some cases, disabled people were the victims of crime.

“There might be a few rogues, but I think Motability is trying to root that out. It’s a shame, because it has this knock-on impact in terms of suspicion.

“There’s been a lot of unfair negativity around the scheme, when it’s such a vital lifeline for so many people – it’s our chance at independence.”

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Chancellor Rachel Reeves imposed VAT on the scheme for the first time at the Budget – a move that is set to push up the cost of the car leases by £400.

Luxury car models such as BMWs and Mercedes were stopped, following pressure from the Government to stick to mainstream car brands.

A government spokesperson said misuse of the cars was “a matter for Motability and where appropriate the police”.

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