Cystic Fibrosis Trust campaigns on Motability Scheme changes

As part of our campaigning on the Motability Scheme, Cystic Fibrosis Trust will be meeting with the Motability Foundation after raising concerns about changes to the scheme.

What is the Motability Scheme?

People qualify for the Motability Scheme due to difficulty with mobility or planning journeys. It lets participants exchange part of a benefit they receive to lease a car from the charity Motability. Leasing larger vehicles or those with more adaptations also requires an upfront payment from your own savings.

Many people with CF rely on the scheme to get to hospital appointments, work, and education, and to make other essential journeys. Our recent report on how the PIP system is failing people with CF revealed that 1 in 3 (34%) people with CF who receive PIP lease a vehicle via the Motability Scheme and could be affected by the new terms after their current lease expires.

The Motability Scheme is a lifeline for so many people. Unfortunately, Motability has had to make savings because of tax changes the UK Government announced in the Autumn 2025 budget.

From 1 July 2026, for new leases, mileage allowance was halved from 20,000 to 10,000 miles a year for users in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. For people who don’t qualify for extra support, excess mileage fees increased from 5p to 25p per mile.

Following negotiations with the Scottish Government, these changes will now also apply for users in Scotland taking out new Motability leases from 1 September 2026.

Why we’re concerned

Motability’s own figures show that more than one in four people using the scheme travel more than 10,000 miles a year and so would be affected by the increased mileage fees.

We are worried that many people with CF may be likely to go over the new annual mileage limit. Many must travel for regular medical appointments and often avoid public transport because of higher infection risk. They could therefore travel more than 10,000 miles a year and face higher excess mileage fees at the end of their lease. This is deeply concerning when 4 in 10 people with CF already have to choose between essentials such as heating and eating. 

What are we doing about it?

Cystic Fibrosis Trust Chief Executive David Ramsden wrote to Motability to explain that travelling to medical appointments is essential for people with CF and that Motability vehicles allow those with CF to stay in employment and live more independent lives. We asked Motability to make sure people with CF could access extra support.

Since then, Motability have published an update setting out an exceptions process. People who travel more than 3,000 miles a year for health, work, or education can qualify for extra miles at a reduced cost. People who qualify get lower mileage fees for their first 5,000 extra miles and charges are capped at zero after that.

The new Motability guidance is not based on a person’s condition alone. Instead, they must prove that they travel more than 3,000 miles a year for health, work, or education to access the additional support.

While this extra support is welcome, we remain concerned. Even people who qualify could still end up paying more than they would have under the previous lease rules. We are also concerned about the extra burden people with CF will face trying to prove they need the extra miles. This comes on top of already managing their complex, life-limiting condition.

What next?

There is some good news for people whose lease is ending soon. If your window to order your next vehicle starts between 1 July and 31 August, Motability should have written to you already, offering you a short-term lease extension on the same terms as your current lease (i.e., the higher mileage allowance and reduced mileage allowance fees). While this is not a long-term fix, it will guarantee you the same terms for longer and we encourage you to accept this offer. It is not clear for how long this offer will continue.

Cystic Fibrosis Trust will soon meet with Motability. We will use this meeting, and ongoing communication, to make the case that all Motability users with CF should be protected. We will also continue to lobby the Government about the tax changes they are implementing, which is forcing Motability to make savings to their scheme.

How to get support

If you need more advice, we would encourage you to speak to Motability or to get in touch with our Helpline team who will be able to point you towards the right support.

Share your story

If you use the Motability Scheme and think these changes will affect you, we'd like to hear from you.

Sharing your experience will help us campaign for change, speak to the media and show MPs how these changes affect people with CF.

Please email us at [email protected].