What do PIP changes mean for your mobility?

Written by Matt Fieldhouse, Managing Director

If you rely on your Motability car to get to appointments, work, shops, or see family, hearing about changes to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can be worrying. You may be wondering whether you’ll lose your Motability car, or how you’ll stay mobile if you can no longer use the Scheme.

PIP changes do not automatically mean losing your Motability car. Your car is linked to the mobility part of your PIP. If you still get the enhanced rate for mobility, you can keep your car. No changes to the mobility part of PIP have been decided.

Even so, it’s worth knowing where you stand. We’ll start with the extra costs disabled households face and where PIP reform has got to. Then we’ll look at what would happen if your award changed, and your options for staying mobile.

The extra cost of disability is rising

Disabled households need an extra £1,095 a month on average to have the same standard of living as non-disabled households. That’s according to disability charity Scope’s Disability Price Tag 2025 report.

The average PIP payment of £465 a month covers less than half of that. It leaves £630 a month of extra costs that PIP doesn’t cover. Scope estimates extra costs could reach £1,224 a month by 2029–30.

Extra costs can include:

• specialist equipment
• energy bills
• accessible transport
• personal support
• the practical adjustments needed to manage everyday life

For someone who relies on a car, transport is about more than getting from A to B. It can mean being able to work, attend medical appointments, support family members, or maintain independence.

That’s why losing a Motability car would be hard for many people. They’d have to find extra money for fuel, insurance, or a replacement vehicle, on top of what they already spend on equipment and other disability-related costs. Even a change that looks manageable on paper can put pressure on an already stretched budget.

Scope’s figures are estimates based on its analysis of household data, rather than a bill that every disabled person will face. The costs vary a lot between individuals and families.

How PIP connects to your Motability car

PIP helps with some of the extra costs that come with disability or a long-term health condition. It has two parts, called components: daily living and mobility.

The Motability Scheme lets you swap your mobility allowance for a leased car. Depending on your lease, it can include:

• insurance
• servicing and maintenance
• breakdown assistance
• eligible adaptations

If you get PIP, you need the enhanced rate of the mobility component to join, with at least 12 months left on your award. Some other disability benefits can also give you access to the Scheme.

The two components are assessed separately. A change to your daily living component won’t affect your Motability car on its own. A change to your mobility component can.

If you want to understand the allowance behind your award, read our guide to the disability car allowance or find out more about how to apply for Motability allowance.

Where PIP reform stands now

In March 2025, the government published plans to change PIP, called Pathways to Work. One plan was a new rule for the daily living component. You would have needed at least four points in one daily living activity to qualify. The rule didn’t cover the mobility component, which is the part of PIP that gives access to the Motability Scheme.

The government dropped the four-point rule in July 2025. It also said any changes to how PIP is assessed would wait for the Timms Review, a review of PIP led by Sir Stephen Timms, the Minister for Social Security and Disability. 

The Timms Review published a progress report in July 2026. On 9 September, it shared its early ideas for changes. The review has said these aren’t its final recommendations, and it’s still testing them with disabled people and other groups.

As of 30 October 2026, the final report hasn’t been published. In its Budget on 28 October, the government said the review will publish its final report in November. The government will respond before the end of the year, with a White Paper in 2027. A White Paper sets out the government’s plans for new laws.

For now, the current PIP rules stay in place. If you’re worried about your award or a reassessment, check the latest official guidance. If your mobility allowance might be affected, contact Motability directly.

Further information:

• The government’s Pathways to Work plans
• The Timms Review: latest updates and reports

What happens to your Motability car if your PIP award changes?

The answer depends on what changes in your award and whether you still qualify for the Scheme.

If you keep the enhanced rate mobility component

If your award still meets Motability’s rules, your lease carries on as normal.

Always check the details of your own award and lease if you receive a new decision.

If your enhanced rate mobility award changes

If you no longer get the enhanced rate for mobility, and you don’t get another allowance that qualifies, your lease will end. For example, moving down to the standard rate means you’ll no longer qualify.

Motability will write to you to explain the next steps and tell you when to return your car. You’ll also get back part of any Advance Payment you made. The letter will set out any other support you can get.

What if my PIP award stops altogether?

If your award ends and you don’t qualify through another allowance, contact Motability as soon as you can. It will explain how to return your car and any support you can get.

Don’t assume the same timescales or financial support will apply to everyone. For example, Motability’s transitional support package only applies to people who joined the Scheme before 2014 and lost their award when moving from Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to PIP before August 2025.

Motability no longer lets customers buy their leased cars. Our guide to buying your Motability car explains what you can do instead.

Can I keep my Motability car during a PIP appeal?

If you disagree with a PIP decision, you can ask the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to look at it again. This is called a mandatory reconsideration. If you’re still unhappy with the result, you can appeal.

Contact Motability straight away if you’re challenging a decision that affects your mobility allowance. What you can do depends on your circumstances and how far through the process you are. An appeal doesn’t automatically mean you can keep your car until it’s decided.

Motability’s guide to what happens when your allowance ends explains the Scheme’s rules. For help challenging a PIP decision, contact Citizens Advice.