Motability drivers raise concerns about new black box tracking rules

Motability drivers aged under 30 have said they are shocked by new rule changes that will see compulsory black boxes fitted to their vehicles.

These devices track driving behaviour such as speed, braking, and acceleration, and give drivers a weekly score.

Under the changes, drivers who receive multiple poor ratings over a 12-month period could be removed from the Motability scheme, which allows eligible disabled people to lease a car using part of their benefits.

Why the change is being introduced

Motability says it is facing rising costs after last year’s Budget changes removed insurance tax relief and added VAT on some vehicles. The scheme says it now has to pay an extra 12% on insurance premiums and expects costs to rise by around £300 million from 1 July.

Nigel Fletcher, chief executive of the Motability Foundation, said this could add the equivalent of about £1,100 per driver.

“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 protects pricing as much as we possibly can,” he said.

Fletcher said black box tracking is being considered to help keep costs down and improve safety, particularly for younger drivers, who are seen as higher risk.

He also highlighted serious safety concerns such as cases of extreme speeding – one driver was found to be travelling at 117mph in a 30mph zone. He said drivers would receive warnings before any removal, with future access reviewed individually.

Graham Footer, CEO of Disabled Motoring UK, told Carwow: “We understand the rationale for introducing Smart Drive to the Motability scheme. It will certainly help from an insurance and scheme protection point of view, but it could potentially put many people off joining the scheme in the future.

“This is concerning because Motability is a fantastic scheme which provides independent mobility to hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities.”

Concerns from drivers

Some disabled drivers and campaigners say the policy could have a serious impact on independence.

Actor Keron Day, who starred in Netflix’s Sex Education and has cerebral palsy, uses a specially adapted wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV). He told the BBC: “Disabled people need to have the choice, just like everybody else.”

He also raised concerns about fairness: “If I passed [my driving test] aged 17, I would have 13 years of a mandatory black box. None of my non-disabled peers would have that.”

Day added that relying on adapted vehicles makes losing access especially difficult: “My independence could be taken away as a result of a non-disabled person’s actions.”

Eva Hanna, 21, who drives a car fitted with hand controls, says she is happy to have a black box but believes the system does not fairly account for her adaptations after receiving amber and red driving reports.

She told the BBC that the technology can misread how she drives because the controls work differently from a standard car.

“The braking and acceleration can be a bit more sensitive, because obviously it’s not the same as using your feet,” she said. “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.”

Other changes to the scheme

Motability is also reviewing a wider set of measures aimed at controlling costs and managing usage. These include reviewing mileage limits and associated charges, introducing recommendations around journey frequency and breaks, and lowering the annual mileage threshold before extra fees apply.

The organisation says these measures are part of a broader effort to keep the scheme financially sustainable in the face of rising costs.

The changes will be rolled out gradually, starting with new leases, before being assessed for potential wider introduction across the scheme.

The government has said the Motability scheme remains independent, and that eligible users will still be able to lease vehicles using qualifying disability benefits.

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