Best Motability cars 2026
The Motability scheme is designed to get less able people moving, and we've picked out the very best cars on offer
Choosing a new car can be a real struggle, whatever your circumstances. Cost is a huge factor, while any physical limitations or mobility issues you may have will add an extra dimension to the challenge of finding a suitable model. On balance though, the freedom that a car can bring can make a life-changing difference, and that’s where Motability comes in.
The Motability scheme enables disabled people, their families or carers to lease a new vehicle at a discounted rate, and if special controls or access modifications are needed, these are available, too.
For our list of the best cars to choose on Motability, we've picked some of the top models in each class, so you’ll know which ones to target for those all-important test drives.
If the cars listed below are quite suitable for your needs, we also have more of the best Motability cars on our dedicated pages:
- Best small cars for Motability
- Best superminis for Motability
- Best family cars for Motability
- Best MPVs for Motability
- Best SUVs and 4x4s for Motability
- Best electric cars for Motability
- Best 7-seater cars for Motability
- Best automatic cars for Motability
- Best hybrid cars for Motability
At the very bottom of this page, we also have everything you need to know about the Motability scheme, how it works, as well as the things to consider when picking your next car.
Best Motability cars
We’ve picked the best Motability cars from each category based on our thorough testing of every new car on sale in the UK today, as well as the best Motability deals currently on offer with nil or low advanced payments...
Best small car on Motability: Kia Picanto
- Model: Picanto 1.0 67 GT-Line 5 door
- PIP weekly cost: £80.00
- Advanced payment: nil
- Car size: city car
- Fuel type: petrol
- Gearbox: manual/automatic
- Young Driver suitability: yes
If you want a small car with a big personality, the Kia Picanto is simply one of the best options you can get. Don’t let its small stature put you off, it’s very sophisticated and offers similar levels of tech, practicality and refinement that can be found in larger cars.
If you need to carry cargo, the Picanto’s 255-litre boot is one of the the biggest you’ll find in the city car sector, and this increases to 1,010 litres with the rear seats folded. Kia’s seven-year/100,000-mile warranty bodes well for the little Picanto’s reliability, too, and the brand is a firm favourite in our Driver Power owner satisfaction survey.
On the road, the Picanto is a really easy car to drive thanks to its great all-round visibility and lightweight controls. It’s also available with a manual or automatic gearbox.
Discover the best small Motability cars here…
Best supermini on Motability: Citroen e-C3
- Model: e-C3 83kW Collection 44kWh 5dr
- PIP weekly cost: total mobility allowance
- Advanced payment: nil
- Car size: supermini
- Fuel type: electric
- Gearbox: automatic
- Young Driver suitability: yes
If you thought your choices for superminis would be limited to something small and boring, the Citroen e-C3 wants you to think again. What makes this electric supermini even better is the fact it was our 2024 Car of the Year.
The Citroen e-C3 is a refreshingly straightforward electric car that provides the features that you’ll actually use, along with an official WLTP combined battery range of 202 miles, which should be more than plenty for most people.
Even though it errs on the side of sensible, the Citroen e-C3 is actually rather good to drive and is very comfortable on the UK’s pockmarked roads. Visibility is very good all-round, the steering is nice and light and it's quite spacious for its size. Perhaps its biggest advantage, though, is that it should cost very little to run being an EV.
Discover the best supermini’s on Motability here…
Best family car on Motability: Nissan Qashqai
- Model: 1.3 DiG-T MH 158 Acenta Premium
- PIP weekly cost: total mobility allowance
- Advance payment: £249
- Car size: SUV
- Fuel type: petrol
- Gearbox: manual
- Young Driver suitability: no
The Nissan Qashqai is a huge name in the UK family car market and its all-round abilities make it a fine choice for Motability customers. It‘s been one of Britain’s best-selling cars since the first version arrived all the way back in 2007.
Nissan has recently given its popular mid-size SUV a refresh and simply put, it’s better than ever. On the road, it’s comfortable, quiet and quite easy to drive, while the cabin is spacious, well-screwed together and there’s plenty of soft-touch plastics and leather trim to create an up-market feel.
You can get the Qashqai with a CVT automatic gearbox, or with a hybrid powertrain although you will have to pay extra in the form of a larger advanced payment.
Discover the best family cars on Motability here…
Best MPV on Motability: Dacia Jogger
- Model: 1.0 TCe Extreme 5 door
- PIP weekly cost: total mobility allowance
- Advance payment: £295
- Car size: MPV
- Fuel type: petrol
- Gearbox: automatic
- Young Driver suitability: no
Dacia is well-known for making no-nonsense cars, so if you’re after a practical MPV that won’t break the bank, then you can’t really go wrong with the Dacia Jogger.
The car we’ve picked here is the top-spec Extreme model with the 1.0-litre engine as it is very generously equipped and has a much lower advanced payment than the Jogger Hybrid. Running costs shouldn’t break the bank either, as Dacia claims this version of the Jogger can achieve over 47mpg.
It is possible to get entry and mid-range trim levels of the Jogger with a nil advanced payment, although if you can afford the £295 for the top-spec Extreme, we highly recommend it as it comes with cruise control, heated front seats, front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera with surround view, which makes parking in tight spaces much easier.
Being an MPV, the Jogger is also quite practical. There’s plenty of head and knee room for passengers thanks to its boxy shape, the boot is nice and large with 565 litres on offer, and it’s also a seven-seater, making this a great option for larger families.
Discover the best MPVs on Motability here…
Best SUV on Motability: Skoda Kodiaq
- Model: 1.5 TSI e-TEC SE 5 door DSG
- PIP weekly cost: total mobility allowance
- Advance payment: £2,999
- Car size: SUV
- Fuel type: petrol
- Gearbox: automatic
- Young Driver suitability: no
Not everyone can live with a small car, and for those who need something with plenty of space, great levels of kit and a refined drive, the Skoda Kodiaq is a solid option.
Despite being a large SUV, the Kodiaq is surprisingly easy to drive. The steering is nice and light and all models come as standard with front and rear parking sensors, as well as a reversing camera, which we found to be really helpful when navigating tight spaces.
We’ve opted for the petrol model here, although if you have to do lots of long-distance driving or need a tow car, the Kodiaq is also available with a diesel engine. All of the powertrains are efficient and have plenty of power.
Even in SE trim, you also get alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, LED headlights, plus Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard.
Discover the best SUVs on Motability here…
Best electric car on Motability: Skoda Enyaq
- Model: 210kW 85 SE L 84kWh 5 door
- PIP weekly cost: total mobility allowance
- Advance payment: £999
- Car size: SUV
- Fuel type: electric
- Gearbox: automatic
- Young Driver suitability: no
The Skoda Enyaq is one of the best cars in Skoda’s impressive stable at the moment, and it’s safe to say we’re pretty big fans of this electric SUV.
While other variants of the Enyaq are available, we think the 85 SE L with an advance payment of £999 is the car to go for. It comes with everything you could really need, including heated front seats, a rear parking camera, parking sensors, artificial leather upholstery, adaptive cruise and a powered boot opening.
The Enyaq 85 comes with a 77kWh battery which has a range of up to 359 miles and can be topped up from 10 to 80 per cent in just 28 minutes when using a rapid charger. When using a 7.4kWh home wallbox charger, the battery can be fully charged in around 12 hours.
The cabin feels spacious and well put together and should take family life in its stride. The on-board tech and infotainment system is reasonably intuitive to use and boot space at 585 litres is larger than most rivals.
Discover the best electric cars on Motability here…
Best 7-seater car on Motability: Citroen Berlingo
- Model: multiple
- PIP weekly cost: total mobility allowance
- Advance payment: from £3,100
- Car size: MPV
- Fuel type: diesel
- Gearbox: automatic
- Young Driver suitability: no
If you’re after a very practical seven-seater car, the Citroen Berlingo is a very hard car to beat thanks to its focus on value.
Based on the Citroen Berlingo van, this seven-seater is ideal for people who require further adaptations or fully Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles where the large tailgate and sliding side doors really come into their own.
On the Motability scheme, the Berlingo is only available with diesel power in 7-seater guise, but running costs shouldn’t break the bank as the 1.5-litre diesel unit returns over 51mpg.
Inside, the cabin is smartly laid out, has plenty of on-board tech and the materials used should easily withstand everyday family life. The reason we’ve chosen the Berlingo over its closely-related Peugeot Rifter sibling is partly down to Citroen’s Advanced Comfort seats, which we find to be both really supportive and comfy.
Discover the best 7-seater cars on Motability here…
How does the Motability scheme work?
The principle of Motability is that the low-cost lease deals the scheme offers are financed by the higher-rate mobility part of a recipient’s Disability Living Allowance (DLA), or by a Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
However, funding for people living in Scotland differs slightly to the rest of the country. The DLA has been replaced with the Child Disability Payment (CDP), which covers children aged from three to 18 years old. PIP has also been replaced with the Adult Disability Payment (ADP), which applies to those aged between 16 years old and the state pension age.
People receiving a War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement (WPMS) or the Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP) can lease a car via Motability, too.
That means the prices of the scheme's lease deals are generally competitive, especially because they also include insurance, servicing and a high annual limit of 20,000 miles. As a result, Motability currently has more than 700,000 customers using its scheme.
Drivers who are eligible for the Motability scheme are nonetheless advised to double check that the regular PCP deals offered by mainstream dealers haven't overtaken the Motability deals, because they could be even more attractive, especially for low-mileage drivers. However, if you haven’t built up a credit history, then Motability is often the only choice available.
What is a 'Nil Advance Payment' car?
In general, Motability prices fall into three categories.
First there are cars with lease costs below your monthly allowance. Sign a lease on one of these, and your payments will be split – the lease cost going direct to Motability, and the rest coming to you.
Secondly, you have the cars that cost exactly the same to lease as your allowance, so you still have nothing extra to pay, but don’t see any of the cash either. Both of these categories are referred to as ‘nil advance payment’ or ‘nil deposit’ cars.
Advance Payment cars
The third category is for more expensive vehicles, where you make a single advance payment to Motability Operations – the company set up to administer the scheme – which covers the difference between your allowance and the actual lease cost.
Like a normal Personal Contract Hire lease, you’ll need to pay the advance payment every time you order a new car.
Your Motability car search
Now that's covered, the fun part is picking the car that’s right for you.
You’ll probably start your Motability car search online, and while the charity’s own website provides a comprehensive price list covering roughly 2,000 cars, it’s light on advice as to which cars are the best performers in their categories, and that's where we come in.
There is more variety than you might expect on the scheme, too, with everything from compact city cars to full-size family SUVs, MPVs and family hatchbacks all making an appearance.
There’s plenty of choice when it comes to fuel as well. Not only do you have the option of petrol or diesel power, hybrid and fully electric cars all up for grabs. Many of these cars are even Auto Express New Car Award winners.
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