Your Motability Scheme lease includes insurance for up to three drivers through Direct Line Motability (DLM). This means if you are not able to drive or do not want to drive yourself, your car can be driven by a family member, friend, or carer. We’ve put together some common questions about adding or removing your drivers during your lease.
Who can be my driver?
You can have up to three drivers on your vehicle and can change these at any time.
Only drivers approved by DLM’s criteria and named as ‘permitted drivers’ on your Certificate of Motor Insurance are covered to drive your car.
Drivers who have their own fully comprehensive insurance cover on another car cannot drive your vehicle unless you’ve added them as driver.
There are a few other rules around who can drive your vehicle:
- Drivers under 25 years old can only get a petrol, diesel or hybrid car with an ABI insurance group of 16 or lower and a power output of 120 brake horsepower (BHP) or less. For electric cars, drivers under 25 can get drive vehicles with 140 BHP or less, or an ABI insurance group of 21 or lower. If you think you’ll need a driver under 25, use the filter on our Car Search to see what’s available.
- You can only have one driver under 21. This could be the disabled person or another driver living at the same address. As long as they meet a few conditions, provisional licence holders can also learn to drive in Scheme vehicles.
- Drivers must have a legally valid driving licence. If they have a non-UK licence, we’ll do some extra checks.
- Drivers with certain convictions, disqualifications or endorsements in the last five years cannot drive your Scheme vehicle
Read the full breakdown of who can drive for you.
It’s important to remember that the car has been leased the benefit of the disabled person, so it should only be used for that purpose.
If none of the drivers live at the disabled person’s address, or the disabled person lives in a care home where several drivers have access to the vehicle, we might fit a location tracker to make sure the disabled person is benefitting. We will be in touch about this first.
Read more about how your car can and cannot be used.
Open insurance policy
If you’re someone who relies on multiple caregivers, having an open insurance policy can really help. It means different caregivers can use the same vehicle to assist you. If you live in a care home, nursing home, or school, or you need 24-hour care, you can get this kind of insurance.
If you have a Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) and need more than one person to drive for your care, you can also look to get an open insurance policy.
Can I change a driver during my lease?
The easiest way to add or change a driver during your lease, is in your Motability Scheme online account. You’ll be able to make these changes under the ‘Insurance’ section in your account, which will take you to the Direct Line Motability (DLM) insurance portal.
We’ve put together some short video tutorials to help you manage your drivers online.
If you cannot do this online, you can also call DLM on 0300 037 3737.
What happens if a driver can no longer drive?
If one of your current drivers is no longer able to drive, check if there is anyone else that can replace them.
If one of your drivers is convicted of a motoring offence during the agreement, you must tell DLM immediately to make sure they’re still covered.
You should also let the DVLA know about any change in your or your drivers’ mobility or health which might make driving unsafe. If your GP has cleared you to drive and the DVLA are aware of these changes, you do not need to contact us.
If you cannot find someone else to drive your car, we have additional guidance available.
Can I add temporary driver to my lease?
From time to time, you may need a temporary driver. For example, when you go on holiday or relatives come to visit. You can add a temporary driver, but if you already have three drivers on your insurance policy, you‘ll need to swap out one of your existing drivers.
A temporary driver can be added onto your lease for up to 30 days at a time. If you rely on this driver multiple times throughout the year, they should be included on your Certificate of Motor Insurance as a permanent driver instead.
If you need to add a temporary driver, you easily do this using your Motability Scheme online account too.
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