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Motoring expert Richard Aucock has reviewed some of his top cars that are available on the Motability Scheme with no Advance Payment. From compact hatchbacks to stylish small SUVs, there’s a great range of options to choose from.

On the Motability Scheme right now, there are almost 50 cars available with no Advance Payment. That means you can simply exchange your weekly mobility allowance to lease them, and in turn you get an affordable brand-new motor.

There is a great variety to choose from, too. When you use the Car Search tool to look for cars available with no Advance Payment, you’ll see a wide range of shapes, sizes and styles of vehicles come up. There are compact five-door hatchbacks that are surprisingly roomy on the inside, as well as stylish small SUVs, people-friendly crossovers and even a head-turning new SUV-coupe.

With fuel-efficient engines, good levels of standard equipment and the promise of new car reliability, the allure of cars available with no Advance Payment is really clear. 

Here, I’ve chosen six excellent cars available on the Scheme with no Advance Payment. The prices shown are valid for applications placed before 31 December 2022.  

The Citroen C3 is a five-door supermini that was refreshed a little while back to give it a more distinctive and eye-catching front end. In its C-Series Edition guise, it has a good level of standard equipment too – and is available on the Scheme with no Advance Payment.

The C3 has a punchy 1.2-litre PureTech turbo engine. This gives it a decent performance and good pulling power, helping you climb steep hills with ease, without having to keep on changing down through the gears. It averages over 54mpg too, so should prove good on fuel.

The Citroen C3 offers a broad array of colour and trim options, including some fun customisation choices – your local dealer will be able to help you out here. It’s backed up by extra-comfortable seats – they are called Citroen Advanced Comfort chairs – and a useful 300-litre boot. It’s good to know that this car can be driven by under-25s, too.

The Dacia Sandero is one of the most popular supermini-style small cars across Europe. The Stepway version brings a more rugged crossover-style body trim and a raised ride height. This not only gives it a more confident stance, but also makes it easier to get in and out of.

The Dacia Sandero Stepway is a wonderfully no-nonsense car. It is simple to drive and easy to control, with straightforward switches and dials, making it unintimidating to get used to. This Essential version has standard air conditioning, plus a clever Media Control system that lets you seamlessly use your phone via an app.

Practicality is the Dacia Sandero Stepway’s strong suit. It has plenty of space for five people, who can all enjoy a raised-up seating position and good view out. The boot is a generous 328 litres, as well. Meanwhile, the 1.0-litre TCe turbo petrol engine averages over 50mpg and, with 90BHP, is more than powerful enough. All new Dacia models also feature the brand’s cool new logo, making the Sandero Stepway look even sharper. 

The Ford Ecosport is a tough and rugged-looking small SUV. It’s the beefier sister car to the increasingly popular Ford Puma, and is a more accessible choice for Motability Scheme customers – so it’s great news that the Titanium grade is available with no Advance Payment.

If you like compact cars that have a high seating position and a confident feel behind the wheel, you’ll love the Ford Ecosport. Its ruggedness is a key trait, and aspects such as the broad front grille really help it stand out. I particularly like the contrast roof colour that’s available, too.

The Ford Ecosport has a very roomy 356-litre boot, and some Motability Scheme customers will love the walk-in accessibility afforded by its side-hinged tailgate. It’s a fun car to drive, with nimble handling and an incredibly smooth 1.0-litre turbo engine that delivers an impressive 123BHP output combined with nearly 46mpg fuel economy.

The Hyundai Bayon is a cleverly designed car, which blends the distinctive styling of a crossover with the passenger-friendly practicality of a small MPV. It has a characterful appearance, with modern and expressive LED lights, and it’s available in some bold colours too.

The Hyundai Bayon has a high-quality interior that’s creatively styled – I love the modern-looking steering wheel. The SE Connect trim brings a colour central touchscreen system, that pairs with your smartphone via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, so you can easily use it on the move (and get directions from your phone’s sat nav).

Despite being available with no Advance Payment, the Hyundai Bayon comes with an impressively high-tech 1.0-litre turbo engine which uses 48v mild hybrid technology. This delivers extended stop-start functionality, and also gives you electric assistance during acceleration. All of this means that the engine doesn’t have to work as hard, which helps the car to achieve an impressive fuel economy of more than 53mpg.

The Skoda Kamiq is the smallest SUV in this popular brand’s line-up. It has the same rugged, angular styling of its larger siblings, which helps give it plenty of showroom appeal, in a more city-friendly, easy-to-park package. This model is available with no Advance Payment and has a smooth 95BHP 1.0-litre turbo engine.

The Skoda Kamiq is an extremely practical and spacious small SUV. Inside, there’s a superb amount of passenger space front and rear, and the super-practical cabin is easy to get in and out of. Skoda goes above and beyond in terms of boot space too, with a vast 400 litres available, even with the rear seats in place – that’s more capacity than a Volkswagen Golf.

The sensible interior is clearly laid out, and important equipment such as air conditioning is fitted as standard. The Skoda Kamiq is also a grown-up car to drive, with good refinement, stable handling and a robust ride quality that does a fine job of soaking up the worst that city streets can throw at it.

The Volkswagen Taigo is a very stylish and head-turning small SUV. It is almost unique in the sector in being a so-called ‘SUV-coupe’, one that combines a confident, high-up stance with a dramatic coupe-like rear roofline. It’s distinctive, and brings a touch of the wow factor that you only normally find on more expensive SUV-coupes.

The Volkswagen Taigo is the sister car to the Volkswagen T-Cross, and shares the same engines, interior and other aspects. This means it’s well-proven, with the quiet 1.0-litre TSI engine serving up smooth power, and the well-equipped interior combining decent equipment with good practicality and plenty of robustness.

Because of its extended rear-end design, the Volkswagen Taigo actually has an enormous 440-litre boot. The shape perhaps isn’t as practical as the squarer-set T-Cross, but for ultimate carrying capacity, the Taigo really does impress. Overall, it’s an impressive package with plenty of appeal – even before you factor in the fact it’s available for no Advance Payment.

There are three pricing options available when leasing through the Motability Scheme:

There are a range of cars that cost less than your mobility allowance, giving you money back to spend as you wish. The amount you pay is fixed during your lease and the remainder is paid directly to you by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) or Veterans UK, depending on which mobility allowance you receive.

View less than your allowance cars

There are also lots of cars that cost the same as your allowance, which means you swap the whole of your weekly mobility allowance for the car of your choice. There is no Advance Payment on these models. These cars will display the words ‘Total Mobility Allowance’ on the specifications page for weekly rental amount on the Car Search tool.

View Total Mobility Allowance cars

You can increase your choice further by paying a one-off, non-refundable upfront payment which we call an Advance Payment. The Advance Payment covers the cost between your mobility allowance and the total cost of your lease.

View cars that have an Advance Payment

Payments are deducted from your qualifying mobility allowance every four weeks, then paid directly to us by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) or Veterans UK. If you choose a car that costs less than your allowance, the remainder is paid directly to you by the DWP or Veterans UK.

No matter which car you choose, all come with our all-inclusive package of insurance, breakdown cover, servicing, tyres and glass repair and replacement.

If you’d like to join over 640,000 customers already enjoying the benefits of a worry-free lease package through the Scheme, start exploring the full range of cars available using our Car Search tool to narrow down your options.

Our price lists are updated every three months, so you can be assured you’re getting the best prices from each manufacturer. The dates the new prices are published are:

The Motability Scheme offers an all-inclusive package. If you are in receipt of a qualifying mobility allowance you can use it to lease a car, scooter, powered wheelchair or Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV). The Scheme provides flexible and hassle-free access to a brand-new, reliable vehicle of your choice. As well as a great choice of cars, we also provide a wide range of Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles, scooters and powered wheelchairs.

To join the Scheme, you must be in receipt of one of the following mobility allowances:

Use our eligibility checker tool to see if you’re eligible.

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The Scheme is run by Motability Operations Ltd, under a contract to Motability, a registered charity. Motability Operations Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under reference number 735390. See our terms and conditions for more information.