Advice & Information

At Mobility Nationwide, we only sell Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles, so we are experts in this field, having seen many different people in many different vehicles. Below are links to information on this page, that we have found to be helpful to other customers. If you need any more advice or information at all, please do not hesitate to contact our staff, who will be delighted to pass on the benefit of their experience.

• Help choosing the right vehicle making sure you can access and sit comfortably in the vehicle.
• VAT do you need to pay VAT on your disabled access vehicle?
• Road Fund Licence can you can apply for exemption from Vehicle Excise Duty?
• The Blue Badge Scheme what it is, and how to apply.
• General Information and Advice some other sources of help and advice on the web, including planning holidays so you can enjoy the most of your new-found mobility!
• Wishing to buy an used wheelchair accessible vehicle in Ireland? We now have a sister company (Mobility Vehicles Ireland) offering the same fantastic range and value in used wheelchair accessible vehicles!

Help choosing the right vehicle

For many of our customers, this will be their first purchase of a Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle. We have tried to list below some of the information that you may need to help you with your selection:-

• Dimensions - Will the wheelchair user fit comfortably into the vehicle?
• The dimensions that you will need to take are:-
• Wheelchair Width
• Total Length (from very front of the wheelchair to the very back)
• Height (from the stop of the head to the floor whilst sitting)

For most wheelchair/vehicle combinations, chair width and length is not a problem. However the different vehicles have different internal heights. The 'showroom' section of this website clearly shows the internal headroom of each vehicle so that you can ensure that it is suitable. Don't forget to leave a little clearance. Generally most vehicles will take a chair width of up to 29ins. Please consult us for advice if your wheelchair is wider than this.

Forward view is important to many people. As a general rule, the taller the wheelchair user the less the forward view. For most customers, we are able to suggest a suitable vehicle, but unfortunately for a few, there may have to be a compromise. However, most people are able to find a vehicle to suit.

VAT

We get many calls about the VAT status of the vehicles. As a general rule, if the vehicle is purchased for the use of a person who uses a wheelchair, the VAT will be charged at 0% i.e. no VAT will be charged. If the vehicle is purchased for a commercial purpose e.g. Private Hire, Taxis etc then VAT will be charged on top of our prices shown at 17.5%.

Road Fund Licence

You can apply for exemption from Vehicle Excise Duty if:

• You receive the higher rate of mobility component of Disability Living Allowance;
• or you receive War Pensioners Mobility Supplement.
• The vehicle must also be registered in the name of the disabled person or the nominee named on the exemption certificate -DLA 404

As a general rule, those of our customers who have become disabled after retirement date, will not receive the Road Fund Licence exemption. Full details are available on DVLA leaflet V188.

To apply for the DLA 404 exemption certificate contact:

Disability & Carer Benefits Directorate
Warbreck House
Warbreck Hill
Blackpool
FY2 0YE

Tel 0845 7123456

The Blue Badge Scheme

The Blue Badge Scheme provides a national arrangement of parking concessions primarily for people with severe walking difficulties who travel either as drivers or passengers.

Parking Concessions provided under the scheme

Badge holders are entitled to the following general concessions on-street.

• Parking free of charge and without time limit at parking meters on-street and "pay and display" on street parking.
• Exemption from limits on parking times imposed on other users.
• Parking on yellow lines for up to three hours in England and Wales, or without any time limit in Scotland.

The scheme does not apply to off-street car parks such as supermarket or local authority car parks.

How to apply:

Local authorities administer the scheme and determine whether applicants are eligible for a badge. If you think you may be entitled to a badge you should apply to the Social Services Department of your local authority.

General Information and Advice

The following web sites offer useful advice & information:

Disabled Holiday Info provides useful links to information on all aspects of holidaying with a disability.

Enable Holidays is a specialist tour operator for wheelchair-users, people with limited mobility, their families and friends. They can help you find, plan and arrange an overseas holiday to suit your needs.

MouseAbility has a business directory of companies that offer products and services aimed at people with disabilities.

Mobility Centres: These offer impartial advice on motoring matters for disabled people. This includes assessments, the fitting of car adaptations, giving passengers with mobility difficulties advice on travelling safely and getting in and out of a vehicle. (The network covers England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland).

Ricability carries out research and offers information for older and disabled people. They have a number of potentially useful guides, including Getting a Wheelchair into a car.

Vehicles and Mobility from the Multiple Sclerosis Society, driving with MS, the blue badge scheme, London congestion charge, and link to the MS society booklet on choosing a car.

Wheelchair vehicle tips from LifeTips - predominantly a US based site, so some of the links are not too useful, but there is a lot of general advice here about things to look out for in your purchase of a wheelchair accessible vehicle.