Mini signs up to Motability scheme

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), August 11, 2006

Byline: By Steve Hughes

A range of new models have been added to the Motability scheme for disabled drivers, including Minis and a new choice of automatics.

The Mini range includes the One, the Cooper and the convertibles.

The Mini One with air conditioning comes with an advance payment of pounds 888.

A Mini Cooper Convertible 1.6 manual is available with an advance payment of pounds 2,782.

Anyone who receives the higher rate mobility component of the disability living allowance, or the war pensioners mobility supplement can transfer their allowance as a monthly payment to cover the lease of a new car on the scheme.

The addition of the Mini range brings the total choice of new cars on offer to more than 3,000.

Motability chief executive Mike Betts said: "Mini is one of the makes many customers have asked for in the past and so we are delighted to offer two models, the Mini One and Mini Cooper plus their convertible counterparts to disabled drivers on the scheme."

A price list that now includes the Mini models on the scheme is available on the Motability website.

Prices stay in force until the end of September so they cover the new registrations.

Other latest additions include a range of automatics with no advance payment. Models include the Nissan Note 1.6 SE, the Vauxhall Astra Life 1.8 five-door and the Mazda3 1.6 TS five-door.

There is a saving of pounds 250 on the Volkswagen Polo 1.4S five-door automatic compared with prices earlier this year.

Other discounted models include the Toyota 2.0 RAV4 XT3 five-door manual at pounds 2,495 and the Mazda5 1.8 TS five-door manual with an advance payment of pounds 485.

Once the advance payment is been made the cars can be driven away with a monthly payment of about pounds 160.