Number of Brits claiming brand new cars under taxpayer-funded disability scheme soars due to TikTok
TIKTOK videos are encouraging Brits to claim new motors in a taxpayer-funded disability scheme where user numbers have surged 30 per cent in five years.
One “influencer” with 25,000 followers gave a how-to guide on picking up a £31,000 car for “basically free”, our investigation found.
Figures show 51 per cent of those on personal independence benefit for depression were successful at applying to be eligible for Motability.
Some 35 per cent were accepted after claiming it for “bedwetting,” and 66 per cent for agoraphobia.
More than half of claimants with Munchausen syndrome – a mental disorder where a sufferer pretends to be ill for attention – were given the extra benefits.
To get the required 12 points, Motability claimants must prove they struggle to leave their home, or cannot plan and follow a journey route without help.
In one video, a balaclava-wearing bragger gives a step-by-step guide to obtaining PIP and Motability – and suggests followers could take the government to court if turned down.
He tells how to pick up an Abarth 695 Sport, usually worth £31,000, for “basically free”.
He declared: “To get this car, all you have to do is pay £599.
“This car is an automatic with near enough 200 brake horsepower, and it does 0-60 in 6.5 seconds.
“Did I mention it has a full exhaust system, which absolutely sounds insane?”
Around 815,000 have a new Motability car.
Among those eligible despite having no physical ailment, the number qualifying because of ADHD has soared by 1,400 per cent in nine years, TaxPayers’ Alliance figures show.
Benefits claimants in the higher mobility personal independence payment bracket are eligible for the scheme and must exchange their £75-a-week allowance for a car, which they lease for three years.
While it is considered a lifeline for thousands with severe disabilities, critics believe the vast number of motors handed out is ripping off taxpayers.
Another user said her four-year-old autistic daughter would be “driven around in style” after replacing their Vauxhall Zafira with a new Skoda Kodiaq.
The family motor is typically worth £36,000 but is available on Motability for £3,299.
Shadow Welfare Secretary Helen Wheatley said: “The Motability scheme is a classic case of a well intentioned initiative that has got way out of hand.”
Nigel Fletcher, chief executive of the Motability Foundation charity, said: “Around one third of people who receive a higher rate mobility allowance choose to spend it leasing a car through the Motability Scheme, rather than receive cash from the Government in their bank.”
A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: “The scheme comes at no additional cost to the taxpayer.
“People claiming benefits must sacrifice some of their existing payments to lease a car.”
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