Most disabled people don’t know how to access or pay for vehicle adaptations they may be eligible for, according to a new report from Mobility in Motion.

In a survey of 224 disabled people, carers and supporters, more than eight in 10 (82%) said they were aware that adaptations can help disabled people, people with long-term conditions or limited mobility to drive or travel by car.

Nearly nine in 10 (89%) knew the right adaptations can help people return to driving or keep driving.

Awareness of specific adaptations was high: hand controls (84%), wheelchair accessible vehicles (80%), steering aids (76%) and swivel seats (75%).

However, only one in five (21%) said they understand what support they may be eligible for. The rest were unclear, with 38% aware that support exists but aren’t sure whether they qualify.

Nearly a quarter (23%) of respondents don’t know whether any support is available and 14% assumed they wouldn’t be eligible.

Meanwhile, more than six in 10 (62%) were not confident they understood what financial support or funding was available for adaptations, and almost half (47%) said they had delayed seeking advice because they didn’t know where to start.

The cost of this gap is personal. Among respondents who had reduced or stopped driving, two in three (67%) said it had reduced their independence, 58% said it had increased their isolation, and half (51%) said they now rely more on family and friends. More than four in 10 (43%) said it was harder to get to medical appointments.

The findings suggest better information could make a real difference. Two in three respondents (68%) said clearer information and advice would make them more likely to continue driving, return to driving, learn to drive or explore ways to improve their driving experience. More than six in 10 (63%) believed better information could have helped them drive for longer or explore adapted driving sooner.

The research comes at a time of change. The Government’s Timms review of Personal Independence Payment is due to publish its final report this autumn, having concluded in its interim report that “PIP is not working”. Changes to the Motability Scheme for new leases, including a 30,000-mile limit over three years for cars, came into effect on 1 July 2026.

Matt Fieldhouse, Group Managing Director at Mobility in Motion, said: “This research shows a real disconnect. People know adapted driving is possible, but they don’t know where to start, what they qualify for or what it might cost. That uncertainty stops people acting, sometimes for years, and the cost is their independence.

“We’re not pretending a new car is within everyone’s reach. For many disabled people it isn’t, and adaptations add cost. But everyone deserves to know all their options. That’s why we launched Adapt & Drive: to give people another route to an adapted car, alongside schemes like Motability, with free expert advice so they can make the right decision for them.”