What is an Advance Payment and which vehicles need one?

It’s the amount you need to pay upfront for some large or high specification vehicles. It’s in addition to your weekly mobility allowance.

It covers the difference between the cost of your car and your allowance paid over the length of your agreement. It’s not a deposit and it’s non-refundable.

You can see the Advance Payment when you search for a vehicle.

There are also some vehicles which have no Advance Payment, or cost less than your weekly allowance, which means you’ll still get the rest of your allowance to spend however you choose. To find these, use the filters when you search.

If you’ve chosen a car with an Advance Payment, you’ll need to pay it to your dealer in full, either before or on the day you get your new vehicle.

How you pay your Advance Payment depends on your dealer. They’ll let you know which payment methods they accept. Dealers do not accept cheques, and most do not accept cash, but this is down to each dealer’s discretion.

You can use your New Vehicle Payment to help towards your Advance Payment

If you're eligible for the £750 New Vehicle Payment, you can choose to send this directly to your dealer to help towards your Advance Payment.

If you're thinking of joining the Scheme, you'll need to order your first car by 3 January 2025 to get this payment.

If you’ve already ordered and you want to do this, please speak to your dealer.

Paying a deposit

Sometimes your dealer might ask you to pay this when you’re ordering. It will usually be deducted from your Advance Payment when you get your new vehicle. Some dealers might ask for a deposit on cars without an Advance Payment too. Speak to your dealer to find out when they’ll repay this.

If your dealer calls to ask for a deposit, please confirm who you're speaking to before you give any payment information. If you're in any doubt, end the call and contact your dealer directly.

You can use our Find a dealer tool to check if your dealer is on the Scheme and confirm their contact details.