A welfare scheme expanded into absurdity is being boosted by viral social media accounts
Social media is rapidly breaking our welfare state as once-obscure benefits are increasingly being spotlighted across platforms, particularly TikTok.
Since Covid, there has been a sharp increase in the number of working-age people claiming health-related disability benefits. With spending in 2019-20 of 1.3 per cent of GDP to 1.7 per cent of GDP in 2023-24, then forecast to reach 2.1 per cent of GDP by 2028-29, an increase fast outpacing Britain’s neighbours. Research from the Institute of Fiscal Studies shows that almost all of this increase has come from more claims, instead of larger payments being given.
The rise in health-related disability benefits is seen most with the Personal Independence Payment, which is now increasingly being used alongside the Motability scheme. A scheme that was set up in 1977 to give disabled people access to a vehicle that can be modified, allowing them both independence and dignity. For the government to finance a vehicle through the scheme, the applicant needs to be on one of four payments: the Higher rate mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Enhanced rate mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP), or the War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement. The PIP component set up in 2013 is by far the most common and easiest way to get onto the Motability scheme, with it rightly receiving increased coverage since the start of this year.
Last month the government made an attempt to tighten PIP eligibility, which was rejected by its own backbenchers. Though at least the viability of the scheme is increasingly being considered. According to research from the Taxpayers’ Alliance, the scheme now supports almost 4 million people with enhanced personal independence payments going from 734,136 in January 2019 to 1,754,739 in April 2025. This amounts to a 139 per cent increase over just six years.
Claims through PIP should be safeguarded for physical conditions that require a modified vehicle rather than behavioural ones
The claims have largely been driven by a sharp increase in claims for ADHD, going from 4,233 in January 2019 to 37,339 in April 2025, and claims for anxiety and depression going from 23,647 to 110,075 over the same period. This represents a 782 per cent and 365 per cent increase respectively, putting what was once a worthy scheme on an unsustainable trajectory.
The scope of recognised disabilities for which claims are being made has also broadened over the same period, with claims listed in 2025 being made for acne, writer’s cramp, and food intolerance. Claims were not made for any of these conditions in 2019.
There has been increasing media coverage of the rise in PIP claims being used to finance cars through Motability, as almost one in five new cars sold in Britain is through the scheme. Although there is yet to be much acknowledgement of the growing role TikTok is playing in the startling rise of new PIP claims.
A TikToker who uses the username @professorsaab with over 430,000 likes across his content explains in his videos the process he followed that enabled him to get a BMW with a Motability grant, which left him only needing to pay £500 for the new car.
In another video, he says “I haven’t been on this account for a couple days, I just came in to check something and I’m getting bombarded with messages, bro, you all want PIP, you all want motability.”
Answering a comment on an earlier video that questions whether Motability is as good as he says it is, he starts to describe all the benefits of the scheme such as the inclusion of insurance and maintenance and says “I paid 3k in 2023, 3k in 2024 and half of that this year that’s 7.5k just on insurance in those three years’ he also adds, “any maintenance I just call up BMW they say bring the car in.” He also recounted that, “you know when I got the 1 Series about 6 months later I got bored bro”, implying that he went on to acquire a different car through the scheme and that the flexibility of the scheme would be another compelling reason for viewers to apply.
Across his content, he encourages viewers to buy his “step by step guide” as well as offering consultations, which advise viewers to “Book a 1:1 Call with Me” for which he charges £50 for 10 minutes. Alongside this he runs a course called “Claimsmart: The Smart way to Claiming Benefits”, for which he charges £18.99. In the description, it says it “covers key tips, common mistakes to avoid, and helpful info to make the whole thing a bit easier and less confusing.” If you weren’t satisfied with the guide, it further explains that “for any further help … please join the Professor’s portal and we can continue from there.” Interestingly, in a related area, his website also offers a manual for getting out of a driving conviction for £11.99.
In another online video, he touts “imagine getting a whole car because of me” as he responds to a follower who presumably had followed his guide and had their advanced claim for PIP approved.
He isn’t the only person on TikTok extolling the benefits of the Motability scheme. There is other content promoting the cars available across the platform. Several car channels include Motability catalogue updates showing viewers the cars that they could potentially get if they apply for PIP. One of the larger channels that advises its viewers on the best cars you can buy is an account called @the.car.market. This has over 70,000 followers and over 120,000 views on a video which is entitled the “TOP 5 “FREE” MOTABILITY CARS”. On this the BMW I4, BMW iX2, BMW IX1 are listed as the best three choices; all of these cars cost more than £40,000 to purchase.
With revenue near 7 billion pounds, Motability is now the largest fleet operator in the UK, with its revenue having increased by almost 50 per cent over the last two years. In 2024, Motability Operations CEO Andrew Miller received a salary of £460,000 and a total package worth £747,000.
As much of the growth in claims is likely being led by the growing trends seen across the social media platform TikTok, how sustainable is this?
When Prime Minister Keir Starmer said of PIPs, “We have to get on and reform, we have a broken system that is not working for those who use the system, it is not working for the taxpayer” he was right.
With a £250 million donation being made by Motability Operations to the Motability Foundation we must safeguard the grant scheme that gives vital freedom and independence to so many justified claimants.
To protect the scheme and the taxpayer we need to limit the access to appeal of claims. Figures for 2023 show that 70 per cent of rejected PIP claims were successfully appealed, a rate 31 per cent higher than for the Employment and Support Allowance.
Claims through PIP should be safeguarded for physical conditions that require a modified vehicle rather than behavioural ones, such as ADHD or anxiety. The list of physical conditions that can be claimed for should also be narrowed. As GB News presenter Tom Harwood has suggested, for those claiming PIP for certain obesity related conditions, the government should at least trial withdrawing PIP and offering those recipients Ozempic instead.
We also need to change the cars offered on the Motability scheme. Even without the Motability grant, insurance is expensive, particularly for young men. So, the prospect of an Audi A3, which is available for drivers under 25 for £3,499, with insurance included that would usually cost far more than the cost of the car, is incredibly appealing in a system that appears to be being exploited by some for their own gain.
The scope of claims also needs to be restricted. It isn’t sustainable and thought needs to be given to the type of conditions and severity that make you eligible to apply for a car through Motability. Should ADHD, anxiety and depression for instance, fall into this category?
Finally, the government needs to move the claims for the advanced rate of PIP from being simply processed online to being evaluated in person, something it is beginning to do. At the very least, as capacity will be slowly increased, all appeals should be evaluated in person to ensure that the scheme is only being used by those who have a justifiable need. If these critical changes are made, the number of applicants will fall, and the burden on already stretched taxpayers will be reduced. The Motability scheme will then continue to give the many in genuine need the dignity and freedom the Motability scheme offers. And TikTokers who exploit the scheme to sell courses may need to go and find a real job.
