MV-1 for NEMT: buying a used purpose-built wheelchair vehicle that is no longer made

What the MV-1 is and who built it

The MV-1 was designed from the start to carry a rider in a wheelchair, rather than converted from a minivan or van after the fact; Car and Driver called it the only purpose-built wheelchair-accessible vehicle on the market in 2016. Two companies sold it, and the maker’s name on the title depends on the year:

• Vehicle Production Group (VPG), 2011 to 2013 models. Production began in late 2011 at an AM General plant in Indiana under VPG, which had received $50 million from the Department of Energy, and VPG became insolvent in 2013. NHTSA lists the company at an address in Troy, Michigan.
• Mobility Ventures LLC, 2014 to 2016 models. AM General took over and restarted production in 2014 under the Mobility Ventures name, based in South Bend, Indiana. Car and Driver reported in December 2016 that the company built about 2,000 a year, with fleets buying about 60 percent, most of them taxi companies.

EPA’s fuel economy records stop at the 2016 model year, and NHTSA’s recall records end there too. A 2017 seat recall covered 5,207 vehicles built from 2011 to 2016, which gives a sense of how small the used market is. Every MV-1 you can buy today is at least ten model years old. The used wheelchair van guide covers the checks that apply to any used wheelchair vehicle; this page covers what is specific to the MV-1.

Model years, engines, and fuel

The engine changed halfway through, and so did the fuel rating. EPA classifies the MV-1 as a special purpose vehicle and lists these versions:

Car and Driver averaged 15 mpg over about 1,000 miles in a 2016 model. That is the MV-1’s biggest operating cost. Here is an example at EIA’s September 28, 2026 national average for regular, $4.465 a gallon: 40,000 miles a year at 16 mpg burns 2,500 gallons, or about $11,160. The same miles in a hybrid Toyota Sienna conversion rated at 36 mpg cost about $4,960, a difference of roughly $6,200 a year per vehicle. The minivan conversion guide compares today’s new options.

The ramp and the cabin

The MV-1’s ramp is the reason owners still want one. It is 30 inches wide, the same figure 49 CFR 38.23 sets as the minimum clear width for a ramp, and it slides out of an enclosed pocket in the floor on the passenger side. Car and Driver’s test vehicle could deploy it to either 69.5 or 92.3 inches: the short setting fits a standard accessible parking space but makes a steeper slope.

How the ramp works depends on the trim:

• SE. The base model, sold without a radio, cruise control, or the power ramp, at $40,890 when new in 2016.
• DX. Adds a power ramp, supplied by ASC, that runs from buttons inside the vehicle and on the key fob, at $51,065 new.
• LX. The top trim at $58,085, with a different grille, aluminum wheels, and wood-look interior trim.

Inside, a wheelchair can turn into the front passenger position, where four Q’Straint floor anchors secure it. There is room for a second chair in the middle of the cabin, although Car and Driver found that two power chairs like the one it tested with would not fit at once. Behind them sit a three-place bench and 36 cubic feet of cargo space, and the vehicle has six inches of ground clearance. One caution from the same test: a wheelchair footrest kept a rider from pulling far enough forward for the shoulder belt to fit snugly, so check belt fit with each regular rider’s chair.

Parts: easy for the drivetrain, hard for everything else

The mechanical parts come from high-volume vehicles. Car and Driver traced the 3.7-liter V6, the six-speed automatic, most of the suspension, the steering column, and the interior switches to Ford, the rear differential to the Chevrolet Camaro, and the rear brakes to the long-discontinued Chevrolet Uplander minivan. Earlier models used Ford’s 4.6-liter V8. A shop that knows older Ford powertrains can work on the engine and transmission.

Parts made only for the MV-1 are another matter: body panels, the ramp and its floor pocket, and interior trim. Nobody builds the vehicle today, so expect to source those used or from salvage. Before buying, find out who near you has repaired MV-1 ramps, and price a replacement ramp motor and controls if you can find them.

Factory support has also thinned. Mobility Ventures handled MV-1 recalls through 2023 using the customer service line 1-877-681-3678. In a complaint filed with NHTSA in December 2025, the owner of a 2016 MV-1 with about 190,000 miles reported that the number on the recall notice rang to another business and that no authorized dealer was nearby to do the repair. Build that into your plan: a van waiting on a part is a van not running trips, as the vehicle breakdown guide explains.

Recalls filed under two maker names

NHTSA lists the 2012 CNG recall under the make MV-1 and the other three under Mobility Ventures, and the seat recall filed under Mobility Ventures reaches back to 2011 models, so search both names for any year. In June 2024, an owner told NHTSA the recall site did not recognize a 2011 MV-1’s VIN at all, which makes the make and model search worth doing even when the VIN lookup comes back empty. These four recalls cover the run:

1. 12V468 (VPG, 2012). On 435 CNG-fueled 2011 and 2012 MV-1s, the pressure relief plug on the gas tank may be assembled wrong and leak. The fix adds a secondary pressure relief device.
2. 17V836 (Mobility Ventures, 2017). On 5,207 MV-1s from 2011 to 2016, the driver’s seat may come loose from its track in a hard rear impact. The fix is a seat track reinforcement kit.
3. 18V382 (Mobility Ventures, 2018). On 977 MV-1s from 2015 and 2016, a failed rear turn signal does not speed up the flash rate to warn the driver. The fix is new body control module software.
4. 23V461 (Mobility Ventures, 2023). On 525 MV-1s from 2015 and 2016, the electronic stability control warning light may not come on. The fix is new brake control module software.

Ask the seller for proof that each recall was done, and look for the seat track kit under the driver’s seat yourself. The used wheelchair van guide covers title, odometer, and the rest of the paperwork.

CNG models: read the tank labels

EPA lists CNG versions of the MV-1 for 2011, 2012, and 2014. Federal safety standard FMVSS No. 304 requires every CNG fuel tank to carry a permanent label with its month and year of manufacture and a “Do Not Use After” date that marks the end of its service life. The same label tells owners to have the tank visually inspected after any crash or fire and at least every 36 months or 36,000 miles on a vehicle rated 10,000 pounds or less. A CNG MV-1 with an expired tank needs a new tank before it carries anyone, so read the date before you make an offer.

Will a broker accept a ten-year-old van

Age rules are where many MV-1 deals end. The newest MV-1 is a 2016 model, and several programs set limits it cannot meet or will soon pass:

• Rhode Island. Vehicles added to an NEMT fleet after July 31, 2024 can be no older than four model years at the first inspection, which rules out every MV-1.
• Massachusetts broker MART. In program-based service, wheelchair lift vehicles must be less than nine years from manufacture and vans less than seven, and MART may grant six-month waivers, up to two more years, after a new state inspection. Demand-response vehicles other than ambulances get 15 years, which leaves a late MV-1 a few more years there.
• Insurers. Progressive notes that some carriers restrict older vehicles, so get a quote on the actual VIN before you pay.

Call your broker’s network team with the VIN and model year before you sign. The vehicle replacement guide lists more broker age limits and how to plan around them.

A buying checklist for a used MV-1

1. Decode the VIN and note the maker, model year, engine, and fuel type.
2. Search recalls under both maker names and get proof of each remedy.
3. Run the ramp through full cycles at both lengths, from inside and from the fob on a DX or LX, and look into the floor pocket for corrosion and debris.
4. Check the four front floor anchors, the belts, and the second wheelchair position.
5. On a CNG model, read the tank’s “Do Not Use After” date and its last inspection.
6. Have a mechanic check the engine and cooling system, and ask what MV-1 body and ramp parts they can actually get.
7. Get your broker’s written acceptance and an insurance quote on the VIN before you pay.

Run your normal vehicle inspection checklist on top of these steps.

Keeping an older vehicle on track in HealthRide

In HealthRide, each driver runs the vehicle check in the app before the shift begins, so a sticking ramp or a warning light on an older MV-1 gets reported before the first pickup. HealthRide also keeps each vehicle’s registration, insurance, and other dated credentials in one place and sends reminders before they expire, so a lapsed document on an aging vehicle is flagged before it reaches the schedule. The fleet page shows how vehicles and their expiration dates are tracked.