You can get one without being in receipt of PIP but its not easy. I was refused upon my initial application 5 years ago and my appeal was turned down. I then took it to the Ombudsman and queried disability discrimination - the council relented before the case was heard and sent a letter of apology and also refunded the £10 application fee. All of this took about 7 months.
The following year I was awarded indefinite PIP with maximum points re mobility so when I renewed it the process was much simpler.
I guess I am OK until PIP is either changed or binned - something that I think is inevitable considering the rhetoric of all the mainstream political parties.
As an aside - I have a mobility car (smallest and cheapest one I could find - not a Merc!) and when the lease expires in 2 years I wont be having another. The mileage cap and charges that they have introduced are ridiculous especially in this part of the country where public transport is so poor. I also object to my movements and activity being monitored via a black box - which is coming soon. Personally I think that the schemes days are numbered - much to the delight of the right wing press and social media influencers. Apologies for the digression!
Anyway, as long as I can carry on peddling my bike on good days then I will be OK!
