PIP Mobility Component: How to Score Points & Get Enhanced Rate
By the RightfulUK team • • 5 min read • Reviewed for accuracy
The PIP mobility component is worth up to £75.75 per week at the enhanced rate. It also unlocks the Blue Badge, Motability scheme, and free vehicle tax.
But many people are underscored on mobility because they don't understand how the two activities work.
The Two Mobility Activities
PIP mobility has two activities:
Activity 11: Planning and Following Journeys — This is about your ABILITY TO PLAN AND NAVIGATE, not walking. It covers: - Can you plan a route? - Can you follow directions? - Can you cope psychologically with journeys? - Do you need someone with you?
This scores for mental health conditions, cognitive impairments, learning disabilities, and conditions causing confusion.
Activity 12: Moving Around — This is the WALKING test: - How far can you walk before severe discomfort? - Do you need aids (stick, crutch, wheelchair)? - Is it safe and reliable?
Activity 12: The Walking Distance Test
This is where most physical conditions score:
- 0 points: Can walk over 200m unaided - 4 points: Can walk 50-200m (with or without aids) - 8 points: Can walk 20-50m (with or without aids) - 10 points: Can walk less than 20m (with or without aids) - 12 points: Cannot walk at all or move at all
Critical: 50 metres is about 12 car lengths. Most people overestimate how far they can walk. Measure it.
The reliability test applies: Can you walk that distance SAFELY? Can you REPEAT it? Without EXCESSIVE PAIN? In a REASONABLE TIME? If not, you score higher.
Activity 11: Journey Planning
This is the one most people miss. If you have:
- Anxiety about going out - Panic attacks on public transport or in unfamiliar places - Cognitive difficulties following directions - Memory problems getting lost on familiar routes - Autism causing overwhelm in new environments
You could score: - 4 points: Need prompting to undertake a journey - 10 points: Cannot follow a route to an unfamiliar place without another person - 12 points: Cannot follow a route to a familiar place without another person
12 points on Activity 11 alone gives you Enhanced Mobility.
Getting Enhanced Mobility
You need 12+ points for Enhanced Mobility (£75.75/week). Ways to get it:
- Score 12 on Activity 12 (can't walk at all) - Score 12 on Activity 11 (can't follow familiar routes alone) - Score 10 on Activity 12 + 4 on Activity 11 = 14 points
Enhanced Mobility unlocks: - Blue Badge — Automatically - Motability Scheme — Lease a car, wheelchair, or scooter - Vehicle tax exemption — Free road tax - Disabled Persons Railcard — 1/3 off rail fares
Common Mistakes on Mobility
1. Overestimating walking distance — Measure 50m. It's shorter than you think.
2. Describing best days — PIP is about the majority of days. If you can walk 200m on a good day but only 30m most days, say 30m.
3. Forgetting variability — If your walking distance varies, describe the worst days and how often they occur.
4. Only mentioning Activity 12 — If anxiety, confusion, or cognitive issues affect your journeys, Activity 11 is just as important.
5. Not mentioning falls — If you've fallen or nearly fallen, that proves you can't walk SAFELY.
Related Articles
- PIP Daily Living Component: All 10 Activities Explained Simply — 6 min read
- PIP Descriptors Explained in Simple English (All 12 Activities) — 8 min read
- Got 0 Points on PIP? Here's What Went Wrong (And How to Fix It) — 4 min read
- From 0 Points to Enhanced Rate: Sarah's Fibromyalgia PIP Appeal — 4 min read
Related Tools & Guides
- Free PIP Eligibility Checker — estimate your likely points
- Mandatory Reconsideration Letter Builder — challenge the DWP decision
- Tribunal Preparation Tool — practice panel questions
- PIP Condition Guides — descriptors for your condition