What size WAV vehicle should you buy?

Wheelchair accessible vehicles come in all shapes and sizes. When you start contemplating buying your first WAV – it might seem the obvious choice to purchase (or hire) a vehicle that is a similar size to your existing car – however there are some factors that could mean you’d be better off looking for a larger (or smaller) WAV.

What factors influence the size of WAV you need?

When you’re buying a car you generally take into account the number of passengers and the required luggage space. There may be some secondary factors that have some influence on your decision, like the size of vehicle you are comfortable driving.

With a WAV these are some of the considerations to be aware of:

1. How many passengers?
   Like a normal car – you need to think about how many seated passengers you need to carry. In addition to the wheelchair passenger a WAV can carry a number of passengers. Unlike a car (which are usually 5 seats), WAVs vary greatly in how many seats are available. The wheelchair takes up space so the number of seats can sometimes be limited. A ‘standard’ sized WAV may have 3 or 4 seats (including driver) – whereas the larger WAVs can have 5 (or more).

   Think about the number of people you need to carry regularly and the possibility of carry other family or friends where a few extra seats may come in handy. A five-seat WAV may be a larger vehicle than the equivalent five seater car. Alternatively some WAVs have flexible seating where by if a wheelchair isn’t on board extra seats can be folded into place (and vice-versa)

2. Need luggage space?
   Anyone that has used a seven-seat vehicle to transport may have come across the issue that with seven people on-board there is no room left for luggage. This can sometimes happen with WAVs. If you have a three seat WAV with three people on board as well as the wheelchair passenger, you may find there is not much room left for luggage.

   While there will be room for your day-to-day shopping – it’s unlikely there will be sufficient room for any holiday luggage.

   When your browsing for WAVs have a look at the available space and check to see how much luggage space is available.

3. Wheelchair size
   Not all wheelchairs are the same size. This is especially true if you have a non-standard sized wheelchair, an electric wheelchair or even a sports wheelchair.

   So while you may be looking for a two or three seat WAV, it may be that your particular wheelchair doesn’t fit into a smaller sized vehicle. You may have to look at larger vehicles to accomodate it. We have made it easy to search for wheelchair vehicles for sale which are suitable for specific wheelchairs using our Wheelchair Size guide . Simply input your wheelchair dimensions and a list of suitable WAVs will be displayed.

4. Driver confidence and ability
   WAV vehicles are based on existing vehicle types (they are simply converted to carry wheelchairs) and vary in size from small vehicles like a Kia Soul or Fiat Qubo to much larger vehicles based on vans like the Renualt Master.

   It may be unrealistic to expect a driver upgrading from a smaller car to suddenly start driving a vehicle 3 or 4 times the size. At WavsGB we are happy for you to take a test-drive and to have a full demonstration of any vehicle before you commit to buying. It’s worth pointing out that many larger WAVs have driving aids like parking-sensors and rear cameras to help maneuver these larger vehicles.

5. Ramp or lift
   All wheelchair accessible vehicles include a simple way to get the wheelchair passenger on board. These fall into two categories – either a ramp which drops down manually (or sometimes powered) to allow the wheelchair user to be boarded. Alternatively some vehicles have a lift fitted – these are usually fitted to larger vehicles and allow zero-effort boarding. The powered lift is easy to use and is opertaed at the touch of a button.

   Lifts are generally used in larger vehicles as the height of the vehicle is greater so a ramp would be too steep to use. Lifts can also be a better option for some electric wheelchairs which can be difficult to board via a ramp.

   If you require a lift, then you will need to purchase a larger vehicle. Lifts take up more room (allow they still fold up) than a ramp.

6. Budget
   WAVs come in as many budgets as they do sizes, and as a general rule a larger WAV will cost more than it’s smaller equivalent. Assuming they are the same age and mileage.

   If you have decided that you require larger WAV you can make your budget stretch farther by looking for vehicles that are a few years older, have slightly higher mileage and lower specification.

Ultimately the size of vehicle you end up buying will be down to you probably based on a a combination of the above factors. At WavsGB we can help you find the perfect vehicle for your needs, from browsing WAV vehicles on our website, to arranging a test drive or demonstration. Our experts are on-hand to give advice and answer your questions.