Best wheelchair cars for mobility scooters?
Cars suitable for carrying mobility scooters and wheelchairs are generally called wheelchair accessible vehicles, also know as WAVs, and are usually adapted from standard cars and vans.
Wheelchair accessible cars and vehicles come in a range of shapes and sizes but they all share one thing in common – they are designed to carry a standard wheelchair. Many are also large enough to carry mobility scooters or larger wheelchairs. A vehicle designed for mobility scooters or larger wheelchairs are typically identified by the following features
- A Ramp to allow easy boarding
- A Raised Roof
- A lowered floor
- Scooter restraint system
- A winch
Cars adapted for mobility scooters
Mobility scooters are usually slightly wider than a standard wheelchair with thicker tyres – so it’s important to find a vehicle that has a large enough ramp and rear space.
Buying a new WAV is easy when you have to accommodate a standard wheelchair. Almost all models you want will be compatible, all you need to do is make sure it has the features and comfort you need and that you like driving it. If you are buying a wheelchair accessible vehicle for yourself, partner or someone you care for who uses a powered mobility scooter/wheelchair your choices become fewer.
Mobility scooters and wheelchair are usually battery powered – this makes them much more bulky than a traditional wheelchair. The batteries, controls and motors take up a lot of space making these types of wheelchairs not only larger but heavier. These larger wheelchairs & scooter are unlikely to fit in the same wheelchair accessible vehicles as their standard-sized wheelchair counterparts – so it’s important to find vehicles with enough space to be able to cope with these types of wheelchair/scooter.
If you’re looking for a car or vehicle for a standard wheelchair click below:
Best for standard wheelchairs
Cars with larger wheelchair ramps
When looking for a wheelchair accessible vehicle suitable for carrying a mobility scooter or powered wheelchair and passenger it’s important to realise that not all WAVs will have a large enough capacity to carry these larger mobility aids. When beginning your search to find the perfect vehicle for your needs you’ll have to find the measurements of your mobility scooter.
The manufacturer will be able to provide you with accurate measurements of the wheelchair/scooter, if you are unable to obtain the measurements you can take them yourself using a standard home or DIY tape measure.
How to measure a wheelchair or mobility scooter
To check the size of your mobility scooter/wheelchair take the following measurements.
- Measure the height of the scooter from the bottom of the wheels to the highest point of the scooter.
- Measure the length of the scooter from the furthest point at the front to the rear – including lights and/or baskets
- Measure the width carefully – this is one of the most crucial. Include any protruding points.
Unlike wheelchairs, scooters are not safety tested for vehicle use. It is important to note that you cannot sit in a mobility scooter while travelling in a WAV. Unlike a wheelchair, the passenger cannot be secured in the mobility scooter safely enough for travel. Mobility scooters are open at the sides and the handlebar could pose a serious risk of injury in the event of an accident.
Once you’ve got your measurements click below to enter your measurements and browse our WAVs for sale and check that your wheelchair/scooter will fit into the allocated space. It’s important to get a vehicle suitable for your wheelchair as the vehicles suitable for larger wheelchairs also have larger and sturdier ramps to allow for robust hassle-free boarding.
Search by wheelchair/scooter size
To make it easier we group our vehicles that are suitable for larger wheelchairs and mobility scooters – you can view them here
If you are not sure we have the right vehicle for you – please get in touch, either via live chat, email or call us on 01761 471540 we can let you know what we have, what we’re getting or if we can order a special vehicle for you.
Vehicles for powered wheelchairs/scootersScooter and wheelchair transfer systems
Many people use mobility scooters just as a solution to longer journeys or for helping carry things when they don’t have the strength – they are able to get in and out of a normal car passenger seat with minimal or no help.
WavsGB have teamed up with Autochair to offer a solution for lifting mobility scooters into an existing vehicle, it can be more cost effective than buying an alternative mobility car. Check out the details by clicking below.
Adapt your existing car for a mobility scooter
We also have vehicles with transfer systems already built in, you can browse these by clicking below.
Wheelchair transfer vehicles
