Somebody buys a power chair and then discovers it cannot leave the house. That is the commonest expensive mistake in this trade and it is entirely avoidable by deciding how the equipment travels before buying it.
You do not necessarily need a converted vehicle. Here are the alternatives.
Interior lifts
A boom or platform mounted inside the boot or cargo area that lifts the chair or scooter in and sets it down.
For: the equipment travels inside, protected from weather and from theft. No change to the exterior of the vehicle.
Against: it takes the boot space. And the rear opening height has to clear the equipment, which is what rules out most sedans.
Needs: a hatchback, estate, SUV or minivan with adequate opening height, and a vehicle that can carry the weight.
Exterior platform lifts
A platform mounted on a hitch receiver at the back. The equipment is driven or loaded on and travels outside.
For: no boot space lost, handles heavier equipment, and works on vehicles that cannot take an interior lift.
Against: the equipment is exposed to weather and road dirt, it may obscure the rear lights and plate unless a light kit is fitted, and it adds length to the vehicle, which matters for parking.
Needs: a hitch rated for the load, which is a specific figure rather than the presence of a hitch.
Hoists and boom lifts
A crane arm that lifts the equipment and swings it into position. Frequently used for scooters and lighter chairs.
For: less weight capacity needed from the vehicle, and it can be used where a platform will not fit.
Against: usually requires the equipment to be manoeuvred rather than driven on, which needs somebody able to do that.
Ramps
Portable or fitted ramps for driving a chair directly into a van.
For: simple, few moving parts, cheapest.
Against: the vehicle needs enough interior height for somebody to remain seated in the chair, which usually means a high-roof van or a lowered floor.
The measurements that decide it
- Equipment weight, actual rather than estimated, including batteries.
- Equipment dimensions folded and unfolded, including height.
- Rear opening height and width of the vehicle.
- Interior cargo height for an interior lift.
- Hitch rating for an exterior platform.
- Vehicle payload capacity, which is a real limit and frequently overlooked.
Take those six before looking at any product. Most of the disappointment in this category comes from choosing a lift and then measuring.
Securement is separate
Getting the equipment in is one job. Holding it there is another, and a chair that shifts in transit damages itself and the vehicle.
Ask how the equipment is secured on each option, and practice it once before relying on it.
Who can operate it
The question that decides whether a lift gets used. If somebody travels alone, they have to be able to load and unload unaided, in a car park, in the rain.
Test that with the actual person and the actual equipment rather than accepting a demonstration. A lift requiring two people is a lift that limits somebody to trips with company.
Registration and who fits it
NHTSA maintains a register of mobility equipment dealers registered as vehicle modifiers, and adaptive equipment work sits within that framework. Their adapted vehicles guidance sets out the order to do this in: evaluate the need, choose the equipment, then choose the vehicle.
Doing it in that order is what avoids buying a car that cannot take what you need.
When a conversion really is the answer
If the person stays seated in their wheelchair while the vehicle moves, none of the above applies and you need a conversion with securement and occupant restraint.
If they can transfer into a seat, one of these four is almost certainly cheaper. Our van guide works through that decision, and our driving aids guide covers the controls side.
Smaller items that help with getting in and out, transfer boards, swivel cushions and grab handles, ship free from our online shop.
What the vehicle has to be able to take
Two figures that people skip.
Payload capacity is the total weight a vehicle can carry including passengers, cargo and any equipment. A lift plus a power chair plus a driver and passenger can approach it on a small car.
Hitch rating for an exterior platform is a specific tongue weight figure, and having a hitch is not the same as having a hitch rated for the load.
Both are published for the vehicle. Find them before choosing a lift.
Power supply
Most of these run from the vehicle battery, and drawing that current repeatedly on short journeys can leave a car struggling to start.
Ask how the lift is wired, whether an auxiliary battery is recommended, and what the draw is. It is a question nobody asks and a problem people meet in the second winter.
Weather and corrosion
An exterior platform lives in road spray, salt and sun. Equipment carried on it does too.
A cover for the chair or scooter is the cheapest thing that extends its life, and the lift itself needs the same annual attention as anything else mechanical. Our service page covers vehicle equipment as well as home equipment.
Practice it before you need it
Load and unload three times in a driveway before relying on it at a hospital appointment. Time it. Do it in the dark once.
People discover on the day that a sequence they watched once is not a sequence they can perform alone in the rain, and NHTSA guidance is built around evaluation and training rather than equipment alone.
If the equipment changes
A lift specified for a folding scooter may not take a power chair bought two years later. Keep the lift’s rated capacity and platform dimensions somewhere findable, and check them before buying new equipment rather than after.
Resale and moving it to a new vehicle
Most lifts can be moved between vehicles, and the mounting hardware is frequently vehicle-specific. Ask what transfers and what does not before buying, particularly if a car change is likely.
Keep the installation paperwork. It matters for warranty and for whoever moves it later.
Funding
Vehicle equipment sits outside Medicare’s durable medical equipment category in most cases, and the routes that do fund it are vocational rehabilitation, the VA automotive adaptive equipment program, workers compensation after a work injury, and manufacturer mobility rebate schemes.
Our funding guide covers them, and our VA guide covers how that route reaches a supplier.
Height clearance after fitting
An exterior platform with equipment on it changes the vehicle’s overall height and length. Car parks with height barriers, drive-through lanes and domestic garages all become questions.
Measure the loaded height before the first trip, and write it on something in the glovebox. People discover this at a barrier.
Lights and plate visibility
Equipment carried at the rear frequently obscures the lights and the registration plate, which is a legal problem as well as a safety one. Light kits and plate relocation exist for exactly this.
Ask whether one is included rather than assuming, and our legal guide covers the wider set of rules worth knowing.