How To Choose A Mobility Scooter

By: Scootamart Staff

After you have decided what type of mobility scooter is suitable for your needs, the next thing to do is to try some. You will probably need to try several scooters to find one that feels comfortable and meets all your requirements. If a scooter doesn't feel right immediately, ask the sales person to adjust the seat or the tiller, and see if that helps. If that doesn't help, then that probably isn't the scooter for you.

You may be tempted by the cheapest disability scooter on sale, especially if you have a budget, but remember that you wouldn't buy the cheapest car in the showroom if it didn't fit your needs just because it was the cheapest! Whilst trying different scooters make sure you can drive them around the showroom, or even outside, to see what they are like over bumps, and whether they feel comfortable and stable. Legroom is another important consideration, especially for the taller person. As a rule of thumb, three wheel scooters provide more legroom than four wheel scooters; however, four wheel scooters tend to be more stable.

Remember to ask the sales person any questions that you want answering. It sounds obvious, but people can be intimidated when faced with something that they know nothing about. Common topics of questions include the scooters speed; range; whether it dismantles for transportation; the weight of the components once the scooter is dismantled; the actual dimensions of the scooter if space is tight; whether the tiller can be changed for a different one, or if the forward/reverse controls can be changed from right hand to left hand.

If your scooter is to replace your car, you will need to ensure that the scooter has the comforts and features that you need. An 8mph model may be just what you need, and will allow you to ride on the road with a range of up to 35 miles. The road legal models have a full lighting kit and indicators and often have suspension and pneumatic tyres to offer a more comfortable ride over the long distances these scooters can cover.

If your scooter is for occasional use and not going to be your main method of transport, then a small/boot scooter might be most appropriate. Again, make sure that there is enough legroom, and that it is comfortable. Try it out and ensure that you can easily dismantle the scooter and that the individual components are not too heavy to lift into the car. They tend to be ideal for days out and short trips to the shops and rather than long journeys.

Pavement scooters are a good compromise between small land large scooters. They offer the size, comfort and some of the features of the larger scooters, but some of them can still dissemble to fit in a car boot. They tend to be heavier and more bulky, and harder to dissemble than the dedicated boot scooters. It is worthwhile dissembling the scooter to see how easy it is and to make sure you can put it in the car.

Some models are available with different seats, or different batteries. If you've found the ideal scooter, but there's something that doesn't quite meet your requirements, there may be a solution. Remember to ask the sales person.

Once you have purchased your mobility scooter you can then begin to regain your independence.

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