Advice before you buy

The law

Can I ride my scooter on the road?

It depends on the class of machine. The law sorts mobility scooters and powerchairs into two classes, and the class decides where you can ride.

Class 2: pavements only

• A top speed of 4 mph.
• For pavements, paths and indoors. You can cross a road, but you should not ride along it.
• No registration with the DVLA is needed.

Class 3: roads and pavements

• A top speed of 8 mph on the road, and a switch that limits it to 4 mph on the pavement.
• Must be registered with the DVLA. There is no road tax to pay and no driving licence needed.
• Must have working lights, indicators, a horn, a rear-view mirror and an efficient brake.
• You must be 14 or over, and able to read a car number plate from 40 feet (12.3 metres).
• Never on a motorway, and not in bus lanes or cycle-only lanes. Insurance is not a legal requirement, but it is sensible.

Buying a Class 3 road scooter from us? We register it with the DVLA for you, in the name of the person who will ride it, so there are no forms for you to fill in. When we ring to arrange delivery or collection, we'll check that person's name and address, and the DVLA then posts the registration document (V5C) to them.

On our site, pavement machines are listed under Pavement 4 mph and road machines under Road 8 mph. The top speed is on every listing's specification. For the full rules, see GOV.UK: mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs.

Choosing

Folding scooter or boot scooter?

Both are built to go in a car. The difference is how they get there.

Boot scooters come apart

A boot scooter splits into several pieces — usually the seat, the front with the tiller, the back, and the battery. No single piece is very heavy, which is why they suit people who can lift a moderate weight but not a whole machine.

Folding scooters fold in one piece

A folding scooter folds up like a pushchair, some at the press of a button. It is quicker to put away, but you lift the whole machine at once, so check that you (or whoever helps you) can manage its total weight.

What to check before you buy

• The heaviest piece you will lift. Look for it in the specification on each listing, and weigh it against what you can comfortably manage.
• Your car boot: measure the width, the depth and the height of the lip you lift over.
• How far you need to go. Small travel machines trade range for weight.

Tell us your car and we'll say honestly whether a machine will fit. Ring 03330 540 630, or send us a message.

Money

VAT relief in plain English

Mobility scooters and powerchairs can be bought without VAT by, or for, someone who is chronically sick or disabled. That's why, where VAT relief can apply, a machine on this site shows two prices: the price with VAT relief, and the price with VAT. You only pay the lower price if the relief applies.

Who can claim

• A person who is chronically sick or disabled, buying for their own personal or domestic use.
• Someone buying for them, such as a husband, wife or partner, a family member or a carer. Anyone can pay. What matters is who will use it.
• Orders delivered to mainland Great Britain, or collected from us in Diss.

What "chronically sick or disabled" means

HMRC's definition is someone with:

• a physical or mental impairment that has a long-term and substantial effect on their ability to carry out everyday activities, or
• a condition that doctors treat as a chronic illness, such as diabetes (HMRC's own example).

It does not include someone who is older but not disabled or chronically sick, or someone with a short-term injury such as a broken leg. You don't need to be registered disabled, and it isn't means-tested.

Not sure?

HMRC suggests asking your GP or another medical professional. HMRC's helpline for VAT reliefs for disabled and older people is 0300 123 1073 (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.30pm). HMRC can explain the rules but can't tell you whether you qualify. We're happy to explain HMRC's rules too, but we can't decide whether a particular person qualifies. If it doesn't apply, choose "No, charge VAT" in your basket.

What you declare

At checkout you fill in a short written declaration: the name of the person who will use the machine, their disability or illness in your own words, and a tick to confirm the machine is for their personal or domestic use. We don't ask for a doctor's letter. We check every declaration before the machine goes. We keep the declaration with our VAT records. Making a false declaration, knowingly or recklessly, is a criminal offence.

What it covers

• The machine, where the machine qualifies. Some 8 mph road scooters only qualify if the maker designed them solely for disabled people. Where a machine doesn't qualify, its page shows one price, including VAT.
• Our engineer delivery and set-up, with the machine.
• Kerbside delivery is free, and so is collecting the machine yourself from Diss, so there is no VAT to pay on either.

HMRC's rules: VAT relief on certain goods if you have a disability and VAT Notice 701/7.