The Difference Between a Wheelchair and a Mobility Scooter

The features and benefits of a mobility scooter

If you are trying to work out what type of electric mobility could be right for you then you might very well be interested in taking a look at some of the current mobility scooter options around.

The main difference between a mobility scooter and a conventional wheelchair are listed below:

Power. Some wheelchairs are powered while others are manually operated. In the case of mobility scooters they are all powered. The energy tends to come from a battery, although in some parts of the world fuel driven models are still available.

Wheels. Wheelchairs tend to have 4 wheels while an electric mobility scooter could have 3, 4 or even 5 of them.

Steering. Unlike wheel chairs, electric scooters have handlebars to let you control them, and different models have varying numbers of wheels can be rotated.

Rotating seat. Many mobility scooters comed with a seat which can be rotated to make it easier for the user to get on or off.

Which One to Choose?

These differences mean that we need to think of a wheelchair and a mobility scooter as being completely different types of mobility equipment for people with different needs. Generally speaking, an electric scooter is a great choice for anyone who doesn’t have the strength to push a wheelchair on their own but wants to retain a high degree of independence.

These sorts of scooter are usually quite a bit cheaper than electric wheelchairs and a lot of users prefer their image to that of wheelchairs. Having said that, they aren’t for everyone and if you want to see whether they suit you then a smart move is to look at a short period of mobility scooter hire to give one a trial run.