Power Wheelchair Carrier

A power wheelchair carrier lets you take a heavy powered chair on the back of your car when lifting it is impossible. Browse the carriers below, then open Read More to compare platforms, hoists and ramps and check whether your vehicle is suitable.

Why Power Chairs Need a Different Plan

A folding manual wheelchair can often be lifted into a car boot by one person. A power chair rarely can. Motors, batteries and a sturdy base make most powered wheelchairs far too heavy to lift, and many do not fold at all. That means getting the chair from home to the shops, a hospital or a holiday cottage depends on a carrier, a ramp, a hoist or a converted vehicle.

A power wheelchair carrier is one answer: a platform or rack, usually mounted on the vehicle’s towbar, that holds the chair outside the car. This guide looks at how these carriers work, how they compare with ramps and hoists, and the questions to settle about your vehicle before buying anything. Because vehicles and chairs vary so much, treat it as a starting point for a conversation with the carrier maker and your vehicle’s manufacturer.

How to Transport a Power Wheelchair: The Main Options

External platform carriers fix to the towbar and carry the chair behind the vehicle. They keep the boot and cabin free.
Boot hoists are small cranes fitted inside the boot that lift the chair in. The vehicle needs enough boot space and a suitable floor.
Ramps let the chair be driven or pushed into a van, people carrier or large estate. The opening must be tall enough for the chair.
Wheelchair-accessible vehicles are converted so the user can travel seated in the chair, entering by a ramp or lift.

Each suits different households. A carrier is often chosen when the car is too small for a hoist or ramp, when the user transfers into a car seat and the chair travels empty, or when changing vehicle is not an option.

Types of Power Wheelchair Carrier

Platform Carriers with a Ramp

The most common design is a flat platform with a short loading ramp. The chair is driven up the ramp onto the platform using its own power, then secured with straps or clamps. The ramp folds up to become a backstop. This is simple and needs no electrics beyond the vehicle’s lighting.

Powered Lift Carriers

Some carriers have an electric lift that lowers the whole platform to the ground. The chair is driven on at ground level and the platform is raised for travel. These are easier to load, especially for heavy chairs, but they add cost, weight and wiring.

Folding Carriers

Many carriers fold up against the back of the vehicle when not in use. This helps with parking and access to the boot, although on some models the boot cannot be opened while the carrier is fitted and loaded. Our guide to the electric wheelchair hitch carrier goes deeper into tow bar mounted designs, and the bumper mounted wheelchair carrier page explains why most modern cars need a proper tow bar rather than a bumper fixing.

Is Your Vehicle Suitable?

This is the most important question, and it can only be answered for your specific car and chair. A carrier plus a heavy powered chair places a significant load on the towbar and the back of the vehicle. Check the following with the vehicle handbook, the carrier maker and, if needed, a tow bar fitter.

Tow bar and load limit: every towbar and vehicle has a maximum downward load, often called the nose weight. The carrier and chair together must stay within it.
Tow bar type: some carriers need a particular fitting, such as a receiver hitch, rather than a standard tow ball.
Rear overhang: the loaded carrier sticks out behind the vehicle, affecting parking, ferries and car parks.
Lights and number plate: if the carrier or chair hides the lights or plate, a lighting board with a number plate is usually needed. Ask the supplier how their carrier deals with this.
Handling: a heavy load at the very back can change how the car steers and brakes, particularly at speed or in crosswinds.

Do not assume a carrier will suit a small car just because it fits on the hitch. The combined weight of the chair and carrier is often the limiting factor.

Matching the Carrier to the Chair

Measure the chair’s length, width and height, and find its weight including batteries. The platform must be long and wide enough for the wheelbase, and the carrier must be rated for the chair’s weight with a margin. Check the chair’s ground clearance against the ramp angle, since a low battery box can catch at the top of a steep ramp.

Think about securing the chair. Straps should attach to strong points on the frame, not the armrests or footrests. Some users remove the joystick or cover it to protect it from weather and road grime.

Weather, Security and Wear

A chair on an external carrier is exposed to rain, road spray, salt in winter and dust in summer. A fitted travel cover protects the seat and controller, and it is worth wiping the chair down after wet journeys. Remember that the chair can be seen by anyone passing, so lockable straps or a cable lock are sensible at service stations and car parks. Check the carrier’s bolts, pins and straps regularly, because vibration can loosen fixings over time.

When a Ramp or Vehicle Change Is Better

If your chair is very heavy, if the vehicle’s load limits are too low, or if nobody can manage the loading routine, a carrier may not be the right answer. A van or people carrier with a ramp can take the chair inside, protected from weather and theft; our guide to the wheelchair ramp for vans covers these. For shorter heights and portable use, electric wheelchair ramps explains the lengths and gradients involved. Some families find that a wheelchair-accessible vehicle, sometimes available through the Motability Scheme for eligible people, solves the problem completely. The NHS guide to driving and using public transport outlines the help and schemes available.

Buying and Fitting Power Wheelchair Carriers

Power wheelchair carriers are safety-critical equipment, so buy from a supplier who will ask about your vehicle and chair before selling, rather than one who simply lists a product. If a towbar needs fitting or upgrading, use a qualified fitter and keep the paperwork. Once the carrier is on, check the loaded vehicle’s lights, indicators and number plate, and take a short test drive on quiet roads to get used to the extra length and weight. It is sensible to tell your motor insurer about the carrier and ask whether the chair is covered while it is outside the car. Finally, keep the carrier’s instructions in the glovebox so anyone who borrows the vehicle knows how to load it correctly.

Loading Day to Day

Practise the loading routine in a quiet place before your first trip. Drive the chair on slowly and straight, with a helper watching if possible. Apply the chair’s brakes, switch it off, secure it, then check everything is tight before setting off. Stop after a short distance to recheck the straps. Keep a torch in the car for loading in the dark, and park on level ground where you can.