The right mobility scooter will take a very different shape depending on how you wish to use it, as it needs to be designed to fit around your lifestyle and allow you to do everything you want.
This means that there are mobility scooters designed to travel on the road, one that are meant to go off-road, portable scooters designed to easily fit into the boot of a car and many other specialist vehicles that an expert can point you towards.
Officially, however, there are two main types of mobility scooter, known as Class 2 and Class 3, which are legal classifications that dictate where they can be used, how quickly they can be operated and what extra equipment they need.
Here are the main differences between the two types of mobility scooters.
What Is A Class Two Scooter?
A class 2 scooter is designed to be operated on pavements, along footpaths, across pedestrian crossings, on cycle tracks, around pedestrianised areas and indoors. They have a top speed of 4mph and are designed to be used for short, local journeys.
Because of this, they tend to be lighter, many of them can be dismantled or folded, they rely on smaller batteries and tend to have relatively basic controls which lack some features expected or legally required of roadgoing scooters.
They are perfect for people who intend to travel locally or have access to long-distance transportation.
What Is A Class Three Scooter?
By contrast, a class 3 scooter is not only road-legal, it is one of the few vehicle types recognised by the DVLA that can be used on both roads and pavements as well as the only one that can be used without a driving license.
Because of this, they are legally required to have a maximum speed of 8mph (although the 4mph speed limit still applies on pavements), can only be used by people over the age of 14, both lights and indicators, rear view mirrors, a horn, effective brakes and a flashing amber warning beacon.
They also tend to be larger, have more robust tyres, have a much larger range, often have bigger and more comfortable seats and feature a range of extra controls on and around the handlebars.
They cannot be folded up, and often need to be lifted or driven into a vehicle using a ramp.
What About Class One Scooters?
A question that is commonly asked is why the two legally recognised scooter classes are class 2 and class 3, and if there is a “class 1” to go with them.
The answer is no, at least for scooters. The law surrounding mobility scooter classifications does not distinguish between scooters and powered wheelchairs, and all of the requirements above also apply to using wheelchairs.
A class 1 wheelchair does not have a motor and is pushed either by the user or by another person.
Can A Scooter Not Belong To A Class?
If a mobility scooter travels faster than 8mph, weighs more than 150kg or is wider than 0.85m, it is an unclassified mobility scooter, can only be used on the road and is thus registered as a road vehicle.
It needs to be registered with the DVLA, may require insurance and requires a valid driving license to use.
