Why do I Need a Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle?

It is a really interesting question, why would you need a wheelchair accessible vehicle? We have a list of answers that will motivate almost any wheelchair user to gain the mobility and independence they are entitled to.

So why would you need a wheelchair accessible vehicle?

We believe you should acquire a wheelchair accessible vehicle because it will provide the following for wheelchair users:

1. Freedom
2. Independence
3. Safety
4. Versatility
5. Accessibility
6. Space

Finding WAVs

Researching WAVs is time consuming, confusing and frustrating. Most mobility cars aren’t pretty, and they often look expensive because we generally only see value in the consumables we want. Most vehicle models converted are alien, and then there is the mind-boggling number of different wheelchair accessible conversions. You won’t see these until you look inside, so all models of each marque look the same, and you won’t know whether they’ll work for you until you try them out.

The lack of colour choice might make your hair curl if you have any left after your first thirty phone calls. And who thought brown was a colour that anyone truly longed after. It’s complex if you DIY it, so our advice is to SMV it. Our job is to constantly research, update and then help you save your time by finding what works for you, so there’s no need for you to reinvent the wheel.

Why not have specialist adaptations instead?

Of course, you may be able to avoid buying a WAV altogether. You could instead enter the world of specialist adaptations such as hoists, swivel seats, driver hand controls, grab handles, and wheelchair roof boxes, to name but a few. For the uninitiated, specialist adaptions are just as confusing to research and can be very expensive; plus, you will have to find a specialist company to do the work.

Inevitably you will need to spend some time with your car, and the company you find to look at what can work can be done to ease the burden of pain and difficulty you are encountering.

With such a vast array of mobility possibilities available for vehicles, elimination is the key to finding a suitable way to access a car. Of course, the correct course of action will depend on your individual mobility needs. That is where the specialists at Southern Mobility Vehicles come in.

Independent advice on all mobility matters

If you or a family member has started to struggle to enter the family car, we are here to help. You can rest assured that we will listen, and you will get the right advice, support and understanding from our specialists.

We have seen and heard it all, so we are pragmatic, and honesty always goes a long way in business, especially when we know we are marketing an unwanted product. Whether you are seeking minor vehicle adaptions or a fully adapted wheelchair accessible vehicle, it is often a distressed purchase, so great care is needed and a good deal of time to establish the best course of action for your circumstances.

You may be looking for a new or used WAV, a Motability Lease or wanting to rent a WAV; we have the expertise in house or through one of our associate specialists. We will listen and take the time to understand your needs before making a recommendation. You can be sure you will get focused holistic guidance towards the best solution for your specific mobility needs.

WAVs are confusing

Let’s take the Volkswagen Caddy, for example. You know VW, you may even be a big fan of the marque, but now you are entering the WAV market. Forget VW main dealers, whether retail or commercial; you will have to help yourself. With over 30 different conversions of the VW Caddy alone to a vehicle likely to be alien to most, you will need guidance to be sure you are on the right track towards the best mobility vehicle for your needs.

We love what we do, which makes a massive difference to the end result for you, the customer when you fall in love with your WAV. We see your love when you can see your WAV has changed your life, especially that of the wheelchair user in your life.

After all, you don’t want a WAV; you need one, and it’s not exactly a field of dreams, is it? The last thing you want is to spend months trying to find the right mobility vehicle, especially when you don’t like the idea of one and then, to add insult to injury, you have to off your beloved coupe or drop-top.

WAVs are expensive

So, why are WAVs so expensive? Well, it’s a small market, and conversions are costly; they can take weeks to convert and often months to find the right customer. From the converter’s vehicle manufacturer order, many months will have passed before the vehicles arrive with the converter for their wheelchair access conversions to be completed.

Even at this late stage, converted vehicles may not have a buyer, so the converter’s investment, risk, and speculation continue with a clock still ticking in the background.

We completely understand your disappointment. As a retail customer, you are looking at the end result of a long production chain that ended up as a low specification van with a ramp or a lift, and it’ll likely be finished in a colour you don’t like. You don’t really want one, and that’s understandable, so no WAV is likely to get your juices flowing despite the significant investment, highly skilled engineering, and time to get that WAV to market.

Will I will lose a fortune when I come to sell my WAV

It is most definitely the case that you will lose money off the forecourt, just as you would with any standard vehicle. The longer you own your mobility car, the less sharp the depreciation will be, and ownership is often not as long as we all hope in our industry. What’s to look forward to, It all looks like an unavoidable disaster, but is it?

Mobility and being mobile is now more important than ever, especially given the last couple of years of being cooped up. For many wheelchair users, to get out and about a little more means more than anything else in the world. In short, mobility cars are a need, but we must never forget the happiness that comes with the freedom they bring.

So, you are buying something you don’t want and, maybe, you don’t truly need either, but how about the person sitting in their wheelchair. Do they have a need to get out safely and with less pain when they want to? Perhaps an old friend not seen for many years would revitalise them. Maybe a day trip to the seaside, a National Trust house, or a visit to the woods to see the bluebells.

You cannot put a price on the quality of life for another as the value of a wheelchair accessible vehicle is most often held by the wheelchair user themselves. We have seen WAVs give the greatest gift of all, happiness, and that gives life. Ask any driver who is now a wheelchair user and still needs to drive. They will tell you that a wheelchair isn’t going to stop them from getting out on the open road.

WAV taxis, community or patient transport

We can only imagine the stress a wheelchair user feels if they feel stranded when their transport doesn’t arrive or is late. Why worry about expensive taxi rides and the anxious wait of will it or won’t it turn up; this level of stress shortens lives. A WAV will give you independence, freedom and your right to be where you want to be when you want.

If you have already been in a WAV, you might have disliked it or the experience; please try and think differently; it almost certainly didn’t suit you or your needs as it should, but it could have suited someone else better. The right WAV for you gives individuals choices in life, and if you are prepared to accept a little help, you’ll be surprised how far that help will take you.

Community transport is a necessary and growing service which brings outstanding balance to communities through financial fairness, and many rely on CT in rural areas. The friendly faces of their volunteers are always welcome, but no taxi, patient or community transport service can replace the absolute freedom of WAV ownership.

Wheelchair accessible vehicles bring mobility freedom to anyone with a wheelchair or scooter in their house or garage. The independence a WAV brings is priceless to everyone who acquires one, whether it’s on the Motability Scheme, rented or bought, and we will ensure you take the correct route, WAV’s make lives happier. Read more on the Best WAVs for 2024 here.

Mobility or Motability?

You are now entering the twilight zone of mobility and Motability. Yes, there is a big difference between these two worlds, and they mean something entirely different despite their apparent similarity. You may have already chased the White Rabbit down the hole and into the warren of WAVs, but worry not; we are here to help decipher the code.

And then there are the searches and research; where do you start and how? Mobility cars, WAVs, WAV’s, mobility vehicles, wheelchair cars, wheelchair accessible vehicles, wheelchair vans, disabled vans, the list of acronyms and names is lengthy.

Finding a suitable WAV for an individual customer’s circumstances can take several weeks and much work. It really isn’t as simple as choosing the one you want; WAVs tend to select the customer through the hands-on experience we’ll ensure you get through to with us.

If you unwittingly buy the wrong WAV or something goes wrong, you will face a hefty bill, so the individual claim limit covers all possible significant failures. If you purchase a WAV with an automated wheelchair entry system and it fails, you now own a vast doorstop; why take that risk? Even if your WAV is on the Motability Scheme, you will have to wait to get it fixed, and in the meantime, it’s still a doorstop.

Southern Mobility Vehicles offer the best WAV warranty and rescue package in the business. To be precise, you will have three years of cover, and your national warranty will cover the conversion, no other warranty company in the UK will give you this. If you are a Motability Scheme customer, read on, we help everyone navigate the mobility car maze.

What about the Motability Scheme?

Do you know if you are eligible for the Motability Scheme? You may have gone down the Motability Scheme route when you’d have been better off buying a WAV or renting a WAV. You may have purchased a WAV when you should have taken the Motability Scheme route. We will do all the checks and calculations, see what availability is like, and refer you straight to the source of the best possible WAV for your needs on the Motability Scheme.

We want to help you feel better about the task ahead of finding the ideal WAV for your needs. It isn’t fun because you aren’t looking for your dream car. Put simply, WAVs change lives, we see it constantly, and this is something you will see for yourselves. We always ask people to see beyond the vehicle and to where that vehicle will take them.

We are here to help everyone

Don’t worry; we are here to help. After all, you are a grown-up and quite capable of making the best decision for your needs; we are simply here to help and advise, not tell you what to do.

We are here but once, and life is short and passing us by as we speak. Why waste time thinking about the life you could have when you can live it. The last two years have been hell on Earth for many people, especially those whose mobility has suffered. That isn’t going to change unless we decide to make the changes. We want you to have more say in your freedom and on your terms.

The look of pure happiness on the face of people coming back from a test drive tells us all. A smile means it was enjoyable, and when our customers find the right WAV for their needs, they know, and we do too. That moment is a life being lived to the full with the realisation that freedom is right there when they want. It is a moment of pure joy, and from there on in, no one ever looks back.

Unicorns, rainbows, and WAVs

Now enough about unicorns and rainbows; WAVs are a need, not a want, and no one wants one of these on their drive, so why buy a wheelchair accessible vehicle, and where should you go to get help?

Southern Mobility Vehicles care, and you will end up with the right accessible vehicle for the right reasons on the correct terms. It’s our job to ensure that happens, and that is our promise to you. Call us, web chat with us, email us, WhatsApp us, write to us, but whatever you do, start your journey with us to your next WAV.

Whether the Motability Scheme is the right choice for your first or next WAV, purchase, rental, specialist adaptations, or accessible community transport is the solution, contact us because we assure you we can and will help.