A hoist for lifting a mobility scooter in to a car

We are often asked about a hoist for lifting a mobility scooter in to a car.

Though they seem the ideal solution you may be want to consider the potential drawbacks.

We think our portable mobility scooters the Ultra and the Flyte represent very compelling alternatives to fitting a hoist in your car to take care of the lifting.

So, let’s explore why a hoist may not be the best choice for you or your car.

There is often a high cost involved, which can run into the thousands, and there will likely be additional expense for installation. We would not recommend skimping on installing a hoist yourself as an incorrect configuration could mean the hoist may fail resulting in injury or damage to your scooter.

You need to choose exactly the right hoist for your mobility scooter, and your car, or it may make use problematic. A lot of them are vehicle specific so, when you change car you may have to at best buy another adaptor kit or at worst a new hoist.

In the worst case scenario, a hoist might not be able to be fitted to your car at all, this is often the case with your typical saloon car.

It is worth noting that, though some can be installed as a temporary measure, these tend to have lower lifting capacities. Heavy-duty hoists may require permanent modification to your car which will result in the lowering of its resale value and may even void your warranty.

Every hoist for lifting a mobility scooter in to a car will take up space in your car boot.

They can obscure the driver’s field of vision through the rear and rear side windows with significant implications for safety.

If, for any reason, the hoist fails while your mobility scooter is in the car you have a two-fold problem. You can’t get your scooter out and there will be little to no access to repair or remove the hoist.

Many report that their hoist can be very slow in operation meaning they have to spend a long time standing, maybe in rain or snow while lifting a mobility scooter in to a car.

Some say the operation of some hoists is jerky, this may lead to your mobility scooter swinging on the hoist while lifting it in to, or out of, your car. This could result in damage to your car or even you, the risk of this increases if the scooter remains in one piece.

Once you are underway dangling straps and clips can be noisy due to rattling.

These clips can also be awkward to use particularly if you have stiff fingers from a condition like arthritis.

You will also need to be able to access both the scooter and the hoist to secure them in your vehicle so a bad back may make this impossible for example.

Lifting a mobility scooter requires a powerful motor in the hoist which could drain your car battery . A hoist could also drain the battery if you forget to turn it off and leave the car unused for a prolonged period. A solution could be to fit an extra battery for the hoist but, this will again probably require permanent modification of your vehicle and will in all likelihood be costly and again void your car’s warranty.

A hoist for lifting a mobility scooter in to a car may require modification of scooter to add lifting points which could also block access to things like batteries.

When lifting a mobility scooter into a car you have to get your mobility scooter within reach of the hoist to begin lifting and using a hoist on a hill can be extremely difficult.

Now we come to the solutions offered by Quingo!

Firstly, we have the Ultra take-apart, car boot mobility scooter.

Designed from the outset to be portable, the component parts of the Ultra are very lightweight, with a chassis constructed from aluminium and bodywork made of ABS.

This means you probably won’t need a hoist for lifting a mobility scooter in to a car at all!

If even relatively light components are beyond your ability for lifting then we have another high tech solution for you.

The Flyte takes the rulebook on how to transport a mobility scooter and tears it up! By completely removing any need for a hoist for lifting a mobility scooter into a car by the use of its revolutionary Docking Station.

With its ability to self-load and unload, in under sixty seconds, at the touch of a button, the Flyte and its Docking Station completely eliminate any heavy lifting on your part.

Additionally, the Flyte Docking Station adapts to the car and requires no modification to your car and our installation is free and part of our home delivery service.

All of this and you get all the benefits our five-wheel mobility scooters are famed for, agility, stability safety and comfort.

So, before you start thinking about a hoist for lifting a mobility scooter in to a car, have a demonstration of our portable scooters. We are certain you will be impressed!