Most manual wheelchairs can be folded and placed in the trunk or backseat of most vehicles. Depending on the vehicle though, this process can be rather cumbersome and awkward. This is why many people who use a manual wheelchair decide to use a wheelchair lift for their vehicle.



Wheelchair lifts for manual wheelchairs tend to be much lighter and smaller than one for an electric wheelchair or mobility scooter. They of courses also support a good deal less weight. Most support around 100 pounds and attach to the rear hitch of a car or truck. Since they will not be supporting that much weight, they generally work with class I hitches just as well as they would a class II or III hitch.

Battery or manually powered lifts are available for manual wheelchairs. The battery powered models typically attach to the cars battery and the folded wheelchair is simply rolled onto a small platform, which is then raised off of the ground by an electric motor. Manual powered wheelchair lifts, like the Tiny Tote 100, usually tilt to allow you to place the wheelchair on a small platform. The platform is then tilted back to raise the wheelchair off of the ground. One of the nice things about the Tiny Tote is that it can be folded down when not in use, which allows access to the tailgate or trunk of the vehicle.

If you intend to travel with your electric wheelchair or mobility scooter, then you will need a much more heavy duty solution than the types of lifts that have been discussed thus far. The kind that attach to the hitch are still available, but typically, to get the full benefit of your lift, you will need a class III hitch, but most also work with Class II hitches. A manual hitch mounted wheelchair lift is still an option though. The Tilt-N-Go wheelchair lift allows you to drive your mobility vehicle onto the platform by creating a ramp. Once loaded, the ramp is tilted to level the mobility vehicle and raise it off of the ground. Battery powered wheelchair lifts is much more common though. Some models use their own battery packs, while others use the vehicles power.

In addition to external hitch mounted wheelchair lifts, internal vehicle lifts are also available. Some models work like mini cranes that lift the mobility vehicle off the ground and into the rear of the vehicle. Others extend a platform to the ground that the mobility vehicle can be driven onto. The platform is then raised into the car. These types of lifts can take up a little bit of space though, and are commonly installed in the mid section of a van that has had a row of seats removed.

Wheelchair lifts for vehicles are a very popular method of transporting a wheelchair or mobility scooter.