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10 Best Mobility Scooters Of September 2023 – Forbes Health

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10 Best Mobility Scooters Of September 2023 – Forbes Health

Mobility scooters provide far more than just convenience—they can truly make a meaningful difference in the lives of older adults who may otherwise be unable to leave home. “As people are living longer, being able to maintain independence in older age becomes more important,” says Alan Castel, Ph.D, professor of psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles and author of Better With Age: The Psychology of Successful Aging. For individuals whose ability to walk unassisted is diminishing, a mobility scooter can mean independence and staying connected to loved ones.

In order to locate the best mobility scooters, the Forbes Health editorial team analyzed data on nearly 200 scooter products. Our ratings take into account price, comfort, portability, usability, safety and more. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Note: All prices are accurate as of the publication date.

Made for personalization, this Pride Mobility scooter comes with interchangeable controls, meaning it caters to both left- and right-handed drivers. The swivel seat enables the user to see from all angles and is designed with comfort in mind. The scooter is also easy to disassemble into multiple parts, making it easier to transport in smaller vehicles. It even comes with a USB charging port so you don’t have to worry about your devices losing power when you’re out and about. Pride Mobility also sells several accessories to upgrade the scooter, such as cane and/or crutch holders, additional storage baskets and a rearview mirror.

Have you considered Vive Health 4 Wheel Scooter?

Vive Health's top-of-the-line mobility scooter is designed to provide a comfortable and stable ride, making it perfect for individuals with mobility challenges. Here’s why we chose it:

Select the maximum speed desired with the speed adjustment dial

Long range battery with charger

Easily fits in most vehicles for on the go use

With two color options and several customization possibilities, this scooter offers both comfort and functionality. Fold-away, under-seat and front storage bins allow for as much or as little storage as needed while adjustable tiller, seat and armrest heights, and a rugged track suspension ensure a smooth and comfortable ride.

Have you considered Vive Health 4 Wheel Scooter?

Vive Health's top-of-the-line mobility scooter is designed to provide a comfortable and stable ride, making it perfect for individuals with mobility challenges. Here’s why we chose it:

Select the maximum speed desired with the speed adjustment dial

Long range battery with charger

Easily fits in most vehicles for on the go use

This Pride Mobility scooter features a trim, compact form that doesn’t compromise comfort and functionality. Built to be easily disassembled, the Victory 10.2 3-wheel scooter is a mid-sized option with “feather-touch disassembly,” according to the company. The front basket for storage makes it easy to take your belongings with you, and a USB charging port in the tiller keeps your devices powered while away from home. Meanwhile, a high-hinge, pinchless swivel seat helps you cruise in comfort.

Have you considered Vive Health 4 Wheel Scooter?

Vive Health's top-of-the-line mobility scooter is designed to provide a comfortable and stable ride, making it perfect for individuals with mobility challenges. Here’s why we chose it:

Select the maximum speed desired with the speed adjustment dial

Long range battery with charger

Easily fits in most vehicles for on the go use

The Ewheels DL-SR scooter makes mobility easy no matter where you need to go, with its compact size, fast disassembly and wireless connection battery pack (which means it can charge while still connected to the scooter). This scooter’s padded armrests and padded swivel seat add comfort while the seat-folding features make it easy to pack away when traveling. The heaviest piece weighs just 30 pounds.

Have you considered Vive Health 4 Wheel Scooter?

Vive Health's top-of-the-line mobility scooter is designed to provide a comfortable and stable ride, making it perfect for individuals with mobility challenges. Here’s why we chose it:

Select the maximum speed desired with the speed adjustment dial

Long range battery with charger

Easily fits in most vehicles for on the go use

Thanks to this scooter’s flip-up, adjustable armrests and foldable seat, it’s easy to customize and use no matter where life takes you. A basket attachment in the front offers easy access to storage, and the swivel, padded seat offers comfort and a wide range of motion. This scooter breaks down into five pieces, the heaviest of which weighs just 30 pounds.

Have you considered Vive Health 4 Wheel Scooter?

Vive Health's top-of-the-line mobility scooter is designed to provide a comfortable and stable ride, making it perfect for individuals with mobility challenges. Here’s why we chose it:

Select the maximum speed desired with the speed adjustment dial

Long range battery with charger

Easily fits in most vehicles for on the go use

With an overall weight of 129 pounds, this four-wheel scooter by Drive Medical is a fairly lightweight option that doesn’t sacrifice sturdiness. It breaks down easily for travel and is customizable with two color options that can be swapped any time. Padded, adjustable armrests also add to this scooter’s customization options, as does the adjustable seat and tiller height.

Have you considered Vive Health 4 Wheel Scooter?

Vive Health's top-of-the-line mobility scooter is designed to provide a comfortable and stable ride, making it perfect for individuals with mobility challenges. Here’s why we chose it:

Select the maximum speed desired with the speed adjustment dial

Long range battery with charger

Easily fits in most vehicles for on the go use

Golden Technologies’ Buzzaround LX 4-Wheel scooter comes in a three- and four- wheel version and can be ordered for left- or right-handed drivers. When it comes to luxury features, comfort suspension springs and a plush, high seat back offer a smooth, supportive and comfortable ride. Additional accessories, such as a cell phone or cane holder, are also available for purchase through the Golden Technologies website.

Have you considered Vive Health 4 Wheel Scooter?

Vive Health's top-of-the-line mobility scooter is designed to provide a comfortable and stable ride, making it perfect for individuals with mobility challenges. Here’s why we chose it:

Select the maximum speed desired with the speed adjustment dial

Long range battery with charger

Easily fits in most vehicles for on the go use

The Companion 3-Wheel Full Size scooter from Golden Technologies comes with added legroom so you can stretch out while you ride. When not in use, this scooter folds and disassembles for easy storage. A front basket provides standard storage space, and additional accessories from the Golden Technologies website, such as a walker holder or cup holder, can be added to the scooter as well. The scooter also includes a troubleshooting guide under the foot mat for on-the-go assistance.

Have you considered Vive Health 4 Wheel Scooter?

Vive Health's top-of-the-line mobility scooter is designed to provide a comfortable and stable ride, making it perfect for individuals with mobility challenges. Here’s why we chose it:

Select the maximum speed desired with the speed adjustment dial

Long range battery with charger

Easily fits in most vehicles for on the go use

Pride Mobility’s Go-Go Endurance Li scooter comes with an 8AH airline-safe, lithium-ion battery pack, so you shouldn’t have to worry about your batteries getting stuck at security when you fly. These batteries also have a faster charging time, hold a longer charge and are lighter weight compared to the average mobility scooter battery, making them easier to carry and keep powered.

Have you considered Vive Health 4 Wheel Scooter?

Vive Health's top-of-the-line mobility scooter is designed to provide a comfortable and stable ride, making it perfect for individuals with mobility challenges. Here’s why we chose it:

Select the maximum speed desired with the speed adjustment dial

Long range battery with charger

Easily fits in most vehicles for on the go use

Thanks to its Comfort-Trac Suspension (CTS), this scooter is built to provide a smooth ride no matter the terrain. And the name “Go-Go” isn’t just for show. This scooter can be broken down easily and packed away into five storable pieces and reassembled quickly, with its heaviest piece weighing only 33 pounds.

Have you considered Vive Health 4 Wheel Scooter?

Vive Health's top-of-the-line mobility scooter is designed to provide a comfortable and stable ride, making it perfect for individuals with mobility challenges. Here’s why we chose it:

Select the maximum speed desired with the speed adjustment dial

Long range battery with charger

Easily fits in most vehicles for on the go use

To determine the best mobility scooters ranking, the Forbes Health editorial team analyzed data on nearly 200 scooter products across 15 companies, with each product’s star rating determined by evaluating a variety of factors, including its price, comfort features, safety features, overall portability, usability and coverage under warranty.

Price: We considered the starting list price of mobility scooters provided by manufacturers on their websites. If they didn’t provide pricing information, we used costs listed by MedMart, Rehab Mart and other major online mobility scooter retailers.

Comfort: This category assessed whether the mobility scooters offered features key to comfort, such as adjustable back support, armrests and seats. It also addressed the level of padding in the seat.

Safety: Mobility scooters received points for including a seat belt, headlights and indicator signals for safe turning.

Portability: Portability scores considered whether a scooter was foldable, how much it weighed with batteries included and its overall dimensions.

Usability: Usability details included a mobility scooter’s top speed, its overall travel range on a single battery charge, its maximum weight capacity and any inclusion of storage space.

Warranty: Mobility scooters received points for their product warranties as well. The extensiveness of these warranties varies by brand. The motor and brakes, electrical components, batteries and scooter frame are often covered by different warranties.

You May Also Be Interested In Mobility Scooters From Our Featured Partner

A mobility scooter, or a power-operated vehicle (POV), is a personal transport vehicle with either three or four wheels that runs on a rechargeable battery. “Mobility scooters come in several sizes,” says Tab Black, a RESNA-certified assistive technology professional and business manager at Mobility & More in Loveland, Colorado. “Many are portable and can be disassembled.” RESNA stands for the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America. Black himself has been in a wheelchair since 1984 and has worked in the industry since 1993.

Anyone who has issues with mobility, such as weak legs or knees or general unsteadiness on their feet, can benefit from using a mobility scooter.

“The best candidates for mobility scooters are people who are in senior living facilities, or assisted living, or even at home,” says Black. “They can use a scooter to drive in a facility or go from building to building within a complex. Those who live at home may be people who can’t walk distances, so a scooter can enable them to go to baseball games or see their grandchildren play soccer or go to the grocery store on their own.”

There are several types of mobility scooters, including:

Travel scooters are usually smaller than other scooters, and since they’re made for easy transport, they’re lightweight and can be disassembled easily and stored in a car trunk. “Smaller scooters have a [travel] range of 8 to 10 miles,” says Black, referring to the distance a person can travel on a single battery charge.

Many small and medium-sized mobility scooters are designed to be taken apart and folded to transport in a car—a big advantage if you relocate often or want to use your scooter in a mall or park. If you’re in the market for a scooter you can take with you, pay particular attention to whether it can be disassembled and the weight of the heaviest part of the scooter. (If it’s too heavy, it won’t be easy for you to lift into your car). Most small and medium-sized scooters come with solid tires.

For people with wide hips or long legs, a medium- to large-size scooter is best, says Black. Large scooters usually have four wheels, are designed for all terrains and have batteries that can travel up to 40 miles before they need to be recharged, he says.

And there’s another advantage: They can hold more weight. How much weight a scooter can carry safely is called “weight capacity” on a spec sheet. “If you weigh more than the capacity, you lose the warranty, and it’s a big liability,” says Black. “The rule is you need to weigh at least 10% less than the weight capacity.”

Large, heavy-duty scooters can carry the most weight and go the longest distance on a single battery charge. Most scooters have a ground clearance of 3 to 5 inches, but some heavy-duty models sit even higher above the ground, making it easy to travel over rough terrain.

A four-wheel scooter may provide a better sense of stability than a three-wheel version, but it may feel restrictive for a person with long legs. “A four-wheel scooter has a fender across the front, which limits someone’s ability to stretch their legs out,” says Black. A three-wheel doesn’t have a  fender—just a single wheel in the center, so people with long legs may find that style more comfortable.

Depending on how you plan to use a mobility scooter, there are plenty of features to consider. But don’t just look online—if possible, go to a store and explore your options in person. “We are a brick-and-mortar storefront, and we very much encourage people to come in and try a mobility scooter,” says Black.

When it comes to a comfortable fit, scooters usually have adjustable parts to fit your body size and needs:

Safety is always a consideration in looking at mobility scooters, especially ones designed for outdoor use.

If you know you want a scooter that you can pack easily into a car, consider its various weights.

Where and how far you plan to drive your mobility scooter will determine which usability features are important to you.

A mobility scooter can be so convenient that it might lead users to exercise less, according to research in the Journal of Transport and Health (although the study does suggest more research of this possible downside). Lack of training required to drive a mobility scooter can also lead to accidents and other problems. If you’re thinking about adding a mobility scooter to your daily routine, ask yourself two questions:

What are your physical challenges? “People with neurological challenges or who have had a stroke might not have the balance and strength to get on or off safely,” says Black. “Cognition and eyesight are two other issues—they need to be able to see objects and where they are going, see where other people are and be able to make safe turns.” Anyone who has rotator cuff tears or has problems using their wrists or fingers, he says, may not be able to operate a mobility scooter safely.

Where will you use your scooter? This is the big decision-maker, says Black. For indoor use, smaller scooters are best. Measure your hallways to make sure the scooter you want will fit inside your home easily. Consider the space outside your home as well. Larger scooters can be more versatile than small scooters, but they can’t go everywhere—loose gravel and sand are not great surfaces for mobility scooters, says Black.

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A Travel Scooter That Can Take You Everywhere

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Mobility scooter prices range from $800 up to $3,300.

Medicare will reimburse for some of the cost of a mobility scooter as long as you meet certain criteria, such as a confirmation from your doctor that you have a medical condition that requires you to have a scooter. Black says private insurance companies typically reimburse about $800 of the cost as long as you can prove a medical need for a scooter.

Check your local senior center. Some nonprofits have created durable medical equipment (DME) “libraries” where seniors can borrow mobility scooters that have been donated.

Yes, call your local medical supply store(s) to learn more about options nearest you.

Batteries can last anywhere from 18 months to 3 years, depending on how often they are used. Most come with a 6-month or 1-year manufacturer warranty.

The highest speeds of mobility scooters range from 13 to 18 miles per hour, depending on the weight of the driver.

Scooters not designed to be taken apart must be attached to your car, truck or van with a lift. Lifts are car-and-scooter-specific, so you’ll need to conduct additional research to find the right one for you.

Information provided on Forbes Health is for educational purposes only. Your health and wellness is unique to you, and the products and services we review may not be right for your circumstances. We do not offer individual medical advice, diagnosis or treatment plans. For personal advice, please consult with a medical professional.

Forbes Health adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. To the best of our knowledge, all content is accurate as of the date posted, though offers contained herein may no longer be available. The opinions expressed are the author’s alone and have not been provided, approved or otherwise endorsed by our advertisers.

Nicole Gregory is an editor and writer in Los Angeles who has contributed to the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register, Vegetarian Times, Good Housekeeping, Family Circle, New Woman and Living Fit, among other publications. She enjoys interviewing medical experts and researchers about their work and is passionate about communicating accurate and relevant health information to the public.

10 Best Mobility Scooters Of September 2023 – Forbes Health

4 Wheel Electric Scooter With Seat For Adults Alena is a professional writer, editor and manager with a lifelong passion for helping others live well. She is also a registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and a functional medicine certified health coach. She brings more than a decade of media experience to Forbes Health, with a keen focus on building content strategy, ensuring top content quality and empowering readers to make the best health and wellness decisions for themselves.