Wheelchair accessible vehicles are also known by the abbreviation of WAV’s, although if you do an online search for ‘WAV’ you

may find you get results that are not entirely about wheelchair accessible vehicles. 

So, what are wheelchair accessible vehicles and how to find the best one to suit your needs?

A wheelchair accessible vehicle is simply a vehicle that has been converted so that you may travel in it while sitting in your 

wheelchair either as a passenger or as a driver.

As you may imagine the difference between travelling as a passenger or as the driver makes a huge difference 

to the construction of the vehicle. If you want a WAV that can carry you as a passenger in your wheelchair then the 

conversion will predominantly be to the vehicle body and entrance door. If you want to drive the converted vehicle, the 

conversion will also have to be done to the cab of the vehicle.

By now you may realise that you need to know what basic type of wheelchair accessible vehicle you need, i.e., do you want

to drive or be a passenger?

The huge majority of WAV conversions are made for the wheelchair user to travel as a passenger. This means that this 

type of WAV is far easier to pick up than the ones you drive.  With the wheelchair accessible vehicle that carries the 

wheelchair user as a passenger, you will in most cases be sitting behind the front seats, although in some conversions you 

will be sitting next to the driver. There will also be seating for at least one other person apart from the driver and wheelchair user.

In the larger wheelchair accessible vehicle conversions there is room for additional passengers and even more than one wheelchair 

user. Naturally, these conversions are more like vans than cars.

All wheelchair accessible vehicles are standard vehicles that have been converted. There are many specialist wheelchair 

accessible vehicle converters in the country, which convert some of the major car makes such as Fiat, Peugeot, Vauxhall 

and Renault and other  suitable vehicle shapes at their factories.

The main reason for needing a wheelchair accessible vehicle is if you find it difficult or uncomfortable to transfer your self 

from a wheelchair into a normal car and store your wheelchair in the boot.

By getting a WAV, you will be liberated from having to rely on cumbersome hoists to get you into the car, plus you will in 

most cases find staying in your wheelchair much more comfortable than using the car seat.

If you find that getting out of your wheelchair and into a car is no difficulty, then you may be best suited to sticking with 

a standard car instead of looking for a wheelchair accessible vehicle. Adaptations are available if you want to stay with a 

standard car but make life a little easier.

The main adaptations that can be provided in a standard car are the stowage systems for the wheelchair. The main choices

 are a rooftop stowage system, a boot stowage system that hoists the wheelchair into position and swivel seats to enable 

easier stowing of the wheelchair.

So from the above, I hope you can get a clear understanding on whether you need a wheelchair accessible vehicle or not 

and if you decide that you do, to recognise which type of conversion is most suitable for your needs.