These Powerful Mobility Scooters Won’t Let Steep Hills Keep You At Home

One of the most common questions customers ask about mobility scooters is whether or not they can cope with steep hills. All scooters differ, so it is never possible to give a standard reply. However, scooters are tested by manufactures and slope and gradient information is usually given in the product manuals, which we share on our product listings.

What Determines Maximum Possible Slope?

There are 2 main factors that determine the steepness of a slope that a mobility scooter can handle: the combined weight of the scooter and its rider, and the power of the motor. The size of the battery does not affect its ability to climb hills, but climbing hills does require more power from the motor, which means the battery will drain faster, so larger batteries are required. That being said, it is not possible to accurately calculate maximum slope as there are too many variations that impact it, such as type and torque of a motor and other design factors.

When a manufacturer tests a mobility scooter for hill capabilities they will always test it under uniform (and perfect) conditions, e.g. a fully charged battery, well serviced motor, good dry condition, at 20 degrees C. This of course means that sometimes a mobility scooter may struggle to achieve the maximum gradient recommended under less than perfect conditions. However, scooters can often achieve more than the quoted maximum gradient, but it is not recommended.

Mobility Scooter Hill Climbing Comparison

Here we compare some travel scooter (boot scooters & folding scooters), pavement scooters, and road legal scooters.

There are a few mobility scooters that stand out for being good on slopes. The QS4 Electric Folding Scooter is the only travel scooter that can handle a 10 degree slope – the lithium powered 120W packs a punch, and the lightweight frame certainly helps too. Once again, lithium mobility scooters prove that they perform best in all areas.

If you want a good pavement scooter, the Abilize Olympian Sport is the best one – also the only one that can handle 10 degrees. Because it is not a travel scooter (it cannot be folded or dismantled) it is cheaper than the QS4 but has a much more powerful motor and a generous 50Ah battery to power it.

If you need to ride on roads, there are a few good options. Most can handle 10 degree slopes, the only exceptions being the Daytona XLR, and the Abilize Ranger, which is a heavier scooter.  But both are more than adequate for most British terrain. The Vega RS8 is a great performer – it’s one of the cheapest class 3 mobility scooters and has one of the smallest motors at just  700 watts, but can handle 10 degree slopes thanks to its much lighter weight. The Abilize Kondor has a powerful motor but a combination of the heavier frame and extra safety precautions due to it being more top-heavy than other scooters means that it should be restricted to 9 degrees.

We are excited to announce that very soon we’ll be launching our latest new class 3 mobility scooter that will make light work of hills – more on these in the next few weeks.

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Jon Wade

Jon Wade joined CareCo in 2019 to help develop and grow the website side of the business. He has been a health blogger since 2006, worked as Content Manager for a leading digital marketing agency for 4 years, and holds a Certificate in Health Sciences from the Open University. Jon also enjoys reading and watching science fiction in his spare time.

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