There is a somewhat mistaken belief that when you choose a mobility scooter designed to be used on the road, such as an enclosed cabin car, it can only be driven on the road.
It is something that experts will be asked about remarkably often, and the short answer is that as long as the vehicle is a class 3 mobility scooter and has been registered with the DVLA, it can be driven on the road and on the pavement.
This is why road-legal scooters will have a switch that changes the speed limiter from 8 mph on the road to 4 mph on the pavement, in built-up areas and indoors. It allows them to be safely used on the pavement when it is not safe to be on the road.
Here are some of the reasons why this is the case, when you should and should not use the pavement with a larger mobility scooter, and what restrictions are in place when driving on the pavement or the road.
Why Can Some Mobility Scooters Be Used On The Road?
Up until the late 1970s, there was a somewhat clear delineation between the types of mobility aids designed for the pavement and those designed for use on the road, but the lines began to blur with the popularity of the mobility scooter.
Unlike a petrol-powered Invacar and or the later Motability Scheme, mobility scooters were designed for both miles-long journeys on the road but also for use on the pavement, in pedestrianised areas or even indoors.
They suited people who would have otherwise relied on an adapted car and a wheelchair but had some limited mobility by providing a vehicle that could take them wherever they needed to go.
The complication of this is that the law did not really account for this capability, and to avoid the rather excessive requirement that mobility scooter users have a driving license, tax, insurance and registration, the regulations and classifications were modified somewhat in 1988.
Which Mobility Scooters Can Use The Road And The Pavement?
Class 3 mobility scooters that meet the size, weight, battery capacity and speed requirements can be used on the road and on the pavement, as long as they follow the speed limit and other rules of the road as noted in the Highway Code.
They do not need a driving license to use them, although most dealers will recommend a course on safe driving on the road and on the pavement to avoid any potential issues.
Typically, road-legal scooters must have a way to switch the speed limit from 4 mph to 8 mph, a clear view of the road, efficient brakes, reflectors, front and rear lights, indicators and hazard warning lights, a horn and a rear view mirror.
Which Mobility Scooters Cannot Be Used On The Road?
Class 2 mobility scooters, which tend to be smaller, lighter and have a top speed of 4 mph, are designed to be operated exclusively on pavements, cycle tracks and footpaths.
As they are designed to travel at close to pedestrian walking speed, they are designed to share the pavement rather than be used on the road, as long as they are used considerately and give way to pedestrians walking around them.
They also cannot be used on the road if they do not have the features listed in the above section to ensure that they are safely operated and give clear indications to other road users.
Which Mobility Scooters Cannot Be Used On The Pavement?
By contrast, the only mobility scooters that cannot be used on the road are those that are not considered to be in a class.
These vehicles tend to exceed the weight limit of 150kg, the width limit of 0.85m or the speed limit of 8 mph when on the road.
These vehicles need to be registered with the DVLA, you will need a valid driving license to use them, and you cannot use them on the pavement.
Moreover, if they can reach speeds higher than 15 mph, they must have dipped beam headlamps to avoid creating a visibility hazard at night, and need to have a speedometer if they can reach 25 mph or higher, although many road-legal models have one as standard.
Many mobility scooters described as the “fastest-ever” technically do not count as mobility scooters as they do not fit the class 2 or class 3 guidelines, and are typically legally considered to be another form of motor vehicle, such as a quadricycle or a car.
