Hello,I am having to accept that my days driving a car are over and hope to be able to drive a wheelchair assisted vehicle from my chair.I like the look of a vw caddy van or similar.
Do any ms people drive a similar vehicle from their chair,could anyone share their experiences of wheelchair assisted vehicles the good and the bad.The one that I require will have to be automatic and have hand controls for brake & accelerator.
thanks for reading this .
I’ve often looked at drive from wheelchair cars.
If I could afford one, I’d love one.
If you want to buy a new car, you have to pay for the modification, which involves a lot and is very costly, at around 15k!!! Then there’s the cost of the car itself.
I have seen lots of second hand drive from wheelchair cars…some from as little as 5k in a private sale. Looking at used cars from dealers, they start at around 9k.
Good luck and keep driving if at all possible. I hate being reliant on hubby for transport!
Pollx
My licence was revoked, so I depend on my family too 
A lady from our group has an adapted car provided by Motorbility. She gave me a lift once & as we got to her car, she pressed a remote switch & the boot opened, then a ramp came down. My friend rode her wheelchair straight in, to behind the steering wheel & locked the safety catches. It has a passenger seat plus 2 single seats behind in a row to keep the drive in area clear. A man in our group has a similar car with a hoist fitted in the back to get him & his scooter into the back. His wife drives him. Both of these cars were supplied through Motorbility & the amendments done at manufacturing stage. So they had a new car every 3 years with adaptations. Obviously the mobility payment was not paid to them but they have fab cars, perfect for their disability, no tax or maintenance charges, best of all, no worries. Good Luck x
The problem with getting a WAV (wheelchair accessible vehicle) that you can drive from your wheelchair is that they have to custom fit it for you, which is expensive. And all WAVs carry an up front cost in addition to the DLA/PIP mobility component. If you can’t afford the upfront cost, then the Motability charity may be able to help, but you’d need to look into it with the help of Motability. Have a look at their website, here’s the link to the page about WAVs you can drive from your wheelchair: http://www.motability.co.uk/cars-scooters-and-powerchairs/wheelchair-accessible-vehicles-overview/wavs-a-wheelchair-user-can-drive
Sue
Hi joydivisionforever,
I am the driver for my husband of a VW Caddy WAV vehicle.
We had to wait almost a year for it as we wanted it in black and it had to be sent to Ireland to be converted into the WAV.
I asked for an electric wench to be put on ours as it makes taking my husband into the vehicle less of a strain for me as I have bad knees. We also have paid extra for rear sensors it came with the front ones.
We have also had our rear windows tinted for security reasons as makes leaving things in the car more safe and out of view. I have seen the newer WAVS come tinted.
I cannot say the process was very straight forward only as the VW dealer we got ours from was not very good keeping us updated and I had to do a lot of phone calls to find out the position of things.
I think for me as a driver it is quite a comfortable drive but my husband says it is a bit bumpy but I have heard it about the Citron Berlingo also. We have it for 5 years unlike the saloon cars for 3 years.
Also make sure you have a garage near you for servicing as it is classed as a van or commercial vehicle we had to travel for it to be serviced unlike the last car which was very local.
Good luck
Hey .lushcaz , I’m just bemused and bewildered as to how your electric wench is coping?
Soz, of course I know that was a typo! But doesn’t she sound fun!
Polly x
I wondered that too …