If you are looking at mobility scooters for the first time, you will keep running into two phrases: Class 2 and Class 3. It is worth ten minutes of your time to understand the difference, because it decides where you can legally drive, whether you need to fill in a form, and in most cases how much you will pay.
The short version
- Class 2 — up to 4 mph. Pavements and pedestrian areas only. No registration, no paperwork.
- Class 3 — up to 8 mph on the road, limited to 4 mph on pavements. Must be registered with the DVLA, and must have lights, indicators, a horn, a mirror and a hazard warning system.
Both are free to tax. Registering a Class 3 costs nothing — it is a form, not a fee.
How to work out which one you need
Forget the classes for a moment and answer one question: where will you actually be going?
Choose a Class 2 if…
Your trips are local. The shops, the doctor, the park, a friend's house — and you can get to all of them on pavements. Class 2 scooters tend to be smaller, lighter and easier to store, and many of them come apart for the car boot. If you have a modest journey and a small hallway, this is usually the sensible answer.
Choose a Class 3 if…
You need to cross or travel along roads without a pavement, you live somewhere rural, or your regular journey is simply too far to enjoy at 4 mph. A Class 3 will get you there faster and more comfortably — they are bigger machines, usually with better suspension, bigger wheels and more range. The trade-off is size and weight: most do not come apart for a car boot.
What registering a Class 3 actually involves
It puts a lot of people off, and it should not. You fill in a DVLA form to register the scooter in the "mobility vehicle" tax class. There is nothing to pay, no test to sit, and no licence to hold. You do need to be 14 or over to drive one.
If you buy a Class 3 from us, ask and we will help you with the form. It is a job of a few minutes, not an ordeal.
The rules worth knowing
- On a pavement, a Class 3 must be switched down to 4 mph. Every Class 3 has a limiter for this.
- Neither class may be used on a motorway.
- Cycle lanes and bus lanes are not for mobility scooters.
- Dual carriageways are best avoided; where they cannot be, an amber flashing beacon is required.
- You are not obliged to insure a mobility scooter, but it is inexpensive and we would recommend it — third-party damage is the risk people forget.
The mistake we see most often
People buy a Class 3 because faster sounds better, then discover it does not fit in the car and will not go through the back gate. Speed is only useful if the machine suits the rest of your life. If nine journeys out of ten are to the shops, buy for those nine.
The reverse happens too, though less often: someone buys a 4 mph scooter for a two-mile trip along a country lane, and finds it slow and exposed.
Still not sure?
This is exactly the sort of thing worth asking a person about. Ring us free on 0800 593 0400 and describe your route — where you go, how far, what the pavements are like, and what car you have. We will tell you which class you need, and we will say so if it is the cheaper one.
Or try our scooter finder: a few quick questions and it shortlists the ones that actually fit your situation.
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