When an elderly parent begins to need a wheelchair, one of the first practical questions you might ask is surprisingly simple: how are we going to get it in the car?
After all, a wheelchair isn't only useful at home. You might want to take Mum shopping, bring Dad along for a family day out, visit relatives or simply head somewhere for lunch together. If the wheelchair is difficult to transport, every journey can require more planning than it needs to.
That's where folding wheelchairs make all the difference.
Designed with collapsible frames, folding wheelchairs can be made more compact for storage and transportation, including fitting into the boot of a suitable car. For families regularly taking an elderly parent out, that portability can make the wheelchair much easier to incorporate into everyday life.
Will a Folding Wheelchair Fit in My Car?
This is one of the most important questions to answer before buying a folding wheelchair for an elderly parent.
A wheelchair can be perfectly suited to Mum or Dad when they're sitting in it, but if you can't comfortably transport it in the vehicle you use for family trips, appointments and days out, that can quickly become frustrating.
The word folding doesn't automatically mean that every wheelchair will fit into every car, either. Wheelchairs vary in their folded dimensions, weight and overall design, while car boots differ enormously in size and shape.
The best approach is to check the measurements before you buy.
How Do I Know If a Folding Wheelchair Will Fit in My Car Boot?
Start by looking at the folded dimensions of the wheelchair you're considering.
You can then compare these measurements with the usable space inside your car boot.
Don't only measure the widest points of the boot itself. Consider the actual opening you'll need to lift the wheelchair through, as a spacious boot can sometimes have a relatively narrow or awkwardly shaped entrance.
It's also worth thinking about what else normally travels with you. If a family day out means coats, bags, shopping or other mobility equipment in the boot, the wheelchair won't necessarily have the entire space to itself.
Taking a few measurements before ordering can save a lot of inconvenience later.
Does a Folding Wheelchair Fold Completely Flat?
Not necessarily.
Different folding wheelchairs use different designs, so don't assume that the finished folded shape will be completely flat or identical between models.
Fenetic Wellbeing offers several types of folding wheelchair, including lightweight, transit, self-propelled and all-terrain models. The way these chairs fold and their resulting dimensions can therefore vary.
Always check the specifications of the particular wheelchair you're considering rather than relying on the word ‘folding’ alone.
How Heavy Should a Folding Wheelchair Be for a Car?
Size isn't the only consideration. Think about who will actually be lifting the wheelchair into the car.
Perhaps that's you, your partner or another family member. Whoever regularly loads the chair needs to be able to manage its weight appropriately.
A very compact wheelchair isn't necessarily practical if the person transporting it struggles to lift it. Equally, the lightest possible wheelchair isn't automatically the best option if it doesn't provide the features your parent needs.
This is why wheelchair weight and folded size should be considered alongside comfort, intended use and your parent's individual requirements.
Should I Measure My Car Before Buying a Wheelchair?
Yes. It takes only a few minutes and gives you much more confidence when comparing models.
Before choosing a wheelchair, consider measuring:
- the width and height of the boot opening
- the usable width, height and depth inside the boot
- any areas where the boot narrows
- the space remaining when other items are being carried.
Then compare these measurements against the wheelchair's published dimensions.
Remember that you also need enough room to comfortably manoeuvre the folded wheelchair into and out of the vehicle. A chair that technically fits with only millimetres to spare may not necessarily be convenient to load regularly.
What If I Have a Small Car?
Having a smaller car doesn't automatically rule out a folding wheelchair, but it makes checking the dimensions particularly important.
Fenetic Wellbeing's range includes folding wheelchairs designed with portability in mind, so compare the available options and consider how much boot space you realistically have.
You may also need to think about your priorities. If the wheelchair is primarily required for appointments, shops and relatively straightforward trips, a lightweight folding model might meet your parent's requirements.
But if you're hoping to take Mum or Dad on family days out and across more varied outdoor surfaces, portability is only one part of the decision.
You don't necessarily want to choose a wheelchair simply because it's the smallest option for your boot and then discover that it isn't suited to the places your family actually wants to visit.
That's where a wheelchair such as the Voyager All-Terrain Outdoor Wheelchair becomes particularly interesting.
It's a folding wheelchair, so transportation has been considered in its design, but it's also intended for outdoor use. In other words, choosing a wheelchair that can travel in the car doesn't have to mean choosing one that's only useful once you reach a perfectly smooth pavement.
For families who want to continue enjoying days out together, the goal isn't simply finding a wheelchair that fits the car – it's finding one that fits your family's life once you get there.
The Voyager: A Folding Wheelchair Made for Family Days Out
When you're buying a wheelchair for Mum or Dad, it's easy to think you have to choose between something practical enough to transport and something capable enough for proper days out.
The Voyager All-Terrain Outdoor Wheelchair shows why that doesn't necessarily have to be the case.
It's a full-sized outdoor wheelchair designed to cope with more challenging surfaces, but it also folds down for storage and transportation. The push handles fold, while the footrests and rear wheels can be removed to make the chair more compact when you're putting it into the car.
For families, that combination can be particularly useful. You can have a wheelchair designed with outdoor adventures in mind without being left wondering how you're going to transport it every time Mum or Dad comes along.
Is the Voyager Wheelchair Foldable?
Yes. The Voyager All-Terrain Outdoor Wheelchair folds flat for storage and transportation.
Once folded, the wheelchair measures approximately 70cm high, 26cm wide and 76cm deep. Its push handles also fold down, while the footrests and large rear wheels can be removed.
That ability to reduce the chair further is particularly useful when you're trying to make the most of the available space in a car boot.
As always, measure your own vehicle before buying. Car boots and openings vary considerably, so no wheelchair can be guaranteed to fit every vehicle.
How Heavy Is the Voyager to Put in a Car?
The complete Voyager weighs 14.5kg, but there's another useful feature for families transporting it regularly.
With the wheels and leg rests removed, its carry weight is reduced to 8.7kg.
Rather than necessarily having to lift the entire assembled wheelchair into the boot, removable components allow the chair to be broken down into a lighter main section for transportation.
Whether that weight is manageable will depend on the person doing the lifting, so it's important to consider your own capabilities before buying.
What Makes the Voyager an All-Terrain Wheelchair?
The Voyager has large, treaded pneumatic rear tyres designed to provide additional comfort and grip over uneven ground.
Its 24-inch quick-release rear wheels use pneumatic, bicycle-style tyres, while solid castors are fitted at the front.
This makes the Voyager an interesting option if your family days out aren't always restricted to shopping centres and perfectly smooth pavements.
Perhaps you enjoy visiting parks, country estates or attractions where paths can be a little more uneven. Having a wheelchair designed with those sorts of surfaces in mind can give you more options when deciding where the family goes together.
‘All-terrain’ doesn't mean that every surface, gradient or outdoor route will automatically be suitable, however. Always consider the conditions, accessibility of your destination and the capabilities of the wheelchair before setting off.
Does Choosing a Folding Wheelchair Mean Compromising on Comfort?
Portability matters to the person loading the wheelchair into the car, but comfort matters to the person spending their day sitting in it.
That's an important balance.
The Voyager includes a cushion and padded removable backrest, along with a supporting calf strap. Its footrests are also height adjustable, allowing them to be set for different users.
The armrest can be lowered too, which can make accessing a table or desk easier.
These features are important because the Voyager isn't simply designed around what happens while the wheelchair is in the boot. It's designed to remain practical once you've arrived at your destination.
Does the Voyager Have Attendant Brakes?
Yes. Attendant handbrakes are included as standard on the Voyager.
These give the person pushing the wheelchair access to braking controls from the handles.
Fenetic notes that this isn't a feature found on many self-propelled-style wheelchair models, making it particularly relevant when you're buying a chair that will regularly be pushed by a son, daughter, partner or other family member.
Can the Voyager Be Self-Propelled?
The Voyager has large 24-inch rear wheels, giving it a self-propelled-style configuration rather than the small rear wheels typically associated with a transit-only chair.
When choosing any wheelchair, however, it's important to consider your parent's individual mobility and how the chair will actually be used. If they're likely to be accompanied and pushed for much of the time, features such as the attendant brakes may be particularly valuable.
What Size Is the Voyager?
The Voyager is available with either an 18-inch or 20-inch seat width.
Its maximum user weight is 115kg, or 18 stone, and the seat height is approximately 51cm.
These specifications are worth checking carefully before ordering. Finding a wheelchair that fits in your car is important, but finding one that's appropriate for your parent is more important.
Seat dimensions, maximum user weight and overall suitability should all form part of your decision.
Why Is the Voyager a Good Choice for Family Days Out?
Perhaps the biggest appeal of the Voyager is that its portability isn't the whole story.
Yes, it folds. Yes, parts can be removed to make transportation easier. And yes, reducing the carry weight to 8.7kg can make getting it into a suitable car more manageable.
But when you arrive, you still have an all-terrain wheelchair with large pneumatic rear tyres, attendant brakes, adjustable footrests, a cushion and a padded backrest.
That's important when you're buying for an elderly parent.
You don't want Mum or Dad to feel like they're being brought along in a basic chair chosen purely because it was convenient to squeeze into the boot. Ideally, you want a wheelchair that's practical for the family member transporting it and comfortable and capable for the person actually using it.
The Voyager brings those two needs together.
It means that when somebody suggests a trip to the park, a country estate or another family day out, the first thought doesn't always have to be “But what are we going to do about the wheelchair?”
Find a Folding Wheelchair That Fits Your Family's Life
The right folding wheelchair shouldn't just fit into your car – it should fit into your family's life.
Whether you're taking Mum shopping, bringing Dad along for lunch or planning a family day outdoors, choosing a wheelchair that's practical to transport can make getting out together that little bit easier.
With its foldable design and all-terrain features, the Voyager All-Terrain Outdoor Wheelchair is a great example of how portability doesn't have to mean compromising on capability.
Explore Fenetic Wellbeing's range of folding wheelchairs today, or take a closer look at the Voyager if you're searching for a foldable wheelchair that's ready for more than just the journey.
