What are the surfaces this scooter can drive on? This is one of the most frequently asked questions we get here at Lifestyle & Mobility. The answer is best given by looking at how things stand for the different scooter classes. Although, there are differences even within scooter classes.

Because this is a big question, which needs a detailed answer, this blog article will be the first in a short series. After all, finding suitable terrain to use your mobility scooter on is so important for safety and comfort.

The ATTO Sport handles a kerb

The most common outdoor terrain for mobility scooters is pavements. There’s a reason why an entire class of mobility scooters are labelled as pavement scooters, after all. Indeed, the featured image for this article is the LuXe Mobility X500 Midi Sport Mobility Scooter, an excellent example of a compact pavement scooter.

Driving a Scooter on the Pavement

Pavements are a great example of what we sometimes call “compact manmade surfaces”. Some of the most lightweight mobility scooters, particularly folding scooters, may go without suspension and opt for smaller wheels. Whilst this saves weight, as always with vehicle engineering, there’s a trade-off. If you want to buy a scooter which easily folds up to be lifted into a car boot, you’ll probably find it is best suited for use in shopping precincts and similar areas. We don’t sell mobility scooters which can’t be used outdoors, but we do sell some scooters which should be used as little as possible outdoors.

What does that mean in practice? It means that the outdoor part of your journeys on these scooters should really only be done on pavements. All these sorts of scooter would fall within the smallest size bracket. It is only really some of the very lightest and most economy-class mobility scooters which ought to avoid even short grass. However, loose gravel is a different matter. Are you planning to regularly drive over this surface type for long periods? Well, then a folding mobility scooter may not be for you.

Mobility Scooters You Can Drive in the Park

This article has touched on the question of driving mobility scooters on short grass, or loose gravel, like you might find in a park. The next in the series will look more into which mobility scooters you might use in that sort of landscape.