Mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs: the rules

1. Overview

You don’t need a licence to drive a mobility scooter or powered wheelchair, but you may have to register it and get a ‘nil value’ tax disc. Only certain types can be driven on the road.

Mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs come in 2 categories:

  • ‘class 2 invalid carriages’ - these can’t be used on the road (except where there isn’t a pavement) and have a maximum speed of 4mph
  • ‘class 3 invalid carriages’ - these can be used on the road, and have a maximum speed of 4mph off the road, and 8mph on the road

You don’t need to register a class 2 invalid carriage and they don’t need a tax disc.

Class 3 invalid carriages need to display a ‘nil value’ tax disc and be registered with DVLA. You must be 14 or over to drive a class 3 invalid carriage.

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Last updated: 8 November 2013