How To Find The Best Swivel Car Seat For Your Vehicle
Access to a car opens endless opportunities for leading an independent lifestyle out of the home, but conventional vehicles are not designed with full accessibility in mind. For many wheelchair and mobility scooter users, or those with reduced mobility, getting seated into a standard car can be a difficult, painful or even impossible task.
A swivel seat aids with comfortable and safe transfers in and out of a standard vehicle. But with a wide range to choose from, finding the best swivel car seat for your needs can seem daunting.
Who can use a swivel seat?
Swivel seats are typically used by people who have difficulty entering or exiting a vehicle due to limited mobility, strength or flexibility. So they are particularly useful for people with arthritis, spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease.
In fact, car swivel seats are suitable for anyone with limited mobility and strength in their upper and lower extremities or who finds it difficult to move their legs and feet in and out of a car.
How do swivel seats for cars work?
A swivel seat replaces the original manufacturer’s car seat (either driver or passenger seat) with a purpose-built car seat that is fitted onto a rotating, swivel base.
This then allows the seat to turn out of the vehicle, either manually or electronically, for easier access.
What to consider when looking for a swivel seat
When starting to look for a swivel seat, it’s important to also research the features of alternative solutions such as person hoists or transfer plates. This is to ensure you understand all of the available vehicle access adaptations and are selecting the right solution for your needs.
After establishing that a swivel seat is in fact your desired solution, you then need to choose the exact style of swivel seat, suitable for your requirements and compatible with your car.
How to find the best swivel car seat for your needs
To find the best car swivel seat for your specific needs, it’s recommended to have an assessment with a vehicle adaptations specialist.
They will ask specific questions to understand your capabilities, such as, can you stand for a short period and if so, are you balanced? What range of movement do you have with your neck or legs? Do you have the upper body strength required to help self-transfer?
This enables the vehicle adaptations expert to match your requirements with the most suitable swivel seat solution as well as confirm vehicle compatibility.
The swivel seats available at Mobility in Motion
We offer a comprehensive range of the best rotating car seats to suit varying levels of mobility.
Manual Swivel Seat
A manual swivel seat makes the transfer in and out of your vehicle safer and more manageable by rotating 90 degrees and sliding forward so it sits slightly outside of the door frame.
Electronic Swivel Seat
Much like the manual swivel seat, an electronic swivel seat makes the transfer in and out of your vehicle safer and more manageable by rotating 90 degrees and sliding forward so it faces out of the vehicle.
However, it is available with a programmable electronic control to consistently follow a pre-set path out of the door which removes the effort required to manually rotate the seat.. This version also travels further out of the car door, making transfers to and from mobility devices easier.
Electronic Swivel & Lowering Seat
An electronic swivel and lowering seat also makes the transfer in and out of your vehicle safer and more manageable by rotating 90 degrees, so it faces out of the vehicle. It then extends out and lowers down to a more manageable height to aid in transferring into and out of taller vehicles. This is particularly beneficial for wheelchair or mobility scooter users.
With a programmable electronic control, it consistently follows a pre-set path out of the door, ensuring maximum legroom throughout its rotation.
Wheelchair Swivel Seat
The most comprehensive solution within our range of swivel seats is the wheelchair swivel seat. This becomes your car seat which allows you to transfer the seat rather than the person.
Our wheelchair system allows you to remain comfortably in your car seat while it rotates out of the vehicle and locks onto a wheelchair base.
This transfer method removes the requirement for a caregiver to physically lift the user as part of their transfer
With Mobility in Motion, selecting the best swivel seat for your specific needs is effortless. Our team will assess your individual capabilities, confirm suitability, conduct a free product demonstration and provide UK nationwide installation. Contact our team online to find out more or call us on 0800 288 4422.
View our full car accessibility aids range to find out further information on the swivel seats we provide here at Mobility in Motion.