15 Best Cars to Fit a Wheelchair in The Boot

Let’s talk about cars for wheelchair users. In today’s age, wheelchairs have become more portable due to modern design and lightweight materials. But finding the right car accommodating them remains a challenge.

Everyone wants spacious boot capacity and a wide tailgate opening, but wheelchair users need even more space for storing groceries and everyday items alongside their wheelchairs. So, let’s make the search easier by delving into options that prioritize spaciousness and accessibility. Carplus presents the best cars for wheelchair users and helps you buy your car of choice with attractive financing terms.

1. Dacia Duster

The Dacia Duster is a versatile and affordable option for families in this small SUV class. For wheelchair users or those needing other mobility aids, the Duster has a spacious boot, especially in the 4x2 model. It offers up to 1,623 litres when folded down. In the 4x4 models, the capacity is slightly less.

The load lip is at a convenient height, with no wheel arch intrusion. And the rear bench splits 60:40, except for the discontinued Access trim, so beware of the seat height because they don’t fold completely flat.

2. Ford Galaxy

The Ford Galaxy is affordable, flexible with seating, and spacious, which makes it popular for private hire and families. The boot provides 300 litres with all seven seats in place, 1,301 litres with the third row folded, and an extensive 2,339 litres for an unfolded wheelchair with only the front two seats in use.

The third row folds down and up electrically with a button in the boot. The second row, with three individual seats, folds forward using buttons in the boot although lifting them is done manually.

3. Honda CR-V

The Honda CR-V is a large SUV known for reliability and four-wheel-drive capability. It has one of the most spacious interiors in its class, including a noticeably larger boot than its rivals.

Interestingly, the CR-V PHEV has the largest boot in the CR-V range at 617 litres (635 litres with storage space below the floor). It’s a convenient shape with minimal intrusion from wheel arches, a broad opening, a low loading lip, and a flat floor, all great for having a wheelchair in the boot. The top-spec EX model adds a powered tailgate.

4. Hyundai Santa Fe

The Hyundai Santa Fe is a spacious family SUV with seven comfortable seats as standard with plenty of equipment and an eye-catching design.

The Santa Fe’s rearmost seats fold flat to create a 625-litre boot when not carrying seven passengers. The third-row seats fold with a pull-tag mechanism. The middle row, splitting 60:40, can be folded forward to open up 1,625 litres. The resulting space is a wide boot floor and lipless opening.

Also, features like a luggage net and hooks help keep the folded wheelchair secure while on the move.

5. Citroën Berlingo

The Citroën Berlingo is a well-established package with efficient engines and versatile interior storage options. The five-seater’s rear seats split 60/40 — three equal-sized seats with the Flair XTR trim. They also fold down to provide nearly 775 litres of space below the parcel shelf (1,050 litres for the XL).

In the XL people carrier model, the rearmost two seats can be completely removed, which expands cargo space to 4,000 litres with all rear seats folded. The boot has a square shape with no obstructive lip at the entrance for your folded or unfolded wheelchair.

6. Citroën Grand C4 SpaceTourer

The Citroën Grand C4 SpaceTourer is a family-friendly MPV with clever design features. Stowing away the two rearmost seats creates a huge, flat load bay, which can accommodate items like pushchairs lengthways. For more space, drop the middle row of seats opens up nearly 2200 litres.

The inclusion of a low boot lip, wide rear doors, powered tailgate, lashing points, a retractable load, and a rear parcel shelf cover adds to the convenience for wheelchair users. Although, it’s important to note that the available space with all seven seats in use is limited.

7. Kia Carens

The Kia Carens a seven-seat MPV, prioritizes comfort over agility. In five-seat mode, there are 492 litres of boot space. With all seats in place, there’s still over 200 litres of luggage space — useful storage, though not for each passenger’s belongings or a wheelchair user. Folding all the seats flat, including the three middle seats, provides a large, flat 1,650-litre load area.

The Carens offers an easy-to-access space with a square layout and no loading lip. Coupled with door openings, these features allow for straightforward loading and unloading of heavy objects.

8. Peugeot 5008

The Peugeot 5008 is a spacious seven-seat MPV with SUV styling and striking practicality. In five-seat mode, the 5008 offers a 952-litre boot, which is capable of accommodating ten carry-on suitcases with ease. You can move back seats forward for extra space while keeping three seats in the middle row.

Other accessibility features making the 5008 one of the best cars for wheelchair users is the square shape of the boot, free from wheel-arch intrusion, and the low-set boot floor. There’s also an optional electric tailgate on the top two trims.

9. Renault Megane Sport Tourer

The Renault Megane Sport Tourer is a stylish choice among estate cars and is an interesting alternative to SUVs and MPVs. The car features sharp details and flowing lines compared to its functional-looking competitors

Bear in mind that it has a slightly smaller 521-litre boot with rear seats up. But if you put them down, you get a 1,504-litre load area for your folded or unfolded wheelchair and wide doors to ease access. Renault offers accessories like a £125 boot liner and a 500-litre roof box for added practicality.

10. SEAT Alhambra

The SEAT Alhambra is a long-standing success for the Spanish automaker and dates back to 1996. There’s generous interior space for seven occupants, with comfortable third-row seats even for adults. The middle row of three individual seats easily tumbles forward with a single lever. The flexibility continues with adjustable sliding seats.

Luggage space ranges from 267 litres with all seats up to 2,297 litres with the rear seats flat to fit any folded wheelchair. The sliding doors open electrically in top trims, which is especially useful in tight parking spaces.

11. Volvo XC60

The Volvo XC60 is a high-end family SUV with distinctive styling and advanced safety features. This wheelchair-accessible vehicle has unique design elements like Thor’s hammer-style headlights and hook-shaped rear lights.

The small size performs well in all types of urban settings. Another perk for learner drivers is a raised seating position, which offers a wide-angle view in all directions. For more assistance (e.g., when trying to slot into tight spaces), the car has been fitted with big mirrors. You can customise the suspension and steering tuning for maximum accuracy and composure.

The road tax is cheap, but the fuel economy could be better.

12. Toyota C-HR

The Toyota C-HR has a fun design and features distinctive C-shaped headlights that give it a cool, concept car vibe. The sloping roof adds to its visual appeal, but it slightly limits the outward view.

Anyway, these versatile cars offer a reasonable boot space — 377 litres with the rear seats up. When the rear seats are folded in a 60:40 split, the boot space expands to 924 litres. Although not the largest among small SUVs, the C-HR’s boot is practical for wheelchair users and everyday needs.

13. Ford S-Max

The Ford S-Max has an eye-catching design, a unique choice among its more conservative competitors, whether as a used or new car. Practically, it offers ample space for tall adults in the front, which is boosted by 18-way electrically adjustable seats. The middle-row seats have sliding and reclining features.

The car boot retains decent room for an unfolded wheelchair with five seats in use. Folding all rear seats transforms the S-Max into a spacious van-like load carrier with up to 2,000 litres of cargo space.

14. Nissan Juke

The Nissan Juke broke the mould for family cars as an affordable SUV at the time it came out. Potential buyers have an option of a practical DIG-T 114 model with a 422-litre boot of a useful square shape. However, the hybrid, with its raised boot floor due to the battery pack, lacks the same shape.

The car successfully accommodates six carry-on suitcases below the load cover, so a wheelchair in the boot will be managed with ease. Most Jukes come with a standard height-adjustable boot floor. At its highest position, the boot floor has no lip.

15. Volvo XC40

The Volvo XC40 is a stylish and trendy SUV with a cool Scandinavian design and a well-thought-out luggage space for mobility equipment.

The 452-litre capacity might be somewhat modest. But there are accommodations for a wheelchair user — there’s a wide boot opening and no load lip. Also, all XC40 models feature a powered tailgate, and hands-free opening and closing are available in all but the basic Core spec cars.

Conclusion

Now that you’ve wrapped up reading about the spacious cars for wheelchair users, it’s time to pick the best car for you. We’ve shown you reliable cars, and now it’s your turn to make the decision.

Ready to make the move to wheelchair-friendly cars? Speed up this process with tailored car finance solutions from Carplus — we’ll pair your application with reputable car dealers across the UK!