Power Wheelchairs and Mobility Scooters Built for Real Life

Built around the seat rather than the frame, with a tall back and a removable cushion. That is what makes long days in it workable, and it is the part you can only judge by sitting down.

Folds sideways and weighs 25.8 pounds, the lightest power chair Golden makes. Come lift it before you decide, because the weight difference against a standard folding chair is the entire reason it exists.

Center wheel drive in a standard-size chair, so it pivots in place. That is the difference between managing a bathroom doorway and giving up on it.

Center wheel drive on a heavy duty frame, so it turns inside its own footprint. The chair to look at when capacity and indoor maneuvering both have to be solved at once.

Comes apart for transport, and the footplate and rear handle carry motion-sensing LED lights that come on with the joystick. One of the two power chairs we keep in the rental warehouse, which makes it the practical choice after a hospital discharge.

The smallest chair in the Ally line, built to move around a house rather than across a parking lot. If doorways and tight corners are the daily problem, this is the one to try.

The Ally with more range and a firmer ride, keeping the memory foam seat and the Smart Control app. Still folds, so it goes in a trunk without help.

The LiteRider with a fourth wheel, same 5 mph, 52 pounds at the heaviest. Steadier on driveways and curb cuts, and still simple enough that nobody needs a lesson before the first drive.

The straightforward everyday scooter at 5 mph, 44 pounds for the heaviest piece. Nothing on it you have to learn, and three wheels so it turns in a hallway.

11 mph on all-terrain tires and suspension meant for ground that is not flat. If staying home has meant giving up the yard, the garden, or the campsite, start here.

8 mph on full suspension, built to cover real ground. This is the one for people who are not staying on pavement.

6 mph on an extra-wide captain's seat. This is one of the few scooters in the state you can actually sit on before ordering, and with a seat this size that matters.

The Companion scaled down to live indoors as well as out, same 5 mph. Same seat comfort, smaller footprint, easier to park somewhere that is not the middle of the room.

A full-size captain's seat at 5 mph that still turns like a small scooter. That seat is the reason people pick the Companion over the Buzzaround line, and it is worth ten minutes on the floor to feel the difference.

4 mph on a wider seat and a sturdier frame, breaking down to 32 pounds at the heaviest. Comfort over a long sit is the difference you will notice, and that only shows up if you spend a few minutes on it.

4.7 mph with upgraded suspension doing most of the extra work. If your regular route includes broken sidewalk or a gravel driveway, this is the one to test drive on the way in.

The XL range on three wheels at 4 mph, with the heaviest piece at 32 pounds. The narrower front end fits through doorways the four-wheel version has to line up for.

4.3 mph on an extended range battery, built for longer trips than the travel models handle comfortably. If you are running errands rather than crossing a parking lot, the range is the reason to look here.

The LX on four wheels, same 5 mph and the same full-size seat, at 57 pounds for the heaviest piece. The extra front wheel does the work on uneven ground.

5 mph with a full-size seat and armrests that adjust for width, breaking down to 50 pounds at the heaviest. A good middle ground if the travel scooters feel too small but a full-size scooter feels like too much.

The four-wheel LT at 4 mph. Trades some of the turning circle for a steadier ride, which is the right trade if most of your driving happens outdoors.

Golden's lighter travel scooter at 4 mph, and the heaviest piece is only 28 pounds. Easier to lift into a trunk than the EX, and it still turns inside a normal hallway.

The same 5 mph scooter as the three-wheel with a wider stance up front, at 53 pounds for the heaviest piece. Four wheels hold the line better on grass, gravel, and sloped driveways.

5 mph, and the heaviest piece is 46 pounds when it comes apart for the trunk. Three wheels turn tighter than four, which matters more indoors than most people expect.

Comes apart into pieces, the heaviest of which is under 48 pounds, and runs at 3.6 mph. If the scooter has to travel with you rather than live at home, this is where most people start looking.

Tops out at 7 mph on a full-size captain's seat, and it is the heaviest-duty scooter Golden builds. If others have felt undersized or unstable, come sit on this one before you rule the category out.

Folds for transport, with a 21-inch turning radius, center wheel drive, independent four-wheel suspension, and a springless articulating chassis that keeps all four wheels down over thresholds.

5 mph with a delta tiller that auto-locks and adjusts within easy reach, plus seating you can set to fit. Golden's most popular four-wheel Companion, with a sporty new look on this generation.

4.29 mph and up to 22 miles on a charge, with a brushless motor, LED lights front and rear, and armrests that adjust for width. Heaviest piece is 52.5 pounds, so it still goes in a trunk.

A 22 amp hour battery pack good for up to 15.5 miles, on a tubular frame with a larger footplate. One of the chairs we keep for rental.

Folds for transport on a full carbon fiber frame, with a 35 amp controller and a removable joystick that has a USB charger built in. Light enough that most people can load it without help.

A memory foam seat, a tight turning radius, and a Smart Control app that lets you adjust how it drives instead of living with the factory setting. Folds down in one motion for the trunk.