Mobility Scooters for Breathing Issues (Easier Outings)

Lung disease pushes victims indoors, away from sunshine and socialization. Mobility scooters for breathing issues such as COPD allow you to maintain freedom despite the disease symptoms.

Barbara Moore was a regular contributor to COPD.net before her passing in 2024.

She bought a mobility scooter when her grandson requested a park trip.

The park used to be in “walking distance,” but Barbara couldn’t walk there anymore.

She bought a mobility scooter to stay connected with her three-year-old grandson.

Barbara pointed out how many features she had to learn to buy her mobility scooter.

I wrote this guide to help you choose the scooter to help you move around despite your breathing issues.

In this article, you’ll learn about mobility scooter tires, suspension systems, throttles, tillers (steering controls), brakes, and seats and how choices in these categories affect your breathing and comfort.

Key takeaways:

• This guide focuses on avoiding exertion, as work requires more air.
• A throttle can be one-handed or ambidextrous (use either hand)
• A deck height determines how high a step you make to board your scooter
• The seat rotation feature can make it easier to get on and off the mobility scooter
• The brakes can be automatic (good) or manual (requires you to squeeze a lever)
• The seat can be big and cushioned or small and less comfortable; if you’re in pain, seat choices matter.
• Armrests can be padded and adjustable for your comfort
• Mobility aid storage gives you a proper place to put your oxygen, cane, or crutches.
• Suspension coils protect you from feeling the bumps and dives in the road.

Mobility Scooters for Breathing Issues: What Are Your Options?

It’s common for breathing issues like COPD to put an end to your walking.

Being trapped in the ailing body is hugely frustrating because mobility is the lifeblood of healthy social and environmental interaction.

We must move to meet people or enjoy a park or the beach. But moving is work, and work requires good breathing.

This is where mobility scooters can make such a huge difference.

This is not just about convenience. It’s about freedom.

Mobility Scooter Features for Breathing Issues

Which mobility scooter features are affected by your breathing issues?

Let’s put together a respiration-friendly mobility scooter.

I will point out the options that will reduce how much work you need to do.

After we review the features, we’ll discuss how to choose the best options for people with breathing problems.

Throttle

The throttle is a key feature when deciding on a mobility scooter.

I’m explaining the throttle choices for your understanding, but the throttle choice doesn’t affect how much work you do to drive.

The throttle options are:

1. Thumb lever: A small lever you push with your thumb. Great for those with limited hand strength or dexterity.
2. Twist grip: This grip is similar to a motorcycle throttle. You twist it to go. It’s ideal if you have good grip strength.
3. Wigwag: A see-saw style lever you can operate with either hand. Perfect for users with strength on only one side.

Brakes

There are two groups of brake types:

1. Automatic brakes: You let go of the throttle to engage the automatic brakes. The cool thing about automatic brakes is that they are “on” by default.
2. Manual brakes: You squeeze a lever to control whether the manual brakes are on or off.

Tiller

The tiller is the steering column.

This is another mobility scooter option that affects people with many diseases and injuries but doesn’t have much to do with your exertion.

Still, you should know your choices.

You can choose its shape, height, and angle.

• Adjustable angle tillers allow you to bring the steering closer or push it further away.
• Adjustable height tillers allow you to raise or lower the steering apparatus.
• A delta tiller (a wraparound) is a triangle with a large surface area for easy gripping.
• A T-bar tiller is a crossbar atop the vertical pole with much less surface area to grab.

Seat Options

The seat options affect your comfort (via cushions) and positioning.

• Seats can have no cushions or cushions with foam or gel.
• A reclining seat allows you to lean back.
• A height-adjustable seat can give you more or less legroom.
• A sliding seat can bring you closer or further away from the tiller.
• A rotating seat can make it easier to get on and off board.

Deck Height

The deck height refers to the distance from the ground to the floorboard. A lower deck height requires fewer steps to get on board.

Mobility Aid Storage

Some mobility scooters have storage options for mobility and health aids, such as canes, crutches, and oxygen tanks.

When you see “hitch” accessories, that refers to optional mobility aid attachments.

How Can the Mobility Scooter Options Help You?

Some of the choices might not seem obvious at first, so I’m asking you to imagine yourself riding the mobility scooter and consider where balance and neurological issues might present themselves.

For example, I didn’t expect my first mobility scooter’s seat to be so hard.

It didn’t look hard, but when my friend and I tried it, we agreed it needed a cushion.

In this case, the friend was not my mobility scooter buddy with MS, but her boyfriend, who is just getting older like I am and wants fun to be comfortable.

If you are in pain, for example, don’t let the mobility scooter exacerbate your problems. 

Get a suspension package and a comfortable seat to cushion your ride.

Let’s break down where you need assistance and pair that with the mobility scooter feature, which can help.

For this section, I will assume that you’re experiencing some level of pain in addition to your lung issues.

The idea is to cut down both on exertion and wall off any choices that might ADD to your pain.

Deck Height

The deck height determines how big a step you make to board the mobility scooter.

Look for a low ground-to-deck height for the smallest possible step up onto the mobility scooter.

This value is only sometimes stated in the specifications. 

In that case, look for a low “ground clearance,” which is the distance from the ground to the lowest part under the mobility scooter. 

Ground clearance is not the size of the step but a proxy for how high the deck is. Look for a ground-to-deck of 6 or fewer inches.

 If using the ground clearance, use a value of up to 3 inches.

This minimizes how high of a step you will make to get onto the mobility scooter.

Another way to handle issues boarding your vehicle is to get a swivel seat option.

Swivel Seat

The swivel seat hack might not work for you, but I’ll explain it so you can decide.

Rather than stepping onto the floorboard to get onto the mobility scooter, you can get a swivel seat that rotates and use that to board.

You can rotate the seat toward you, so that you can sit down, then rotate into the driving position.

You won’t have to step up to make this work because you sit down first, and your legs follow.

This might not work because of the exertion required to swivel the seat.

Usually, it involves finding a lever under the seat and pushing it clockwise or counterclockwise to rotate the seat toward you.

If that action is too much work for you, your best choice is to get a low deck to make the step up easier.

Deck Length

This is another feature that doesn’t necessarily affect your breathing, but it does affect your comfort.

The longer the mobility scooter deck, the more room there is for your legs under most circumstances.

Taller people should look for longer decks (40 in. or more), and shorter people should look for shorter decks.

Brakes

Most mobility scooters use automatic brakes that are “on” by default.

When you let go of the throttle, the brake engages without you squeezing a lever or pressing a pedal.

Automatic brakes are much safer than manual ones.

I was testing my Pride Elite a few weeks ago by taking it up the hill in my yard.

I was on wet grass facing uphill when the mobility scooter’s computer decided I was straining the motor too much.

It came to a complete halt.

The automatic brakes kicked in before I knew what happened.

I did NOT roll backward down the hill, which could have happened with manual brakes.

Throttle

If you have issues with grip strength or one hand that isn’t working well, the best choice is the ambidextrous throttle, which lets you accelerate or reverse with either the left or right hand.

The wigwam throttle works this way.

Usually, it’s set up so that to move forward, you pull toward you with the right hand or push away from you with the left.

The opposite goes in reverse. You push with your right or pull with your left to reverse the mobility scooter.

Yes, it gets confusing sometimes. But when you start going wrong, you correct your actions by doing the opposite.

Tiller

A delta wraparound tiller is the best choice for people with weakness or trembling in the fingers, hands, arms, or shoulders.

Technically, the delta is not the only type of wraparound tiller, but in the mobility scooter industry, these words mean the same thing: a delta is a wraparound.

The alternative is a T-Bar tiller. 

This T-Bar handlebar has the smallest surface area, just enough to host the throttle and a manual brake lever.

The delta is preferable for hand issues because delta wraparounds have a large surface area.

You can control the steering by nudging anywhere along a big triangle, and honestly, you could do it with your feet if you were so positioned.

The delta tiller is usually wrapped in a soft neoprene that also helps you hold on to steer.

A third reason a delta is better is that it is closer to you as a rider. 

The T-Bar sits atop the tiller pole, while the delta enters the space between the seat and the rod. 

In other words, the T-bar makes you reach more to steer.

Armrests

Armrests give you a place to rest your arms while riding.

I don’t even have lame arms, and I always use my armrests. 

They’re not always available, but when they are, they’re usually padded for comfort.

Many mobility scooters (especially those from Pride Mobility) have width-adjustable armrests.

You can make them wider or narrower to the seat.

Once in a while, you’ll see height-adjustable armrests.

Another option is removing the armrests if that works for you.

Seat Belt

A seat belt is optional on some mobility scooters. 

It can help you stay in place while riding.

Consider the seat belt (or lap belt) if there are balance and stability issues.

Seat Type

A Captain’s seat is the most padded and the largest of the mobility scooter seat options. It is designed for comfort.

A stadium or half seat is a smaller and usually less-padded seat type.

Many mobility scooters include seat-type upgrades you choose while buying.

These include more padding, larger cushions and sometimes headrest options.

Seat Cushions

Even if you don’t get a Captain’s seat, you can still get a cushioned seat, whether that comes with the scooter or you buy an aftermarket cushion. 

Anything you do to soften the ride will reduce the chances that the bumps on the road will transfer to you.

Seat Reclining

A reclining seat can add to your comfort, assuming this applies to your situation.

Seat Sliding

A sliding seat reduces or enlarges the space between the seat and the tiller, depending on how you slide it.

Thus, you have less or more legroom based on how far away you want the steering and controls.

Tiller Angle

An angle-adjustable tiller allows you to bring the steering apparatus closer to you or push it away for more legroom.

Suspension System

A suspension system puts coils above the wheels (and sometimes under the seat) to cushion the bumps and jolts of the road.

If you are in any pain, this, combined with seat cushions, will make riding a pleasure instead of a pain.

Tires

Air-filled tires provide a more comfortable ride over obstacles than solid ones.

Solid tires don’t get flats, so that’s the tradeoff.

If you treat your air tires like they’re on an all-terrain mobility scooter, you might regret the flat tire that results.

The comfort of air-filled tires is significant. My mobility scooters have only solid tires, and I feel every bump on the road.

You will likely find air-filled tires on “bariatric” mobility scooters for heavy people.

A suspension package and padded seat reduce road bumps, and air-filled tires are the cherry on top.

Which Size and Type of Mobility Scooter Should You Get?

The choices of which size mobility scooter to get include small, medium, and large, which the industry refers to as:

• Compact
• Full-size
• Heavy-duty

You would choose a compact or full-size for indoor or indoor-outdoor use.

Most heavy-duty mobility scooters are outdoor-only because they’re too big to use indoors.

The compact and full-size mobility scooters can be portable as well.

If you want to put the mobility scooter in the car, you may want a take-apart (disassembly) portable mobility scooter. 

These break into smaller pieces so you can lift the pieces into the car.

Some folding mobility scooters are also light and small enough for car portability.

For cruise ships (when you’re not getting a handicapped room), look for a mobility scooter less than 24 inches wide.

For airplane portability, look for a compact or full-size mobility scooter with an “airline-approved” battery. This battery has 200 or fewer watt hours and will be marked “airline friendly” or not.

Top Breathing Problem Mobility Scooters

Here are my favorite mobility scooter choices.

1. EV Rider City Rider

The EV Rider City Rider was designed with user comfort in mind.

It cushions the ride with huge air-filled tires, front and back suspension, and a pillow-filled Captain’s seat.

I don’t know the deck-to-ground height, but the ground clearance is only 2.5 inches, so it’s a small step from the ground to the deck.

The 46.4-in. length gives you room to stretch your legs. You can also rest your feet in the wheel wells.

The 23.2 in. width makes it an indoor mobility scooter.

However, it has no seatbelt option and is not a portable mobility scooter. It doesn’t disassemble or fold, and the battery is not airline-friendly.

The seat adjusts in every possible direction, including by height, sliding back and forth, and rotating, to make it easy to get on and off.

The hitch accepts mobility aid options for your oxygen, crutches, or cane.

The armrests are width-adjustable and padded.

The throttle is an ambidextrous wigwam, so you can use either hand to drive.

The brakes are automatic, requiring no squeezing, just let go of the throttle.

The delta wraparound tiller gives you plenty of soft neoprene to hold for steering.

Besides its lack of seatbelt and portability, the City Rider is a perfect mobility scooter.

2. EV Rider Normad

The EV Rider Nomad doesn’t have every possible accommodation, but it is uniquely portable and has a 20 lb. heaviest piece.

This is the lightest “heaviest piece” of all disassembling mobility scooters I’ve studied. This means you can take apart the Nomad; the most you have to lift into the car trunk is 20 lb.

The EV Rider Nomad has four-wheel stability, can go as fast as four mph, and has a 7-10 mile range and a 260-lb. weight capacity.

The ground to deck is only 3 inches, making it an easy step to get on or off.

The seat rotates 360 degrees so you can sit down before entering the driving position.

It’s only a stadium seat, but it has a 2-inch cushion for comfort. The wheels have a full suspension package.

Unfortunately, the tires are solid, so you will want to go slowly over any bumps to keep the ride less rocky.

The padded armrests are adjustable. The wigwam throttle is ambidextrous, so you can accelerate with your right or left hand.

You don’t need to do anything to brake as the electromagnetic brakes are automatically engaged when you let go of the throttle.

The tiller is a T-Bar rather than a delta wraparound, so the surface area is smaller.

With only a 20-inch width, the Nomad is an indoor-outdoor mobility scooter for balance and neuro issues.

Conclusion

A mobility scooter brings you back to people, fresh air, and sunshine.

If you get a mobility scooter with the right accommodations for your situation, you can enjoy life like the person you once were.

The choices are pretty easy because they’re often the default (auto stopping breaks, delta tiller, and ambidextrous throttle) are industry default options.

Now, you can confidently shop for a mobility scooter, knowing you have the best possible chances for success.

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