Which car?

mas8

Hi Everyone. I'm new here and was just wondering what type of car those of you with hip arthritis drive. I struggle to get my right leg into the car, but can manage all the pedals well still. I have a vauxhall grandland and the inner door sills and distance from ground to door sill is quite high. Any advice would be much appreciated, thanks 😊

PJoanne

Hello @mas8 , welcome to the forum. It's great to have you here with us.

There's some really useful information here (and some links to other advisory organisations) :

https://versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/living-with-arthritis/driving/

I drive an automatic transmission, much easier and only need one 'good' leg! A soft transfer cushion is something to consider (sometimes called a swivel cushion). You can find them on the internet. They are the entry level! It is possible to get seats that swivel 90 degrees to help with getting into a car as well.

Best Joanne

Bryony

I have knee OA. Some cars are too high up, for me, with high sills (many of the SUVs), and some too low so hard on the knees and hips (typical small cars, saloons, hatchbacks, and sporty ones).

I have a VW Caddy Life, so the cill is normal height but the seat is higher than your typical hatchback, and very height adjustable. The door is wide too. I find those features to be very helpful. Citroen Berlingo and their sister vehicles Peugeot Rifter, Vauxhall Combo Life are similar, and are often used as motability vehicles because of space and ease of access. They also have sliding middle doors which are great in tight car parks for getting out walking sticks, putting in shopping. Definitely not 'flashy' vehicles but very practical.

For something a bit flashier, some of the 'Cross' vehicles are a bit higher, but generally not as high as the SUVs, so might be suitable.

If you are needing to change vehicle maybe a visit to one of the big car supermarkets to try out a whole range of vehicles for ease of access (and not be bothered by pushy salespersons), to narrow down a range of potentials, and go from there. I did that, with no intention of buying from them, but saw a big range of vehicles in just an afternoon, and it was so easy to compare and narrow down my options. I then test drove elsewhere!