Stairlifts in the UK: compare companies, prices and help with the cost

What do you need to do?

• Check a company before you sign: nine checks that take ten minutes, then the A to Z of stairlift companies.
• Get a rough price: the stairlift cost calculator or the price guide by type.
• Work out which type fits your stairs: straight, curved, narrow stairs, perch (standing), outdoor or heavy-duty.
• Pay less: grants and funding, VAT relief, reconditioned lifts and rental.
• Already have one: servicing, repair costs, faults you can fix, warranties, removal and selling it on.

Stairlift types at a glance

The shape of your staircase decides the type, and the type decides most of the price. A surveyor should measure before anyone gives you a fixed figure.

Source: the StairliftCosts price tracker, capture of 20 October 2026: 62 published prices for new lifts from 22 UK sellers, with reconditioned prices counted separately (32), each linked to the page it came from. StairliftCosts is owned by the same company as Review Mobility. These are prices sellers advertise, mostly “from” prices, not quotes, and whether VAT and fitting are included varies by seller. Read the tracker and its method.

What a stairlift costs, and why your quote may differ

An advertised price is a starting point. The quote you get after a survey depends on the length of the rail, the number of bends, the seat options you pick, whether the lift is new or reconditioned, and whether you qualify for VAT relief. If you have a long-term illness or disability, you can buy a stairlift and its installation without VAT by signing a declaration. People aged 60 or over who do not qualify for that can pay 5% VAT instead of 20% on the supply and installation, also by signing a declaration.

Use the calculator for a band based on your stairs, and our guide to what a fair quote should include before you compare three. If you are weighing renting against buying, the rental guide shows when buying works out cheaper.

Choosing a company: maker, brand, dealer or installer

The same lift can reach you by different routes, and the route decides who you deal with for years afterwards.

Manufacturer

Designs and builds the lift, for example Stannah in the UK or Otolift in the Netherlands.

Brand that sells direct

Sells, fits and services its own lifts to the public. Acorn and Stannah both do this, as does TK Home Solutions, part of TK Elevator.

Dealer

An independent firm that sells and fits one or more makers’ lifts and sets its own price, warranty and service terms. Platinum lifts are sold only through independent dealers; Otolift sells through its UK office and through dealers.

Independent installer or engineer

Fits, services or repairs lifts it may not have sold. Check which brands it is trained on and whether it can get parts.

Two things change who stands behind your lift. Handicare’s UK company was renamed Savaria Lifts (UK) Ltd in January 2026, and Companion Stairlifts Limited was dissolved on 6 January 2026 (Companies House, read 27 October 2026). If your paperwork names a company, check that company as well as the brand.

• Stairlift brands compared: warranty, sales route, company records and dated public ratings.
• Stairlift companies compared: national and local firms, and when a local installer is the better choice.
• Acorn vs Stannah, side by side.

Warranties, servicing and what happens if a company closes

Warranty length varies by company and by whether the lift is new or reconditioned, and for dealer-sold brands the dealer sets it. Our research found that 148 of the 323 UK companies ever registered with a stairlift or home lift name have been dissolved, and the median lifespan of those dissolved was 2.6 years. A warranty from a firm that no longer exists is worth nothing, so ask who honours it if the seller closes.

Many makers and installers recommend a service once a year. The six-monthly thorough examinations required by LOLER apply to lifting equipment used at work, such as in a care home, and HSE says they do not apply to a stairlift in a private home used by the people who live there.

Read: stairlift warranties, servicing, what 31 UK firms publish about repair charges and the company survival research.

Paying for a stairlift: grants, tax relief and benefits

Grants, tax relief and benefits work differently, and you can be eligible for more than one.

Stairlifts are not normally provided by the NHS; help comes through your council. The Motability Scheme leases cars (including wheelchair accessible vehicles), scooters and powered wheelchairs, not stairlifts. Some charities help where a grant falls short. Read: stairlift grants, the Disabled Facilities Grant, VAT relief, charity funding and stairlifts in rented and council homes.

Before you sign: quotes and your right to cancel

If you agree to buy at home after a sales visit, you normally have 14 days to cancel under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. That right does not apply to goods made to your specifications, and a curved rail built for your staircase can fall into that exception, so ask in writing what happens if you cancel after the rail has been ordered. Never sign on the first visit because a discount expires today.

Read: how to get and compare stairlift quotes, cancelling a contract signed at home and nine things the showroom will not tell you.

Is a stairlift the right answer?

A council occupational therapist can assess you for free and may suggest something else first, such as a second banister, moving a bedroom downstairs, or a through-floor lift. Read stairlift alternatives, home lift or stairlift, stairlifts for arthritis, Parkinson’s and stroke recovery and whether a stairlift will fit your stairs.

Our stairlift research

Original datasets, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a credit and a link.

• Stairlift company survival: 148 of the 323 companies ever registered with a stairlift or home lift name have been dissolved (Companies House).
• Stair fall deaths in England: 1,001 deaths from falls on stairs and steps registered in 2025 (ONS).
• The Disabled Facilities Grant postcode lottery: allocation per person aged 65 and over for 151 councils.
• Stairlift repair costs: what 31 UK firms publish about repair charges.
• The cost of staying put: home adaptations against care home fees.
• Stairlift statistics UK: every figure in one place, with sources.

Last reviewed: 27 October 2026 by the Review Mobility editorial team. Prices: StairliftCosts tracker, 20 October 2026. Grants and VAT: GOV.UK pages on Disabled Facilities Grants, VAT relief for disabled people and VAT on mobility aids, read 27 October 2026. Cancellation: Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulations 28 and 30, legislation.gov.uk. LOLER: HSE LOLER overview, read 27 October 2026. Company records: Companies House, read 27 October 2026. Editorial policy. Spotted something wrong? Email hello@reviewmobility.co.uk.