Best stairlift brands

A stairlift is a big investment, so it's vital you choose a reliable and safe product from a top-rated company. 

We surveyed 663 people who had bought a stairlift for themselves or someone else in the past 10 years, three quarters of whom got their stairlift in the past five years. 

We included customers who had bought their stairlift privately from companies such as Acorn, Age Co, Handicare and Stannah, plus smaller brands such as TK Home Solutions/Access BDD and those who got one from the council. 

We know you can get very different customer service depending on where to buy your stairlift, so we've also rated the best and worst places to buy, including independent mobility shops and authorised dealers as well as the big brands.

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Best and worst stairlift brands

Based on what their customers told us, we've created unique customer scores for each of the major brands, as well as average prices and star ratings for value for money, quality, reliability and more.

This year two brands impressed us enough to become Which? Recommended Providers, wowing customers with top-notch service and excelling in our behind-the-scenes assessment of their practices as well. 

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Where to buy your stairlift 

There are two parts to the buying process – which brand you buy and who you buy it from are both equally as important.  

The brand and the retailer you buy it from can be one and the same, such as when you buy a Stannah stairlift direct from Stannah, but they can also be split. For example, you could buy a Handicare stairlift through Handicare’s selling arm Companion, Age Co (Age UK) or through a company such as Dolphin.

What you get, including the warranty and after-care service, differs depending on who you buy from, so it's worth being sure about who your contract is with.

We've also heard reports of some unscrupulous dealers selling stairlifts that they claim are a well-known brand, but turn out to be a completely different brand and an inferior product. Always double-check the company and that an authorised dealer is really authorised to sell by the manufacturer. 

• Acorn sells directly and through authorised dealers. Brooks is the name that dealers use but the stairlifts are still Acorn ones.
• Dolphin Lifts sells a range of brands, including Handicare, Brooks, Flow, Handicare, Stannah and TKE (Thyssen). Its branches function as separate businesses, though, and they may have different terms and conditions to each other – for example, different buy-back policies or prices.
• Stannah sells its own stairlifts under the Stannah brand and through a small number of authorised dealers. There may also be independent retailers who are partners; they get referrals that they pass on to Stannah. Your contract in this case is with Stannah.
• Handicare sells through its sister company/provider arm, Companion, but also is the brand sold by Age Co (Age UK). Age Co and Companion have slightly different terms and conditions. An example would be with its warranties, where Companion offers 12 months and Age Co offers two years. Handicare now owns the companies Freelift and Minivator as well.
• TKE sells directly through TK Home Solutions or through a number of authorised dealers under the Access BDD brand.

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Best places to buy a stairlift 

We know that where you buy your stairlift and the aftercare you receive is just as important as the brand of stairlift you get. So we surveyed 552 people about the company they bought their stairlift from. 

To get a customer score for each company, we asked them how satisfied they were and whether they would recommend the retailer. We also asked them to rate key aspects of their experience such as whether they had experienced pressure-selling and the transparency of the price.

If you're a Which? member, log in now to find out which retailer topped the table. If you're not yet a member, you can get instant access by joining Which?.

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Stairlift brands compared

A quick Google search will bring up the big brands, but as you read our reviews, consider trade-offs and your preferences, including: 

Would I be prepared to pay a bit more to a company that's rated highest for its sales practice (with the least pressure-selling)? 

Am I up for some haggling, or do I value a fixed price? Am I factoring after-care costs such as call-out charges into the price, as these can differ considerably from company to company? And am I expecting the company to buy the stairlift back when it's no longer needed (some don't)?

Acorn stairlifts review

By logging in or joining Which?, you can access the Which? scores and ratings in the tables above, as well as all the following information on this page, including:

• How much Acorn stairlifts typically cost, including the average and the range of prices its customers paid
• Ongoing costs and maintenance for Acorn stairlifts, such as servicing prices, repair costs and servicing contracts
• Stairlift warranty information and aftercare packages
• Whether it's worth haggling over the quoted price of a Acorn stairlift
• Whether you're likely to get pressure-selling from companies selling Acorn.

To find out more about its stairlift prices and availability, visit the Acorn stairlifts website.

Handicare stairlifts review

By logging in or joining Which?, you can access the Which? scores and ratings in the tables above, as well as all the following information on this page, including:

• How much Handicare stairlifts typically cost, including the average and the range of prices its customers paid
• Ongoing costs and maintenance for Handicare stairlifts, such as servicing prices, repair costs and servicing contracts
• Stairlift warranty information and aftercare packages
• Whether it's worth haggling over the quoted price of a Handicare stairlift
• Whether you're likely to get pressure-selling from companies selling Handicare, including Companion and Age Co (Age UK).

To find out more about its stairlift prices and availability, visit the Handicare stairlifts website. 

Stannah stairlifts review

By logging in or joining Which?, you can access the Which? scores and ratings in the tables above, as well as all the following information on this page, including:

• How much Stannah stairlifts typically cost, including the average and the range of prices its customers paid
• Ongoing costs and maintenance for Stannah stairlifts, such as servicing prices, repair costs and servicing contracts
• Stairlift warranty information and aftercare packages
• Whether it's worth haggling over the quoted price of a Stannah stairlift
• Whether you're likely to get pressure-selling from Stannah.

To find out more about its stairlift prices and availability, visit the Stannah stairlifts website. 

TKE/TK Home Solutions/Access BDD stairlifts review

By logging in or joining Which?, you can access the Which? scores and ratings in the tables above, as well as all the following information on this page, including:

• Whether you should consider buying the TKE brand of stairlift
• Ongoing costs and maintenance for TKE stairlifts, such as servicing prices, repair costs and servicing contracts.

To find out more about TK Home Solutions/Access BDD stairlift products and availability, visit the TK Home Solutions website.

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Smaller stairlift brands 

While you may have heard of Stannah and the bigger stairlift brands, companies such as Bespoke Stairlifts and MediTek aren't household names.

Although we didn't have enough survey respondents to rate these brands, they may be worth considering.

Bespoke stairlifts

Bespoke is a small Yorkshire-based firm, but with a worldwide presence. It sells its stairlifts direct to customers or through a network of dealers, with prices starting from around £2,500.

Bruno Stairlifts

Bruno is a US-based family-run brand with a UK presence and a network of authorised dealers across the UK and Ireland.

MediTek stairlifts

Although MediTek cased trading in early 2018, you’ll still see its stairlifts for sale, mainly as reconditioned or second-hand models or for short-term use, and some dealers do still stock parts.

Otolift Stairlifts

Otolift is a Netherlands-based family-run company with a UK base and network of authorised dealers that has been supplying stairlifts in the UK for more than 10 years.

Platinum stairlifts 

Another brand that customers rated, although not in large enough numbers for us to report on it this time, is Platinum. This Yorkshire-based manufacturer sells UK-wide and internationally through a network of authorised dealers. 

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