If you require a wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV), but only need it for occasional use, then buying might not be your best option. Instead, you may prefer to hire a vehicle as and when you need it. In this article, we’ll look at the advantages of renting a WAV in this way as opposed to buying one.

Vehicle rental costs you less

One of the most obvious benefits of hiring a WAV for occasional use, as opposed to buying one, is that it will cost you less money. Of course, in an ideal world, we wouldn’t ever need to think about the cost of our basic transport; but the reality is that owning a WAV isn’t always an affordable option.

By hiring, you’ll be reducing the money you spend on simply getting around and moving from A to B, leaving you with more left over to put towards the things that really matter in your life.

Hiring requires little maintenance

When we picture ourselves driving, one of the things we often don’t think about is the maintenance involved in car ownership. Cars of every kind need regular attention, even when they’re brand new. It’s all the more important to keep this maintenance up with a WAV because neglecting it and breaking down by the side of the road is that much more infuriating when you’ve got your wheelchair to think about too.

With hiring, you don’t need to concern yourself with car maintenance because the rental company takes care of that for you. Hiring a WAV means that you can just get in and drive; you don’t need to think about the MOT, the garage fees, topping up the oil, inspecting the tyres or any of those other little details. It means that you can relax, safe in the knowledge that every hire car will always have a good bill of health and won’t let you down.

Hiring gives you more flexibility

Another nice perk of a WAV to hire is that you get more flexibility in what you drive. The great advantage here is that you can tailor the car that you’re driving to your requirements far more than someone who just owns their car.

A small WAV for local shopping

For instance, if one week you know in advance that you’re only going to need a car to go to the local shops or the supermarket to get the week’s food shopping, then you could choose a nice small WAV. It’ll have enough room for your shopping but also allow you to manoeuvre easily along the narrow lanes of the car park.

A large WAV for holidays and road trips

Another week, you could choose something at the other end of the WAV spectrum. For example, if you know that you’ve got a big trip coming up – such as a holiday with friends or family – and that there’s going to be a long drive involved, then you can choose a large WAV. This way you get all the extra room for passengers and luggage and nobody has to feel cramped up for hours on end travelling along the motorway.

Different makes, models and technology

Essentially, the beauty of rental is that you’re not committed in the long term to any one vehicle. You can even try out different makes and models too – test out a Ford Tourneo for a while and then try a Mercedes-Benz V Class to see which you prefer. Renting a WAV also gives you the opportunity to experiment with all the different technology that the vehicles come equipped with. For instance, you could try out different ramps and lift systems to see which works best for you, and you could sample manual and automatic transmissions to figure out what gives you the most comfortable driving experience.

Concluding thoughts on hiring a WAV

So if you need a WAV occasionally, hiring can be a very good option. It will cost you less than buying a vehicle, it’s hassle-free – meaning you don’t need to think about maintenance – and it gives you flexibility in the car that you drive, allowing you to pick different models for different scenarios.