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 got a stairlift for themselves or someone else in the past 10 years, three quarters of whom had acquired their stairlift in the past five years. 

We included customers who had bought their stairlift privately from companies such as Stannah, Acorn, Handicare and Age Co, plus smaller brands such as TKE/ TK Home Solutions, 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.

If you're still not sure what type of stairlift you need, see our stairlift buying guide

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.

Only one brand impressed us enough to become a Which? Recommended Provider, wowing its customers with top-notch service and excelling in our behind-the-scenes assessment of its 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, both of which are really important.  

The brand and the retailer you buy it from can be one and the same, like 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 – for example, the warranty and after-care – 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, or that an authorised dealer is really authorised to sell by the manufacturer. For example, Stannah has an 'authorised dealer' button on its website to check this. 

• 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 Minivator and Freelift as well.
• Acorn sells directly and through authorised dealers. It also sells its stairlifts under the name Brooks. 
• Other providers sell a range of different stairlift brands – Dolphin Lifts, for instance, sells brands including TK Home Solutions/TKE, Handicare, Meditek and Stannah. 
• Dolphin Lifts sells a range of brands. 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.

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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 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? today.

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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 Acorn’s stairlift prices and availability, head to 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 Handicare's stairlift prices and availability, head to 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 Stannah's stairlift prices and availability, head to the Stannah stairlifts website. 

TKE 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 TKE stairlift products and availability, head to 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 are not household names.

Although we did not have enough survey respondents to rate these brands, they may be worth considering.

Bespoke stairlifts

Bespoke is a small Yorkshire-based firm in the UK, but with a worldwide presence. It sells its stairlifts direct to customers or through a network of dealers, with prices starting from £2,530.

Bruno Stairlifts

Bruno is a USA-based family 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 stock parts.

Otolift Stairlifts

Otolift is a 10-year-old Netherlands-based family company with a UK base and network of authorised dealers in the UK.

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. 

For information and buying advice see our guide on how to buy the best stairlift.