TRULY BESPOKE WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE LEISURE VEHICLES
WHAT IS A WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE VEHICLE?
A wheelchair accessible vehicle, or WAV, is a vehicle adapted so a wheelchair user can travel in it safely, either seated in their own chair or transferred to a vehicle seat. A bespoke WAV goes further: it's designed around one person's chair, transfer method and care needs, rather than fitted with a standard adaptation.
WHEN A STANDARD WAV ISN'T ENOUGH
Most accessible vehicles solve one problem: getting a wheelchair inside. If that's all you need, plenty of good options exist and you don't need us.
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But for a lot of people, that's where the problems start rather than end. Some of this may sound familiar.
There's nowhere to change or wash. So journeys get planned around facilities rather than destinations, and a day out becomes a calculation.
You can't shift position. Four hours in one posture is uncomfortable at best and genuinely damaging at worst. A fixed seat gives you no way to relieve pressure without stopping and getting out.
The seating can't be reconfigured. The chair goes where the converter put it. If you want to sit next to your partner, or face your children, or travel up front, that isn't an option.
There's no room for everyone. Wheelchair user, carer, and family rarely fit in one vehicle, so you travel separately or you don't all go.
The adaptation was chosen because it was cheapest to fit. Not because it suited your chair, your transfer or your reach. It works, technically. It just doesn't work for you.
If two or three of those landed, that's the conversation worth having. Tell us what's not working.
PERSONAL CARE, ON BOARD
This is what separates a WAIV. from an adapted van. Not the ramp. What happens once you're inside.
WET ROOM
A full washroom in the vehicle: roll-in, no threshold, grab rails positioned for how you actually transfer, and a toilet at your transfer height. It means a journey isn't limited by where the accessible facilities are.
CEILING TRACK HOIST
Transfers between chair, seat and washroom without anyone lifting you. We map the track to the transfers you make, not to a standard layout.
CHANGING AND SHOWER TABLE
Somewhere to change and wash properly, in private, wherever you've stopped. For families managing personal care on the road, this is usually the thing that changes what's possible.
SIX-WAY SEAT
Height, position and rotation all adjust. It makes getting in easier, and it makes postural relief something you can do during a journey rather than after it.
WHEELCHAIR RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
EWVTA-certified tie-downs and occupant restraints, fitted as standard on every build. It's what makes travelling in your own chair safe and legal, and it protects the vehicle's value when you come to sell. Worth asking any builder about directly, because it isn't universal.
GETTING IN AND OUT
Your options explained
There's more than one way into a vehicle, and the right one depends on your chair, your strength, who's travelling with you and how independent you want to be. Here's how they compare.
The question most buyers don't ask. Does the lift platform actually fit your chair? Not "a standard wheelchair" - yours, at its widest point, with footrests and armrests, at its real weight. Powerchairs vary far more than most people expect, and a platform sized for a manual chair may not safely take a large powered one. We specify every lift to the actual chair. It sounds obvious. It isn't always how it's done.
THE WAIV. EVERYDAY VEHICLE RANGE
Three starting points, all built on a VW Transporter, all automatic. None is a fixed specification - they're where the conversation begins.
WAIV. EBS
Automatic · cassette lift · 3–4 seatbelts · kitchenette · pop-top The most flexible of the three for people who want day-trip capability as well as everyday access. From: £79,456.
WAIV. FPS
Automatic · cassette lift · washroom with WC and sink · pop-top Adds on-board facilities, which is what turns a long day out from a calculation into a plan. From: £79,234.
WAIV. WRS
Automatic · cassette lift · kitchen · washroom with WC and sink The fullest everyday specification. From: £79,986.
We build our day vehicles on the larger base VW Crafter or Mercedes Sprinter vehicles.
If none of these is quite right, that's a normal conversation. Tell us what you need.
TRAVELLING AS A FAMILY, NOT AS A PASSENGER
Most accessible vehicles are designed around one person. In practice they carry a household.
Motability's own figures put it plainly: 20% of its customers don't drive, and 43% rely on someone else to drive for them. So the vehicle is rarely just the wheelchair user's vehicle. It's the family's.
That changes the design. Where the chair sits, how many belted seats there are, who can reach whom, whether a carer can get to you mid-journey, whether the children are in the back or beside you. We ask about all of it before we draw anything, because retro-fitting a seat is easy and moving a tie-down point is not.
Our builds carry 3–4 belted seats depending on model. If you need more, say so early and we'll design around it.
HOW A BESPOKE WAV COMPARES WITH THE MOTABILITY ROUTE
For a lot of people the Motability Scheme is the right answer, and if it works for you it's hard to beat: all-inclusive, insured, serviced, no capital outlay. This isn't an argument against it. It's the honest comparison, so you can tell which side of the line you're on.
The mileage change is the one most people haven't registered. 10,000 miles a year is 27 miles a day, and holidays don't count towards the exemptions. If your vehicle exists to take you further than the shops, that's worth doing the sums on before you commit either way.
AUTOMATIC AS STANDARD, AND OTHER PRACTICAL THINGS
Automatic transmission on every WAIV. everyday vehicle. Worth stating because it's a common search and a common requirement, and because an automatic gearbox on its own isn't a qualifying adaptation for VAT purposes - a point that catches people out.
Servicing and repairs at our own centre in Nuneaton, including the adaptations, not just the van. Lifts and hoists need periodic inspection, and it's easier when the people who built it are the people who maintain it.
Insurance is a specialist question rather than a hard one, and we can point you in the right direction.
Vehicle tax may be reduced or exempt depending on your benefits.
WHAT A BESPOKE WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE VEHICLE COSTS
A bespoke build costs more up front than a Scheme advance payment. That's the honest starting point, and it's the right question to ask.
From £79,950. What moves it is the base vehicle, the access method, and how much personal-care equipment goes on board - a wet room and a ceiling hoist cost more than a ramp, and they're also the reason people come to us.
VAT relief. Where a vehicle qualifies, the relief can apply to the whole vehicle rather than only the adaptations, which makes a material difference to the figure.
It depends on your circumstances: broadly you need to normally use a wheelchair, the vehicle needs to be for your own personal use rather than business use, it must be substantially and permanently adapted for you, and the rules allow one qualifying vehicle every three years.
There's a declaration to complete at purchase. We'll go through where you stand before you commit to anything.
Grants. The Motability Foundation - a separate charity from the Motability Scheme, which people often assume are the same organisation - offers means-tested grants. Eligibility depends on your circumstances.
Finance is available and we can walk you through the options.
One practical point on VAT. We supply the finished, converted vehicle as a single purchase. If you buy a van yourself and take it to a converter, the VAT position changes and not in your favour. Worth knowing before you start looking at vans.
HOW WE BUILD YOURS
From first conversation to keys
Step 1 - We listen. How you transfer. What chair you use. Who travels with you. What you've tried that didn't work. No specification yet.
Step 2 - We design it round you. Access, seating, hoist track, washroom, reach. You see the floor plan with your own chair's dimensions on it, and we change it until it's right.
Step 3 - We build it. Hand-built in Nuneaton, EWVTA certified, and we're here afterwards - our own service centre looks after the vehicle and the adaptations. Vehicle manufacturers occasionally bring us accessibility problems their own teams can't solve, which is the clearest measure of the expertise we have.
Lead time: Six to twelve months is the normal lead time, but it can be as soon as four to six months depending on the base model you choose.
QUESTIONS WE GET ASKED
What is a wheelchair accessible vehicle?
A vehicle adapted so a wheelchair user can travel safely, either seated in their own chair with certified restraints, or transferred to a vehicle seat with the chair stowed and secured.
What's the difference between a WAV and an adapted car?
An adapted car changes the controls so a disabled driver can drive it. A WAV changes the structure so a wheelchair can get in and travel. Plenty of people need both.
Is it automatic?
Yes, every WAIV. everyday vehicle is automatic.
Can you get a WAV with a toilet and washroom?
Yes. The FPS and WRS include a WC and sink, and full wet rooms are part of what we build.
Can I drive from my wheelchair?
Yes, absolutely.
Do I pay VAT on a wheelchair accessible vehicle?
It depends on your circumstances. Where a vehicle qualifies, the relief can cover the whole vehicle rather than just the adaptations. We'll go through the conditions with you rather than leave you to work it out.
Can I get a WAIV. through the Motability Scheme?
Coachbuilt is not on Motability, nor affiliated or approved by the scheme.
Can you convert a van I already own?
We can discuss it, though we'd usually advise against it. Building from the base vehicle up lets us design the floor plan, tie-down points and doorways together, and it keeps your VAT position simpler.
How long does a bespoke build take?
It takes us between six and eight weeks to build a bespoke vehicle, subject to design and parts availability.
Do you sell used accessible vehicles?
Sometimes. See our pre-owned WAIV vehicles [link to used page] for what's currently available.
LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR BUILD
Tell us how you travel now and what you'd do differently if the vehicle stopped getting in the way. We'll tell you what's possible, what it would involve, and what it would cost. If a WAIV. isn't the right answer for you, we'll say so.
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Or call us directly:
024 7634 1196
Coachbuilt GB, Kelsey Close, Nuneaton CV11 6RS.
We build for customers across the UK.