Independent guide. Company facts checked 1 November 2026; prices captured 20 October 2026. Editor: Jacob Whitmore. Stairlift Guru does not sell or fit stairlifts.
Quick answer: comparing stairlifts comes down to three choices: the type your stairs need, whether to buy new, buy reconditioned or rent, and which companies to ask for a quote. A new straight stairlift has a median advertised price of £1,995 and a new curved one £4,597.50 (62 prices from 22 UK sellers, captured 20 October 2026). Renting most often costs £50 a month after an upfront fee. The questionnaire below gives you a starting point in about a minute, and the tables under it compare ten UK companies on what each one publishes.
Find your starting point
Answer seven short questions about the stairs and the person who will use the lift. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or stored.
The questionnaire needs JavaScript. Without it, the table below gives the same answers.
How the questionnaire decides
The questionnaire applies the rules in this table and nothing else. Each figure is explained, with its source, further down the page.
| Your situation | Starting point | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One straight flight, needed long term | A straight stairlift, new or reconditioned | The lowest-cost type: typically £1,500 to £3,500 new and £1,000 to £2,000 reconditioned |
| A turn, a landing or a curve | A curved stairlift, or two straight lifts where a flat landing allows | The rail is made to measure: typically £4,000 to £7,000 or more |
| Needed for less than about 18 months | Rent | At the median published rental (£1,095 for the first year, then £50 a month) renting costs less than buying up to about 18 months; by 24 months a reconditioned lift is cheaper |
| Outdoor steps | An outdoor stairlift | Weatherproofed models start from around £2,000 |
| Sitting or bending the knees is difficult | A standing or perch seat | Near-upright travel; needs standing balance; from around £2,000 |
| Stairs under about 700mm wide | A slim-rail or perch model | The narrowest published minimum stair width in our models table is 610mm |
| User weight above a standard limit | A heavy-duty model | Published limits on standard models run from 120kg to 160kg; heavy-duty lifts start from around £2,500 |
| A wheelchair user who cannot move across to a seat | A platform lift or through-floor lift | A seated stairlift needs the user to transfer onto it |
| You may apply for council help | Check the grant first | A Disabled Facilities Grant can pay for a stairlift; the grant checker shows what applies where you live |
Compare UK stairlift companies
The table sets out what ten UK stairlift companies publish about prices, warranties, reconditioned lifts, rental, breakdown response and reviews. We do not rank one company above another. Where a company publishes nothing on a point, the table says so, and that is worth knowing before you ask for a quote. Every row was checked against the company’s own website and its UK Trustpilot profile on 1 November 2026, except Handicare, which carries its 10 September 2026 check. The full sourcing is on our stairlift companies page.
Show only companies that:
| Company | Type of company | Published price, new | Published warranty | Reconditioned | Rental | Breakdown response | Trustpilot score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acorn | Manufacturer | Not published; priced by home survey | 12 months as standard; extended cover for a further four years available | None found on its site; it runs a resale scheme that helps owners sell a used Acorn lift privately | Yes, on the Acorn 130 and the Acorn 180 (its curved model); price not published | No time published; help desk 365 days a year, with priority attention on its extended warranty | 4.8 / 5 (12,239 reviews) |
| Age UK | Reseller (supplies Handicare models) | Not published for purchase | 2 years, parts and labour, with one free service | Yes, sold alongside new lifts; price not published | Yes, 1100 straight and 4000 curved: from £80 a month, after an upfront payment of around £1,300 (straight) or £3,000 (curved) that covers installation and the first six months | No time published; 24/7 support line | No stairlift-only profile. 4.8 / 5 (732 reviews) for Age Co across all its products |
| Brooks | Built in West Yorkshire; sold via the Acorn dealer network | Not published | Not published; ask for it in writing | No company scheme published | No company scheme published | Not published; ask the dealer who fits it | No Brooks profile found |
| Companion | Reseller (owned by Handicare) | From around £2,000 (their figure) | 12 months, parts and labour | Yes, including curved; price not published | Not offered; its own rental guide says so | No time published; 24-hour helpline | 4.7 / 5 (1,173 reviews) |
| Dolphin | Independent multi-brand reseller | Not published for new lifts | New lifts: length not published. Reconditioned: 2 years, parts and labour | Yes, several brands; straight from around £900 | Yes, straight lifts only, in Surrey, London and the home counties: £700 for the first year, then £50 a month | No time published; warranty service on reconditioned lifts runs in office hours | 3.6 / 5 (63 reviews) on the dolphinlifts.co.uk profile; some local branches have their own profiles |
| Halton | Independent multi-brand supplier | Not published | 24 months on new lifts and 12 on used (servicing page); 12 months on all lifts (warranty page) | Yes, straight and curved | Yes, straight and curved, no minimum term; price not published | No time published; call-outs on rental lifts are covered Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm | 4.8 / 5 (652 reviews) |
| Handicare | Manufacturer (sold via approved installers) | Not published | Manufacturer warranty; length set by your installer | Through Handicare-certified dealers | None found on its site | No time published; dedicated emergency breakdown line | 4.5 / 5 (2,007 reviews) |
| MediTek | Brand now owned by Otolift; sold reconditioned by dealers | Not published; sold via suppliers | Set by the supplying installer | Sold reconditioned by independent dealers | None published by the brand | Set by the supplier | No UK profile found |
| Stannah | Manufacturer | From £3,585 straight, £7,134 curved (their pricing guide) | New lifts: 2 years, with a free service in each year. Reconditioned: 1 year, with one free service | Yes, from £2,831 for a straight Siena, on lifts no more than five years old | Yes, straight or curved; three-month minimum, an upfront payment and then a fixed monthly charge; amounts not published | Typically under 4 hours for an emergency call-out; 24-hour UK emergency support | 4.7 / 5 (7,245 reviews) |
| TK Home Solutions | Manufacturer (formerly Thyssenkrupp; sold via resellers) | From £1,715 straight, £5,972 curved (their pricing page) | 2 years as standard; optional lifetime parts warranty that stays valid only with a yearly TKE maintenance visit | Yes, straight and curved, with a warranty; price not published | Offered; price not published | No time published; 24/7 customer support | 4.6 / 5 (176 reviews) |
Put two or three side by side
Tick up to three companies to see them next to each other.
Compare stairlift types
The type is set by your stairs and by how the user sits or stands, so this is usually the first decision. The cost column gives typical installed ranges, which are estimates. Where enough UK sellers publish a price, the median of those published prices is given as well, from the UK Stairlift Price Index.
| Type | Suits | Typical UK cost (estimate) | Median published price | Fitting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Straight | A single straight flight, no turns | £1,500 to £3,500 | £1,995 | The quickest, 2 to 4 hours |
| Curved | Bends, corners or half-landings | £4,000 to £7,000 or more | £4,597.50 | Made-to-measure rail, weeks of lead time |
| Narrow-stair | Staircases under about 700mm wide | From around £1,600 | Too few published | Slim-rail or perch, survey-led |
| Outdoor | External steps, weatherproofed | From around £2,000 | Too few published | Straight, even steps, survey-led |
| Heavy-duty | Users above the standard weight limit | From around £2,500 | Too few published | Reinforced frame and wider seat |
| Standing or perch | Limited knee bend, or very narrow stairs | From around £2,000 | Too few published | Near-upright, needs standing balance |
Not sure which of these your stairs need? Will a stairlift fit my stairs? covers widths, headroom, doors and landings.
For the makers behind each type, see best straight stairlift brands and best curved stairlift brands. If the stairs are in a narrow terraced house, this guide to terraced house stairs covers the usual sticking points.
New, reconditioned or rental
These figures are for a straight stairlift, where enough prices are published to compare. Medians are from prices UK sellers advertised on 20 October 2026; rental figures are from 12 suppliers checked in September 2026.
| Route | Published cost | Warranty and servicing | Usually suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buy new | Median £1,995; typical range £1,500 to £3,500 | Published standard warranties run from 12 months to 2 years | Long-term use, and anyone who wants the full warranty |
| Buy reconditioned | Median £1,550; typical range £1,000 to £2,000 | Published terms run from 12 months to 2 years; ask for it in writing | Long-term use at a lower price |
| Rent | £40 to £100 a month, most often £50, after an upfront fee of £245 to about £1,300; median first-year total £1,095 | Servicing, repairs and call-outs are included | Recovery after an operation, a short stay, or a need of under about 18 months |
At the median published rental, 12 months costs around £1,095 and 18 months around £1,395, both below the reconditioned median. By 24 months the total reaches around £1,695 and a reconditioned lift is cheaper, and at 30 months renting is level with buying new. The buy, rent or reconditioned calculator runs the sum for any number of months, with servicing, batteries and removal included.
Compare models: stair widths and weight limits
These are the figures each maker publishes for its current models. Where a maker publishes no figure, the table says so, and the surveyor should give you one in writing. Sources for every cell are on the full specifications page.
| Model | Stairs | Minimum stair width | Folded width | Maximum user weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acorn 130 | Straight | 26in, about 660mm (US site) | 310mm | 127kg; heavy-duty 159kg |
| Brooks (Acorn platform) | Straight | Not published | 310mm | 127kg |
| Stannah Siena 600 | Straight | Not published | 344mm | 160kg |
| Handicare 1100 | Straight | Not published | 320mm (to footplate) | 140kg; 130kg above 45 degrees |
| Minivator / Handicare 950 | Straight | 680mm | 285mm | 140kg |
| Acorn 180 | Curved | 27.5in, about 700mm (US site) | 335mm | 120kg |
| Stannah Starla 260 | Curved | 685mm | 405mm | 120kg standard; up to 135kg on a Stannah sheet |
| Handicare Freecurve | Curved | Not published | 419mm to 442mm (North American brochure) | 125kg |
| Access BDD Flow 2 | Curved | 610mm | 340mm | 125kg |
| Access BDD Flow X | Curved | 610mm | Not published | 125kg |
| Otolift Two | Curved | Not published | Not published | 130kg; 165kg option listed by a UK dealer |
| Otolift Modul-Air | Curved | Not published | Not published | 125kg |
Installation, servicing and running costs
The price you are quoted is only part of what a stairlift costs to own. Published prices in the Price Index include standard installation, and fitting a straight lift usually takes 2 to 4 hours on the day; how fast a stairlift can be fitted lists what 18 suppliers publish on lead times. After that, these are the typical UK figures.
| Cost | Typical UK figure (estimate) | Over seven years | More detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual service | £80 to £180 a year | £560 to £1,260 | Service plans and call-out prices by company |
| Battery replacement | £80 to £300 every 3 to 5 years | £120 to £240 | Stairlift batteries |
| Electricity | £5 to £15 a year | £35 to £105 | Running costs worked out |
Warranty terms differ more than prices do. Stairlift warranties compared sets out what ten UK brands cover and what keeps each warranty valid.
Ready to compare real quotes?
A comparison table can narrow the field, and a written quote after a home survey settles it. We can pass your request to UK suppliers.
We don’t sell or fit stairlifts. Quotes are free. We’re only paid if you buy: the supplier we introduced you to pays us a fee. How we are funded. Had a quote already? Check whether it is a fair price.
How this tool works and where the figures come from
Every figure on this page is one of four kinds, and the wording tells you which. A published price is a figure a company prints on its own website, checked on the date given. A median published price is the middle value of the prices UK sellers advertised on the capture date; it measures what is advertised, which can differ from what buyers end up paying. A typical range is our estimate of where most installed prices fall, and is labelled as an estimate. A dealer listing is a price a reseller advertises for a brand that publishes none itself.
We add nothing a source does not say. The tables report only what each company publishes, and where two pages on a company’s own site disagree, the table shows both. Prices are re-checked when the UK Stairlift Price Index is updated, and company facts when the companies table is. If you spot a figure that has changed, tell us and we will check it and correct it. Our editorial policy and disclaimer explain the limits of the guidance here.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way to get a stairlift?
For a straight staircase, a reconditioned stairlift has the lowest median advertised price: £1,550, against £1,995 new, in the 20 October 2026 capture. If the lift is needed for less than about 18 months, renting usually costs less than either. The median first-year rental total is £1,095, then about £50 a month.
Which stairlift company is best?
There is no single best company, and this tool does not rank them. The right one depends on your stairs, your budget and the aftercare you want. Going by what each company publishes, Stannah is the one company here we found publishing an emergency call-out time, TK Home Solutions publishes the lowest new from-price, and Age UK publishes rental prices for straight and curved lifts. Checked 1 November 2026.
Can you rent a curved stairlift?
Yes. Four of the ten companies in our table say they rent curved stairlifts: Acorn (its 180 model), Age UK (the Handicare 4000), Halton and Stannah. Age UK is the one that publishes a price: from £80 a month after an upfront payment of around £3,000 that covers installation and the first six months.
How accurate is the questionnaire?
It gives a starting point, and it shows its reasoning. Every rule it uses is set out in the table under the questionnaire, and every figure comes from a dated source on this site. It cannot see your stairs, so only a home survey can confirm which stairlift fits.
Does Stairlift Guru earn money from this tool?
The tool is free and your answers stay in your browser; they are not sent to us or stored. If you ask for quotes through our form, your details go to UK suppliers, and we are only paid if you buy: the supplier we introduced you to pays us a fee. Suppliers who receive quote requests can include companies listed in the table. The table itself only reports what each company publishes.