Measuring a wheelchair correctly: seat width, doors and car

A wheelchair has to fit two things: the body of the person sitting in it and the home it moves through every day. You can take the key measurements for an initial choice with a tape measure. This guide takes you through the measuring in four steps and uses manufacturer data to show how wide a wheelchair actually becomes at each seat width.

What helps with measuring

• a tape measure or a folding rule,

• a second person to read and note the values,

• a firm seat without armrests or, if available, the current wheelchair,

• the clothes usually worn in everyday life.

In its guide to fitting manual wheelchairs, the manufacturer Sunrise Medical recommends carrying out the fitting in the wheelchair itself wherever possible.

Step 1: determine the seat width

Seat width is an important measurement for the fit, and it affects how wide the whole wheelchair becomes.

1. The person sits upright on a firm seat.

2. Measure the widest point across the pelvis and thighs. As an aid, you can hold a book upright against the body on the left and right and measure the distance between the books.

3. Add 2 to 4 cm as a guide, which is about 1 to 2 cm on each side. On each side there should be room for a hand held upright between the pelvis and the side panel, with the thighs resting against the side panel.

4. If two seat widths come into question, check the fit and compare the overall widths of the specific versions.

Wheelchair seat width: a guide table

The table is for preselection. Whether a seat width fits only becomes clear in the wheelchair. The Ecotec 2G, the Litec 2G and the Litec 2G Plus come in 38, 42, 46 and 50 cm, the Rotec and the Freetec in 38, 41, 43, 45, 48, 50, 52 and 54 cm, and the Multitec in 39, 44 and 49 cm.

Seat depth and lower leg length

Two further measurements determine seating comfort. For the seat depth, measure while sitting upright from the front edge of the backrest to the back of the knee and subtract 3 to 6 cm, roughly two to three finger widths. Then check that the front edge of the seat does not touch the back of the knee. For the lower leg length, measure with the knee bent at a right angle from the back of the knee to the sole of the foot, with shoes on. According to the Sunrise Medical guide, the footplate should then be at least 3 cm above the floor.

On the Litec 2G Plus, the Freetec and the Multitec the seat depth can be adjusted. The values are listed on the respective product page.

Step 2: how wide is a wheelchair?

Seat width is not the width of the wheelchair. The frame, drive wheels and push rims are added on the left and right. The sketch at the top shows the three measurements that matter: A is the seat width, B the overall width of the wheelchair and C the usable width of the door.

The manufacturer data for the drive wheelchairs at saneq shows how big the difference is: without a drum brake, the wheelchair is 18 to 21 cm wider than its seat width. With a drum brake, the difference is 20 to 23.5 cm for the Ecotec 2G, Rotec, Litec 2G, Litec 2G Plus and Freetec.

Values for the Ecotec 2G, Rotec, Litec 2G, Litec 2G Plus and Freetec models according to the manufacturer drive. The Multitec multifunction wheelchair is built differently: with seat widths of 39, 44 and 49 cm it measures 60, 65 and 70 cm without and 65, 70 and 75 cm with a drum brake.

A drum brake makes the wheelchair wider and heavier

With a drum brake, an attendant slows the wheelchair down using levers on the push handles, for example on a downhill slope or when stopping. This costs space and weight: on the Ecotec 2G, Rotec, Litec 2G, Litec 2G Plus and Freetec the wheelchair becomes 2 to 2.5 cm wider, on the Multitec 5 cm. It also gets 1 to 2 kg heavier.

A drum brake is useful above all when the wheelchair is pushed regularly, for example on sloping paths. Anyone who mostly propels themselves usually does not need one.

Step 3: check doors and narrow passages

Now compare the overall width with your home. Measure every door with the door leaf fully open at its narrowest point, that is between the door leaf and the opposite door frame. This is the usable width C. Think of every route the wheelchair takes in everyday life:

• the front door of the building and the flat,

• bathroom and toilet,

• lift, balcony and terrace door,

• corridors with corners where the wheelchair has to turn.

For guidance: the Swiss standard SIA 500 for barrier-free buildings specifies a usable width of at least 80 cm for doors in residential buildings. Existing doors may be narrower. So measure on site and also check the space needed to turn and to open the door.

Step 4: weight and space in the car

If you often lift the wheelchair into the car, its weight matters. There are more than 9 kg between the lightest and the heaviest folding wheelchair in the range.

The weight depends on seat width and drum brake. On all six models the large rear wheels can be removed without tools. You then load the frame and wheels separately and lift less weight at a time.

How to check the boot

When folded, the folding wheelchairs are around 28 to 32 cm wide. This folded width alone is not enough to check the boot, though. Measure the opening in width and height as well as the usable interior space, and compare them with the width, height and length of the wheelchair as transported, that is folded or without wheels. If these dimensions are not on the product page, we will be happy to provide them.

The wheelchairs at a glance

Wheelchairs

driveLightweight Wheelchair Litec 2G

38 cm, without drum brake

CHF 429.00

Wheelchairs

driveLightweight Wheelchair Litec 2G Plus

without drum brake, 38 cm

CHF 499.00

Wheelchairs

driveLightweight Wheelchair Freetec

without drum brake, 38 cm

CHF 559.00

Wheelchairs

driveStandard Wheelchair Ecotec 2G

with drum brake, 46 cm

CHF 329.00

Wheelchairs

driveStandard Wheelchair Rotec

without drum brake, 38 cm

CHF 369.00

Wheelchairs

driveMultifunction Wheelchair Multitec

without drum brake, 39 cm

CHF 1399.00

Your measurements at a glance

Who pays? Information on cost coverage by the Invalidity Insurance (IV), the OASI and other bodies can be found on our Wheelchairs page in the section “Who pays for a wheelchair in Switzerland?”.

Frequently asked questions about wheelchair width

Still unsure? Our team is happy to advise you by phone on +41 56 511 60 99, Monday to Friday between 8 am and 5 pm.

Sources: dimensions and weights from the manufacturer data of drive, checked in September 2026. Measuring rules based on the Sunrise Medical guide “Kleiner Leitfaden zur individuellen Anpassung eines manuellen Rollstuhls” (in German). Door width according to the SIA 500 standard, as cited by hindernisfreie-architektur.ch.