UK prices · updated 2026
What a stairlift actually costs
A straight stairlift is £2,000 to £4,000 fitted. A curved one is £4,000 to £10,000, and the reason for that gap is not greed — it is that a curved rail is manufactured for one specific staircase. Reconditioned straight lifts start under £1,000.
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Stairlift prices in the UK, 2026
These are typical installed prices across the mainstream makes. Where a company advertises a number far below the bottom of these ranges, it is usually a reconditioned lift, a finance headline, or a price before installation.
| Type | New, fitted | Reconditioned | What drives the price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight | £2,000 – £4,000 | from ~£1,000 | Rail length, make, powered swivel or folding footrest |
| Curved, one 90° turn | £3,800 – £5,500 | from ~£2,150 | The rail is bent to your staircase and cannot be reused |
| Curved, two turns or a half-landing | £4,800 – £10,000 | limited stock | Every extra bend adds manufacturing time and rail |
| Standing / perch (straight) | £2,000 – £4,500 | rare | For people who cannot bend the knee or hip comfortably |
| Outdoor | £2,300 – £5,500 | rare | Weatherproofing adds roughly 30% over the indoor equivalent |
| Portable stair climber | £1,250 – £4,100 | — | No installation, but most need a second person to operate |
Two things those numbers do not include, and both matter more than people expect: servicing at roughly £75 to £200 a year, and the fact that a lift you buy has a resale value at the other end if it is straight — typically £250 to £600. Over a ten-year life those two roughly cancel each other out on a straight lift, and do not on a curved one.
Why curved costs two to three times more
This is the single question people find hardest to get a straight answer to, so here it is.
A straight stairlift runs on a length of standard rail. The manufacturer holds it in stock, cuts it to your staircase, and fits it. If you take it out in six years, someone else can cut it down again and reuse it.
A curved rail is made to the exact geometry of your staircase — every bend, the pitch, the landing. It is measured, manufactured to order, and delivered for one house. Nobody else's stairs are that shape, which means:
- You are paying for a bespoke manufacturing run, not a stock item.
- Lead times are weeks rather than days.
- At the other end it has almost no resale value — the carriage does, the rail does not. Why curved lifts are worth so little →
It also explains why curved stairlifts are rarely available to rent: a rental company cannot take the rail back and put it in the next house.
If your stairs break at a half-landing with room to stand, two straight lifts can come in well under a single curved rail. It means getting off one and onto the other mid-flight, which does not suit everyone — but on price it is often thousands of pounds different, and few salespeople volunteer it.
The money most people leave on the table
VAT relief
If the lift is for someone who is chronically sick or disabled and it is for personal or domestic use, the supply and installation can normally be zero-rated for VAT. That is a fifth off. You declare eligibility on a short form the supplier gives you. Ask for it — it is not always offered.
Disabled Facilities Grant
Councils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland administer the DFG, and Scotland has an equivalent scheme. Means tested, and it usually requires an occupational therapy assessment first. Slow, but it can cover the whole thing.
Reconditioned
A refurbished straight lift from a reputable supplier starts under £1,000 with a warranty — often half the price of new for a lift that is mechanically identical. Reconditioned prices →
Renting instead
If the need is under about three years, renting comes out cheaper. The break-even arithmetic →
Buy-back at the end
Factor in that a straight lift is worth £250 to £600 when it comes out. That is a real part of the lifetime cost and nobody includes it in the quote.
Two straight instead of one curved
On a half-landing, where the user can transfer safely. Frequently thousands cheaper.
Prices by make and type
Deeper detail on the pages below.
Stannah prices
Straight from around £3,000, curved £5,000 to £10,000 — and why Stannah do not publish a price list.
Acorn prices
Straight from around £2,150, modular curved from £3,800. The cheapest of the big three, with the trade-offs that implies.
Curved vs straight
The full comparison, including narrow staircases and what a second turn adds.
Cost with installation
What "fitted" should include, and the extras that turn up on the invoice if you do not ask.
Reconditioned prices
From under £1,000. What to check before buying a refurbished lift.
Portable, standing and outdoor
The non-standard options, including the ones that need no installation at all.
Home lift cost
A through-floor home lift is a different order of expense — £12,000 to £28,000 — and sometimes the right answer anyway.
Questions people ask
How much does a stairlift cost in the UK?
A straight stairlift is typically £2,000 to £4,000 fitted. A curved one is £4,000 to £10,000 depending on how many turns the staircase has. Reconditioned straight lifts start under £1,000 and reconditioned curved from around £2,150. If you or the user is chronically sick or disabled, VAT relief can take a fifth off any of those figures.
Why is a curved stairlift so much more expensive?
The rail is manufactured to the exact geometry of your staircase — the bends, the pitch, the landing. It is a bespoke item made for one house, not a stock length cut to size. That is also why a curved lift has almost no resale value and why curved rentals barely exist.
Do I have to pay VAT on a stairlift?
Usually not, if the lift is for someone who is chronically sick or disabled and is for personal or domestic use. The supply and installation can be zero-rated. You sign a short eligibility declaration that the supplier provides. It is worth asking directly, because it is not always offered up front.
Is the installation included in the price?
From the mainstream suppliers, normally yes — the quoted figure is fitted. Where installation is quoted separately it is commonly £500 to £1,500. The thing to insist on is a single written figure for supply and fit, with anything excluded listed. What "fitted" should include →
How much does a stairlift cost to run and maintain?
Electricity is negligible — it charges from a normal socket and draws roughly what a phone charger does. Servicing is around £75 to £200 a year, and batteries are a consumable replaced every few years. What servicing covers →
Can I get a price without a home survey?
For a straight staircase, yes — a reputable supplier can give a realistic figure from the number of steps and a photo. For a curved staircase, no. The rail has to be measured, and anyone quoting a firm curved price sight unseen is either guessing or leaving themselves room to raise it later.
Get a real figure for your stairs
Tell us whether the stairs are straight or turn a corner and roughly how many steps. We will pass it to a supplier who can give you a proper quote — and if a reconditioned lift or a rental would be better value for your situation, we will say so.
Already have a lift? You may want repairs or a buy-back valuation instead.
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