Riser chair questions, answered honestly

The most important measurements are seated hip width, thigh length, and your height and weight. When you sit in the chair, your feet should rest flat on the floor with your knees at roughly 90 degrees. The seat depth should support your full thigh without pressing behind the knee. Get this wrong and the chair is uncomfortable regardless of how good the motor is.

Most manufacturers offer small through to extra-large, and many will build to measure. The safest approach is an in-home assessment before you order — the adviser measures you in your actual environment, not a showroom with different flooring and lighting. It is free with most of the companies on our panel.

Yes, and you should. Several manufacturers on our panel have showrooms across the UK. A home demonstration is usually the better option though — the adviser comes to you, takes your measurements in your actual chair, and checks things like whether the chair will fit the space and whether the handset cable reaches the socket. Things that are easy to miss in a showroom and obvious once you are home.

If a home demo matters to you, say so when manufacturers contact you after your enquiry.

Stock models are usually 2-4 weeks. Made-to-measure is 6-12 weeks from order. Delivery from a reputable manufacturer includes bringing the chair into the room you want it in, assembling it, and showing you how to use it — not leaving a box at the front door.

Always confirm the lead time before ordering if the chair is needed soon. Some manufacturers can prioritise urgent orders; it is worth asking.

A decent warranty covers the motor and mechanism for at least 2 years, the frame for 5 years, and the fabric for 1-2 years. Some manufacturers offer 3-5 years on the motor, which is worth having.

Before you commit, find out what the warranty covers in practice: does it include call-out and labour, or just parts? How quickly do they come out? A 5-year warranty that takes three weeks to honour is not the same as a 2-year one with a 48-hour response. Ask the question.

It depends on the manufacturer and how the chair was ordered. Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations, goods ordered online or over the phone can usually be returned within 14 days. Made-to-measure chairs are often exempt because they are bespoke. In a showroom sale you have fewer statutory rights.

Read the terms before you sign, and ask the manufacturer directly what their returns policy covers. The practical way to reduce this risk is an in-home assessment before ordering — if the chair is properly sized and demonstrated first, returns are rare.

Not routinely. An occupational therapist can assess whether one is clinically necessary, and some local authorities will fund equipment through adult social care — but it is not common and eligibility varies by area. Most people buy privately.

If you think you might qualify for funding, your GP can refer you for an OT assessment. Our comparison service only covers private purchases.

A standard recliner tips the back down and the footrest up — you end up reclined, but standing requires pushing yourself forward and getting up under your own strength. A riser recliner does everything a normal recliner does, but also has a lift mechanism that tilts the whole chair forward to help you to your feet.

That rising action is the point. It removes most of the physical effort from standing, which matters a great deal if getting up from low seats is difficult or painful.

A single motor chair moves the back and footrest together as one action. Recline the back and the footrest comes up with it. Simple, reliable, and cheaper.

A dual motor chair has separate motors for each, so you can raise your legs while sitting upright, or recline fully without the footrest moving at all. That independence matters if you need to elevate your legs for circulation but still want to use your hands, or if you spend long stretches in the chair. For most people with specific health needs, dual motor is worth the extra cost.

Standard recliners move the back and footrest while the seat stays fixed. Tilt-in-space moves the whole seating unit as one piece, so your body's position relative to the chair stays constant as it tilts. This keeps pressure evenly distributed across the back and hips rather than creating shear force as the back moves away from you.

It is mainly recommended for people with significant postural problems, high pressure sore risk, or spinal conditions — usually following an OT assessment rather than as a first purchase off the shelf.

Start with the basics: motor type, rising speed, battery backup, and handset design. Battery backup is often overlooked — if the power goes out while fully reclined, you need to return the chair to upright without mains electricity. A simple rocker switch is much easier than a multi-button controller if dexterity is a problem.

After that it depends on the person. Heat and massage are useful for circulation. Independent lumbar and headrest adjustment matters if someone spends hours at a stretch in the chair. Tilt-in-space is a specialist requirement — an OT will usually flag it if it applies.

It can help, depending on the cause. Being able to change position regularly is genuinely useful for most back pain — staying fixed in one position for hours tends to make things worse. Adjustable lumbar support, heat, and the ability to recline to different angles are the features people most often find helpful.

That said, a chair is not a treatment. If the pain is related to a specific diagnosis, speak to a physio or OT before buying, just to make sure you are getting the right thing rather than just the most expensive thing.

Yes — they plug into a standard 13-amp socket. The cable is usually 1.5-2 metres long.

A good chair also has a rechargeable battery backup. This matters more than people realise. If the power goes out while fully reclined, you need to return the chair to upright without mains power. Check whether battery backup is included as standard or costs extra, and how long the charge lasts between uses.

For most people, a well-fitted stock chair is fine. Made-to-measure is worth considering when you fall outside standard sizing — very tall, heavier, or with postural needs that off-the-shelf models cannot accommodate.

The other case is fabric. Bespoke gives access to a much wider range of materials and colours, which matters if the chair needs to fit the room. Expect to wait 6-12 weeks and pay a premium. Whether that is worth it depends on the situation.

Anywhere from around £500 for a basic stock model to over £3,000 for a made-to-measure chair with dual motor, heat, massage, and therapeutic support. Most people end up spending between £900 and £1,800 — that range covers a solid mid-market chair from an established manufacturer.

What moves the price up is motor type, fabric, size, and extras. Getting quotes from several vetted suppliers makes it easier to judge whether a price is reasonable for what you are actually getting.

Yes. Riser recliners are zero-rated for VAT under HMRC Notice 701/7 when bought by someone with a qualifying disability or long-term illness. That is a 20% saving on the chair price — worth claiming.

You do not need a GP letter or formal documentation. You sign a declaration at the point of purchase confirming you meet the criteria. Any reputable manufacturer handles this as standard. If you are buying for a family member who qualifies, they or their carer can sign instead.

With the manufacturers we work with, delivery and installation are included in the price. Things to watch for elsewhere: separate charges for stair delivery or awkward access, battery backup sold as optional when it should be standard, fabric protection treatments pushed hard at the point of sale, and warranty upgrades that feel pressured rather than optional.

Ask for a fully itemised quote before agreeing to anything. If you feel pressured during the sales process, tell us — it affects how we assess that manufacturer.

Most manufacturers offer finance, including 0% over 12-24 months for qualifying customers. It goes through a third-party lender and requires a credit check. Some also offer hire or rent-to-own schemes, though these usually cost more in total.

If finance matters to you, mention it when manufacturers get in touch after your enquiry. They can explain what is available and you can compare before committing.

You fill in a short form — it takes under 2 minutes. You tell us your upholstery preference, motor type, and postcode. We match that against our panel of vetted UK manufacturers and pass your details to the ones most likely to cover your area and meet your requirements. They contact you directly, usually within a few hours.

You are not committed to anything. We earn a referral fee from manufacturers only when a sale completes — so our panel has a reason to look after you properly rather than just take your details.

We earn a referral fee if you buy from one of our panel manufacturers. We think you should know that up front.

What we can tell you is that manufacturers cannot pay to appear more prominently in our matching results. The matching is based on your postcode, your preferences, and our assessment of which suppliers are the right fit. A manufacturer who pays us nothing gets matched if they are right for you. One who pays us gets removed if customers consistently report bad experiences.

We think so — but we would say that, so here is what we actually check. Before a manufacturer joins our panel: minimum 5 years UK trading, a credit and financial health check, a review of their customer recommendation rate, and a sales practice audit. After they join, we monitor feedback from customers who came through us.

If complaints come in and the manufacturer does not address them, they leave the panel. We only recommend companies we would put forward to our own family.

Yes. Call 0808 304 9012 and we will talk through what you need. Some people prefer that to filling in a form — particularly if the chair is for a family member with specific health needs where the details are harder to capture in a questionnaire. We will give you a straight steer on which manufacturers we think are the most likely fit.

Tell us. Email info@riser-chairs-comparison.co.uk or call 0808 304 9012. We take feedback seriously because it directly affects whether a manufacturer stays on our panel. If something went wrong in the sales process, we want to know about it.