How to Measure Your Doorway
Make sure your wheelchair will fit through every door it needs to. Three measurements, thirty seconds, total peace of mind before you order.
A Tape Measure
Pen & Paper
30 Seconds
What to Measure
Measure the narrowest point of the doorway when the door is fully open — that means measuring between the door itself (when open) and the doorframe on the opposite side, not just frame to frame.
Top-down view. Measure from the edge of the open door to the inside of the opposite doorframe — this is your effective width.
Three Steps, Thirty Seconds
Open the Door Fully
Push the door open as far as it will go against the wall. Do not measure with the door closed — door thickness reduces the actual opening by about 4 to 5 cm, and that is exactly the difference between fitting and not fitting.
Measure the Effective Width
Hold the tape measure at the edge of the open door, and pull it across to the inside of the doorframe on the opposite side. This is the actual usable space your wheelchair has to pass through. Write the number down in centimetres or inches.
Compare to the Wheelchair's Folded or Operating Width
Check the Size, Fit & Dimensions section on the product page. Look for either the operating width (when in use) or the folded width (if you might fold it through tight spaces). The doorway needs to be larger than that figure — see the golden rule below.
📐 The Golden Rule: Add 5 cm of Clearance
Your doorway should be at least 5 cm (2 inches) wider than the wheelchair's operating width. So if a wheelchair is listed as 58 cm wide, your doorway needs to measure at least 63 cm.
Why? Because real-world driving is not a straight line — you need a small buffer for the user's hands, slight steering corrections, and the simple fact that pushing through a doorway with no clearance at all is stressful. 5 cm is a comfortable, realistic minimum.
For occasional-use doorways (like a downstairs cloakroom), some experienced users manage with as little as 3 cm — but we recommend 5 cm as the default for any door used daily.
Typical UK Doorway Widths
For reference — these are the widths of common UK doorways. Always measure your own, but this is roughly what to expect:
- External / front doors (modern UK homes) 76–84 cm
- Internal doors (most modern homes) 68–76 cm
- Older Victorian / Edwardian internal doors 66–71 cm
- Bathroom / cloakroom doors (often narrower) 61–69 cm
- Period property doorways (Georgian, listed buildings) May be under 60 cm
Most ComfyGO Mobility folding electric wheelchairs are between 56 and 62 cm wide in operating mode, which means they fit comfortably through standard modern UK internal doors. For older properties or narrower bathroom doors, check the wheelchair's specific Size, Fit & Dimensions on the product page.
⚠ Don't Just Measure the Front Door
Measure every doorway the wheelchair will need to pass through, not just the entrance. People often forget about:
- Bathroom and cloakroom doors
- Doors at the top or bottom of internal hallways
- Conservatory or back-door access
- Lift doors (for flats and apartments)
- Tight turns where two doorways meet at an angle
If even one doorway is too narrow, that room becomes inaccessible. Take your narrowest measurement as the figure to compare against — that is the bottleneck.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if my doorway is exactly the same width as the wheelchair?
That is too tight. You need at least 5 cm of clearance for comfortable everyday use. With zero clearance, the wheelchair will scrape the doorframe (causing damage to both), and the user has no margin for slight steering errors. If the gap is exact, look for a narrower model — or call us for advice.
What if my doorway is too narrow for any wheelchair?
You have a few options. First, look at our narrowest folding electric wheelchairs — some models fold to under 30 cm wide for tight passes. Second, some doorframes can be widened with help from a builder (about £150–£400 per doorway, depending on the wall). Third, you can fit an offset hinge (about £15–£30) which adds 2–3 cm to the effective opening by letting the door swing fully clear of the frame. Call us on 0330 520 0720 and we can talk through which models are likely to fit.
Where do I find the wheelchair's width on your website?
On every product page, scroll to the Size, Fit & Dimensions section. You will see two key figures: operating width (in normal use) and folded width (collapsed for storage or tight passes). Compare your narrowest doorway to the operating width plus 5 cm clearance.
Can the wheelchair go through folded?
Yes — most ComfyGO Mobility folding electric wheelchairs collapse to a much smaller footprint for storage and transport, and you can fold them temporarily to pass through a tight doorway if needed. The user would need to step out (or be helped out), the chair folded, walked through, then unfolded on the other side. Possible, but inconvenient as a daily routine — better to find a model that fits unfolded.
What about turning circles inside rooms?
Doorway width is the most common bottleneck, but it is not the only one. Once inside a room, the wheelchair also needs space to turn — particularly in bathrooms or kitchens with islands. Most of our wheelchairs need a turning circle of about 100–125 cm in diameter for a full 180° turn. If you have a particularly tight room, mention it when you call and we will recommend the most manoeuvrable models.
I'm not sure I'm measuring correctly — can someone help?
Yes, absolutely. Call us on 0330 520 0720 and we will talk you through it on the phone — including over a video call if that helps. Or book a free 30-minute video consultation and we can look at the doorway with you and recommend the right model. There is no charge and no obligation.
Measured Up? Let's Find the Right Fit.
Browse our wheelchairs and check the Size, Fit & Dimensions section on each product page. Or call us with your measurements and we will recommend the models that fit your home.