If you go on the Motability vehicle search page*, the seat height is listed for many cars.

But, two issues. First, as Bromptonaut hints at, it isn't just the height of the seat you need to think about, the distance from sill to seat (imagine looking down the edge of the seat, how far is it to the outer edge of the sill?). Also, the info on the Motability website is only as accurate as the info they recieve.

And i know for a fact it isn't 100% accurate. For example, the seat height listed for the Fiesta as the same as for the Fiesta Active, despite the latter having an extra 20mm or so ride height. I also remember a few years ago noting the listed seat height for the Skoda Fabia estate was different from the hatchback when the two cars are identical as far back as the 'C' pillar.

www.motability.co.uk/products/search/

Edited by badbusdriver on 02/08/2020 at 09:17

I don't think you can deal with access based solely on seat height. We have a Citroen Berlingo; the 2008 on model. It has a good high driving/front passenger seat and similar at rear with additional bonus of sliding doors at rear.

My late Mother latterly used a frame after a fall in which she broke the neck of her femur. She boarded cars by shuffling backwards until her calves touched the cill before lowering her backside onto the seat and swivelling herself round, knees together in fashion ladies of her generation learned to avoid showing their stocking tops. The trouble in the Berlingo was that their was that the seats are some distance from the cill and, combined with the seats having a bolster on the side, she was unable to get sufficient purchase with her backside to complete the operation.

Interesting. When my parents were looking for a Motability car, they settled for a Peugeot Partner Tepee, which they chose because the sills weren't so far from the seat! Surprising as it was a sibling of the Berlingo I believe. My father has mobility problems now, but he finds it perfect as he can just slide onto the seat without going down. So it just proves that the only way to find a car that's right is to shortlist a few and then try them.

The actual height of the door sill can make a difference too. So can the shape of the seat.

Many years ago my M-i-L, recently widowed, decided she wanted a car again, so I found her a Metro. She liked it but found the inner height of the sill an obstacle when getting out - so another parameter to consider.

In those days many cars had relatively low seating positions, perhaps for a racy feel or to make the car more aerodynamic. I think the early Fiat Punto made a point of offering a higher seat and roof, and since then many SUVs, in fact most cars, have done likewise. It's quite noticeable when switching from my 2008 Pug 207 to my 1994 306.

Indeed - when I was looking in early 2017 to replace my gen-1 Mazda3, I looked at the then latest version (the gen-3 car), and couldn't believe how much lower it was compared to mine. Very comfortable seating position and great ergonomics whilst seated, but it was so low that I had to climb out of it as if I was sitting in a beach chair or go-kart seat.

On the other side of the coin, I tested a CX-3 which, despite having the same looking interior as the Mazda 2, was far easier to get in and out of because the ride height was so much higher than both the 2 and 3. The seating position wasn't so good for actual driving as I felt too upright - maybe that just needed getting used to, given I'd never driven an MPV / SUV before.

I think that you will find that this is true of most new cars that as they strive to improve aerodynamics & thereby improve mpg/emissions they get lower. I suspect that increased ease of entry/exit is part of the reason of the increased sales of SUVs (especially to older drivers).

==========================

Yes, back in 2016 I bought the Venga to replace the Rio as I got stuck in the Rio after driving to Leeds in January, didn't stop because of weather and the A!... my fault i know, but it has been crossovers since as YES it is easier to get in/out and visibility is better.

I am surprised that swivel seats are not more common for the increasing numbers of older infirm drivers. 45yrs ago I was briefly working in Newfoundland and remember being taken on a tour of St Johns in a car which had these - apparently then widely available in American cars.

When my own mother 'retired' to a home she was fairly immobile, but the home had a turntable which could be put on a seat to help getting in and out of a car. Not very comfy to sit on though ...