Most dealerships claim that a test drive is enough to understand a vehicle. Take the wheel, check the handling for a few turns, and then make a decision. This might work for a basic sedan, but it can raise concerns when buying a wheelchair-accessible van.
Will the ramp clear your driveway without scraping? How easy is it to get in and out when you are tired or in a rush? Does your chair actually line up with the securement points without needing readjustment?
Clock Mobility addresses these concerns with our Try Before You Buy program, offering rental test drives that let you bring the preferred vehicle home and experience conversions without any sales pressure or ticking clock.
Problems With Short Showroom Test Drives
Standard test drives usually last 15 to 30 minutes, but some dealerships may offer extended options, such as a few hours or up to 24 hours. On paper, that sounds generous. In reality, these quick drives only show you a vehicle at its best, while hiding the real challenges that can lead to regret.
So let’s break down the key problems people run into during short showroom test drives:
Rushed and Restricted Driving Experience
During showroom test drives, you are often guided along a pre-approved route. This means, you rarely get to try the van on steep driveways, awkward curb cuts, tight apartment lots, or those odd angles you know too well in your daily commute.
On top of that, the environment can make some people feel rushed when experimenting with conversions. So instead of slowing down, adjusting the setup, or asking for a second run at a tricky turn, you hurry through it and tell yourself it’s probably fine.
Inadequate Time for Safe Transfers
Transfers are among the most critical parts of using a wheelchair-accessible vehicle, yet they are often the first thing overlooked during a quick test drive. You may only have time to attempt one transfer from your wheelchair to the driver’s seat or passenger seat, let alone enough time for caregivers to explore their options.
No Real Sense of Long-Term Comfort
Comfort is one of the biggest selling points for any van. However, a short drive masks road noise, stiff suspension, harsh vibrations, bumpy acceleration, and seat fatigue that hit hard after 30 minutes in traffic or an hour on uneven roads.
Why a Rental ‘Test Drive’ (Try Before You Buy) Matters
A wheelchair-accessible van is a major investment, costing anywhere between $50,000 to $90,000. If the dealership doesn’t offer extended test drives, consider renting your preferred van for a few days. The following are some of the biggest benefits of rental test drives:
Test Logistics in Your Home Environment
When renting a wheelchair van for a couple of days, you can drive to your own garage and check ramp clearance, measure whether the roof hits the door frame, assess entry points, and feel what happens on your actual driveway slope, not imaginary ones at a dealership.
Drive Your Everyday Routes
During the accessible van rental test, you can drive through school pickup lines, busy grocery store lots, and hospital or clinic parking lots to assess whether the places you frequent clash with the chosen conversion.
More importantly, you get to feel how the van handles your usual route. That means trying it on freeways, narrow neighborhood streets, crowded city traffic, roundabouts, steep hills, and rough patches.
Practice Transfers Without Pressure
A rental test drive gives you time and privacy to practice transfers at your own pace. You can move from your chair to the driver’s seat, passenger seats, or rear seating as many times as needed and in different outfits or footwear that might affect your movement. If something feels off, you can stop, adjust, and try again without a sales clock ticking in your ear.
Caregivers benefit just as much. The rental period allows them to test different stances, grips, and positions for maximum safety.
Confirm Your Wheelchair or Scooter Compatibility
A rental lets you ensure your mobility device fits safely and comfortably. You can line your wheelchair up with the seats and check the securement points, strap angles, ramp width, interior headroom, and grab handles, spotting little misalignments that would have turned into big frustrations over time.
Ensure Family Comfort on Longer Trips
With a rental van, you can take the whole family along to evaluate ride quality. Plan a weekend outing, a trip to church, or a theme park visit.
Then ask the questions that never come up during a showroom visit. Did anyone feel cramped after twenty minutes? Were the armrests digging into your elbows? Did the temperature stay comfortable in the back? Were passengers jostled over bumps or during quick stops?
How a Rental Test Drive Helps You Avoid Costly Mistakes
A wheelchair van rental test drive can also help you avoid costly mistakes, including:
Identifying Conversion Mismatches
Rentals can expose conversion issues that a short test drive would never reveal. Maybe the ramp angle feels too steep for your strength or balance. Maybe the tie-downs technically work, but reaching them causes shoulder cramps every single time.
Once you make a purchase, correcting these issues can mean costly modifications, additional equipment, or even trading the vehicle in at a loss.
Understanding Long-Term Usability
Some features sound great during a quick demo, then fall apart under daily stress. Controls that feel fine at first can become irritating or painful after repeated use. Ride quality that seems smooth on a short drive can lead to fatigue, discomfort, or soreness after long days of errands.
A rental test drive shows you which features actually earn their keep. It helps you avoid paying for options that look good on paper but quietly wear you down over time.
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Reducing Buyer Anxiety
Buying a wheelchair-accessible van can come with a lot of quiet anxiety. Am I choosing the right setup? Will this still work a year from now? What if I regret this? A rental test drive helps answer those questions with experience. When you know everything about your van, you can sign with zero doubts, not fingers crossed.
Inside Clock Mobility’s “Try Before You Buy” Program
With Clock Mobility’s “Try Before You Buy” program, you can live with an accessible van before making any big financial commitments.
Our diverse fleet of wheelchair-accessible rentals features BraunAbility and VMI side-entry and rear-entry models, including the Chevrolet Traverse, Toyota Sienna, and Chrysler Voyager, so you can pick the one closest to your needs.
Unlike other dealerships with a restricted time frame, this program allows you to rent the van for a couple of days or even the whole weekend. During that time, you can test its functionality, adaptive features, and everything in between.
How to Make the Most of Your Rental Test Drive
When you get the keys to a wheelchair-accessible van, it’s easy to get distracted by shiny dashboards and fancy infotainment systems. But we’re not here for a photo op. We’re here to pick the ride of your life, so let’s get started!
Before Rental
- Measure garage height, driveway slope, and any tight spots where you normally park.
- Bring a wheelchair, a scooter, medical equipment, groceries, backpacks, sports gear, or anything you might need on a ride.
- Map your essential routes, including school drop-offs, grocery stores, medical appointments, work commutes, and weekend errands.
- Make a list of your requirements, including modifications and driving assistive features.
During Rental
- Take at least one longer drive. Watch for vibration, seat spacing, ride smoothness, and cabin noise.
- Test transfers multiple times in the morning, afternoon, and evening to see how lighting and energy level affect the process. Include caregivers if they help with transfers. Note what works and what doesn’t.
- Check if back-up cameras, blind-spot alerts, assisted parking, and infotainment systems are intuitive and actually useful during daily driving.
- Simulate different scenarios, such as rush-hour traffic, rainy or wet conditions, hills, and inclines, to learn about limitations.
After the Rental
When the rental period ends, review every moment with your family. What stressed them out and what surprised them in a good way? Now use those notes to decide which conversion and layout actually suit your routine best. If something did not work, this valuable information can guide you to a better option next time.
Find the Right Ride With Clock Mobility
If everything goes well during your rental test drive at Clock Mobility, our expert team will walk you through every step of the purchase process, from financing and insurance coordination to delivery setup. You can even trade in your current vehicle and get a new one with updated accessibility features. For more information, contact (866) 380-3308 or visit one of our four showrooms in Michigan.