The freedom, comfort and independence gained by using a mobility scooter are unmatched — and all these benefits and more can be protected by treating your scooter with the utmost care. Regular basic maintenance and nightly battery charges are a great start, but it doesn't end there. Here are a few more tips and tricks to keep your scooter running better for longer.

Battery Hygiene

Just like a laptop or mobile phone battery, mobility scooter batteries of various kinds perform best under specific care conditions. As previously mentioned, charging your battery overnight is a good start — but it could also be reducing overall battery life in the wrong conditions. Ensure that your charger automatically switches off after the battery is fully charged. If it doesn't, you should seriously consider getting one that does; overcharging your battery will reduce its capacity in the long run. On a similar note, remember to regularly check the charge levels of any spare batteries you keep to hand. It's good practice to give them a full charge every one or two months.

Economic Driving

Safety is the most important consideration as you drive your scooter, but you may like to adopt driving habits that will extend the life of your scooter. As a rule, accelerating fast and often and breaking frequently will run your scooter down quicker than maintaining one regular, steady speed. Equally, using your scooter to the point of draining the battery entirely is generally not advised. Ideally, you should be home and ready to charge your battery as soon as it gets low on power. If you can, you should plan your trips to accommodate this.

Sensible Loads

Your scooter is designed to carry your weight comfortably — but this is based on a careful calculation. If you load up the scooter with much more weight than this, you may cause strain to the motor that will negatively impact the long-term health of the scooter. In other words, while friends and family members may enjoy riding with you, it's best not to allow it for too long, and neither should you attempt to transport heavy purchases on your scooter over long distances. It's simply not worth the damage it may do to your vital mobility aid.

Mobility scooters make such a difference in their users' lives, and it can be easy to take them for granted. However, paying attention to the details can ensure that this important piece of equipment is kept in great condition for many, many years of use.