If you have an ordinary UK bath and are buying the lift yourself, look at the Drive Medical Bellavita Nova first. It has the deepest seat travel of the reclining lifts we compared (6.5 to 48 cm), carries up to 140 kg (22 stone), and splits into two parts of almost equal weight. Drive’s earlier Bellavita 2G, which still turns up on Amazon, is now marked obsolete on the maker’s own site.
Before you buy anything, though: in England, a bath lift can be lent to you free by the council if an occupational therapist assesses you as needing one. If you have time to wait for that visit, start there. This page is for everyone else too: people still waiting, people who were turned down, and people who want a second lift for a holiday let or a relative’s house.
There are three kinds of bath lift sold to UK homes. Pick your type first, then the model.
| Type | Who it suits | One number that matters | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reclining seat lift (rigid, battery) | Most people with a standard bath who want a chair-like seat that tips back | Seat lowers to 6.5 cm and rises to 48 cm (Drive) | Bellavita Nova, Aquatec Orca |
| Inflatable bathing cushion | Narrow or shallow tubs, travel, larger users | Cushion weighs 2 kg (Mangar) | Mangar Bathing Cushion |
| Folding floor and bath lift | Someone who also wants a lift that works on the floor, or packs flat into a car boot | Folds to 73.5 x 45 x 12.5 cm (SuperHandy) | GoRise LT |
Our pick for most UK baths: Drive Medical Bellavita Nova
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Why it wins. We compared four reclining lifts on the figures their makers publish, and the Nova comes out ahead on the measures that decide whether a lift works in a typical bath:
- Seat range: 6.5 cm at the bottom, 48 cm at the top (about 2.5 to 19 inches). That top figure matters because the seat needs to reach roughly the height of your bath rim for a level slide across. The Orca tops out at 42 cm.
- Load: 140 kg (22 stone).
- Weight: 9.5 kg without accessories, 9.9 kg with them. Drive says the lift splits into two “almost equally weighted” parts, so each half is around 4.75 kg (our estimate, since Drive does not print part weights).
- Recline: the backrest goes from 10 to 50 degrees, the widest recline range in this group.
- Base plate: 61 x 31 cm. Total width: 70 cm.
- Hand control: floats, and holds a replaceable lithium-ion battery.
It is also a current model. Drive lists the older Bellavita 2G as obsolete, and the 2G’s own page gives two different total weights (9.3 kg in the text, 9.7 kg in the table), which is not a good sign for a listing you are about to rely on.
Honest cons.
- The 61 cm base plate is the longest in this group. A bath with a short flat floor, such as a tapered or slipper shape, may not give it a level footing.
- Drive does not publish the weight of each half, so you cannot be sure the heavier part is under any limit a carer has set.
- The seat is 52.5 cm deep and the whole lift is 102 cm long with the backrest up, so in a short bath your feet end up near the taps.
- Drive does not say what happens if the battery runs low mid-bath. Charge it before every use.
Skip it if your bath is shorter or narrower than standard, if whoever sets the lift up needs every part to weigh well under 5 kg, or if you weigh more than 140 kg. Look at the Orca or the Mangar cushion below instead.
Three alternatives, by who they suit
If a carer lifts it in and out every day: Invacare Aquatec Orca
The Orca’s selling point is the weight of its pieces. Invacare’s brochure gives the seat, the heaviest part, as 6.6 kg (about 14.5 lb) and the backrest as 4.2 kg. Total weight is 10.8 kg without the hand control. Because the maker prints every part weight, a carer or OT can check it against what they are comfortable lifting.
- Seat range: 6 to 42 cm (about 2.5 to 16.5 inches).
- Load: 140 kg (22 stone). An Orca XL version takes 170 kg (about 27 stone), with a 7.4 kg seat.
- Base: 58 x 29.5 cm, the narrowest base of the reclining lifts here.
- Width with side flaps: 71.5 cm.
- Recline: up to 40 degrees.
Honest cons. The top seat height of 42 cm is 6 cm lower than the Bellavita’s, so in a deep bath the seat may stop below rim level. The recline stops at 40 degrees. When we checked, Orca listings on Amazon UK came from third-party sellers rather than Invacare, so check who is selling and what support they offer.
Skip it if your bath is deep and you want the seat to rise to rim height, or if you want the full 50 degree recline.
If the bath is narrow, shallow or you travel: Mangar Bathing Cushion
This is a different kind of product. It is an inflatable cushion with a backrest. It lies flat on the bath floor, then a compressor fills it with air and raises you. Mangar’s UK product sheet gives these figures:
- Lifts from flat to a maximum height of 40 cm (about 15.5 inches).
- Load: 150 kg (24 stone, per Mangar).
- Cushion weight: 2 kg.
- Seat: 44 cm deep, 58 cm wide.
- Up to 8 lifts per charge, which Mangar counts as 4 bathing cycles.
- Hand control rated IP67.
At 58 cm wide and flat when deflated, the cushion needs no rigid base plate, so the shape of the bath floor matters less than with the seat lifts above.
Honest cons. The cushion runs from Mangar’s Airflo 12 compressor. Mangar’s UK product sheet lists the compressor as an accessory, while Mangar’s own product page shows it as included, so check the Amazon listing says the compressor is in the box. Mangar does not publish the compressor’s weight. Eight lifts per charge means charging every two baths. There is no recline, and the maximum height of 40 cm is lower than either rigid lift.
Skip it if you want a chair-style seat with a reclining back, or if remembering to charge after every second bath will be a problem.
If you want one lift for the bath and the floor: SuperHandy GoRise LT
SuperHandy sells the GoRise LT as a floor and bath lift. It folds in one piece, which makes it the one to look at for a car boot or a second home.
- Lift range: about 5 to 51 cm (2 to 20 inches).
- Load: 150 kg (330 lb).
- Weight: 8.6 kg (19 lb), in one piece.
- Folded: 73.5 x 45 x 12.5 cm.
- Rated IP68, with a 26 V lithium-ion battery that charges on the device.
Honest cons. SuperHandy is a US brand and its specs are in inches and pounds. We could not find a floor footprint on any maker source, so we cannot put it in the fit table below. Check the plug on the charger is a UK type before you buy. One piece at 8.6 kg means no splitting it into lighter parts. There is no recline listed.
Skip it if the lift will stay in one bathroom for good. A dedicated bath lift with a published base size is easier to fit-check.
Also looked at
- Mangar Archimedes (165 kg, about 26 stone). The pick for heavier users who want a rigid seat. Mangar gives a seat range of 2.75 to 17 inches (about 7 to 43 cm) and a total of 22 lb (10 kg), with the seat section the heaviest part at 11.5 lb (5.2 kg). Mangar says it will only lower you if the battery has enough charge to raise you back out. It lost the main slot on seat height and recline: Mangar does not list a recline. Check price on Amazon (Ad)
- Drive Medical Bellavita 2G. Same 6.5 to 48 cm range and 140 kg as the Nova, with a shorter 56 x 31 cm base, but Drive marks it obsolete and gives two conflicting weights. Buy the Nova instead unless your bath floor is too short for 61 cm.
- Kanjo Eco. A UK dealer page lists 140 kg, a 6.5 to 45.5 cm seat, 10.8 kg in total and a 40 degree recline. We could not find a Kanjo data sheet to confirm those figures or the part weights, so it stays off the shortlist.
Will it fit your bath? Measure these five things
The standard UK bath is 1700 x 700 mm, according to Victoria Plum’s size guide. That is the outside of the bath. The flat floor inside, where a lift’s base plate sits, is much smaller, and that is the figure most buyers never check.
Take a tape measure to the empty bath and write down:
- Flat floor length. From the point where the floor starts curving up at the tap end to the point where it curves up at the back. The base plate needs this much flat floor.
- Flat floor width. Across the narrowest flat part of the floor.
- Inside width at seat height. About 20 cm (8 inches) up from the floor, measure wall to wall. This is roughly where side flaps rest (our estimate; flap height varies by model and by how the seat is set).
- Depth. From the bath floor to the top of the rim. Compare it with each lift’s top seat height.
- Obstacles. Taps or a mixer on the side wall, a grab rail, a shower screen, or a curved panel that juts in.
Then check your numbers against the maker figures below.
| Model | Base plate (L x W) | Width with side flaps | Seat range | Max load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drive Bellavita Nova | 61 x 31 cm (24 x 12.2 in) | 70 cm total width | 6.5 to 48 cm | 140 kg (22 st) |
| Drive Bellavita 2G | 56 x 31 cm (22 x 12.2 in) | 70 cm total width | 6.5 to 48 cm | 140 kg (22 st) |
| Invacare Aquatec Orca | 58 x 29.5 cm (22.8 x 11.6 in) | 71.5 cm | 6 to 42 cm | 140 kg (22 st), XL 170 kg |
| Mangar Bathing Cushion | no rigid base; cushion 44 x 58 cm | 58 cm cushion width | flat to 40 cm | 150 kg (24 st) |
| Mangar Archimedes | not published by Mangar | not published by Mangar | about 7 to 43 cm | 165 kg (about 26 st) |
| SuperHandy GoRise LT | not published | not published | about 5 to 51 cm | 150 kg |
How to read it:
- If your flat floor is shorter than 56 cm, rule out the rigid lifts with published bases and look at the Mangar cushion.
- If your bath is deeper than 42 cm from floor to rim, the Orca’s seat will stop below the rim. The Bellavita reaches 48 cm, and Drive’s 2G page says it is designed for baths up to 48 cm deep.
- If your bath is wider than standard, Drive sells wider side flaps as an accessory for the Bellavita.
- Corner, P-shaped and heavily tapered baths are where fitting goes wrong most often (our estimate). Get an OT or dealer to look at the bath before you order.
If the measurements rule out every lift, a bath board or seat may still work. Our guide on bath boards versus bath seats covers that route.
Free from the council or buy it yourself?
This is the decision the shop pages skip. Here is how it works in England. The rules differ in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and we have not checked those in detail, so ask your local council or, in Northern Ireland, your health and social care trust.
The free route: council equipment after an OT assessment
The NHS says that equipment and small adaptations “will be provided for free if you’re assessed as needing them”, and that the needs assessment itself is free. The NHS home adaptations page names “adding a bath lift” among the changes an assessment can lead to.
The legal basis sits in the Care and Support (Preventing Needs for Care and Support) Regulations 2014. Regulation 3 says a council in England must not charge for community equipment (aids and minor adaptations), and counts an adaptation as minor if it costs £1,000 or less.
How to start:
- Call or go online to your council’s adult social care team and ask for a needs assessment for bathing equipment.
- An occupational therapist visits you at home, looks at the bathroom with you and agrees what you need.
- If a bath lift is the answer, the council arranges it, usually through its community equipment service.
Our guide on preparing for a bathroom adaptation assessment lists what to have ready for that visit.
Waiting times differ a lot from council to council. Ask for an estimate when you first call. That answer is often what decides whether buying makes sense.
When buying makes sense anyway
| Your situation | Best route |
|---|---|
| Assessed and offered a lift, happy to wait | Take the council loan |
| Waiting for an assessment and bathing is difficult now | Buy, and keep the assessment booked |
| Assessed and told you do not qualify | Buy, and use the VAT rules below if you are disabled |
| Lift for a second home, a holiday let or a relative’s house | Buy; the council equips your main home |
| You want the bath taken out altogether | Ask about a Disabled Facilities Grant for a level-access shower |
The last row is a bigger project. GOV.UK lists “a stairlift or level access shower” among the work a Disabled Facilities Grant can pay for. The maximum is £30,000 in England, £36,000 in Wales and £25,000 in Northern Ireland, and there is no DFG in Scotland. How much you get usually depends on household income and on savings over £6,000. Our comparison of walk-in baths and showers helps if you are weighing that up.
The VAT rules, and the over-60 trap
Every shop page shows “VAT exempt” beside a price. Few explain who actually qualifies. HMRC’s Notice 701/7 has two separate reliefs, and they work very differently.
Zero rate: for disabled or chronically sick buyers
- Notice 701/7 lists hoists and lifters designed for use by people with disabilities among zero-rated goods (section 4.3), and covers other equipment designed solely for disabled people (section 4.5). Only the designer or maker can say whether a product meets that standard (section 4.5.3), so ask the seller to confirm it for the model you want.
- The person using it must be chronically sick or disabled (section 3.2). HMRC says plainly that an elderly person who is not disabled or chronically sick does not qualify.
- The relief does not depend on your income, savings or benefits, and you do not need to be registered disabled (section 3.1).
- You sign a written declaration that you are entitled to the relief, kept separate from the order or invoice (section 3.6). Sellers can accept it online (section 3.8).
- The seller applies the relief, not HMRC. If you pay the VAT, HMRC cannot refund you directly (section 2.2).
That last point is the one that catches Amazon buyers. If a listing does not offer a VAT relief price and a declaration at checkout, assume you will pay VAT and cannot claim it back later. Ask the seller before you order, or buy from a UK mobility dealer who handles declarations routinely.
Reduced rate: over 60, but only if supplied and installed
Section 9 of the notice gives people aged 60 or over a reduced rate on bath lifts, along with grab rails, ramps and stairlifts. GOV.UK’s VAT rates table puts mobility aids for older people at 5%. The conditions are strict:
- You must be 60 or over when the lift is supplied and installed.
- It must go into your own home (or one you share with friends or family), not a residential home.
- The same business must both supply and install it. HMRC says supply alone does not qualify.
So an over-60 buyer who is not disabled and orders a bath lift for plain delivery, from Amazon or anywhere else, normally pays the full rate. If age is your only route to a VAT reduction, a local dealer who fits the lift is the way to get it.
Questions UK buyers ask
Can I get a bath lift on the NHS?
Not usually from the NHS directly. In England, bathing equipment for daily living comes through your council’s adult social care team, not your GP. The NHS points you to the council for a needs assessment, and an occupational therapist decides what equipment you need. If it is a bath lift, it is lent to you free.
Is a bath lift VAT exempt?
It can be zero-rated if the user is disabled or chronically sick, the model is designed for disabled people, and you sign a declaration with the seller. Being over 60 alone only gets you the reduced rate, and only when the seller also installs it. HMRC cannot refund VAT you were wrongly charged, so sort it out with the seller at the point of sale.
How do I get a free bath lift?
Ask your council for a needs assessment. It costs nothing, and if you are assessed as needing a bath lift, the council provides it free in England. The NHS also names the charity Independence at Home as a possible source of help with costs for larger adaptations.
Reclining or non-reclining?
A reclining backrest lets you sit back into the water rather than upright, which matters in a shallow bath where an upright seat leaves more of you out of the water. The Bellavita reclines from 10 to 50 degrees and the Orca to 40 degrees. The Mangar cushion has a backrest but no recline.
How this guide was made
This guide was drafted with AI. An automated second pass then re-opened every source listed below and re-checked each figure and model name against it; anything that did not match or could not be sourced was cut. Every Amazon listing was opened for a London delivery address on 4 November 2026 and showed the exact model, a price and an add-to-cart button. Yug Maliwad chose the products and is responsible for this page. Nobody on our side has used these lifts; every pick was compared on maker specs and official guidance. Prices are not quoted because they change; check the current price on the retailer’s page.
Sources
All read on 4 November 2026.
- Drive Medical, Bellavita Nova product page: https://www.drivemedical.de/drivemedical/en/badewannenlift-bellavita-nova.html
- Drive Medical, Bellavita 2G product page: https://www.drivemedical.de/drivemedical/en/badewannenlift-bellavita-2g-11156.html
- Invacare, Aquatec Orca and Orca XL brochure DSAL006080: https://www.dhcare.com/sites/eu/files/csv_migration/product_docs/sales_docs/DSAL006080_4P%20Orca_EU.pdf
- Mangar Health, Bathing Cushion UK product sheet: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0098/9508/4091/files/Mangar-Bathing-Cushion-Product-Sheet-UK.pdf
- Mangar Health, Bathing Cushion product page (UK): https://mangarhealth.com/uk/by-winncare/?p=852
- Mangar Health, Archimedes Bath Lift page: https://mangarhealth.com/us/by-winncare/?p=2055
- SuperHandy, GoRise LT maker listing on MedicalExpo: https://www.medicalexpo.com/prod/superhandy/product-4611657-2793360.html
- Essential Aids, Kanjo Eco Bathlift dealer page: https://www.essentialaids.com/bathroom/bath-lifts/kanjo-eco-bathlift.html
- Victoria Plum, What is a standard bath size: https://victoriaplum.com/blog/posts/what-is-a-standard-bath-size
- NHS, Household gadgets and equipment to make life easier: https://www.nhs.uk/social-care-and-support/care-services-equipment-and-care-homes/household-gadgets-and-equipment-to-make-life-easier/
- NHS, Home adaptations: https://www.nhs.uk/social-care-and-support/care-services-equipment-and-care-homes/home-adaptations/
- legislation.gov.uk, Care and Support (Preventing Needs for Care and Support) Regulations 2014, regulation 3: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/2672/regulation/3
- HMRC, VAT Notice 701/7, Reliefs from VAT for disabled and older people: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/reliefs-from-vat-for-disabled-and-older-people-notice-7017
- GOV.UK, VAT rates on different goods and services: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rates-of-vat-on-different-goods-and-services
- GOV.UK, Disabled Facilities Grants: https://www.gov.uk/disabled-facilities-grants
- GOV.UK, Disabled Facilities Grants, What you’ll get: https://www.gov.uk/disabled-facilities-grants/what-youll-get