Rebuilt and prices checked 2 November 2026 by Look Into. Desk research on UK retailer prices, published cost guides, Approved Document M, Planning Portal guidance and HMRC VAT rules. We have not installed or used any of the ramps mentioned.
The short answer. A threshold ramp for a single lip costs about £30 to £150. A portable folding ramp is about £100 to £400. A fitted ramp at a house typically costs £1,500 to £4,000 in concrete or £2,000 to £5,000 for a modular aluminium system with handrails, with about £3,500 typical for a 3m modular ramp. The length you need is set by the height you have to climb: at a 1:12 slope every 10cm of rise needs 1.2m of ramp, and gentler slopes need much more. Fitted ramps for a disabled person should carry no VAT, and a Disabled Facilities Grant can pay for one after an occupational therapist assessment.
| Type | Typical UK price | Best for | Source, date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Threshold ramp (rubber or aluminium wedge, up to about 75mm) | £30 to £150 | A single door lip or sill | less.co.uk, 27 Oct 2026; retailer prices £49.99 to £198 |
| Channel ramps (a pair of tracks) | About £125 for a 1.8m telescopic pair | Kerbs and car loading where wheel spacing is fixed | Connevans retail price, Nov 2026 |
| Portable folding or suitcase ramp | £100 to £400 | Visiting, travel, one or two steps | less.co.uk, 27 Oct 2026; 1.8m suitcase ramp £199 at Essential Aids |
| Permanent metal ramp, 2m to 3m, fitted | £1,000 to £3,000 | A daily-use entrance with a modest rise | less.co.uk, 27 Oct 2026 |
| Permanent concrete ramp, 2m to 3m, fitted | £1,500 to £4,000 | A permanent entrance where groundwork is possible | less.co.uk, 27 Oct 2026 |
| Modular aluminium system with handrails and landing, fitted | £2,000 to £5,000 (about £3,500 for 3m) | Several steps, rented homes, removable later | less.co.uk, 27 Oct 2026 |
| Handrails added to a ramp | £100 to £300 per metre, both sides | Any ramp a person walks up | less.co.uk, 27 Oct 2026 |
less.co.uk gives regional averages for a 3m modular ramp from about £3,100 in the North East and Yorkshire to about £4,100 in London. Most price guides do not say whether they include VAT. Some mobility retailers show VAT-free prices already.
Prices and specs last checked by Look Into on 2 November 2026 · next check 2 May 2027 · how we picked
How long does the ramp need to be?
Measure the total rise: the vertical height from the ground to the top of the step or threshold. Multiply it by the slope you are aiming for. A 1:12 slope means 12 units of length for every unit of height.
| Rise | Length at 1:12 | Length at 1:15 | Length at 1:20 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50mm (a door sill) | 0.6m | 0.75m | 1.0m |
| 100mm | 1.2m | 1.5m | 2.0m |
| 150mm (one standard step) | 1.8m | 2.25m | 3.0m |
| 200mm | 2.4m | 3.0m | 4.0m |
| 300mm (two steps) | 3.6m | 4.5m | 6.0m |
This is where cost and safety meet. A ramp for two steps at 1:20 is 6m of ramp, which at a typical front door means a dog-leg with a landing, and the price rises with every metre. That is why many home ramps end up at 1:12 or 1:15, the steepest slopes the building rules allow, rather than the gentler 1:20.
Steeper is not a saving if the person cannot use it. Someone pushing themselves in a manual wheelchair, or a carer pushing a heavy powered chair, may need the gentler slope. The occupational therapist's assessment will set the gradient, and a grant will fund the ramp they specify.
What the building rules say
Approved Document M is the guidance behind the access part of the Building Regulations in England. It applies to new building work, so many ramps added to existing homes are not strictly bound by it, but councils, OTs and installers use its figures as the standard.
- New homes, visitable standard (Volume 1, category M4(1), paragraph 1.7): a flight up to 10m long at a slope no steeper than 1:15, or up to 5m at no steeper than 1:12. Minimum clear width 900mm. Landings at least 1,200mm long at the top and bottom.
- Accessible and adaptable homes (M4(2), paragraph 2.10): slope between 1:20 and 1:12, clear width 900mm for a private ramp.
- Wheelchair user homes (M4(3), paragraph 3.10): slope between 1:20 and 1:15, width 1,200mm.
- Buildings other than homes (Volume 2, Table 1): stricter. 1:20 for a going up to 10m (rise up to 500mm), 1:15 up to 5m (333mm), 1:12 only up to 2m (166mm). Handrails on both sides, a 1.5m surface width and 100mm kerbs on open sides. Steps must be provided as well once the rise is over 300mm.
The practical line for a house: once the rise is above about 300mm, a straight ramp gets long enough that a platform lift or a step lift is worth pricing too. See outdoor stairlifts and stairlift alternatives.
Do you need planning permission?
The Planning Portal says adding a permanent wheelchair ramp to a home "is likely to require planning permission", while fold-away and movable ramps designed to be temporary are unlikely to need it. Separately, the government's householder guidance says raised platforms more than 0.3m high are not permitted development. A ramp with a landing above that height may be treated the same way. Ask your council's planning team before work starts, especially for a listed building or a flat.
VAT relief
HMRC allows the service of constructing a ramp to be zero-rated when the work helps a disabled person get into or around their own home (VAT Notice 701/7, section 6.2). The person, or someone responsible for them, signs a written declaration that is separate from the order form. Portable ramps sold for a disabled person's use are commonly sold VAT-free by mobility retailers on the same kind of declaration. On a £3,500 job quoted with VAT, zero-rating saves £583.
Grants, loans and who pays
- Loan equipment first. Some councils lend portable ramps through their community equipment service. Waltham Forest, for example, lists ramps among its free loan items. Ask when you request an occupational therapy assessment.
- Disabled Facilities Grant. A permanent ramp is a standard grant item: up to £30,000 in England, £36,000 in Wales and £35,000 in Northern Ireland, with Scotland's Scheme of Assistance paying at least 80% of the approved cost. See our Disabled Facilities Grant guide.
- Renting. A modular ramp can be removed and refitted when you move, which makes it easier to agree with a landlord.
To price a ramp alongside other adaptations, use the home adaptation cost calculator.
How to choose
- Weight rating. Add the user, the chair or scooter and any carer. Powered chairs and scooters are heavy, so choose a ramp rated well above the total.
- Width. At least 900mm clear for a fitted home ramp. Channel ramps must match the wheel spacing.
- Surface and edges. Anti-slip surface, raised side edges or kerbs on open sides, and handrails where anyone walks up it.
- Landings. A flat area at least 1,200mm long at the top and bottom, so a door can be opened without rolling back.
- Storage. Portable ramps are only useful if someone can lift and place them. Check the weight before you buy.
How Look Into made this guide
We collected UK ramp prices from cost guides and retailer pages and kept those dated 2025 or 2026 for the headline ranges, which come mainly from less.co.uk (updated 27 October 2026). Retailer prices were read from product pages on 2 November 2026. Older guides, including Checkatrade (2023 to 2024), and tradesperson answers on MyJobQuote (modular £800 to £2,500, concrete £1,500 to £5,000) broadly agree but were not used for the headline figures. Building rule figures are quoted from Approved Document M volumes 1 and 2 on GOV.UK. The length table is arithmetic: rise multiplied by the slope ratio.
What this guide could not settle. We found no published UK price for a brick-built ramp and no council schedule of rates for ramps, so we cannot say what councils pay per metre. One aggregator supplies most of the installed ranges, so treat them as a guide and get at least two quotes.
Questions
How much does a wheelchair ramp cost in the UK?
A threshold ramp costs about £30 to £150 and a portable ramp about £100 to £400. A fitted ramp at a house is typically £1,500 to £4,000 in concrete or £2,000 to £5,000 as a modular aluminium system, about £3,500 for 3m.
What gradient should a wheelchair ramp be?
For homes, the building guidance allows slopes between 1:20 and 1:12 depending on length, and no steeper than 1:12. Gentler is easier to use. At 1:12 each 10cm of rise needs 1.2m of ramp; at 1:20 it needs 2m.
Do I need planning permission for a wheelchair ramp?
For a permanent ramp at a house, possibly. The Planning Portal says it is likely to need permission, while temporary fold-away ramps are unlikely to. Check with your council first.
Are wheelchair ramps VAT free?
Building a ramp to help a disabled person get into their own home can be zero-rated under HMRC Notice 701/7. You sign a declaration and the installer does not charge VAT.
Can I get a wheelchair ramp from the council?
Yes. Ask adult social care for an occupational therapy assessment. Portable ramps are sometimes loaned free, and permanent ramps are usually funded through a Disabled Facilities Grant.
Sources
- less.co.uk, wheelchair ramp cost (updated 27 Oct 2026)
- Complete Care Shop, rubber threshold ramp; Mobility Smart, threshold ramps; Connevans, telescopic channel ramp; Essential Aids, 6ft suitcase ramp
- MyJobQuote, tradesperson answers (Jul to Aug 2026); Checkatrade, wheelchair ramp cost (2023, prices May 2024)
- Approved Document M, Volume 1: Dwellings; Approved Document M, Volume 2
- Planning Portal, Accessible adaptations mini-guide; MHCLG, Permitted development rights for householders (10 Sep 2019)
- HMRC VAT Notice 701/7
- Waltham Forest, equipment for daily living (2 Feb 2026); GOV.UK, Disabled Facilities Grants