The short answer: the motor count describes how the chair reclines, not how it lifts you up. Every riser recliner rises. A single motor chair moves the backrest and footrest together on one motor. A dual motor chair moves them separately, so you can put your feet up without lying back. A four-motor chair adds separate adjustment for your lower back and head on top of that. For most people buying a chair for everyday sitting, standing and an afternoon rest, dual motor is the sensible middle.
That is the whole decision in a paragraph. The rest of this guide explains what each one actually feels like to use, who each suits, what they cost at Easy Living Mobility, and the three things that matter more than motor count when you are choosing.
First, the bit most people get wrong
A riser recliner does two separate jobs. It reclines, so you can sit back and put your feet up. And it rises, tilting gently forward to bring you up towards standing so you are not pushing off the arms with your hands.
The rising is the part that makes it a mobility chair rather than an armchair, and every riser recliner does it, whether it has one motor or four. So when you read "single motor" on a price ticket, it does not mean the chair will not lift you. It means the reclining is simpler.
This matters because the rise is usually what a customer came in for. If getting out of your current chair is the problem you are trying to solve, the cheapest chair in the range already solves it. Everything above that is about comfort while you are sitting.
Single motor: one movement, one price
One motor drives the whole action. As the backrest goes back, the footrest comes up — they are linked, so you cannot have one without the other. Press the other button and it reverses, then tilts you forward to standing.
It suits you if: you mainly want help standing up, you tend to sit either upright or fully reclined with nothing much in between, and you would rather put the money towards a better fabric or a bigger seat than towards extra adjustment.
It is the wrong choice if: you have been told to keep your legs elevated, or you have swelling in your ankles or legs. Raising your feet while staying sitting upright is precisely what a single motor chair cannot do.
Easy Living Mobility's single-motor model is the SureSnug Single Motor Riser Recliner at £399.99, with a maximum user weight of 21 stone (135kg). It is the only single-motor chair in the range and stock on it comes and goes, so ring your nearest branch before making a journey for it.
Dual motor: the one most people should buy
Two motors, two independent movements. The footrest and the backrest are controlled separately, so you can raise your legs while sitting upright to watch television, or lie back with your feet down, or any combination in between.
That independence is the reason dual motor has become the standard. It is not a luxury feature so much as the point at which the chair stops dictating your position to you.
It suits you if: you have any reason to elevate your legs — swelling, circulation, a district nurse or physiotherapist has mentioned it — or you simply sit in your chair for several hours a day and want to shift position through the afternoon.
Most of the riser recliner range is dual motor, which is why the price ladder runs through it rather than jumping over it:
- SureSnug Dual Motor — £499.99, 21 stone (135kg) maximum user weight. The straightforward one, and £100 more than the single-motor chair.
- PremiAir Dual Motor — £699.99, and the strongest chair in the range at 25 stone (160kg). Made without animal products if that matters to you.
- Heritage Dual Motor — £1,099.99, 21 stone (135kg), deeper cushioning and a more traditional look.
- Heritage with Heat & Massage — £1,299.99, 23.6 stone (150kg), the same chair with built-in heat and massage.
Four motor: adjustment for your back and head as well
A four-motor chair keeps the independent backrest and footrest, then adds separate control of the lumbar support in the small of your back and of the headrest. On Easy Living Mobility's four-motor chairs the handset adjusts lumbar support, leg elevation and headrest position individually.
In practice that means you can firm up the support behind your lower back without changing how far you are lying back, or bring the headrest forward so your neck is supported while you read. If you spend most of the day in the chair, those two adjustments are the difference between comfortable at 2pm and aching by 5pm.
It suits you if: the chair is where you spend most of your waking day, or you have a back or neck condition that needs propping in a particular way, or you have found that no fixed chair position stays comfortable for long.
It is probably more chair than you need if: you are buying mainly for help standing up and an hour or two of sitting. The extra motors cost roughly £800 over the mid-range dual motor chairs, and they do nothing for the rise.
The four-motor chairs are all £1,499.99. The Eminence 4 Motor is the generous one, with lateral cushioning and a 23.6 stone (150kg) limit. The Bordeaux Petite 4 Motor is built on a smaller frame — a 44cm seat height and a 44cm seat width — for people who find standard chairs swallow them.
Side by side
| Single motor | Dual motor | Four motor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rises to help you stand | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Backrest and footrest move separately | No | Yes | Yes |
| Feet up while sitting upright | No | Yes | Yes |
| Adjustable lumbar support | No | No | Yes |
| Adjustable headrest | No | No | Yes |
| Price at Easy Living Mobility | £399.99 | £499.99 – £1,299.99 | £1,499.99 |
Three things that matter more than the motor count
People ring up having decided between dual and four motor, and then buy a different chair entirely once they have sat in a few. These are usually why.
Seat height. When you sit right back, your feet should rest flat on the floor with your knees roughly level with your hips. Too high and your feet dangle; too low and the chair is harder to get out of, which defeats the object. Seat heights across the range run from 44cm on the Bordeaux Petite to 50cm on the SureSnug and Heritage chairs. That 6cm is more noticeable than any motor.
Seat width and depth. A seat that is too wide gives you nothing to brace against as you rise; too narrow and it is simply uncomfortable. Seat widths in the range run from 44cm to 52cm.
Maximum user weight. Every chair has a limit and it is not a guideline — exceeding it wears the mechanism and invalidates the warranty. Across the range the limits are 21 stone (135kg), 23.6 stone (150kg) and, on the PremiAir, 25 stone (160kg).
Heat and massage sits slightly apart from all of this. It is available on the Heritage with Heat & Massage, and on a heat-only chair in the range, and people who have it tend to use it daily — but it is a comfort feature, not a mobility one, and it is worth trying before paying for it.
What it costs, and the two things that change the price
The range runs from £399.99 to £1,499.99. Two things can change what you actually pay.
VAT relief. A riser recliner is one of the goods HMRC names specifically. GOV.UK's guidance lists "a riser-recliner chair designed to help you move from a seated position" among the products eligible for VAT relief. To qualify you must be chronically sick or disabled — that is, have a physical or mental impairment with a long-term effect on your day-to-day activities — and be buying the chair for your own personal or domestic use. You sign a short written declaration at the point of sale; there is nothing to reclaim afterwards and no need to involve HMRC yourself. On a £1,499.99 chair that is a substantial difference. Our VAT exemption page explains the declaration.
An ordinary electric recliner bought as furniture does not qualify, which is one reason the same-looking chair can carry two different prices in two different shops.
Finance. Easy Living Mobility offers finance through Klarna, over three months or extended plans of six to thirty-six months, interest-free or interest-bearing depending on the plan. Over 18s, subject to status, terms apply.
Sit in one before you buy it
A riser recliner is the one mobility product that is almost impossible to judge from a photograph. Seat height, how firm the cushioning is, whether the rise tips you forward far enough to stand comfortably — all of it is a five-minute answer in a showroom and a guess online.
Easy Living Mobility has fourteen shops across the West Midlands, Staffordshire and Shropshire. Not every chair is on the floor at every branch, so the quickest thing is to ring the branch nearest you and ask what they have out — find your nearest store here. If travelling is difficult, ask about a home demonstration instead; seeing the chair in the room it will live in also settles the question of whether it fits.
If a full riser recliner turns out to be more than you need, the chairs for the elderly range includes supportive fixed and non-rising options at lower prices.
Common questions
What is the difference between a single motor and a dual motor riser recliner chair?
A single motor chair moves the backrest and footrest together on one motor, so they cannot be positioned independently. A dual motor chair has a separate motor for each, so you can raise your feet while sitting upright, or lie back with your feet down. Both rise to help you stand.
Do I need a dual motor riser recliner?
You do if you need to elevate your legs — for swelling or circulation — or if you sit in the chair for several hours and want to change position. If you mainly need help standing up and tend to sit either upright or fully back, a single motor chair does the same job for less.
What does a 4 motor riser recliner chair do that a dual motor does not?
It adds independent adjustment of the lumbar support in the small of your back and of the headrest, on top of the separate backrest and footrest. It does not lift you any better. It is worth the difference if the chair is where you spend most of the day.
How much does a riser recliner chair cost in the UK?
At Easy Living Mobility the range runs from £399.99 for a single motor chair to £1,499.99 for a four-motor chair, with most dual motor models between £499.99 and £1,299.99. If you are eligible for VAT relief you pay the zero-rated price.
Do riser recliner chairs qualify for VAT relief?
Yes. GOV.UK lists "a riser-recliner chair designed to help you move from a seated position" among goods eligible for VAT relief. You must be chronically sick or disabled and buying for personal or domestic use, and you sign a short declaration when you buy.
What is the maximum user weight of a riser recliner chair?
It varies by chair. Across Easy Living Mobility's range the limits are 21 stone (135kg), 23.6 stone (150kg), and 25 stone (160kg) on the PremiAir. Check the figure for the specific chair — it is a hard limit, not a recommendation.
Can I try a riser recliner chair before buying?
Yes. Easy Living Mobility has fourteen shops across the West Midlands, Staffordshire and Shropshire. Stock on the shop floor varies, so ring your nearest branch first to check which chairs they have out, or ask about a home demonstration.
