Name: Savaria Home Elevators
Brand: Savaria Home Elevators

Savaria Home Elevators Review

Over the past 30 years, Savaria has created thousands of elevators and lifts used in homes around the world, improving access for wheelchair users and others with mobility challenges. Savaria also manufactures stair lifts, wheelchair lifts, ceiling lifts, support surfaces and wheelchair accessible minivans.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, of the 49.2 million adults age 65 and older living in the United States, nearly 10.5 million have difficulty walking or climbing. Many of these seniors find they need to make adjustments to their homes to be able to remain independent. Home elevators continue to rise in popularity as they address mobility needs by eliminating the barrier of stairs while also adding value to your home.

Pros

Savaria home elevators are highly customizable to fit your available space
Three-year warranty
Factory trained technicians complete installation

Cons

You have to create a login to access the dealer search site

Savaria Home Elevator Models

With five different home elevators, Savaria offers various customization options for each model. Models include:

Vuelift: The Vuelift is a round, glass elevator offering 360-degree views. Its drive system uses a winding drum drivetrain ensuring smooth starts and stops.

Eclipse: The Eclipse is a cab elevator that doesn’t require a machine room which usualy houses the elevators drive system. This takes up less space in your home and usually requires shorter installation times.

Infinity: The Infinity is a luxury cab elevator that uses a hydraulic drive system. Hydraulic systems offer a smooth and quiet ride.

Gearless: Savaria’s gearless elevator uses high-density rubber rollers and heavy-gauge ropes to operate the elevator, making it quiet for those riding and those in an adjacent room.

Telecab: The Telecab is the most basic Savaria model. It makes two stops and requires a square hole to be cut through the adjoining rooms. It is the cheapest to install and requires the least space.

Each Savaria home elevator can make up to six stops, with the exception of the Telecab, which only makes two stops.

Savaria Home Elevators and Features
Model and Capacity	Maximum Travel	Speed	Features
Vuelift 840 to 950 lbs.	42.5 feet	32 to 40 ft./min	360-degree views Glass or clear acrylic walls Many finish options Winding drum drive
Eclipse 750 to 1,000 lbs.	50 to 60 feet	40 ft./min	No separate machine room Multiple cab sizes and finishes Geared roller chain drive
Infinity 750 to 1,000 lbs.	50 feet	36 ft./min	Various cab sizes and fixtures Choice of finishes Hydraulic drive
Gearless 750 lbs.	50 to 60 feet	40 ft./min	Multiple cab sizes and gate options Fixtures and finish options Gearless electric motor
Telecab 500 lbs.	23 feet	20 ft./min	No hoistway or pit required Many cab sizes and finishes 2:1 roller chain hydraulic drive

Savaria Home Elevators Cost and Where to Buy

While Savaria doesn’t list prices on their website, the cost of a home elevator usually runs between $20,000 and $35,000 on average. Costs depend on the type of home elevator, the drive system, cosmetic features and construction and installation.

See Savaria’s website for contact information to find one of the 400 dealers nearest to you. Authorized dealers are in the U.S. and Canada, and Savaria owns many stores although other retailers sell the line.

Savaria Home Elevator Warranties

Savaria home elevator warranties differ slightly depending on the country you’re located in. North American Savaria home elevators come with a 36-month warranty. This is a manufacturer’s warranty covering failed parts due to defective material and workmanship. Your Savaria home elevator must be instsalled by an authorized Savaria Dealer for the warranty to be effective.

The Savaria home elevator warranty does not apply to light bulbs, batteries, uninterruptible power supples (UPS), oil seals, switches, drive belts, hydraulic fluids and oils or grease. Structural or cosmetic components subject to normal wear.

Savaria

Source: Savaria

Savaria Home Elevator Complaints

Savariah has a Better Business Bureau rating of A+ with only three complaints from customers in the past three years. Reviewers on the Canadian company’s official Facebook page rank Savaria 3.5 out of 5 with customers either loving the company or warning others to steer clear. As a general rule, Savaria responds to nearly every complaint, showing they are doing their part to work out any problems.

A few complaints we saw mention Savaria deferring installation multiple times, making the process of getting the elevator installed very lengthy.

Vuelift Elevator, Source: Savaria

Savaria Home Elevators FAQ

Which Savaria home elevator is the easiest and least costly to install?
The Telecab home elevator is by far the easiest to install and the most cost-efficient. The model travels along a guide rail through a floor cut out with minimal construction because no elevator hoistway is required.
What is considered to be a standard sized elevator cab?
The Telecab home elevator can be customized for a bigger cab size, but the standard sizing is 30 inches wide x 46 inches long x 78 inches high. Door configurations can be customized for more than one opening as well, giving you up to three different positions to enter your home elevator.
Are Savaria home elevators safe?
Yes. Home elevator safety systems are very similar to those found in passenger elevators in commercial buildings. Home elevators are required to meet stringent safety standards from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and local or state safety requirements may up the safety ante even more for your particular location.
What happens if the power goes out and I’m in my Savaria home elevator?
Should the power go out while you are using your elevator, the car will stop, and you can press on a lower floor button to bring the elevator to the ground floor. Some Savaria models offer optional emergency power features like battery operated emergency lowering and lighting via an uninterruptible power supply, or a manual emergency lowering button.
Does Medicare cover home elevators?
Medicare doesn’t consider home elevators to be medical necessities, so there are no Medicare benefits available. However, for eligible veterans, VHA Directive 1173.14 indicates the Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA) Program grants can help pay for the cost of installing an elevator in the home, as can a VA home improvement loan.
What happens if I buy a home elevator from Savaria and it stops working?
If your Savaria elevator is not working correctly, contact the installer for warranty service. For elevators no longer under warranty, the dealer or Savaria can direct you to an authorized service agent to do repairs.

Conclusion

If mobility is an issue for you or a loved one and stairs at home are becoming a safety hazard, you have options for getting around the house. Home elevators, which were once only available to the wealthy, now offer more choices in styles, types, and financing than ever before. With Savaria’s 30 years of experience with manufacturing home mobility products for those who prefer to age in place, the company sells safe, high-quality home elevators.

6 Savaria Home Elevators Reviews

Write Review

August 02 2024 8:07PM

Unfortunately we have to agree with many of the other reviews. The Savaria Infinity elevator is defective. We had problems from the get-go. The first 3 years there were chronic problems with leveling but then it started stopping between floors. We have had the dealer replace 2 pumps, 3 seals to no improvement. We have spend a lot of money on this elevator. Last week the dealer finally replaced the defective motherboard. Now the elevator doesn't work at all. We are waiting for the serviceman. I am currently in a walker but was in a wheelchair when we decided to get this elevator. This makes our home impossible to navigate. We tried contacting Savaria but they will not talk to the end customer. Only the dealer. Our advice is DO NOT BUY A SAVARIA.

Lesa L.

Frankfort, MI

November 04 2023 10:50PM

Looks great, doesn't work! You will get trapped in the encloser. You better carry a cell phone with you if you're planning to use this lift and have the fire department on speed dial! We spent over $30,000 for this enclosed lift. It was installed in June 2023. It worked for a week before having issues and what I see it was manufacturing issues. A loose hose on the hydraulic unit. A loose hose on the oil return line causing the unit to suck air into the system.

The up contacts were defective and now the unit will not go down without tripping the board out, and yes, this is the second time I wrote a review on this unit. Unit number **. Look it up! All I want you Savaria to do is fix it! Plus, if you ever get it working properly an extension to my warranty would be nice! With that unit number you have all my information and information on the installers who are following their instructions from Savaria's Repair Help Desk or whatever you call them. Note you need to install an emergency reset key somewhere in the unit for when the board trips the person in the lift isn't trapped!

Chandler E.

New Kensington, SELECT A STATE

January 06 2022 3:18AM

Our roughly two-year-old Savaria Infinity has had problems from the get-go. The first year there were chronic problems with leveling, but even worse, it kept stopping between floors and trapping me. Finally the dealer replaced the defective motherboard.

The leveling problem has continued, and as I write this, the serviceman from Access Elevator is trying to figure out why it stopped and trapped me again last week; the thing's computer log doesn't give a reason, and the tech can find no obvious mechanical faults.

Possibly another bad motherboard? Who knows. Buyers beware: the 36 month warranty does not cover dealer labor beyond one year and does not cover some parts. So read the fine print carefully.

Today's repair is incurring a $370 trip charge in addition to labor and whatever parts may be needed. Owning this elevator has been both frustrating and expensive.

As my age-related mobility issues become more serious, I will need a reliable elevator to stay in my home, and I don't have this in what was supposed to be one of Savaria's top of the line residential elevators.

Hanna C.

Madison, WI

September 14 2020 4:31PM

We have had a Savaria elevator for 4 years and love it. It has changed our lives and made it so much safer not to use the stairs to get to the bedrooms. We are both in our eighties now and can plan to "age in place" for the foreseeable future.

Nancy M.

Stewartsville, NJ

January 22 2020 1:26AM

My telecab is having problems with the door not opening without my raising and lowering it a few times or using a key. The installer has not been able to repair it, despite several attempts and replacement of parts. It is 6 years old. He will no longer attempt to repair it. He said he doesn't have time. I can't find anyone else to repair it. I have multiple sclerosis and use a motorized wheelchair. I cannot walk.

Tamar S.

Northport, NY

December 09 2019 4:55PM

My Savaria Lift was installed a few months after Hurricane Irma destroyed my old one. It has been a lemon since Day One, sometimes working, and often not. I have paid thousands of dollars in repairs that may work for a day or a week, and then it stops again. And, if I’m lucky it will work again the next day. In July I kept a diary which showed that it stopped working 17 times. As I write this today it will not even let me in. I am 90 years old, and walking the stairs gets harder for me every day. I don’t have an elevator as a status symbol, or an ornament for my house. I need one that works reliably.

Louise W.

Summerland Key, FL