Straight vs Curved Stairlifts: Cost, Fit & Lead Times
Which rail style matches your staircase, budget and timeline?
Table of Contents
- Quick Definition
- Visual Check: Is Your Staircase Straight or Complex?
- Feature-by-Feature Comparison Table
- Cost Breakdown & Hidden Extras
- Lead Times: From Survey to First Ride
- Which One Is Easier to Service?
- Can I Convert from Straight to Curved Later?
- FAQ Snapshot
- Next Step
- Quick Definition
- Straight stairlift: Travels on a linear rail fixed directly to the treads, with no bends or landings.
- Curved stairlift: Uses a made-to-measure rail that follows corners, spirals or intermediate corridors—often a twin-tube steel system.
- Visual Check: Is Your Staircase Straight or Complex?
A staircase qualifies as “straight” if:
- It rises in a single, uninterrupted line.
- There are no 90° or 180° turns, quarter-landings or offset steps.
- The top and bottom landings give enough space (≈ 24 in / 60 cm) for safe mounting/dismounting.
Anything else—winder steps, dog-leg, “L” or “U” shapes—needs a curved rail. Unsure? Upload two smartphone photos to our Free Survey Form and we’ll confirm within 24 h.
- Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Category | Straight Stairlift (e.g., K 2 Series) | Curved Stairlift (e.g., Alpha Series) |
| Rail Type | Single aluminium or steel profile | Twin-tube or single bespoke rail |
| Manufacturing | Cut to length from stock | CNC-bent to exact staircase geometry |
| Lead Time* | 2–5 working days | 3–5 weeks (design + bend + paint) |
| Installation Time | 2–4 h | 4–6 h (two-turn typical) |
| Typical Price (installed) | €3 000 – €5 000 | €6 000 – €9 000 |
| Folded Width | 10–11″ / 27 cm | 11–12″ / 29 cm |
| Options | Powered footrest, powered swivel, hinged rail | All straight options + park overrun, 2-way power swivel |
| Minimum Stair Width | 26″ / 66 cm | 28″ / 71 cm |
| Re-sale / Buy-back | 30–40 % after ≤ 5 yr | Less, because rail is staircase-specific |
*Lead time counted from signed order & payment.
- Cost Breakdown & Hidden Extras
| Cost Driver | Straight | Curved |
| Rail length | €80–120 / m | €120–180 / m (bending time) |
| Number of floors | Flat rate per extra stop | Additional rail height + extra landing program |
| Powered Features | +€350 each (swivel, footrest) | Same price, but often mandatory for tight turns |
| Hinged Rail / Park Overrun | Manual €250 · Powered €600 | 90° park €750 · 180° park €1 100 |
| Shipping / Export Case | Small pallet | Oversize crate + insurance |
| Labour (install) | 1 engineer | 2 engineers (more hours) |
Tip: Ask for a line-item quote so you can see exactly where costs diverge.
- Lead Times: From Survey to First Ride
Straight Model Timeline
- Photo Survey – 30 min
- Quote & sign – same day
- Rail cut & packed – Day 2–3
- Installation – Day 5 (avg.)
Curved Model Timeline
- 3-D Scan – 45 min
- CAD approval – 2 days
- CNC bending & welding – 10 days
- Powder-coating & QC – 5 days
- Export shipping – variable
- Installation – Day 25–35 total
If you have an urgent medical discharge date, a straight lift is clearly faster. For complex stairs, we can sometimes install a temporary straight rental on an adjacent wall while your curved rail is in production.
- Which One Is Easier to Service?
| Metric | Straight | Curved |
| Battery replacement | Same | Same |
| Rail cleaning | One flat surface | Curved surface—needs extra attention on bends |
| Call-out frequency* | 1.2 × / year | 1.4 × / year |
| Average service time | 45 min | 60 min |
*Based on HMK 2023 EU fleet analytics.
Curved rails have more pivot points and sensors, so preventive maintenance is critical—budget around €199 / year under HMK’s 3-Star plan.
- Can I Convert from Straight to Curved Later?
Unfortunately not. Straight rails are modular stock parts; curved rails are truly bespoke. If you remodel your staircase in the future:
- The chair and carriage may be reused.
- A new custom rail will be required.
- Our buy-back program typically credits 30 % of your old lift toward the new system.
- FAQ Snapshot
| Q | Straight | Curved |
| Works in power cut? | ✔ (≥ 15 rides) | ✔ |
| Seat height adjustable? | ✔ | ✔ |
| Fits spiral staircase? | ✖ | ✔ |
| Grants available? | Often | Often |
| Typical ROI vs. moving house | 6–10× | 4–8× |
Find a deeper list of questions in our Master FAQ.
- Next Step
Still unsure? Upload two photos and our engineers will confirm in 24 hours whether a straight or curved rail is the best fit—and send a fixed quote.
👉 [Request My Quote]
