Last reviewed and updated: 10 November 2026
The short answer
- The smallest home lift sold in the UK is the PVE30 vacuum lift, a tube 750 mm across that covers 0.44 m² of floor.
- The smallest through-floor lifts are the Stannah Uplifts S2, which its maker puts at 0.6 m², and the Companion Stratus at 0.64 m².
- Fifteen models fit in under 0.9 m², roughly the floor area of a single wardrobe.
- Check the measurement, not the advert. Stiltz advertises the Duo+ at 0.55 m², but the outside size it publishes, 1,047 × 810 mm, works out at 0.85 m².
15 home lifts under 0.9 m², smallest first
Floor area is worked out from the outside size each maker publishes for its smallest version: width times depth, or the area of the circle for a vacuum tube. Where a maker gives only an area, we say so.
| Rank | Maker and model | Type | Published outside size | Floor area, m² | Serves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PVE PVE30 | Vacuum | 750 mm diameter | 0.44 | 2 to 5 floors |
| 2 | Stannah Uplifts S2 | Through-floor | Width and depth not published | 0.60 (maker’s own figure) | 2 floors |
| 3 | Companion Stratus | Through-floor | 610 × 1,050 mm | 0.64 | Not published |
| 4 | Companion Cygnus | Through-floor | 642 × 1,025 mm | 0.66 | Not published |
| 5 | Companion Aurora | Through-floor | 642 × 1,025 mm | 0.66 | Not published |
| 6 | PVE PVE37 | Vacuum | 933 mm diameter | 0.68 | 2 to 5 floors |
| 7 | Aritco HomeLift Compact | Shaft | 840 × 880 mm | 0.74 | 2 to 6 floors |
| 8 | Lifton DUO | Through-floor | 1,040 × 760 mm including rails | 0.79 | 2 floors |
| 9 | Terry Lifts Harmony FE | Through-floor | 910 × 914 mm | 0.83 | 2 floors |
| 10 | Wessex VE | Through-floor | 920 × 905 mm | 0.83 | 2 floors |
| 11 | Terry Lifts Lifestyle | Through-floor | 733 × 1,142 mm | 0.84 | 2 floors |
| 12 | Stiltz Duo+ | Through-floor | 1,047 × 810 mm | 0.85 | 2 floors |
| 13 | Cibes A4000 | Shaft | 960 × 882 mm | 0.85 | Up to 6 floors |
| 14 | Cibes Air | Shaft | 960 × 882 mm | 0.85 | Up to 6 floors |
| 15 | Aritco HomeLift | Shaft | 966 × 880 mm | 0.85 | 2 to 6 floors |
Sizes read from makers’ pages and documents on 28 September 2026. The Lifton, Terry, Uplifts and Aritco figures were read again on 10 November 2026 and were unchanged, and Stiltz still advertises 0.55 m². Cibes pages could not be read again in November. The source for every figure is on how much space a home lift needs, which covers 29 lifts and has the data to download.
Why the advertised size and the real size differ
Three makers publish figures that do not agree with each other.
- Stiltz Duo+. Advertised at 0.55 m². The published outside size of 1,047 × 810 mm is 0.85 m², more than half as much again.
- Lifton DUO. The same page gives 1,040 × 760 mm including rails and 1,047 × 810 mm. That is 0.79 m² or 0.85 m², depending on which line you read.
- Companion Cygnus and Aurora. Sold as two different lifts, with identical published sizes.
Ask the surveyor for the outside size in millimetres, including rails and any door swing, and measure your own space against that.
The lift is not the only space you need
- Ceiling height upstairs. Stiltz asks for 2,370 mm on the upper floor. The Aritco HomeLift Compact needs 2,248 mm on the top floor. A PVE vacuum lift needs 2,700 mm, or 2,470 mm for its split unit. Many older houses and loft rooms fall short of these.
- The hole in the floor. A through-floor lift needs an opening a little larger than the car. Companion publishes 722 × 1,065 mm for the smallest Stratus. Most makers publish no figure at all.
- Room to get in and out. Leave clear floor in front of the door on both floors, and more if anyone uses a walking frame.
- A pit, for shaft lifts. The Aritco HomeLift Compact sits in a 50 mm recess or on the floor with a 50 mm ramp.
Small lifts and wheelchairs
The smallest version of a lift is rarely the wheelchair version. Several makers in the table sell larger sizes that take a wheelchair, so ask which size the quote is for. Lifts sold mainly for wheelchair users start larger: the Terry Harmony range from 1.16 m² and the Stiltz Trio+ at 1.34 m². If a wheelchair may be needed later, size for it now. See home lifts for wheelchair users.
What a compact lift costs
Small does not mean cheap. Through-floor lifts cost £13,000 to £25,000 installed and vacuum lifts £29,500 to £45,000, so the smallest lift on this page sits in the dearer band. Uplifts prints £17,995 for the S2 on one of its pages and £18,995 on another. Stiltz starts at £17,000 excluding VAT. Full figures are in the 2026 price guide.
How we checked this. We took the outside dimensions each maker publishes for its smallest version and calculated the floor area ourselves, so every lift is measured the same way. Where two documents from the same maker disagree, we show both. We have not measured any lift in person.
Next: check your own space against 29 lifts or get free quotes from installers covering your postcode.
