The Monarch Mobility Onyx Pro is a large, powerful Class 3 mobility scooter designed for people who want to travel further in comfort and aren't looking for something that needs to be regularly transported in a car.

With a maximum speed of 8 mph, a manufacturer-quoted range of up to 30 miles and a substantial 1,400W motor, the Onyx Pro is very much a full-size road scooter. It also has 14 cm of ground clearance, large wheels, full suspension and a maximum user weight of 34 stone / 216 kg.

Where the Onyx Pro particularly stands out is its equipment. The captain's seat and handlebars are heated, while the digital display incorporates Bluetooth connectivity and navigation. There are also Bluetooth speakers, a USB socket, one-touch keyless starting, a factory-fitted alarm and a lockable rear storage box.

At 165 cm long and 77 cm wide, however, this is a big mobility scooter. It is approximately 150 kg and isn't designed to be dismantled or lifted into a conventional car. We see the Onyx Pro primarily as a scooter for somebody who wants to set off directly from home and comfortably cover longer journeys around their local area.

Monarch also produces the standard Onyx. This retains much of the same premium character but is considerably smaller, lighter and less powerful. For somebody who doesn't need the size, 34-stone capacity or 1,400W motor of the Pro, we would recommend comparing the two before automatically choosing the larger model.

Key specifications

• Maximum speed: 8 mph

• Maximum range: Up to 30 miles

• Maximum user weight: 216 kg / approximately 34 stone

• Motor: 1,400W

• Battery type: Lead acid

• Overall length: 165 cm

• Overall width: 77 cm

• Overall height: 128 cm

• Ground clearance: 14 cm

• Maximum stated gradient: 12°

• Front wheel diameter: approximately 35 cm

• Rear wheel diameter: approximately 38 cm

• Seat width: 50 cm

• Seat depth: 48 cm

• Turning radius: 185 cm

• Suspension: Yes

• Maximum product weight: approximately 150 kg

• Colours: Ferrari Red or Midnight Black

A serious scooter for longer journeys

The Onyx Pro is quite different from a folding or boot mobility scooter. It isn't really trying to be portable. Instead, its size and weight are used to provide stability, comfort and the ability to undertake much more substantial journeys.

That makes it particularly interesting for somebody who is becoming less dependent on the car. A capable Class 3 scooter can make journeys to local shops, appointments, friends and family possible without needing somebody else to drive.

In East Sussex that could mean travelling along Eastbourne's seafront, getting around Bexhill or Hastings, or making everyday local journeys where a smaller pavement scooter might feel limiting.

The trade-off is simply that you need somewhere suitable to keep it. Before purchasing an Onyx Pro we would want to discuss where the scooter will be stored, how it will be charged and whether there is straightforward access from the property to the road or pavement.

How realistic is the 30-mile range?

Monarch quotes a maximum range of up to 30 miles, subject to factors including user weight and terrain. As with all mobility scooters, we wouldn't recommend planning journeys on the assumption that you will achieve the advertised maximum every time.

East Sussex is not exactly flat. Long climbs, repeated gradients, colder temperatures, tyre pressures, user weight and the condition of the batteries can all affect the distance you actually achieve. The important question therefore isn't simply, “Will it do 30 miles?” It is how far you genuinely need to travel and how much reserve you want to have left when you get home.

For somebody regularly covering substantial distances, the Onyx Pro's larger scooter platform and battery capacity make much more sense than trying to extract the maximum possible range from a smaller machine. Our general advice with its lead-acid batteries is to get into a regular charging routine rather than repeatedly allowing them to become deeply discharged. Use the supplied charger, charge in a dry and well-ventilated location and follow Monarch's charging instructions.

Comfort is one of the Onyx Pro's strongest features

A scooter capable of travelling considerable distances needs to be comfortable enough for you to actually want to use it. The Onyx Pro has a 50 cm wide captain's seat, suspension and large wheels, giving it a much more substantial driving position than a typical pavement or folding scooter. There is also one feature that sounds slightly extravagant until you've experienced a British winter: heating.

Both the seat and handlebars can be heated. For someone who relies on their scooter throughout the year rather than only using it on pleasant summer days, we think that is considerably more useful than it might first appear. Cold hands can make operating scooter controls less comfortable, while sitting relatively still for a longer journey can make you feel cold surprisingly quickly.

1,400W motor and 14 cm ground clearance

The 1,400W motor is another significant difference between the Onyx Pro and the standard Onyx. It doesn't make the Pro faster – both scooters are limited to 8 mph – but the more powerful motor is relevant when moving a larger scooter and rider, particularly where hills are involved.

The 14 cm ground clearance and larger wheels also give the Pro considerably more clearance underneath than the standard Onyx. We would still describe this as a road and pavement mobility scooter rather than an off-road vehicle. Ground clearance and suspension help with imperfect surfaces, dropped kerbs and rougher sections of pavement, but they don't make every footpath or countryside trail suitable.

If you want to explore genuinely rough tracks around places such as the South Downs or Ashdown Forest, talk to us first. There may be more specialised mobility scooters that better suit that type of use.

Onyx Pro or standard Onyx?

It is worth considering these two scooters separately rather than viewing the Onyx Pro as automatically being the “better” Onyx.

The standard Monarch Onyx is approximately 128 cm long and 68 cm wide, compared with the Pro's 165 cm length and 77 cm width. Monarch also lists the standard model with a 450W motor and 24-stone maximum user weight.

The standard Onyx therefore makes considerable sense for somebody who likes the Onyx concept and equipment but doesn't need the sheer physical size and power of the Pro. The Onyx Pro becomes the more convincing choice if you need its higher user weight capacity, larger seating, much greater ground clearance, larger wheels or more powerful motor.

We would ideally demonstrate the two based around where you actually intend to use the scooter. Bigger isn't necessarily better when negotiating narrow pavements, shops, gateways or storage areas.

Technology that is actually useful

There is a lot of technology on modern mobility products that can sometimes feel as though it has been included simply to make the specification sheet longer.

The Onyx Pro's equipment is more interesting because much of it has an obvious everyday purpose.

Bluetooth connectivity and navigation can help with longer unfamiliar journeys, while the USB connection and phone holder are useful if you are relying on your phone while away from home.

The keyless starting system removes the need for a conventional ignition key, while a factory-fitted alarm and lockable rear storage box are particularly welcome on a scooter designed to travel into towns and other public places.

Bluetooth speakers are perhaps less essential, but we won't complain about those either.

A large scooter needs some planning

The biggest downside of the Onyx Pro is also one of the reasons it works so well: it is big.

At 165 cm long and 77 cm wide, this is not a scooter that we would normally recommend buying without first thinking carefully about storage and access.

Measure gates, pathways and doorways. Think about where it will turn. Check that your charging location has appropriate access to electricity and that you aren't going to create an obstruction getting the scooter in and out.

It is also far too heavy for conventional lifting into a car. Transporting one would normally require an appropriate mobility vehicle, trailer or other specialist solution.

If easy car transportation is important, the Onyx Pro is probably the wrong category of product altogether.

Using the Onyx Pro on the road

The Onyx Pro is a Class 3 mobility scooter, allowing it to travel at up to 8 mph on the road and up to 4 mph on pavements and other pedestrian areas.

Class 3 scooters need to be registered with the DVLA, although there is no vehicle tax to pay. A new Class 3 scooter will normally be registered by the supplying dealer.

Being legally capable of travelling on the road doesn't necessarily mean every road is a sensible place to use one. We encourage customers to think about their actual routes, visibility, junctions and traffic conditions.

Sometimes a slightly longer route using quieter roads and good pavements is considerably more comfortable than simply choosing the shortest one.

Our view of the Monarch Onyx Pro

The Onyx Pro makes most sense when portability isn't the priority.

It is big, heavy and requires proper storage, so it wouldn't be our first recommendation for somebody who only wants occasional trips around a shopping centre or a scooter that can go away in the family car.

But if you want to leave the car behind, set off directly from home and use your mobility scooter as a genuine form of everyday transport, its specification becomes much more compelling.

The powerful motor, substantial suspension, generous ground clearance and larger chassis distinguish it from the standard Onyx, while features such as the heated seat and handlebars make it particularly appealing to somebody intending to use their scooter throughout the year.

We also like the fact that Monarch offers both versions. Not everybody needs the Pro, and we would rather help you establish that before you spend more money and end up with a scooter larger than you actually require.

Lumen Mobility supplies and demonstrates the Monarch Mobility Onyx Pro across East Sussex. We can assess your seating position, discuss the journeys you intend to make and, where relevant, compare it with the standard Onyx and other Class 3 scooters before helping you decide which is the better fit.