It leaves the sides of the vehicle completely clear and collapses almost flat, so the bay is ordinary floor space when it is down.

There are no columns beside the vehicle, so doors and tailgates open freely and nothing obstructs walking around it.

The collapsed height is low enough to sit on the floor with a shallow ramp, or to be recessed flush.

That makes the bay usable for other work, parking or storage when the lift is not in use.

Smaller units are portable and can be moved between bays or taken to a vehicle.

The trade is that the mechanism sits under the vehicle and partly obstructs the centre of the underside.

By whether you need to stand underneath - low and mid-rise reach working height, full-rise reaches standing height.

Low-rise lifts raise a vehicle a modest amount and suit wheel, brake, bodywork and valeting work done seated or crouching.

Mid-rise lifts go higher and cover most wheel and brake work comfortably, and are frequently portable.

Neither allows a person to stand and work under the vehicle, which is the dividing line.

Full-rise scissor lifts reach full standing height and compete with two-post lifts on capability.

Cost rises steeply with travel, so buying more rise than the work needs is a common and expensive specification error.

Both exist, and the distinction must be explicit when ordering - platform types support the wheels, pad types lift the body.

A platform or runway scissor lift supports the vehicle on its wheels, which suits alignment, inspection and general service.

A pad-type scissor lifts the body at the manufacturer's lifting points, leaving the wheels hanging free for suspension, brake and wheel work.

Some platform lifts include an integrated secondary jack to raise the wheels clear, combining both.

Ordering the wrong type is a costly mistake because the lift cannot be converted.

Decide from the work the bay will actually do rather than from the general specification.

Yes - the scissor sits under the vehicle and partly obstructs the centre of the underside, which matters for exhaust, transmission and tank work.

A two-post lift leaves the entire underside clear because its structure is beside the vehicle.

A scissor lift's linkage occupies the space directly beneath, though how much depends on the design.

Wheel, brake and suspension work at the corners is generally unaffected.

Centre-line work - exhaust systems, propshafts, gearbox removal, fuel tanks - is where the obstruction is felt.

Some designs minimise it with an open-centre arrangement, and it is worth comparing specific models rather than assuming they are all alike.

Surface mounting with a ramp, or recessing flush into the floor - which is a civils job with drainage and cleaning implications.

Surface-mounted lifts sit on the slab and need only anchoring to the manufacturer's requirement, with a small ramp to drive up.

Recessed installation cuts a pit into the slab so the platform sits flush, giving a completely level floor when down.

That is more expensive, involves the slab structurally, and creates a recess that collects water, dirt and debris.

Drainage for a recessed lift needs planning, particularly where vehicles arrive wet or the bay is washed down.

Portable units need none of this, which is a substantial part of their appeal for smaller workshops.