A day out on a mobility scooter often depends on one practical question: where is the nearest accessible toilet, and will it be open? Many are kept locked to prevent misuse, and the National Key Scheme exists so that disabled people can open them without asking staff. The key is widely called a Radar key. This guide summarises what Disability Rights UK, the charity that runs the scheme, the Motability charity and the Toilet Map project say about what the key opens, how to buy one and how to find toilets that use it. The scheme operates across the United Kingdom, but which toilets carry a National Key Scheme lock depends on the local authority or business that runs each one. This is general information, and prices and stock should be checked on the seller’s page.
What the National Key Scheme is
Disability Rights UK says the scheme offers disabled people independent access to locked public toilets. Radar, the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation, worked with the lockmaker Nicholls and Clarke to launch the scheme in 1981. When Radar merged with Disability Alliance and the National Centre for Independent Living to form Disability Rights UK in 2012, the new organisation became the scheme’s steward. Before the locks, the charity says, free and clean accessible toilets were hard to find because of public misuse and poor management, and locking them meant they could be used only on request, which caused problems when the person holding the key was not on duty.
What the key opens
Disability Rights UK’s Radar key page says the key opens over 9,000 accessible public toilets, while a Motability article dated April 2025 puts the figure at more than 10,000, so the total differs by source and date. Toilets with a Nicholls and Clarke lock are described as being in shopping centres, pubs, cafes, department stores and bus and train stations, in most parts of the country. Motability adds that around 400 local authorities use the scheme and that many places still do not.
The key also opens Changing Places toilets, which Disability Rights UK describes as accessible toilets with more space and equipment such as a height-adjustable changing bench, a peninsular toilet and a ceiling hoist. The page states that there are 2,673 registered Changing Places toilets in the UK. It adds that the key works on some accessible countryside gates, which matters for scooter users who plan rural routes; the site’s guide to countryside paths and gates covers the width and turning-space guidance for gates in more detail.
Who can buy one, and the price
The Disability Rights UK shop lists the official key at £5.00 without VAT or £6.00 with VAT, plus a £1.75 postage contribution per order, and says it aims to deliver within 10 working days. The shop says it sells the genuine key only to people who need toilet facilities because of a disability or health condition. Buying VAT-free is a declaration that the buyer is eligible to claim VAT relief and that the key is for personal and domestic use. The key is available VAT-free only to individuals, so an organisation such as a care home must pay VAT, and bulk orders of nine or more are handled by Nicholls and Clarke. The wider VAT position on disability-related purchases is covered in the site’s guide to VAT exemption on mobility scooters.
Motability’s article adds that many local authorities supply keys, either free or at low cost, and that cheaper online copies may not be genuine, so there is no guarantee they will work when needed. Disability Rights UK gives the same warning and says it asks people not to buy copies from sellers using the Radar name or its logo. The Motability piece describes the newer key as having a blue heart fob and being lighter than the older all-silver key, and its author notes that some people with limited hand function still find turning any key difficult. Motability was told that an electronically operated door system was planned, but that is a plan rather than an available product.
Finding toilets that use the key
The Toilet Map, run by Public Convenience, describes itself as the UK’s largest database of publicly accessible toilets, with over 14,000 facilities. Motability says its filter can be set to show toilets that need a Radar key, which lets a scooter user check a route before leaving. The map’s information comes largely from the public, plus open data and councils, so entries can be out of date. Its stated aim is to map toilets the public can use without being a customer, though platform-side station toilets are included even though they are only available to ticket holders.
Station facilities are also relevant when planning rail trips; see the guide to Passenger Assist.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Radar key the same as a National Key Scheme key? Yes. Motability describes a Radar key as also being known as a National Key Scheme key.
Do all accessible toilets accept it? No. Motability notes that many places do not use the scheme, so a locked toilet without the lock may need other arrangements.
Can anyone buy a key? The Disability Rights UK shop says it sells the genuine key only to people who need the facilities because of a disability or health condition.
The bottom line
The Radar key opens locked accessible toilets, Changing Places facilities and some countryside gates. Disability Rights UK sells the official key for £5.00 without VAT or £6.00 with VAT, and some councils issue them too. Buy from a source that guarantees the lock fit, and check the Toilet Map with its Radar key filter before setting out on a scooter route.
Sources
- Disability Rights UK, "The Radar Key" (disabilityrightsuk.org)
- Disability Rights UK shop, "The official and only genuine Radar Key" (shop.disabilityrightsuk.org)
- Motability, "RADAR Keys: what they are, where to use and how to get one" (8 April 2025) (news.motability.co.uk)
- Toilet Map, "About the Toilet Map" (toiletmap.org.uk)