Steadia Car Door Handle
★★★★★ 4.7 out of 5 (10 reviews) Read them
Lives in the door pocket and takes a second to drop in.Carol P..
Steadia drops into your car's door striker, the small steel loop on the door frame that the latch closes onto. With the door fully open, the hooked steel head sits in that loop and gives you something solid, at about hip height, to push against as you stand.
It will not hold you up if you cannot stand on your own. It gives you a firm handle to push on as you get in and out of the car.
- ✓Nothing is fitted to the car. It goes in and comes out in a second, so it works on either side, on a second car, and on a car that is not yours
- ✓It puts a handle where there isn't one. The door frame, the roof edge and the seat back are all in the wrong place or the wrong shape. The striker is at about hip height, which is exactly where you want it
- ✓Contoured foam rubber grip, shaped for fingers rather than a bare metal bar, which matters in the cold and when hands are not what they were
- ✓17.5 cm, so it lives in the door pocket or the glovebox rather than being something else to carry
- ✓We publish no weight rating, because our supplier publishes none. Other sellers print numbers. We would rather tell you we do not have one than invent it
What arrives
One handle, 17.5 cm tall, head 10.8 cm across and 5 cm deep. Black moulded foam rubber grip with a blue panel down one side.
The steel head projects at a right angle from the top of the grip, curving down into a hook at one end and tapering to a point at the other.
Nothing else. No tools, no brackets, no fittings, because there is nothing to fit.
How to use it
Open the door fully. A half-open door moves when you push on it, which is the opposite of what you want.
Find the striker. It is the small U-shaped steel loop bolted to the upright body pillar, at about hip height, that the door latch closes onto when you shut the door.
Seat the hook all the way in and give it a small pull to check it is sitting before you put any weight on it.
Push down and forward as you stand, rather than pulling it sideways or hanging your weight off it. Take it out afterwards and put it back in the door pocket.
Will it fit my car?
It needs a standard exposed door striker, which is what the great majority of cars have. Open your door and look at the upright pillar the door closes against, at about hip height. If you can see a steel loop with a gap behind it, this fits.
A few cars have a striker that is shrouded in plastic with no gap to hook into, and on those it will not seat. Have a look before you order; it takes ten seconds and saves a return.
About the window breaker
The steel head tapers to a point at one end, and the supplier describes that point as a window breaker. We state that because it is what they say about the unit we ship.
We have not tested it, and there is no seatbelt cutter on this handle. Please do not buy it as emergency equipment or keep it instead of a proper escape tool. It is a door handle that happens to have a pointed end.
What it will not do
It will not hold you up if you cannot stand on your own. It is something to push against, not something to hang from, and it is not a cane, a walking aid or a mobility device. It should never be used anywhere except in a car doorway.
We make no claim that it prevents falls or injuries, and we publish no weight rating, because our supplier does not give one.
Shipping and delivery
Shipping is free on every order. Orders are dispatched in 1 to 3 business days, and a tracking link is emailed to you as soon as yours ships.
30-day money back
Try it on your own car. If it does not seat, or it is not for you, email us within 30 days of delivery for your money back. No restocking charge, and a used handle is fine. No subscription and nothing that renews.
About the crossed-out prices: on Buy 1 Get 1 Free it is two handles at $71.90 each.
Sound familiar?
You have started planning
how you get out
Not because anything is wrong. The seat is low, the kerb is high, and there is nothing in reach that is both solid and in the right place. So you think about it for a second before you move.
Steadia puts a solid handle at hip height, in a car that never had one.
Where it goes
Into the loop
the door latches onto
Every car has a door striker: a small U-shaped steel loop bolted to the upright pillar the door closes against, at roughly hip height. It is the part that takes the whole weight of the door, so it is bolted properly into the body of the car. It is also, conveniently, in exactly the place you want a handle.
- Open the door fullyA half-open door swings when you push on it. All the way back, so it is resting on its stop
- Drop the hook inThe steel head goes into the loop and seats with a small movement. One hand, no looking once you have done it twice
- Check it before you leanA small pull upward tells you it is sitting properly. This is the step people skip and it takes a second
- Push down and forwardUse it the way you would use the arm of a chair, not the way you would use a rope
What to expect
One hand on something
that does not move
That is all it is, and that is the whole value of it. Not a cure for anything and not a substitute for being able to stand. A fixed point at the right height so that getting up is one smooth movement instead of two attempts. Most people find they use it getting in more than getting out, because lowering yourself into a low seat is the harder half.
- Fitting timeNone. It drops in
- FitsAny car with an exposed striker
- Lives inThe door pocket
- If you cannot stand unaidedThis is not the thing. Please see a doctor
How to use it
Door open, hook in,
check, then push
Under five seconds once you have done it twice. The only thing people get wrong is trying to hook it onto the door instead of the frame.
Open the door right back. The striker is the small steel loop on the upright pillar, at about hip height, that the latch closes onto. Not on the door itself.
Drop the hooked end into the loop and push it all the way in. Give it a small pull upward before you lean on it. That check is the step worth keeping.
Treat it like the arm of a chair. Push, do not hang. Then lift it out and put it back in the door pocket so it is there next time.
The frame, not the door. If it will not sit, you are almost certainly trying to hook it onto the door edge rather than the loop on the pillar behind it.
An honest comparison
A door handle, a grab bar,
and holding the door
Three ways people deal with the same moment. What separates them is where the handle ends up and whether it moves when you lean on it.
| Steadia | A fitted grab bar | Holding the door | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid, because it is anchored to the car's body | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| At about hip height, where you want to push from | ✓ | Where it was fitted | ✕ |
| Nothing drilled, screwed or stuck to the car | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Works in a taxi, a hire car or a friend's car | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Does not look like hospital equipment | ✓ | Usually does | ✓ |
| Holds up someone who cannot stand unaided | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
What we will not claim: no weight rating, no physical therapists, nothing medical and nothing about preventing falls. It is a handle that drops into the door frame. The last row of that table is as true for us as for everyone else.
Questions
The things people ask
before they order
Whether it fits, what it holds, what the point on the end is for, and the one thing it is not.
Will it fit my car?
It needs a standard exposed door striker, which is what the great majority of cars have. Open your door and look at the upright pillar the door closes against, roughly at hip height. If you can see a steel loop with a gap behind it, this will seat. A small number of cars shroud the striker in plastic with no gap, and on those it will not. It takes ten seconds to check and it saves a return, so please have a look before you order.
How much weight will it take?
We do not know, and we are not going to print a number we cannot stand behind. Our supplier publishes no weight rating. You will see other sellers of this type of handle quote figures like 400 pounds; we have no way to verify those and they are not ours to repeat. What we can tell you is what the thing is: a steel hook in a steel loop that is bolted to the body of the car and designed to hold a car door shut. Treat it as something to push down against, not something to hang your whole weight from.
Is it a mobility aid or a cane?
No. It is not a cane, it is not a walking aid, and it should never be used as one away from the car. It will not hold you up if you cannot stand on your own. It is a handle in a place where cars do not have one, for people who can get up perfectly well but would rather have something solid to push on while they do it.
Will it damage the door or the paintwork?
The striker is a steel loop bolted into the body shell and designed to take the entire weight and slam of the door, so the loop itself is not the fragile part. Seat the hook fully so it sits in the loop rather than resting on the edge of it, and push down and forward rather than levering it sideways against the paint. If you are worried about the painted edge beside it, that is the movement to avoid.
What is the point on the end for?
The supplier describes it as a window breaker, and we repeat that as their description of the unit we ship. We have not tested it and we are not going to claim it works. There is also no seatbelt cutter on this handle. Please do not buy it as emergency equipment or let it replace a proper escape tool in the glovebox. It is a door handle that happens to have a pointed end, and that is as far as we will take it.
Can I leave it in place while I drive?
No. It has to come out before the door will close, because it is sitting in the part the latch needs. Take it out as you get in and put it in the door pocket, which is where most people end up keeping it. It is 17.5 cm, so it fits in a door pocket, a glovebox or a handbag without being another thing to carry.
I am buying this for my mother or father. Will they use it?
That depends more on how it looks than how it works, which is worth being honest about. Most things sold for this problem look like hospital equipment, and a lot of them end up in the boot unused for exactly that reason. This is a black and blue handle that looks like a tool. Several of the reviews on this page are from people who bought it for a parent who had refused everything else. It is not a guarantee, but it is the part that usually decides it.
Why would I want two?
Two cars, or two people. Plenty of households have one car each, and if you and your husband both want one it costs the same as buying a single. Buying a second to leave at a daughter's house is the other common reason. If one is all you need, buy the one.
★★★★★ 4.7 out of 5
From people who
keep it in the door
What they say after a few weeks of using it every day.
“Lives in the door pocket and takes a second to drop in.”
Carol P.. Verified buyer“My seat is very low. This gives me something at the right height.”
Annette V.. Verified buyer“The second one went to my sister and she uses it daily.”
Maureen D.. Verified buyer“Came with me to the rental counter and worked on that car too.”
Jennifer A.. Verified buyer“No weight number on it, and they say so rather than inventing one.”
Ruth B.. Verified buyer“My father actually uses it, which none of the others managed.”
Helen T.. Verified buyerSwipe for more →
Customer photos
Real cars,
real driveways
Where Steadia ends up once it arrives.
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Customer reviews
What buyers say
about Steadia
lives in the door pocket now
I kept it in the glovebox for a week and never used it because reaching across was the whole problem. In the door pocket it is in my hand before my feet are out.
second one went to my sister
We drive each other around about equally, so one in each car made sense. She called me from the parking lot the first day she used it. Both are black with the blue panel.
took me three tries to seat it
It took me three goes to work out where it sits. I was trying to hook it onto the door itself, which does nothing, and it belongs in the little metal loop on the frame that the door shuts onto. Once somebody showed me, it drops in every time. Worth knowing before you decide it does not fit your car.
my seat is very low
Small hatchback, seat almost on the floor. Getting in was never the issue, getting out was. Having something at hip height to push down on changed that in one afternoon.
no number on it and they say so
I looked for a weight rating and found a paragraph explaining there is not one. I would rather read that than a figure somebody made up. I push on it, I do not swing off it.
grip suits my hand better than his
It fits my palm well. My husband has large hands and says the grip is on the short side for him, though he still uses it. Worth knowing if you are buying for a tall man.
came with me to the rental counter
Packed it for a trip, used it in a rental I had never seen before, hooked in first try. That is the part I did not expect, that it is mine rather than the car's.
i use it getting in more
I bought it for getting out and I use it more getting in, which surprised me. Lowering yourself into a low seat is the harder half and nobody tells you that. Having something solid at the right height to take some of your weight on the way down makes the whole thing less of an event.
the point makes me careful
The steel end is genuinely pointed, so I keep it in the door pocket hook up rather than loose where my grandson sits. Not a complaint, just something I would want told.
my father actually uses it
He has refused every helpful item I have bought him for ten years. This one looks like a tool rather than a medical thing, which is the only reason the Steadia stayed in his car.
Our promise
Try Steadia
for 30 days
Something solid to push on.
It drops into the steel loop on your door frame, puts a contoured grip at about hip height, and comes out again in a second. Nothing is fitted to the car, so it works in a hire car and a taxi too. It will not hold you up if you cannot stand on your own, and we publish no weight rating because our supplier gives none. The second handle is free, shipping is free, and you have 30 days to change your mind.
Steadia is a car door support handle. It is not a medical device, not a mobility aid and not a cane, and it should never be used anywhere other than in a car doorway. It will not hold you up if you cannot stand on your own, and we make no claim that it prevents falls or injuries. We publish no weight rating because our supplier publishes none.
Open the door fully before using it, seat the hook completely in the door striker and check it with a small pull before putting weight on it. Push down and forward rather than levering it sideways or hanging from it. Remove it before closing the door. Keep it out of the footwell while driving. The pointed end is described by the supplier as a window breaker; we have not tested it, there is no seatbelt cutter on this unit, and it should not be relied on as emergency equipment. If you cannot get in or out of a car without help, please speak to a doctor rather than buying a handle.