The NHS will only prescribe electric if you have to use it within the home. But worth being assessed as you can ask for vouchers to help fund your own, or to fund a manual as an extra option. check out charity fundin
Something you lie to ti puts a barriers between you and what'ily in front of you. So scooters are great frg walks outside for example because o tery length ruggedness etc or tripse shops (where you use the scooter to cover distance). However if you want to interact with things in front of you (eg a restaurant, museum, other people etc) a wheelchair is better. You may find you actually want a manual wheelchair (if you have someone to push) and an electric scooter. Or even a scooter attachment that attachs to a manual chair, (although these are expensive)
Conversely you may find actually you can get really good and checking ahead/booking mobility scooters where places have them and you do want an electric wheelchair. Which brings me nicely to....
Look into the mobility options at places you want to go, many dys out have mobility scooters/trappers you can either hire generally for free, try them out in the field and see what you actually want. Unless you want it for shopping trips and walks from home, if you are good at booking ahead or arriving at opening times, you may find English heritage/national trust etc scooters cover many of your needs without the hassle of getting them in/out the car etc.
If you are looking for walks from home, we found putting a mobility scooter sized storage box somewhere where you can just roll in and out and running electrics out to it invaluable. Take the battery in when it gets very cold though else you find yourself buying a new battery every winter 🤦♀️.
Think about trunk support/molded cushion and/or a head rest. If your using the chair as a pacing aid (ie to take some of the physical strain so you can do/enjoy more of the things you like) moulded seat cushion as a minimum on a wheelchair will help your core. Scooters tend to be less good at this than wheelchairs (some are a secret core work out the seats are so un supportive) and in either case the ones that are well supportive can be quite heavy.
When you are thinking about cars, Think about cars with a flat load on the boot. It is so much easier if you dont have to lift over a lip. Consider putting a fake floor in to give you a flat entry if you have the height. This made my life so much easier when i was lifting DS' chair . If it's just you, I second looking at a car hoist rather than lifting anything yourself.
Re mobility scooters. Make sure whatever you have have decent arm rests and a good adjustable console (ie one you can pull close towards you when you are sat). You will find this easier on your arms.
Most do these days have a "dead man" switch which requires you to do something actively to make it move (eg squeeze or push a lever) but this really is essentially for issues with muscle weakness. However make sure that movement of the go lever is in the right direction for you, eg ds found mobility scooters you can pull the lever towards you/ squeeze it to the handle bars, way less tiring than if you had to push a button.
Get mobility scooter insurance for the public liability insurance, fish disability insurance used to be good. Hopefully you'll never need it.
Im hoping you have pip and blue badge. If there is pacing issue/a "cost" to physical exercise etc this still qualifies you even if you can do stuff.
Finally A [[https://amzn.eu/d/dxOxXSc
military surplus style poncho]] works as well as any mobility scooter rain cover and is more versatile