A portable vehicle lift employed by lifting at a wheel assembly, which lift comprises a base, a stand extending vertically upward from said base, a carriage being mounted for vertical movement on a stand, a carriage further comprising a pair of arms with forwardly protruding cradle members at the bottom of arms, an engagement pad on the front of the carriage to bias the lift against the rim of the wheel assembly, and a lift mechanism for extending the combined length of the stand and the carriage. The arms may be adjustable in width to function with a variety of wheel assembly sizes. The inclusion of the engagement pad on the carriage provides contact with the wheel assembly, thereby biasing the lifting device with the tilting force due to leverage forces of the weight of the wheel assembly on the outwardly projecting cradle members. Biasing the lifting device with the engagement pad provides stability on a compact base, such that the base need not extend more than a limited distance outwardly from the front of the stand.