After shortlisting a few electric scooters and gathering some feedback, we went ahead and started to test drive a few of them. When I say we, I mean only my better half tested them out because she is the one doing more than 90% of the driving on 2-wheeler. The order in which we tested the scooters were based on the showroom distance from our place. Until we finished testing all the scooters I kept my feedback to myself because I did not want my thoughts to influence her decision.


Chetak 3503

First in the list was Chetak 3503. The drive to showroom was quite short. The first thing I noticed was that the scooter felt like it was too high. After my wife drove around in the near by streets, she agreed that the seat height was a bit high but it did not affect her driving too much. While my wife was out driving, I had a chat with the saleswoman about various things that I cared about like cost, maintenance, range, etc. Here is our combined feedback as noted in my spreadsheet

  • 1.1L on road
  • 3K tech pack
  • 7K accessories
  • seat too high, too fat

Verdict: neutral


TVS Orbiter

Next we went to TVS showroom which is almost next door to the Chetak showroom. The same story again. I talk with the salesman and the wife is out experiencing the drive. Our collective feedback is as follows

  • 1.1L on road
  • no need for tech pack
  • no accessories
  • only 3 years battery warranty
  • like the look

Verdict: positive


TVS iQube

She checked out iQube too. While she did not do a test drive, she did not like the size of the scooter.

  • 1.1L on road
  • no need for tech pack
  • need ladies foot rest
  • too fat
  • very ordinary

Verdict: negative


Ola S1 X

Another day we went to the Ola showroom which was a bit farther than the earlier 2 showrooms. Unfortunately for us, even though I called them up and asked them to make sure they have an Ola S1 X, after reaching the showroom some 2 hours later, they said the vehicle went for service. But because we were there, they arranged for some other model (don’t remember what). That vehicle did not feel like a test vehicle. It was perhaps one of the staff’s vehicle. After the test drive my wife was quite disappointed. She gave it the worst rating of all. Not only was it high, but the motor made more noise (obviously because of chain drive) and body made too much noise compared to the two vehicles she tried out earlier. She also did not like the look of the vehicle.

  • 1.1L on road
  • seat too high
  • noise and vibrations
  • not good looking

Verdict: negative


Ampere Magnus Neo/Grand

The Ampere showroom was quite close to the Ola showroom, so we went there the same day. Here we had a very contrasting experience. She loved the scooter. Felt that the handling and ride were smooth and the vehicle was about the right size for her. The vehicle we planned and test drove was Ampere Magnus Neo. But after looking at the newly launched Ampere Magnus Grand, we were a bit more attracted to it, although it was Rs. 5,000 more expensive and had just one feature that we really wanted. The feature was range indicator. The Neo model did not show how many kms the battery charge will last.


I was worried that it would be difficult for us to reliably predict the distance it can cover based just on battery percent. We also have to take into account the mode (eco vs power) which affects the range. There were some other features in Grand for the Rs. 5,000 extra, but they were not of particular use to us like one click reverse button, better grab handles, dual tone colors etc. Anyway I asked for the on-road price of Magnus Grand.

  • 0.94L on road
  • only 3 years on body
  • no need for tech pack
  • no need for accessories
  • LFP battery
  • like the look
  • light and easy to drive

Verdict: very positive

Ather Rizta

I requested a test drive on Ather website where they said they will send a vehicle to our house. I was super happy that I did not have to drive to the showroom. Later in the day someone from Ather called me and took my address and time slot for test drive. Unfortunately, however, no one showed up at the alloted time. Anyway, the same day we passed by a parked Ather Rizta and checked it out. Like with most other electric scooters, the ride was a little high and the shape was not the most appealing.


Anyway, the vehicle is of not much use without a pro-pack and that costs Rs. 13K more in addition to the Rs. 1.3L on road price which puts it way beyond our budget. Moreover the pro-pack has to be renewed every so many years. So we thought it may be for the best and did not visit the showroom.


Hero Vida VX2 go/plus

The final vehicle we wanted to test drive was Hero Vida VX2. Went to the showroom which is the farthest of all. Took a test drive. Again, like Ampere, she liked pretty much everything. Now we have a very tight tie breaker.

  • 1L on road (with ext warranty)
  • need some accessories
  • no need for tech pack
  • Ather charging
  • easy to drive
  • like the look

Verdict: very positive


Conclusion

As luck would have it, my parents shared feedback about an older version of hero EV that someone has. According to them it seems the body was not strong and the battery went down to 50% range in 5 years. Well I suppose that is expected of the older technology. Still, I added a little bit more weight to Ampere.


A few more things in favor of Ampere are that

  • showrooms are closer for purchase, service and repairs
  • it would cost us a little bit less
  • has an LFP battery that I prefer
  • comes with the accessories I need (center stand and ladies footrest)


Of course there are downsides too

  • only 3 years warranty on the body and motor
  • BLDC motor instead of PMSM
  • no charging network (not that it is high on my list)


So there you have it. Our decision to buy an Ampere Magnus Grand. If you care, here is the scooter matrix I built (click to zoom).