I am looking to buy a first scooter for my daughter, who is just learning to ride. She is around 4 ft 10 inches tall, and her expected monthly running will be approximately 300 km. We are open to both electric and petrol scooters. Could you please suggest the best options that are easy to handle, comfortable for shorter riders, and safe for beginners?

Autocar India

•5d

Since you've said that your commute has bad roads, replacing your Jawa 42 with a scooter wouldn't be our recommendation. While they are innately more practical than motorcycles, scooters have their smaller wheels and shorter, thinner suspension units. It won't really enhance your comfort, at least not to a great extent. Instead, we would advise you to get a practical 160cc commuter like the Honda Unicorn / SP160, TVS Apache RTR 160 4V or Bajaj Pulsar N160. These are comfortable, fuel-efficient and peppy machines perfectly suited to city use. To make an informed decision before you go ahead with your purchase, ensure to take a test ride of all three to see which one you gel with the best.If, however, you want to go with a scooter as your next purchase, consider the following options. In the family scooter space, the TVS Jupiter 110 / 125 and Suzuki Access would be our top picks. If you want something sportier feeling and looking yet comfortable enough for daily usage, then the TVS Ntorq 125 & 150 are what you should be looking at. Again, a test ride of all of these is imperative before you make your decision. Make sure you intentionally go over bad patches of road and make tight, lock-to-lock U-turns to see if the handlebars foul with your knees, since you are a taller rider.

Autocar India

•1w

Pretty much every single 150-160cc commuter comes with at least single-channel ABS, so that won't be a deciding factor for you. Our top picks in this class are the Bajaj Pulsar N160 and TVS Apache RTR 160 4V if you want something sportier and feature-rich. If you want to stick to a simple, no-nonsense machine, then the Honda Unicorn remains a safe bet. If ridden sensibly, you should see in excess of 45kpl for all of these 150cc bikes.In the 125cc class, if having ABS is non-negotiable, then your options are restricted to the TVS Raider and Honda CB125 Hornet. Of these three, the TVS is our top recommendation. The 125s will be quite fuel-efficient, and you'll seldom see a mileage figure below 50kpl, no matter your riding style.You should first decide which segment you want to stick with and then take a test ride of the bikes accordingly before you make a decision.

Autocar India

•1w

The Royal Enfield Meteor 350 has a very manageable 765mm seat height, which should suit your stature. But if you want the lowest 350cc Royal Enfield bike, then it would be the Goan Classic. The Goan has an even lower 750mm perch, which will be even easier to flatfoot.Do bear in mind that the Goan Classic's handlebars are taller than usual, and this is something you should pay attention to on a test ride. We'd advise taking test rides of both the Meteor and Goan and pick whichever one suits you best and the one you prefer the look of more.