Family scooter. As soon as you read that, probably one specific scooter comes to your mind, summing up how the scooter industry has functioned the past two decades. However, over the past few years, EVs like the TVS iQube, River Indie, and the Ather Rizta have shown that they can go toe-to-toe with petrol scooters. The brand-new Ather Konarc is poised to add to that arsenal. However, if you aren’t quite convinced yet, here are some internal combustion engine (ICE) scooters you can look at instead.
All scooters are being compared to the Ather Konarc S 100, priced at Rs 99,999 (ex-showroom, Bengaluru). For Konarc, we haven’t considered features that require Ather StackPro subscription. All the other scooter prices mentioned are ex-showroom, Delhi.
Honda Activa
Rs 76,083 onwards
The default family scooter and the one your mind reminded you of when you started reading this. You cannot go wrong with the Activa’s reliable 110cc engine and the trust the brand brings you. However, this and the 125 have a lean feature set compared to the other ICE scooters here. The Activa 110 gets a 4-inch TFT instrument cluster with turn-by-turn navigation, smartphone connectivity, a silent start and stop-start system via an Integrated Starter Generator (ISG), and a smart key on the top variant. With the Activa’s 54.4kpl fuel economy, you’re looking at a 270km range before coming to a standstill. The Activa’s prices tops out at Rs 91,082 which makes it close to the entry-level variants of the Ather Konarc and the Simple Wave.
By paying Rs 9,000 more for the Konarc, you’ll get 100km IDC range, 70kph top speed, two ride modes, bigger 14/12-inch front/rear wheels, a bigger 31L under seat storage.
Honda Activa 125
Rs 91,178 onwards
The bigger Activa bumps up the cubic capacity to 124cc and increases the power by 0.4hp to 8.3hp and increases the torque by 1.4Nm to 10.5Nm compared to the 110, but is otherwise almost exactly the same as the 110. For that extra power and torque, the Activa 125 bumps up the prices and tops out at Rs 95,622. As such, the extra features you gain by switching to the Konarc also remain the same.
TVS Jupiter (110)
Rs 74,125 onwards
The Activa’s biggest competitor is the Jupiter which received a comprehensive upgrade in 2024. TVS gave it an all-new 113.3cc engine with 7.9hp and 9.8Nm of torque (with 0.6Nm from the ISG). It also received a much sleekier design over its predecessor. As things stand today, the Jupiter has perhaps the largest feature set of any ICE scooter. Thanks to sharing the platform with its bigger brother, the new Jupiter gets a front fuel tank, 33L under seat storage (that’s still the largest on an ICE scooter). It also gets a wide floorboard, more storage on the front apron storage, an ISG, smartphone connectivity, 12-inch wheels at both ends, a front disc brake on higher variants, and a design that’s much more modern than any of its peers. With its 57kpl fuel economy, the Jupiter also has the Activa beat with a higher 285km range. The Jupiter starts at Rs 74,125 and tops out at Rs 89,825 for the dual-tone variant.
By stepping up to the Konarc by paying an additional Rs 10,174 over the top-most variant, you gain a larger 14-inch front wheel.
TVS Jupiter 125
Rs 81,700 onwards
The bigger Jupiter unfortunately didn’t quite get the rejuvenation. It’s stuck to essentially the same design from its debut in 2021. With the larger 124.8cc engine, you get 0.5hp extra power and 1.3Nm extra torque over the 110, with the ISG’s assistance; without it, they become 0.1hp and 0.7Nm extra, respectively. Sharing the same platform means that the new 110 has caught up to most of the 125’s features. Though, you do get a TFT display on the 125’s cluster, but it isn’t adding any real value. The Jupiter 125 starts at Rs 81,700 and tops out at Rs 89,935.
By stepping up to the Konarc for approximately Rs 10,000 extra, you gain a larger front tyre.
Suzuki Access (125)
Rs 82,185 onwards
The Suzuki Access has silently been one of the best-selling scooters in the family scooter segment and it received a comprehensive upgrade in early 2025. While there wasn’t a brand-new engine, Suzuki gave it a new frame and made scores of minute improvements to the engine that added up to make it a comprehensively better scooter. However, that also means there aren’t any new features to help the Access’ case. It sticks to a 12/10-inch front and rear wheel setup, a 24.4L under seat storage that now feels measly even for the ICE world. Suzuki did give it a TFT instrument cluster and single-channel ABS on the highest variant, but that’s about it. The Access starts at Rs 82,185 and will set you back by Rs 1.02 lakh for the TFT-ABS variant.
With the Ather Konarc, you will end up paying Rs 3,000 less and gain a larger 14/12-inch front and rear wheels, two ride modes, and a considerably larger 31L under seat storage but the Access is the only scooter here that offers the safety net of an ABS system.
Suzuki Burgman Street
Rs 1.03 lakh onwards
The Burgman received most of the same upgrades as the Access in early 2026, with the maxi-scooter stance as its biggest differentiation. The Burgman Street exclusively gets a keyless system on the top-variant, but loses out on the single-channel ABS compared to the Access. On the dimensions front, it gets a 25mm longer wheelbase, 7kg additional weight, and 0.2 litres larger fuel tank compared to the Access. It’s also one of the two Suzuki scooters to have a 12/12-inch front and rear wheel setup in India; the older Burgman Street EX being the other one. Except for these differences and a different design, the Burgman Street shares its mechanicals and convenience features with the Access. The Burgman Street starts at Rs 1.03 lakh and the top TFT variant with the keyless system costs Rs 1.15 lakh.
By getting the Konarc instead, you end up saving about Rs 4,000 (Rs 12,000 compared to the top variant) and you gain a larger 14-inch front wheel, two ride modes, and of course, the larger 31L under seat storage.
Summary and conclusion
We understand that this article makes it seem like there’s no point in choosing the Ather Konarc in most cases; that’s not quite true. Getting an EV scooter might be the best decision for some people, especially ones with a fixed daily travel distance, living in either their own house, or a housing society that’s generous with setting up a home charger, and all the tech enthusiasts who would like to see how far EVs have come in the past few years. Just the novel riding experience of an EV might be enough to choose the Konarc for you. So, take a test ride of the Konarc S 100 when it becomes available. We’d like you to be aware of the closest ICE options, if you end up deciding the Konarc isn’t for you.
With Ather StackPro and Ather Connect subscription, the Konarc S can offer more smart features that none of the others here can hope to match, but there’s an additional price to be paid for them. Hence, if you’re after the most value for your money, there’s no question that ICE vehicles still offer more for their asking price.
Vishal Venugopal
Ved Janve
