Bajaj Chetak

autocar.india

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Since you have had a long and drama-free stint with your Shine, the logical next step to make would be the Honda Unicorn. For your use case, which is mostly inside the city with short weekend leisure rides, the Unicorn makes for a good fit. It will offer a noticeable step up in performance and comfort compared to the Shine with only a small drop-off in fuel economy. The Royal Enfield Bullet 350 is lovely if you want a relaxed bike with new-age reliability and old-school feel, but since you have mentioned you are on the slimmer side of the spectrum, its weight could be a problem at slower speeds and its fuel economy will also be noticeably lower.If your landlord and the building you reside in, don't have a problem with you installing a charging solution at home, you can consider electric scooters like TVS iQube, Bajaj Chetak, Ather Rizta and Vida VX2. If not, stick with a petrol-powered bike for now.To decide between the Unicorn and Bullet, we'd recommend a test ride of both since they are very different machines.

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With your very limited weekly running, the extra cost you'll pay upfront while buying an electric two-wheeler over a petrol-powered one will take quite some time to recover. While petrol today surely is costly, you will not spend much on fuel every month. Petrol-powered scooters also have wider dealer networks and easy spares, handy when you use it irregularly. One point to bear in mind will be that servicing an ICE vehicle will be slightly more expensive on a yearly basis. If you are leaning towards an EV, that is also a credible option so long as you have a socket where you park. However, you'll be buying it for the smoothness and silent running not savings at your usage. Depending on which sort of powertrain you want in your next purchase, make your decision and we've provided some of the highest rated scooters available in India today. In the ICE scooter segment, options like Honda Activa 110 / 125, TVS Jupiter 110 / 125 and Suzuki Access / Burgman Street would be our top picks. Whereas, in the electric scooter segment, options like TVS iQube, Bajaj Chetak, Ather Rizta and Vida VX2 are proven, reliable machines we'd recommend.

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There are plenty of options in the electric scooter market that will comfortably meet your needs. We'd recommend you choose from reputed options like TVS iQube, Bajaj Chetak, Ather Rizta and Vida VX2. All of them are offered in a range of variants with different battery capacities, so pick an option with a battery capacity in the 3kWh - 3.5kWh ballpark.Our advice would be to take test rides of all four and pick the option you get along with the best. Try to choose an option with a service centre or showroom near you; this is an important factor in EV ownership.

autocar.india

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In the electric scooter segment, the TVS iQube and Bajaj Chetak models are hard to go wrong with, and no matter which one you choose, you're likely to end up with a safe purchase which will safely last you many years. Coming to issues with using the iQube during the monsoon, you're unlikely to have any - this is a scooter that has proven its mettle over the past 6 years that it has been on sale. The base 3.5 variant of the iQube in your shortlist, has a 650W charger as standard and it should be sufficiently quick for most daily needs. Its a similar story with the Bajaj Chetak. Any unfortunate battery issues you face will be covered under warranty and even so, these instances are few and far between, not widespread occurrences. The Chetak 3503 also has pretty quick charging times, with the Bajaj website stating a 3hr25min duration for a 0-80 percent top-up, which should be more than enough for your daily needs. Hero's Vida VX2 has come onto the scene relatively later but judging by the fact that these have started to become a fairly commonplace sighting on our roads, the market seems to have given it a good response. We'd recommend a visit to each scooter's authorized dealership and take thorough test rides to ensure you cover every aspect before you make your decision.

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For your particular use case, the Hero Splendor XTEC 2.0 would perhaps be the most fuss-free and easy to own machine. Considering the rigors of your profession, you need something that's hardy, frugal and easy to fix when things go sideways - attributes that define the Splendor to the T. At the same time, its hard to ignore the practicality of the TVS Jupiter 110, especially the 33 litre boot, which can accommodate a lot. However, comfort and fuel economy will not be as high as the Splendor. And since fuel economy is an important consideration for you, we'd recommend you also consider the Bajaj Freedom CNG motorcycle. Sure, it has its quirks, but if you want low running costs, then the Freedom is hard to top. In the EV segment, you will get options that can give you 80-90km real world range at real world speeds (read: above 50kph) on a single charge like the TVS iQube 3.1, Bajaj Chetak 3001 and Ather Rizta S 2.9. In their eco modes, you may be able to cross 100km, but your maximum speed will be capped at 35-40kph and it won't be feasible for the time-sensitive nature of your job.Pick between these options depending on what strong points matter the most to you.

autocar.india

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Currently, the electric bike market in India has very limited options under the Rs. 2 lakh mark and even among those, none of them have proven to be compelling alternatives to ICE motorcycles. We'd strongly recommend you consider an electric scooter instead because it will give you the benefits of an EV like low running costs and the comfort of home charging while bringing in practical features like a large underseat storage area. Specifically, options like the TVS iQube, Ather Rizta, Bajaj Chetak and Vida VX2 should be at the top of your shopping list. Take test rides of each and pick a variant with the battery capacity which suits your daily use case and also covers unexpected occurrences.

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The electric bike segment is still very nascent in India, and there are very few options available. Realistically, the only one we would recommend you look at is the Revolt RV400 because it has been around the longest, and Revolt has a sales and service presence in your city. Our professional recommendation would be that you instead opt for an electric scooter because you have a huge variety of choices to choose from, depending on your range, styling, features and other requirements. Options like TVS iQube, Bajaj Chetak, Vida VX2 and Ather Rizta are lovely city runabouts that come with the reliability and peace of mind you'd expect from a big manufacturer while being very practical. And if you want something sportier and snazzier-looking, the Ather 450 models are a tried and tested commodity with loads of tech and spirited performance to boot. Another plus point a scooter will have over a motorcycle is that it has a lower seat height and weighs less, which will make it easier to manage in chaotic Mumbai city traffic. We would recommend that you at least take a test ride of some of the electric scooters mentioned above before you go ahead with your purchase to see whether they suit your use case better.

autocar.india

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The River Indie is an impressive electric scooter and will serve you nicely. It is a large, spacious and comfortable machine that focuses on maximising utility rather than frilly features. Its 43 litre underseat storage is the largest on an electric scooter today and can swallow a lot of daily essentials like groceries, a backpack, a large helmet and also have space for the charger. The only thing to be mindful of is its size and weight, because if you are of a shorter stature, then the Indie's size could potentially prove to be too big for you. In that case, we would recommend you opt for one of these three - TVS iQube, Bajaj Chetak and Ather Rizta. Make sure you take a test ride of these before you decide to go ahead with your purchase, so you can make an informed decision.

autocar.india

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In the electric two-wheeler market, our top recommendations today are the TVS iQube, Bajaj Chetak, Ather Rizta and Vida VX2 models. These come with the peace of mind of being backed by a larger manufacturer and are products that have proven their worth over the numerous years they've been on sale. Picking between them will boil down to which product you prefer and which company's touch point (both sales and service) is near your residence. Since your daily running isn't too high, pick a variant with a battery capacity around 3kWh which should be more than sufficient. We'd recommend a test ride of all products you shortlist before you make a decision.

autocar.india

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Since you have a rather long daily commute, we'd recommend going with an electric scooter with a battery capacity of 3kWh or more. In that space, you have options like multiple variants of the TVS iQube and Bajaj Chetak models. Both are reliable, dependable, comfortable, practical and no-nonsense offerings that come from established companies. You can also look at the Ather Rizta, although in your budget, you'll probably only get the base S 2.9 variant, which has a slightly lower range than the other two, although it should still suffice for your needs. A test ride of these three is imperative before you make a decision.