Honda Activa E Review: In Pictures

The Activa has been a continuous success, establishing Honda as a household name across India. However, in the electric scooter market, other brands have taken the lead, with Honda absent — until now. After a long wait, the all-electric Activa has finally arrived. The Honda Activa E carries the name of India’s best-selling scooter, boasts a sleek design, comes well-equipped, and aims to free buyers from the hassles of charging and battery ownership. Here's a closer look at it in this exhaustive review in pictures.

Also Read: Honda Activa E Review: Well-Rounded E-Scooter Needs Strategy Swap

Even though the Activa E debuted last year alongside the budget-focused QC1, thankfully, this does not look like a compromise like its affordable sibling. It shares its front end with the QC1 (the only differentiator is the presence of an LED daytime running light on the Activa E’s cowl), but other than that, this scooter is completely different from the QC1.

It utilises a different frame, and is larger on the whole. This has a longer wheelbase, at 1,310 mm. It also has 12-inch wheels at both ends, unlike the QC1, and because of that, this scooter has a more balanced stance.

The tail section has the right visual mass, and the compact, wide, frosted-over LED tail-light adds a feeling of sophistication to the Activa E’s rear end. The Activa E looks really neat and well put together. It looks cohesive and mature, and it should age well over time. In fact, I think of all the family electric scooters on sale today, this might just be the best-looking option.

The seat has the right amount of firmness, but it isn't long, so pillion space is a little tight.

Presence of two swappable batteries means there is practically no underseat storage.

Multi-function lock has different slots to enable vehicle start, seat opening and handle bar lock, with the seat release switch on the right.

The Activa E gets all-LED lighting as standard.

The compact, wide, frosted-over LED tail-light adds a feeling of sophistication to the Activa E’s rear end.

LED daytime running light on the handle bar cowl is one of the key styling differentiators between the Activa E and QC1.

To keep the pillion comfortable, a chunky and sturdy grab rail is present, but there is no pillion back rest.

Pillion foot pegs fold flush into the body panels and are well-built.

When it comes to storage spaces, there aren't too many of them on the Activa E. You have two pockets built into the back of the apron, but they are not deep at all, and they're also quite narrow and rigid, so usability is severely limited.

Flat floorboard is spacious and will accommodate bags as well, when needed. Note presence of bag hook under the seat.

The 7.0-inch TFT display on the RoadSync Duo variant – not a touchscreen – is crisp, lag-free and has great use of colours, with all elements placed logically. Legibility is great even under harsh sunlight, and the display houses all key information, including a distance-to-empty readout, ride mode indicator and a power gauge.

It also has navigation, powered by Mapbox, which works seamlessly, and you can also access call and music controls through this screen. Pairing your smartphone to the scooter via the RoadSync Duo app is also easy, but access to the connected features is free only for the first year – you'll have to shell out Rs 999 every year after the first. All things considered, this may well be the new benchmark for a digital dash in India’s electric scooter industry today.

The joystick is one of two main controls, along with the scroll buttons, used to operate the Activa E’s 7.0-inch TFT. Overall, switchgear quality is impressive, and the Activa E's is one of the best joysticks I've used on an electric two-wheeler so far.

The Activa E feels fairly responsive even in Eco ride mode, and thankfully, top speed isn’t capped in this mode, so you can realistically cruise on the highway in Eco with no issues.

Standard mode provides crisper throttle response and more willingness from the motor, and it is in Sport mode that the Activa E is at its sharpest. Power delivery is impressive, and you can achieve an indicated top speed of 84 kmph the quickest in this mode.

The scooter feels stable at high speeds while remaining light enough to be eased through gaps at low speeds; the tyres provide good grip, and while it may sometimes feel a tad skittish and bouncy over broken surfaces – owing to the weight of the batteries placed high up in the scooter – the Activa E has a largely settled and pliant ride, too.

Direct-drive motor develops a peak 6 kW and 22 Nm of torque, and delivers power silently and effortlessly.

A switch on the right cube lets you choose from three ride modes – Eco, Standard and Sport.

The front disc brake has sufficient bite and stopping power.

The Activa E is available in two variants – the base variant is priced at Rs 1.17 lakh, while the top variant, with its excellent 7.0-inch TFT display, costs a hefty Rs 1.52 lakh (ex-showroom). However, paying that much money only buys you the shell of the scooter. To actually be able to ride the scooter, subscribing to the battery swap network is mandatory. You will have to shell out a minimum of Rs. 2,000 a month, plus taxes, to be able to use the swap facility, with an energy cap of 35 kWh. If you exceed it, you’ll have to pay more money per swap.

So, the Activa E, then, promises convenience like no other electric scooter, but it also promises to be quite a lot more expensive to run compared to any other electric scooter. It’s almost tragic that most of India will not get to experience what is otherwise an impressive e-scooter for quite a while, and that potential owners may be spooked by subscription plans that dilute the affordability associated with electric two-wheeler running costs. If it offered customers the power of choice, the Activa E would doubtless give all other family electric scooters a proper run for their money, but in its current configuration, it is likely to remain a fringe option at best.