Ather Rizta vs Ola S1 Air vs Bajaj Chetak vs TVS iQube : Specification Comparison

Ather Energy has recently launched its first family-oriented scooter, the Ather Rizta. But its rivals like the Ola S1 Air, Bajaj Chetak and the TVS iQube have already been around for some time now. So, how does the new Rizta fare against them, at least on paper?

Note: We will be considering the Rizta S and the Chetak Urbane variants for this comparison.

Motor and Performance

The Ather Rizta S and the Ola S1 Pro offers better practicality in terms of range and performance. With claimed range outputs of 123km and 125km respectively, both these electric scooters offer better value if you are going to use them everyday for your regular commutes. The Rizta Z, with the 3.7kWh capacity battery, gets a claimed IDC (Indian Driving Conditions) range of 160km. 

On other hand, though, the TVS iQube and the Ola S1 Air come out on top in terms of everyday liveability with an electric scooter because of the faster charging times.

Underpinnings

In theory, the Ather Rizta and the Bajaj Chetak are equipped with a more sophisticated rear suspension setup with the monoshock. But that doesn’t mean that the suspension setup on the Ola S1 Air and the TVS iQube are inferior by any means. Similarly, if you have reservations about the single-sided telescopic fork in the Bajaj Chetak, then we’ve got to say that in our tests, we found it to be quite plush. The disc brakes at the front in the Ather Rizta and TVS iQube should provide better stopping power than the front drum brake setup in the other two scooters.

Dimensions

The Ola S1 Air’s longer wheelbase should help in maintaining straight-line stability very well and the lighter kerb weight should be in providing nimble handling characteristics to the scooter. The 165mm ground clearance in the Ather Rizta should help going over bad patches of roads a more comfortable experience than the other scooters and the 780mm and 770mm seat heights of the Rizta and the iQube respectively will make the scooters quite accessible for shorter riders. 

Features

The Bajaj Chetak is the one that gets the least amount of features as it misses out on turn-by-turn navigation which is a given in the other scooters. The TVS iQube comes second last in this matter but it still gets a decent feature list. 

The Ather Rizta and the Ola S1 Air are the ones fighting for the top position in this category. The Ola S1 Air gets full-fledged map-driven navigation and a lot of other fancy features like proximity unlock, remote boot unlock, cruise control,  different display screens and more. It has an underseat storage space of 34 litres. 

The Ather Rizta S gets a 7-inch LCD instrument console with turn-by-turn navigation, AutoHold, call and music controls and more. But its biggest highlight is that on top of the 34-litres of underseat storage space, the Ather Frunk accessory provides an additional 22 litres of storage space at the front. This brings the total storage in the Ather Rizta to 56-litres! Also, the Rizta Z gets a 7-inch TFT instrument console with Google-maps navigation, Skid Control feature (Ather’s version of traction control), ability to share live location from the instrument console, Whatsapp and Alexa integration, ability to decline calls with preset messages from the instrument console and more. This makes it look like that the Rizta tops the Ola S1 Air in the features department. But, there’s a caveat to it which we’ll discuss in the next section.

Price & Verdict

(all prices ex-showroom including EMPS 2024, which stands for Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme 2024)

Even though the Bajaj Chetak and the TVS iQube provide a decent package of practicality and features, the Ather Rizta provides a better value for money proposition. When compared to the Ola S1 Air, though, things are not that straight forward. 

The Ola S1 Air is quite similar to the Ather Rizta S in terms of range, performance and everyday practicality. In fact, it provides far more features than the Rizta and is available with a more affordable price tag. But, you should keep in mind that the price tag is not reflective of the actual price of the scooter Ola Electric is providing a range of offers for its lineup till April 15th. 

The Ather Rizta Z, offers far more advanced features than the S1 Air but is available with a price tag of Rs 1,44,999 (ex-showroom including EMPS 2024). And those fancy features we talked about above? Well, they are only available with the Pro Pack which costs anywhere between Rs 13,000 - Rs 20,000 (depending on the variant) on top of the scooter's price tag. So, yeah, it is expensive!

So, to conclude, if you want a good all-round package of practicality and an extensive list of features with an affordable price tag, then you should opt for the Ola S1 Air. The Ather Rizta S isn’t that far behind though with its features list and its enormous storage space. So, the new family scooter is also a great option in that regard. And lastly, if you have the budget for the Rizta Z with the Pro Pack, then you should definitely go for that as it offers the best all-round package of these scooters.