Simple One Electric Scooter Review: It’s Simply Fun!

I know…I know! For the 4th time in the past 3 years, we’re back with another Simple One video, another first ride! Things haven’t been exactly simple for the brand and the multiple models over the years have left us confused as well. But before you write it off, hear me out. This scooter has managed to do something no other electric scooter has till now, so you might want to give it a chance.

Looks…Familiar?

This updated Ather 450X….err scratch that, the Simple One…looks quite nice, but not exactly the most original. The design similarities to the Ather are obvious and even the proportions once you’re on it feel more or less like the Ather. It’s quite compact and taller riders’ knees might just touch the front apron just like the Ather. In fact, even the pillion footpegs are done exactly the same way. 

One thing that isn’t Ather-like though, is the build quality, and that’s not a good thing. While the Simple One’s side panels feel alright, the switchgear doesn’t feel very premium. And then there’s the charger cover which feels rather flimsy. And what makes things worse is that it doesn’t have a rubber gasket, meaning water can enter the socket through the sides rather easily.  

It Goes And How! 

Every time you get on the Simple One, you’ll get off it with this big stupid smile on your face, a smile that only the Ather has managed to do till date among electric scooters in India. That feeling of it being a fast, small, fun electric scooter that you can put just about anywhere in traffic is still very much there! 

The Simple One has four riding modes: Eco, Ride, Dash & Sonic. I’d say forget all the market jargon. Put it in Eco on the days when you’re on a battery crunch but otherwise just slot it in Dash or Sonic and ride it hard because that’s what this scooter loves! 

One thing though, was that the throttle on our Simple One didn’t disengage for almost half a second after rolling off it. This was the most pronounced in Sonic mode at high speeds so while it’ll be just fine for your parents riding at slower speeds, Simple definitely needs to sort this out ASAP!

Performance For Everyone In The Family! 

But the beauty of it is that even the Eco mode is just so usable. I can imagine my mum or my dad heading out in the evening, slotting it in Eco and just having a chill ride! And that’s a point I want to come to: this scooter is something us young enthusiasts will love but also something that’s extremely usable for the older people of the house too! See, the Eco mode is sweet to ride, it has a lot of range, the suspension seems to be decently comfortable suspension and there’s a solid 30 litre boot. The way this scooter has struck a balance between performance and practicality is very impressive. Imagine the practicalities of a TVS Jupiter with the engine of the lovable NTorq. Yep that's what I'm talking about. 

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And adding to the practicality is the pillion comfort. While the room for the pillion is just enough, these Ather-like footpegs are absolutely brilliant and ensure a very, very comfortable riding posture for the person sitting behind you.

What takes away from the practicality though, is the console. The layout is fine but the text is very, very small. Every time I used to inbuilt maps, be it the arrows, distance remaining, estimated time of arrival and even the fonts on the maps, they’re too small to make sense on the go. The maps are also a bit laggy so each time you take a turn, the maps only react after you’ve gone a good 50-100 metres in that particular direction, meaning if you do end up taking a wrong turn, you’ll be a fair bit on the wrong way and then coming back again to rectify it will be a task. 

Disc Brakes That Feel Like Drums

But still, the biggest issue for me would be the absolute lack of braking force. These disc brakes genuinely feel like drum brakes. Get on them and there’s none of that sharp initial bite you’d expect from a disc brake. And any sort of urgent braking will have you squeezing the life out of the front brake. In short, the brakes are definitely not in line with the performance and they should’ve been much sharper. 

Finally An Electric Scooter For You AND Your Family?

At Rs 1,66,142 (ex-showroom Bengaluru), the Simple One isn’t exactly cheap but it has segment-leading features in pretty much all aspects so in terms of the sheer kit on offer, it’s pretty decent value for the money. So on the whole, this does make it a versatile family electric scooter that even the youngsters of the house will enjoy. But wait a minute, just hold your horses for a while. 

Simple has sold about 2500 of these and it still has a very small service and dealership network. So we'd recommend you to wait for a while and let Simple Energy expand both things. In this time, we can also identify if the scooter has any reliability issues. But till that happens, I’d strongly recommend one thing: head to a Simple dealership and test ride this scooter, because the Simple One is simply fun!