Top 5 most affordable scooters in India

Ever since the launch of the very first Honda Activa in 2001, the popularity of gearless scooters has been steadily on the rise, and with good reason. They offer convenient and hassle-free urban transportation, and have democratised mobility in India, opening the doors of motoring to all ages and genders. Here is a list of the top 5 most affordable petrol scooters currently on sale in India.

All prices mentioned here are ex-showroom, Delhi.

Hero Destini Prime

Rs 71,499

Hero knows a thing or two about making two-wheelers affordable, leveraging its vast manufacturing capabilities and gargantuan volumes to maximise the economies of scale. Its Destini Prime (formerly the Destini 125) is the most affordable 125cc scooter in the country, at an introductory price of Rs 71,499. It comes with features like a USB charging port, an external fuel filler and semi-digital instrumentation.

Honda Dio

Rs 70,211-77,712

As popular as the Honda Activa has been as a family scooter, its cousin, the Dio, has always been the one more likely to fill college parking lots. A big hit among the younger demographic, the Dio’s sharper styling is wrapped around the same solid fundamentals as the Activa, and comes in at a significantly cheaper price.

Hero Pleasure+

Rs 70,338-82,238

The next scooter on this list once again comes from budget specialist Hero, in the form of its Pleasure+. It is a 110cc scooter, with prices starting at Rs 70,338 for the most basic version, and going all the way up to Rs 82,238 for the range-topping Xtec variant that gets an LED headlight and connected features like geo-fencing and location tracking.

Hero Xoom

Rs 71,484-79,967

Powered by the same 110.9cc engine as the Pleasure+, the Xoom is a Honda Dio rival, featuring sporty styling and a decent host of features. Among them are Bluetooth connectivity, unique cornering lights and diamond-cut alloy wheels on the top variant. Prices start at Rs 70,184 and go up to Rs 78,517.

TVS Scooty Pep

Rs 65,514-68,414

The most affordable petrol scooter currently on sale in India is also the only sub-100cc scooter to still be around – the TVS Scooty Pep. At its heart is a modest 87.8cc motor churning out a humble 5.4hp and 6.5Nm, and it has powered the TVS Scooty brand into its 29th year of existence.

Missing from this list

Surprised to not see big names like the Honda Activa, Suzuki Access and TVS Jupiter on this list? Well, the Activa costs between Rs 76,234-82,234, but has built enough of a brand image to continue selling strongly despite its price premium. The TVS Jupiter is slightly more affordable at Rs 73,340, but still isn’t affordable enough to make the cut for this list. The Suzuki Access has garnered a reputation as a hardy, dependable and grunty scooter, which allows it to sell well despite a starting price of nearly Rs 80,000.