Ather 450X

The Ather 450X is a premium sporty electric scooter and is a lot of fun to ride thanks to its sharp handling. The Gen 3 update has added more features to the e-scooter and has improved its range. Let's find out how the scooter performs in the real world.

The Ather 450X comes with a sporty design with sharp bodylines. The LED headlight is on the front apron and the indicators are placed on the handlebar cowl. The rear section of the e-scooter features a clean design with a slim taillight with integrated indicators.

Ather offers the electric scooter in six colours including Cosmos Black, Salt Green, Space Grey, Still White, True Red, and Lunar Grey.

The Ather 450X is powered by a 3.3kW motor that produces a peak output of 6.2kW and 26Nm. In our tests, the electric scooter was able to accelerate from 0-40kmph in 3.3 seconds. The e-scooter’s acceleration is exciting and the Warp mode takes the overall excitement to another level. 

The electric scooter comes in two battery capacity options: 2.9kWh and 3.7kWh. We tested the 3.7kWh version, for which the expected TrueRange (claimed real-world range) from Ather is 110km in Eco mode. But we were able to achieve an impressive 142km range in the real world on a single charge. One of the main reasons for the impressive real-world range is the regenerative braking, which charges the battery as you roll off the throttle. Letting go of the throttle also slows down the electric scooter, just as it does on ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles.

The 3.7kWh variant that we tested has a charging time of 5 hours and 45 minutes. There’s also an option to charge the scooter at a rate of 1.5km/min with a fast charger, in case you require a quick top-up.

The sporty design of the scooter is complemented by its sharp handling characteristics. The scooter is lightweight and changes direction quickly, which makes it very easy to ride through traffic. It also leans into corners quickly and the 12-inch alloy wheels fitted with 90-section and 100-section tubeless MRF tyres offer a good grip. The disc brakes offer good bite and inspire confidence while riding.

Ather 450X has a decently padded seat, but being a sporty e-scooter, the suspension setup is a bit on the firmer side. This helps when leaning into corners and riding the scooter in a spirited manner. When riding on bad roads, the scooter can decently handle bumps and potholes without much trouble but the suspension being slightly on the sporty side will kick back a little bit whenever you ride over a bad patch.

Now, while a more comfortable suspension setup would’ve improved the overall riding experience, this isn’t a deal-breaker. The suspension stiffness is most noticeable when you’re riding solo and adding a pillion on board will significantly improve the ride quality. With regards to pillion comfort, the e-scooter gets a sleek grab rail and fixed pillion footrests, which adds to the comfort and convenience. 

Moreover, with a seat height of 780mm, the e-scooter is accessible for shorter riders. That said, it can feel a bit too cramped for taller riders and while taking a U-turn, their knees can rub against the apron panel.

The Ather 450X comes equipped with an all-LED lighting setup. It features a 7-inch touchscreen console with an IP65 rating. The optional Pro Pack brings more features and enhances the scooter’s capabilities. It includes a colour screen with adaptive brightness, 4G LTE connectivity, Bluetooth connectivity for call and SMS alerts along with Google Maps navigation and music controls. 

Ather has also offered customisation options for the display including multiple themes and a night mode. The e-scooter also has some practical features such as auto-off indicators, a guide-me-home light that stays on for 20 sec after switching off the scooter, document storage, location tracking, a trip planner, fast charging support, and auto-hold (hill hold) which makes things very convenient for the rider.

There are also four riding modes: Eco/SmartEco, Ride, Sport, and Warp, which you can select to suit your riding preferences. Over-the-air (OTA) updates help keep the scooter up to date and bring more functionalities. Overall, there are a lot of features and functionalities that the Ather 450X comes with and this keeps it competitive when compared to its rivals.

The Ather 450X is a good electric scooter to ride in the city as well as on the highway. It is exciting, has good real-world range and the sporty handling along with a range of features makes it a lot of fun. Along with all those things, it’s also very reliable. Even though the suspension setup could have been a bit more comfortable, we think the Ather 450X is a good electric alternative to sporty petrol-powered scooters in the Indian market.