Ather Rizta

Ather Energy is already a popular name in the Indian electric scooter market. Over the years, the Bengaluru-based EV maker gained customers’ trust and has emerged as one of the most reliable electric scooter manufacturers in India with products like the Ather 450X and Ather 450S. Now, with the new Rizta being the first and only family-oriented electric scooter in the brand’s lineup, the EV maker is ready to take on the family electric scooter segment in India. We got a chance to ride the new Rizta electric scooter and here’s what we think about it.

Since the Rizta is a family-oriented electric scooter, Ather has come up with a more subtle approach for its design, as compared to the Ather 450X’ sharp and sporty design. The e-scooter also has a longer and wider frame than its sporty sibling, making it look bigger. It gets an apron-mounted LED headlight along with LED indicators. The Rizta has a spacious floorboard that provides ample legroom for taller riders and enough space for carrying luggage. It has a long and spacious seat along with a sleek and premium looking grab rail, and a pillion backrest. At the rear, the Rizta has a sleek LED tail light with integrated LED indicators. The electric scooter also comes with a pillion side step.

The Ather Rizta comes in 7 colour options. The dual-tone options include Pangong Blue, Cardamom Green, Alphonso Yellow, and Deccan Grey. The single-tone shades, meanwhile, include Pangong Blue, Siachen White, and Deccan Grey.

As a family scooter, performance isn't the main focus of the Rizta. It is equipped with a 4.3kW motor and has a claimed top speed of 80kmph. The electric scooter comes with two riding modes: Smart Eco and Zip.

The Rizta delivers performance similar to a 110cc petrol-powered scooter, but the Ather charm is missing. The electric scooter struggles to climb inclines and maintain speeds in the Smart Eco mode. That said, this is related to how the Smart Eco mode is tuned and is something which can easily be fixed through an OTA update. But for now, you will have to change modes while riding up an incline. This isn't what you would expect from Ather, especially since the Smart Eco mode works perfectly on the 450X.

The Ather Rizta has a new feature called the Magic Twist Throttle, which works like engine braking in electric scooters. This feature lets you slow the scooter down smoothly without using the brakes, just by twisting the throttle in the opposite direction. It works well on the Rizta and in a lot of situations, you won't even feel the need to use the brakes. Additionally, the e-scooter also has coasting regenerative braking, by which the scooter recharges its batteries when coasting (cruising without throttle input). 

We only got to ride the 2.9kWh version of the Rizta Z, which has an Indian Driving Cycle (IDC) range of 123km. In real-world conditions, using Zip mode, it might give you a range of about 80km or less. Because of this, many people would prefer going for a bigger 3.7kWh battery variant with a 159km IDC range for peace of mind on longer commutes.

Despite having a bigger and wider frame than the 450X, the Rizta handles very well. It is agile and changes directions quickly. Even at low speeds, the electric scooter feels nimble and light, which makes it fun and easy to handle in city traffic as well as at higher speeds.

The Rizta is obviously not as good around corners as the sportier 450X, but it still does a decent job as a family scooter. The MRF tyres feel stable most of the time, but tend to lock up when braking really hard. But that’s also because the front 200mm disc has a very good bite and so does the 130mm rear drum brake. 

The Ather Rizta is suspended on a telescopic fork and a monoshock, which absorbs most bumps and potholes very efficiently, delivering a good ride quality. However, sharp bumps and potholes still give a sharp kick back, and the overall ride quality isn’t as comfortable as the TVS iQube S.

The Rizta has a spacious and well-padded seat, along with a softer suspension setup, which provides a comfortable riding experience. The long seat can easily accommodate tall riders and passengers, along with extra luggage, without compromising on comfort. Moreover, the spacious floorboard provides enough room for taller riders and even while taking u-turns, the handlebar won’t hit their knees, an issue taller riders face with the 450X a lot. 

With the 780mm seat height, the Ather Rizta is quite comfortable for riders of different heights. However, at 119kg kerb, it is slightly heavier than the 450X and other scooters, and hence requires a bit of effort to move around in parking lots and tight spaces.

The Ather Rizta comes with an all-LED lighting setup. The Rizta S variant comes with the same 7-inch LCD screen as the Ather 450S. On the other hand, the Rizta Z is equipped with the full-color TFT console from the 450X. Both variants come with a range of features. While the Rizta S has turn-by-turn navigation, the Rizta Z comes with Google Maps.

The electric scooter gets all the features from the Ather 450X including the hill hold assist, reverse mode, smart eco mode and FallSafe feature (which turns off the motor when the scooter falls). Along with the magic twist, the Rizta additionally comes with a new Ather SkidControl feature, which is basically a traction control system. It has a sensor that controls the rear wheel speed and matches it with the front wheel, stopping wheelspin on slippery surfaces. That said, we think the chances of wheel slip are already very low on this scooter because of the linear power delivery. Here's how the Magic Twist and the Ather Skid Control work.

The Ather Rizta has a 34-litre boot space, which is more than enough for groceries and vegetable shopping and other items. It can even accommodate a premium full-face helmet. You can also get an optional boot organiser that transforms into a carry bag and makes it very easy to carry all the groceries out of the boot at once. Additionally, there is a 22-litre 'frunk' (front trunk) available as an optional accessory, which increases the total storage capacity to 56 litres.

Ather is tapping into a new market segment with the Rizta, shifting from being a brand just for enthusiasts to appealing to a wider audience. This change means some compromises in performance and sportiness, which might not please hardcore enthusiasts who view Ather as a sporty or performance e-scooter manufacturer. However, the Ather Rizta is still a good option to consider for those looking to switch from their petrol scooters to a family-focused electric scooter. And with its prices starting from Rs 1,09,990 for the Rizta S (2.9kWh), the Rizta is attractively priced too, The 2.9kWh Z variant costs Rs 1.25 lakh, and the Rizta Z 3.7kWh variant is priced at Rs 1,44,999 (all prices introductory, ex-showroom Bengaluru, including the Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme 2024).