Rs 1 lakh is emerging to be a sweet spot for 2W OEMs to attract buyers into the electric scooter ecosystem. Many OEMs undercutting this Rs 1 lakh price point and Bajaj Auto is the latest one to do this with the Chetak C25. It is their most affordable electric scooter and it rivals the likes of other affordable offerings like Hero Vida VX2 Go 2.2 and TVS Orbiter.
We have also brought Chetak 3001 into the comparison to see where things stand. This price bracket used to be populated by Honda QC1 as well, but it was discontinued owing to lack of sales and then there is Ola S1X, which we have not included in this comparison. Let’s see where Bajaj Chetak C2501 stands against its rivals on paper.
Bajaj Chetak C25 vs Rivals Compared
Kicking things off with prices, Bajaj Chetak C2501 made headlines with a sticker price of Rs 91,399. But we are taking Ex-sh prices without subsidies and Chetak C2501 costs Rs 96,399 (Ex-sh), which is the most affordable in this list. Vida VX2 starts from Rs 99,490 (Ex-sh), while Orbiter at Rs 1,04,990 (Ex-sh) and Chetak 3001 at Rs 1,07,400 (Ex-sh).
Where weight is concerned, Chetak C25 is among the lightest in this segment at 107 kg. Base VX2 is 106 kg, while Orbiter is 112 kg. Orbiter and C25 have the same seat height of 763 mm, lowest in this segment. This combination of weight and seat height makes Chetak C25 the most accessible scooter in this list.
Performance-wise, Vida VX2 takes the cake as it comes with a 6 kW motor as standard, while Chetak C25’s 2.2 kW peak power is lowest on this list. This reflects in the top speed too, at 55 km/h, it is the lowest, while VX2 has the highest at 70 km/h. However, Chetak C25 has one advantage as it has a 2.5 kWh battery and it promises 113 km range, while Vida’s 2.2 kWh promises 92 km only.
The 3 kWh unit on Chetak 3001 promises 127 km and 3.1 kWh on Orbiter promises 158 km on a single charge. Vida and Chetak 3001 have swingarm mounted motor, while Orbiter and Chetak C25 have hub motors. All scooters in this comparison get some kind of non-adjustable regen function and a reverse mode, making usability better.
Features and Equipment
Chetak 3001 gets sophisticated leading-link suspension and rear mono-shock, while Chetak C25 gets more conventional telescopic front forks and rear twin shockers. Only the Chetak C25 gets a front disc brake, which might work in its favour, but it gets the skinniest tyres at 80-section. TVS Orbiter has a unique 14-inch front and 12-inch rear wheel combination.
Boot space is the largest with Chetak 3001 at 35L, a hair larger than TVS Orbiter’s 34L and Vida VX2 Go 2.2’s 33.2L. All scooters get LED lighting as standard and LCD instrument clusters with Bluetooth connectivity and turn-by-turn navigation, but lack touchscreen functionality. Only VX2 lacks hill hold function, which even the Chetak C25 gets. Only TVS Orbiter gets a cruise control feature, which is its unique attribute to stand out.
