Ather 450X vs Ola S1 Pro: Which electric scooter should I buy?

I am tempted to upgrade to the 450X. It is a known quantity and I have complete confidence in Ather borne by over 4 years of ownership.

BHPian jaganm recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I’ve had an Ather 450 since early 2019 and have done close to 20000 km on it. It has been a revelation in most areas, the scooter still feels quite as good as new. However, the biggest bugbear is the battery range, a range of 55/65 is just not good enough for our current use.

I am tempted to upgrade to the 450X. It is a known quantity and I have complete confidence in Ather borne by over 4 years of ownership. However, I cannot help myself looking across the aisle towards the Ola S1 Pro.

Here are my thoughts about the Ola

• Better performance and specs
• Bigger storage and more comfortable ergonomics

The cons as I see it

• Worries about reliability, especially as my daughter will be the main user, I don’t want to take a chance with things like front suspension and auto reverse that I’ve read about
• Build quality – the Ather looks good even after 4 years and has no rattles anywhere. The battery must have depleted but it still gives the same range as it did when new. Can I trust Ola to the same extent? I’ve seen videos where the long term durability seems suspect.

Am I correct in my thinking? Or are my feelings about Ola outdated and I really should be giving them a more thorough look?

Here’s what BHPian Axe77 had to say on the matter:

Whether the Ather 450X is upgrade enough from your range requirements I don’t know off hand but at this point in time, I’d anyday buy an Ather over an Ola, every day of the week. Ola is simply not confidence inspiring for me personally.

Here’s what BHPian Venky03 had to say on the matter:

The 450X has matured significantly in comparison to the S1 Pro, and it’s not worth compromising reliability for the sake of a bigger boot and increased performance(persistent overheating issues).

Without a doubt, 450X over S1 Pro.

Here’s what BHPian deep_bang had to say on the matter:

I have an ola s1 and to be fair it’s pretty good but does have some software niggles, but none that matter towards safety of the rider.

With the S1 air (if that’s what you are looking for), the front shocks are also twin shocks like conventional scooters. So I think it’s pretty decent for what it offers.

However, if I would have had an Ather, and liked it, I would blindly go for another Ather as long as price is not an issue. Reliability wise it’s hard to beat at this point and all others will take several years to prove their reliability (Ola included).

Here’s what BHPian aargee had to say on the matter:

Sir from our riding experience

Ather’s handling is like a motorcycle that has its engine mounted at center & inspires great handling. We felt a little inspired to abuse Ather & felt it can still withstand them.

Ola on the other hand, nothing negative to comment, but certainly more than a few notches below at par to handle. We {Wife & I} felt the rear was a little heavier especially when doing hard turns & U turns {this is our experience riding Activa extensively & other motorcycles in 100/250 & 650cc}

While Ather was prototyped, designed, tested extensively & manufactured here, Ola was certainly prototyped & designed at Netherlands & have been tested & manufactured here. Ofcourse, I’m a little biased towards Ather for all the praises of it in here & over the Internet.

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