KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Honda QC1 is priced at Rs 90,000 (ex-showroom)
- Comes with a 1.5 kWh fixed battery pack offering a range of 80 km
Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) Ltd. began its electrification journey in India in 2024. The brand unveiled its QC1 and Activa e: electric scooters last year, launching them at the Bharat Mobility Expo this year. The Honda QC1 comes with a premium price tag considering its specifications and performance. I rode the new Honda QC1 in Bengaluruheres my first ride review of Hondas affordable electric scooter. In the meantime, make sure to join the 91Wheels Whatsapp Channel to never miss out on automotive updates.
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Honda QC 1 - Design
The new Honda QC1 boasts a simple design language with a sleek apron-mounted LED headlamp, a subtle handlebar cowl, and neatly placed side panels without much crease and cuts. The scooter offers a good city scooter vibe with its design. The front and the side profile of the QC1 look similar to the Activa e:, but things become different at the rear.
The rear of the scooter gets a small LED taillamp which looks like an aftermarket unit and motorcycle-type LED turn signals. The overall fit and finish and the quality of the material used in the scooter are top-notch. The quality of the paint and body panels looks good and you won't find any visible panel gaps and paint quality issues in the scooter. It also gets blacked-out alloy wheels which enhances the overall appeal.
Features & Hardware
On the features front, it gets a 5-inch digital LCD that shows your speed, riding mode, odometer reading, and battery percentage. What's surprising here is it does not show the distance to empty range, all you get is the battery percentage display, and you have to guess how much distance you can cover in that percentage based on your riding style. Honda should've given the range display in the instrument console as well.
The QC1 is made for normal city commutes and the hardware available on the scooter is pretty simple. It is built on an undertone chassis and comes with telescopic front forks, hydraulic spring shock absorbers at the rear with preload adjustment, a 12-inch front wheel, and a 10-inch rear wheel. The braking duties are handled by drum brakes on both ends.
Ride, Handling, & Performance
The ride quality of the QC1 is well-balanced. You can easily hop on the scooter, the seat is wide and comfortable and the floorboard area offers enough space for your legs even for tall riders. In terms of handling, it performs well. The suspension absorbs potholes and speed breakers effectively, making city rides comfortable. Moreover, the brakes provide a good bite and sufficient stopping power, despite being drum brakes on both ends.
The Honda QC1 comes with a 1.5 kWh fixed battery pack offering an IDC claimed range of 80 km on a single charge. This battery pack is paired with a hub-mounted motor that produces 2.4 bhp of peak power. The claimed top speed of the scooter is 50 kmph.
Now, coming to the ride itself, the QC1 comes with 2 riding modes: Econ & Standard. In the Econ mode, the scooter feels useless, the speed in the Econ mode is limited to 30 kmph, making it sluggish. The 30 kmph speed is only suitable for riding in your immediate surroundings, but if you are taking the scooter on roads with traffic, you'll be a hazard to other vehicles. I tried the Econ mode from the hotel parking to the main road only before switching to Standard mode.
The Standard mode allows you to take the scooter up to 52 kmph. While this speed is sufficient for city roads, once you reach the top speed, quick maneuvers become difficult, and youre just sitting on the scooter with the throttle fully twisted. Due to its limited speed, making quick maneuvers is challenging. The scooter lacks versatility in terms of performance, and you have to accept that you cant ride it freely. In a city like Delhi, maintaining a steady 50 kmph isn't practical, especially on wide roads where the speed limit is around 60-65 kmph. The performance of the QC1 is not up to the mark even for city riding. It is only suitable for short trips of 10-20 km around your house, such as picking up groceries or running small errands on your two-wheeler.
Unlike its sibling, the Activa e:, the QC1 offers 26 liters of under-seat storage and a 1.5-liter cubby hole in the front footrest area. Additionally, it features a luggage hook in the footrest area.
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Verdict
The Honda QC1 is strictly made for short commutes. It's not fun to ride, nor does it deliver an exhilirating performance, it will just take you from point A to B. With a price tag of Rs 90,000 (ex-showroom), the QC1 is not a scooter which will attract a lot of buyers. It neither offers a good range nor enough features to justify the price tag. Honda is relying on the statistics of their reasearch to sell a scooter in a highly competitive market, where rivals like Bajaj, TVS, Ola, Ather and more are offering better features and more range.
Honda could attract more customers by either reducing the price or improving the scooters range and performance. With a top speed of just 50 kmph and a claimed range of only 80 km, selling the QC1 will be a tough challenge.
