Honda QC1 First Ride Review: Quite Compromising

The more sensible and practical Honda e-scooter on paper turns out to be even more weird in the real world.

While the Activa e: might be Honda's premium electric scooter, it isn't going to be present pan India anytime soon. That's not the case with the QC1, the more affordable and more conventional of the two Honda electric scooters, targeting the younger as well as older members of the family. It costs ₹90,000 (ex-showroom Delhi) and to begin with, will only be available in 6 cities. So, does this e-scooter make more sense than the Activa e: or not? Or is it a better deal than its rivals?

Underwhelming And Hazarduos

The first word that comes to mind about the performance of the QC1 is underwhelming. It gets only two riding modes: Econ and Standard. The top speed in standard mode is 50 kmph, which takes quite some time to reach. In Econ, the QC1 is restricted to 30-33 kmph, and hence keeping pace with traffic becomes a challenge. Hence, you will mostly ride in the Standard mode and that too is a struggle.

You have to have the throttle wound up completely for it to be moving and even at 45-50 kmph, it feels like a roadblock. Overtakes take a lot of time and you have to plan them well in advance as there is no extra juice on hand to propel the scooter. Some of its rivals, like the Bajaj Chetak or the TVS iQube, have a slightly higher top speed in the base spec models, 60-68 kmph. And thus, riding in the city becomes less challenging.

Small Battery = Less Range

Being the traditional scooter of the two Honda e-scooters, the QC1 gets under seat storage space, no swappable batteries. There is a 1.5 kWh fixed battery pack, which again is quite less. Honda’s claimed IDC range is 80 km. When we rode the QC1, it dropped down by 30 percent in just 17 km of riding in Standard mode. Basic maths should tell you then that the realistic range should be 55-60 km in Standard and around 65 in Econ, but you don’t want to constantly be in that mode. From a ₹90,000 e-scooter, the range is quite lacking, both of its rivals have far better real world range capabilities. Plus, there is no DTE display on the dash. This means you have to do some mental maths when you're out on the road, how far until you need to reach your destination and will the e-scooter go that far.

And it won’t even charge up rapidly. The charger provided is of a low rating. Hence, when you drain the small battery pack, you will still have to overnight charge it for it to be fully charged the following morning. 

Scooter Basics 101

At first glance, the QC1 doesn’t look that different from the Activa e, but start to approach the scooter and you will notice that it isn’t quite as premium an experience. The feeling is still of an affordable low cost e-scooter and not of something that one should hope from Honda. Furthermore, the negative LCD screen is severely lacking data and has no connectivity option at all. 

Comfy stance, neutral handling and well tuned suspension means at least you won’t be bothered while riding. Yes, the seating space is a little less for two-up riding and that will also drain out the battery faster. So compromises are going to be made. 

Compromises Indeed

There’s no official meaning of QC in QC1 but in our books, it stands for ‘Quite Compromising.’ It doesn't have the performance to keep pace with traffic nor does it have a decent amount of range. It lacks modern techy features and is even devoid of basic data like DTE. Sure, it does ride well, taking care of our poor roads in a neat manner and it is sensible when it comes to underseat storage space. Hence, only and only if this is going to be a second or third scooter in the household where performance and range aren't big concerns and you value the Honda badge tremendously should you consider it. Even then, by paying ₹5000-₹7000 more, you could get the base trims of the Bajaj Chetak and the TVS iQube, which make far better sense.