Suzuki e-Access Review - A Perfect Family Scooter?

The race for domination in the Indian EV space is hotting up and how. Until now it was the desi brands fighting among themselves to make a mark in the EV market, but 2025 has changed it, first with Honda riding in the Activa e: and now Suzuki with the e-Access. And both the brands are betting big on India as these electric scooters will be built in India for the world. So can the e-Access be as impressive and competent as the  ICE Access or does it deliver a complete new experience? Let’s find out.

Performance 

Suzuki didn’t go chasing behind performance with the e-Access as they wanted to focus more on usability than top speed. There are 3 ride modes, Eco being the most chill and even the top speed is capped at 55 kmph.Then, there’s Ride mode A & B, same top speed of 71 kmph but on A, you get regen. I preferred the regen mode at the track as it cut momentum while entering corners and the throttle also felt a bit heavy, which I personally like.

The best aspect of the scooter is throttle calibration as it’s seamless and smooth, there’s no jerk when you slow down or use the throttle after braking. Something we have experienced on many electric scooters. The linear power delivery and the smooth throttle should make it easy to ride in city traffic. The e-Access  feels closer to the Bajaj Chetak in terms of performance but with a better throttle response and calibration. So as a runabout it’s fine, but if you’re looking for thrill, then the Ather 450X or the TVS iQube ST is a better pick.

Range & Charging 

Suzuki has opted for a 3 kWh LFP battery instead of a NMC as the Japanese brand claims it offers double the charge cycle and is more reliable as well. 

There are two ways to charge the battery pack, first via the AC home charger, but the charging duration is very long at 6 hrs and 20 mins. The second option is to charge the e-Access at official Suzuki dealerships where a DC charger will be set up. With DC charging, the electric scooter can be fully charged in just 2 hours and 12 minutes. While the DC charger helps, the standard hike charger speed is too slow and given the range, it could have been better. 

The claimed range is on the lower end at just 95 km, which honestly is disappointing. To give you an idea, rivals with similar battery pack capacity are delivering claimed ranges of over 150 km! So yeah, Suzuki needs to catch up on this end!

Ride, Handling & Braking 

While the performance of the Suzuki axis is not very thrilling, what will excite you is the handling dynamics of this electric scooter. On the gokart track, I was having lots of fun. And yes, you might not ride an electric scooter on the track, but what I can assure you is the agility of the electric scooter is right up there. We had a slalom section on the track and the agility of the scooter was very, very impressive. It doesn't feel its weight as the Suzuki scooter feels very nimble and agile, thereby giving the rider a lot of confidence. And this agility should make it, a very fun to ride scooter in city traffic.

Also, the suspension setup is tuned for comfort and while riding over the rumbler strips, the scooter felt composed and compliant. The disc brake and drum brakes setup offers decent stopping power, yes, it isn’t the sharpest hardware but given the performance of the e-Access, it’s fine. So in terms of handling dynamics, comfort and braking, the Suzuki electric scooter is impressive. 

Design & Features

The styling of the new e-Access is a bit too conservative for my liking. Yes, it’s called the Access, but bears no resemblance with its ICE cousin. I am not a big fan of the face of the scooter as it looks a bit too slim and reminds of the TVS Scooty Pep. In profile, the scooter looks bigger and more prominent. My favourite though is the rear, the LED tail light wraps around well and the indicators have a creased panel that looks very cool. Another nice addition are the 12-inch alloy wheels with a dual-tone finish. The overall styling is a bit too safe, but what really bothers me are the colour options, which look a bit dull except for the green shade… Why, Suzuki, there’s no blue shade on the e-Access? 

Talking about features you get a TFT screen with a bunch of data on display, the ride modes can be easily toggled through the buttons on the switchgear and the display isn’t too cluttered. There are details such as battery range, turn-by-turn navigation, weather info and incoming call and message notifications. The e-Access also gets keyless start and one can locate the scooter via the key fob. There is a USB charger at the front with a small storage space on the apron and on the right hand side you can start the scooter, open the charger flap and seat via a knob.

Talking about under seat storage there’s 17-litres of storage which is decent, but when you add the portable charger, there’s hardly any space left. The fit and finish levels on the e-Access is very good and that’s not surprising since it’s a suzuki product. The switchgear quality felt solid, the panel gaps are tight and even while going over the rumblers the body panels didn’t squeal or rattle. 

Verdict

Since this was a short ride on a go kart circuit, and the fact that Suzuki hasn't announced the pricing of the e-Access we can’t give a definite verdict. The pricing will be critical as its rivals like the Bajaj Chetak, TVS iqube and the Ather Rizta are priced between ₹1.20 and ₹1.30 lakh and we expect the Suzuki electric scooter to retail around ₹1.20-1.40 lakh (ex-showroom). The scooter will go on sale by mid-June and unlike the Honda Activa electric, it will be available at all Suzuki dealerships pan-India. 

What we can confirm from this ride is that the performance is adequate, if not thrilling. The handling is fun and it is a comfortable scooter, both in terms of the riding posture and in terms of the ride quality. The TFT instrument console gives you usable information, and the overall fit and finish level of the scooter is up to Suzuki's standard. Having said that, the performance could have been better, the range could have been higher and the charging time too is on the higher side. All said and done, the Suzuki electric scooter has the ethos of being a proper family electric scooter.

But does it deliver on that front is something that we can only confirm after a proper road test, and when Suzuki announces the pricing of the e-Access.