Honda QC1 first ride review: Pricey proposition?
- Lightweight, easy to ride
- Simple design, sturdy fit and finish
- Good city performance
- Too compact in proportions
- Lack of features including the distance to empty reading
- Too pricey for what it offers
- We finally had the chance to sample the new Honda QC1, its most accessible electric scooter on the market, in Bengaluru. Will Honda’s new scooter be a market disruptor? Let’s find out.
Honda rules India’s scooter market and its foray into the electric mobility segment has been a much-awaited one. Expectations were to see what the Japanese two-wheeler giant would bring to this space after being the undisputed leader for the longest time now. Last November, we got two new products - the Honda Activa e and QC1 - as the brand’s first electric scooters for India. We finally had the chance to sample the new Honda QC1, its most accessible electric scooter on the market, in Bengaluru. Will Honda’s new scooter be a market disruptor? Let’s find out.
Watch: Honda QC1 electric scooter review: Honda's most practical EV? | Price, Range, Features, Ride quality
Honda QC1: Design
The QC1 is compact. It’s reasonably larger than something like a Yulu last-mile mobility scooter and more substantial too, but also considerably smaller than the full-blow Activa e. It measures 1,826 mm in length, 701 mm in width and 1,129 mm in height. The wheelbase is compact at 1,275 mm. The ground clearance is decent at 169 mm, while the kerb weight is a light 89.5 kg.
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Visually, the QC1 is like a shrunken version of the new Activa e. The design is nearly identical, especially at the front with the LED headlamp but it misses out on the LED DRL at the top. The compact proportions give it a smaller footprint but the design itself is clean with simpler lines all over. Honda has done well with the shut lines, paint finish and plastics. Everything feels basic but sturdy at the same time.
Honda QC1: Ergonomics
The ergonomics are just right on the QC1, especially if you are someone below 5’5". The scooter is fairly accessible and has a large enough seat to accommodate two average-sized adults with ease. It’s not a spacious seat but will get the job done over short distances. The floorboard isn’t the most spacious and you tend to hit your knee on the handlebar around turns. For tall riders, I would suggest looking elsewhere, given the compact proportions. For the rest, the QC1 will work just fine.
Honda QC1: Storage & Features
The Honda QC1 is more practical with 26 litres of under-seat storage space. It can’t carry a full-face helmet but the space is deep enough to gobble a bag and some knick-knacks. There are cubby spaces of 1.5 litres each in the inner apron that further help with additional storage capacity. The feature list is rather basic with a Type-C USB charging port and a 5-inch LCD instrument console. While the digital console offers the basics, it misses out on displaying the Distance-to-Empty range and only gives the state of charge of the battery instead. You are left with calculating the kilometres left on the scooter, which isn’t great if you have range anxiety.
Honda QC1: Performance
Powering the QC1 is a BLDC hub motor that makes about 1.8 kW (2.4 bhp) and 77 Nm at the wheel. Honda claims 0-40 kmph in 9.4 seconds while the top speed is restricted to 50 kmph. It’s not classified as a slow scooter that has a speed restriction of 25 kmph, so you will need a licence and helmet to ride the QC1 on public roads. Performance isn’t remarkable but gets the job done. The throttle calibration is seamless and power delivery is smooth throughout. You get two riding modes - Eco and Standard. The top speed is restricted to 30 kmph in Eco, which goes up to 50 kmph in Standard. Understandably, the throttle response is too dull in the Eco mode and we’ll recommend sticking to standard to get the scooter kicking.
This is a utility-driven offering and performance isn’t supposed to be exciting. The QC1 is a hardcore commuter and has a no-nonsense approach. Want to take it to the office or the grocery store? It will do that with no fuss. The electric scooter is quick enough at speeds between 30-50 kmph and easily keeps up with traffic in the city. Climbing gradients isn’t too much of a challenge either, especially flyovers but a steep incline will take some effort.
Honda QC1: Suspension and Braking
The QC1 is fairly stable with telescopic forks up front and twin shocks at the rear. The ride quality is slightly firm, especially at the rear, and going over broken patches of roads makes it evident on your back. The scooter rides on a 12-inch alloy wheel at the front and a 10-inch unit at the rear wrapped in MRF tyres that offer decent traction but the smaller wheel does little to offer a plush ride quality. We would’ve liked a softer setup given a lot of older folks would be interested in owning a practical city scooter like the QC1. Braking performance is decent with progressive feedback at the front lever. The rear brake has a strong bite and is even fun to play around with. Sadly, there is no regen braking to help improve range.
Honda QC1: Range
Given the much lower top speed, Honda has ensured that you have a higher chance of hitting the claimed range of 80 km (IDC) on a single charge from its 1.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. This is, of course, in the Eco mode and drops to 70 km in the Standard mode. During our test with the electric scooter, we managed to drain the battery down to 11 per cent after completing a little over 41 km. To be fair, we were also aggressive on the throttle for the most part. We expect a real-world range of around 50-55 km on a single charge on the QC1. However, given a Honda product, the expectation would be to deliver the same consistently over a larger span of its ownership cycle.
With respect to charging, the Honda QC1 does not have a fast charger compliance and comes with a 330-watt off-board charger. This translates to a charging time from 0-80 per cent in 4 hours and 30 minutes, and 0-100 per cent in hours and 30 minutes. That’s quite steep for what is a rather small battery pack. Realistically, you are looking at overnight charging daily.
The limp mode restricts the top speed to 27 kmph once the state of charge drops to under 20 per cent. This should give you a usable range but more clarity on the console would’ve helped ease range anxiety. Honda says it has integrated auto cut-off once the charge is full among other fail-safes to ensure maximum safety and no thermal runaway incidents.
Honda QC1: Verdict
There are plenty of things I like about the QC1. It’s easy to ride, and manoeuvre and has a no-nonsense feel to it. And there are enough customers out there who want an electric scooter that does the basics and remains reliable. However, the Honda QC1 is the brand’s most accessible electric scooter at ₹90,000 (ex-showroom, introductory), which makes it more expensive than the Honda Activa 110.
At this price point, the scooter isn’t exactly value-friendly and it's hard for us to recommend one easily. I do feel that QC1 should’ve been at least ₹20,000 cheaper than what it is currently and it would’ve made sure to attract a larger customer base. But the current price tag makes it compete with the base variants of the Bajaj Chetak and TVS iQube, which arguably offer better value for a marginal premium. It's hard to recommend the QC1 at this moment.
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