u/jianjohn

I’m from Kolkata. When I called the customer support team, they said that the showroom in Kolkata will open in 2–3 months. By then, the PM e-subsidy will be over in July.

I was originally targeting the Rizta S during Prime Day or the GOAT India Festival, but the River Indie looks really good and I want to buy it. However, the upfront cost of ₹1.75 lakh is stopping me. Like this will be my 1st vehicle but I also want to save some for my car purchase in the future.

I think even with EMI and discounts, the savings will only be around ₹5,000. It’s also not listed on Amazon or Flipkart, so I can’t get discounts from there either.

What should I do?

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I'm confused between the Rizta S and the 450X. I want to make a financially wise decision.

Initially, I wanted a bike like a KTM Adventure — something EV, stylish, fun, and cool, so I could take my bandi and go to Shimla. But then I realized humpe to koi hai hi nahi 😭. Also, there aren't really EV bikes like the KTM Adventure, and even if there were, I probably wouldn't be able to afford them.

So right now I'm thinking about the Ather Rizta, which would be my vehicle for grocery shopping, office commuting during my internship, and maybe — just maybe — I could take it on a tour once a month to Goa or some hill station on a solo trip, because I definitely won’t have the money to go by plane.

So help me choose a scooter that would be a financially wise decision.

Should I go with the Rizta S lower variant or the Rizta S top variant, or the Ather 450X, which has everything?

I feel like going with the Rizta s 159 km variant would be a wise decision, but I also feel like by not going with the Ather 450X I'm missing out on a lot of cool features. At the same time, I want to upgrade to a new EV bike or car once I get a stable job, so paying so much upfront might not be the wisest decision.

Also, Bajaj Auto is offering a scooter at a similar price with a touchscreen and other features. But you have to buy the Tech Pack + data pack (₹7.5k for 5 years), and then pay again for the data pack later. Also, the battery warranty is 5 years, which is lower than the Ather Rizta. I’ve heard these batteries could cost around ₹1.2 lakh, so that worries me.

So I'm really confused about what I should do.

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Ok guys, tell me whether I should get the Vida VX2 Plus or not.

Initially, I was thinking about getting an Ather, but I dropped the idea because I live in a high-rise building and we don’t have any charging solution there yet. My parking space is on the 2nd floor, so getting a connection from my meter to my parking space would cost a lot. Also, if I move to a PG or somewhere else for work in the future, I don’t know whether I’ll be allowed to install a fixed charger there.

Since Vida has removable batteries and a lower upfront cost, I feel I might recover the cost quicker than Ather and then maybe upgrade to a newer EV after a few years.

But I have a few fears and queries because this would be my first vehicle.

1. How safe is it to carry the battery from the parking space to home every day and back to the scooter? People keep saying that if you drop it, it might blast. Also, after seeing so many EV fire videos online, I have this fear even though I know it’s rare.

One solution I thought of was charging it early in the morning around 4–5 AM instead of overnight, or maybe charging it partially from 7–9 PM so that if something happens, I can quickly switch it off. But what about the risk of dropping the battery from my hands or similar situations?

2. Someone on the Ather sub shared that his motor and battery stopped working and the company asked around ₹1.28 lakh for replacement. Since this is my first vehicle ownership experience, please guide me.

The company is giving a comprehensive warranty of around 5 years, right? And in case of an accident, insurance should cover it too?

Can someone explain situations where both the company and insurance provider may refuse coverage and I might actually have to pay such a huge amount from my own pocket? What kind of situations cause that?

3. On Policybazaar, only 2 insurance companies are showing for the Vida VX2 Plus model. I couldn’t find popular ones like Tata AIG or HDFC Ergo. Will these insurance companies cover battery damage due to water or flooding? What about general battery damage?

4. Does Hero/Vida have the same restrictions as Ather regarding installation of aftermarket accessories like body guards, crash guards, etc.?

Would really appreciate honest owner experiences and advice.