▲ 14 r/ATHERENERGY
Ather 450S is a terrible buy in 2026.
Why you shouldn’t buy the Ather 450 in 2026: A 3.5-year owner’s reality check.
- Not value for money battery/motor/controller warranty: TVS, Bajaj, and Hero offer better coverage for the same price.
- Extended Warranty: You cannot purchase an extended warranty after your first 3 months**.**
- Dangerous Service Fail: The technician damaged the brake piston while installing new pads, causing the caliper to jam mid-ride. I had to pull off a DIY fix and replace the piston and O-rings myself.
- Spare Parts Nightmare: Network is broken, parts are rarely in stock, and the fragile plastic panels cost a fortune. I had to wait 7 days to replace throttle which costs ₹500
- Terrible Pillion Comfort: The rear seat is notoriously uncomfortable, Ather hasn't updated the design in years.
- Dead Charging Network: Infrastructure growth has completely stalled. Kolkata has had the same 6–9 charging locations for the last 3 years.
- Cheap Hardware: Switches and buttons fail easily and have terrible water resistance.
- Software Gatekeeping: Hidden Data: The 450S hides your actual battery % on the dash/app for no technical reason.
- Noisy Belt: Constantly chirps every few hundred kilometers. No official fix except DIY silicon belt oil spray.
u/redline_monster — 2 days ago