Bajaj Chetak C25 first ride review: Is this the new gold standard for beginner scooters?

Before I even start this review, I would like to preface it by saying that the Bajaj Chetak C25 is everything that its marketing suggests it to be. An urban commuter scooter. One that isn’t burdened by claims of it being the most feature packed, the most connected, or the most powerful. This isn’t the review of a sporty electric scooter. If that’s what you’re looking for, you can skip this one. But if you’re interested in a solid commuter scooter, one that looks stylish, has the required amount of performance and doesn’t have the sole agenda of destroying your savings account, then by all means, grab your favourite beverage, maybe a snack and let me tell you why I feel the Bajaj Chetak C25 should be your next scooter.

Bajaj Chetak C25 design and styling

Why was the Bajaj Chetak such a special scooter? Both the OG ICE and the more recent EV resurrection of it? Performance, rideability, accessibility aside, it was and is a very beautiful scooter. One with a timeless, almost evergreen design. One that looks like it’s modern, yet, at the same time, has been around for a while. The Chetak C25, as Bajaj very proudly tells us has been redesigned from the ground up with almost nothing shared with the current C35 series of Chetak. The only thing that it carries forward is the essence. To that end, the C25 seems like a modern rendition of the classic design. Confirmed immediately by the more angular horse shoe DRL, single-piece ‘ice cube’ inspired tail light and funky graphics on the rear. The body, which like the C35, is made of metal, retains the iconic Chetak silhouette while being smaller. The entire scooter, in fact, is smaller than the C35.

100mm. That’s how much shorter the wheelbase of the C25 is than that of the C35. With that and a bunch of other changes, the scooter tips the scales at 107kg making it well over 22kg lighter than the bigger 30 and 35 series of Chetak. Accessibility, not just in terms of price but primarily in terms of the scooter being easy to use and manage has been the biggest component in the vision board of the creation of the C25. Going down in size does also mean that the underseat storage comes down from 35 litres to 25 litres. But that’s still more than you get with many scooters in the market today. Build quality wise too, the C25 surpasses all expectations with uniform panel gaps, good paint finish on all six colours that you can get the scooter in and in the switchgear. Speaking of switchgear, the indicator switches are finally on the same side. They do actually listen!

Bajaj Chetak C25 battery, motor and performance

At the heart of the new C25 is a floorboard mounted 2.5kWh NMC battery. That sends power to a hub-mounted motor on the rear wheel unlike the mid-mounted motor we’ve grown accustomed to with the 30 and 35 series Chetak. The motor is good for 2.2kW (2.9bhp) of peak power and 1.8kW (2.4bhp) of continuous power. That with the battery, Bajaj tells us, is good for 113km of range on the IDC cycle, which will be closer to 90km in the real world. The top-speed of the scooter is 55kmph and here is where I’m expecting to lose the interest of most enthusiasts. But, hold on, there’s more than meets the eye here because the way the C25 gets to its top-speed is quite admirable. Out of the box, the scooter comes with just Eco Mode which gets you the whole 55kmph. Pay ₹3000 extra, fit the Tec Pac and that unlocks Sport Mode, hill hold assist, auto-cancelling indicators, a flicker feature for the tail light and Bluetooth connectivity that allows you to control music and calls on your smartphone. Sport Mode doesn’t unlock a higher top-speed, just quicker acceleration.

That being said, the acceleration in Eco Mode is respectable. Getting off the line, it feels a smidge lethargic but as soon as you start rolling things get much better and you’re keeping pace with traffic almost immediately. Even rolling on from 40kmph to 55kmph, the scooter builds pace rapidly. Unlike some other low-speed EVs, you never feel like a threat on the road because of the speed, rather, lack thereof. My only complaint is the way regen kicks in when you roll off. It feels a little too aggressive and could be calibrated better. This is something Sport Mode rectifies along with making acceleration even more brisk. On the whole, as long as you stick to the city, the C25 is plenty fun to ride and this sentiment remains even when climbing fly overs. The same can’t be said for other low-speed EVs. In terms of charging, Bajaj claims that the C25 can be juiced up from 0-80 per cent in 2 hours 25 minutes with an outboard 750W charger. This is at par if not better than the competition.

Bajaj Chetak C25 comfort, ride and handling

This is where the Chetak C25 excels. Despite being much smaller, the scooter is plenty accommodating for riders of all sizes. The long 650mm seat can easily seat two large people without the handlebar fowling with the rider’s knees. The seat is well-foamed with it being neither too soft, nor too hard making it comfortable for riding from tank to tank, or in this case, from plug point to plug point. The suspension setup is made up of a telescopic fork at the front and twin shocks at the rear. The ride quality on this Chetak is very well judged with it being able to handle everything that Pune’s roads could throw at me without breaking a sweat. Yes, some sharp bumps do give you the impression that the front is crashing though the undulation, but those are the really sharp ones.

Everything else is dealt with a lot of composure. Braking is taken care of by a disc at the front and a drum at the rear and this setup seems plenty for the kind of performance the scooter packs. The fact that the scooter is over 20kg lighter than its elder brethren is something you immediately feel. It’s nimble, changes direction on a dime and does so while feeling plenty stable owing to the low centre of gravity that comes from the low-slung battery pack. The riding position, too, is solid and all of this ties together to make for a really pleasurable ride. Remember how I was talking about the scooter being accessible to riders of all shapes, sizes and skill levels. That’s exactly what the Chetak C25 is.

Bajaj Chetak C25 verdict

The C25 is the new gateway into the Chetak world. Priced at ₹91,399 (ex-showroom) it is the most affordable Chetak in the range. That being said, please don’t mistake affordable to mean cheap. Because that is the last thing the C25 is. It is a very well put together scooter, one that looks stunning, is built very well, is ideal for any ride in the city all while being one that will be accessible to any rider, irrespective of their skill, height, or strength. Then when you factor in the price, to which I would definitely add the ₹3000 Tec Pac, it is still more affordable than most scooters that rival it and don’t offer nearly as good a riding experience. So, if you’re in the market for a solid, no-nonsense commuter scooter, EV or ICE, for you, your family or your neighbour’s cat, the Chetak C25 should definitely be high on your consideration list.