Simple One Gen 2 first ride review: Better than before?

The Simple One has had one of the more dramatic arcs in the Indian electric two-wheeler story. Big promises, delays that stretched years in some cases and early production issues that quietly damaged credibility. To be honest, it felt like another ambitious startup that had overreached and paid the price. Yet, here we are.

This is the Simple One Gen 2. And even though it still looks largely the same, there are worthwhile changes inside. What Simple has done is give it a structural, mechanical and electrical rework aimed at correcting what didn’t land the first time. The question we are asking is simple: Is this finally the scooter Simple should have launched from day one?

The big changes

Let’s start with the numbers, because that’s what pulled everyone’s attention the first time. Simple now offers the Gen 2 in three battery configurations. The entry version gets a 3.7kWh pack, with 190km of range, and is called the OneS. Above that sits the One with two battery options – 4.5kWh and 5kWh.

With the 4.5kWh pack, the brand claims 8.5bhp of peak power and a 236 kilometres of IDC range. With the 5kWh battery, it pushes peak output to 11.8bhp and carries a staggering 265 kilometres of IDC range. The jump in range comes from a more efficient battery pack. The new battery pack is 17 per cent more efficient, with energy density rising from 152 to 167Wh/kg. A completely new battery management system optimises discharge and regeneration, while revised internal packaging reduces dead weight.

IDC numbers, of course, exist in an idealised lab environment. You are not riding 265 kilometres in real traffic. But translate that into everyday use, and you might still get 180 to 200 kilometres in mixed riding. And that’s a big deal. This is no longer an EV that needs to be topped up every night, especially for someone like me who lives less than 10km away from the office. For me, it might last an entire week without needing a charge. That gets me excited.

The chassis has been comprehensively reworked. Simple claims 22 per cent higher rigidity and lateral stiffness, along with a 50 per cent increase in frontal impact resistance. Weight has dropped from 137kg to 129kg, which on paper might not sound transformative. But on a scooter, it absolutely is – more on that later.

Is it quick?

Plenty. Performance remains a key selling point, and it’s been enhanced just a bit. The 5kWh version delivers 72Nm of torque – unchanged from before, but slightly increased peak power at 11.8bhp, quicker 0-40kmph time of 2.55 seconds, and a higher top speed of 115kmph. There are two new ride modes on offer in the top-end variant called EcoX and SonicX, sitting at either end of the spectrum. EcoX caps speed at 56kmph to prioritise efficiency, while SonicX unlocks the max speed but with limited range.

In the higher modes, there’s plenty of shove when you want to catch up and overtake. What works for the One is the fact that it has a lot of range. Unlike a lot of scooters, where you have to sacrifice range for speed, here it means you will be able to push hard every day without having range anxiety. The top-end SonicX ride mode almost feels overpowered in the city, but the good thing here is a linear power delivery. Even at max throttle, you feel in control.

With all that power, it has got to stop in time as well. Simple Energy says that the stopping distance from 60kmph to 0 has come down from 22m to 19.1m. And it does feel so as well. One thing that many reviewers noted earlier was a lack of initial bite, but this time around, all that has been sorted. There’s plenty of braking force, with good initial bite and progression.

But raw numbers are only half the story. What truly defines the Gen 2 is the layer of electronics that now shapes how that performance is delivered. There are four levels of regenerative braking, four levels of traction control – Road, Rain, Track and Rally and also cruise control, functional between 20 and 80kmph. These are not features that we haven’t seen before, but make the scooter more cohesive.

How does it ride?

Ride the Simple One Gen 2, and the transformation is immediate. The reduced mass makes low-speed manoeuvring far easier. Filtering through traffic, making U-turns, and navigating congested streets require much less effort. High-speed stability is an area where the revised chassis makes itself useful. At high pace, the scooter feels planted and composed in a way the earlier version never quite managed.

The suspension has also been retuned with revised compression and rebound values that respond differently at low and high speeds. However, the suspension is still a bit on the stiffer side. Go over a bad patch of road, and it does get unsettled, starting to feel a little uncomfortable, as is common with scooters with small wheels.

Visual changes

Visually, the Simple One remains unmistakably a Simple. Sharp lines, angular surfaces, and a distinctly futuristic stance, but without going overboard. Gen 2 doesn’t stray too far from the original design. The bodywork has been subtly reworked to improve aerodynamic efficiency, including slimmer mirrors and a slightly cleaner rear section. The front shroud has been redesigned with aerodynamics in mind with two airways targeted at cooling the cluster screen. The console and switchgear has seen a redesign to make it intuitive to use. What’s improved is the build quality. With the earlier Simple One, build quality was a hit and miss, but now things have improved. Build quality is strong, and the switches and buttons too feel sturdy and built to last.

Practicality has also been quietly upgraded. The seat height has been lowered by 16mm to 780mm, making the scooter more accessible to shorter riders. Storage has improved, too. Up from 30, the boot can now hold 35 litres and should now accommodate most full-face helmets, though larger units with extended spoilers may still be a tight fit, the one like my KYT. There is a front cubby, a redesigned charging flap, and the USB charging port has been moved near the key hole from under the seat. All of these are aimed squarely at day-to-day usability, an area where most Indians will be left satisfied.

Technology has always been part of Simple’s identity, and Gen 2 is where it finally feels mature. The new 7-inch display now runs Android 12 instead of the older Android 10 system. More importantly, functions that once relied heavily on cloud connectivity now operate directly on the scooter. The result is a system that is faster, more stable, and less dependent on network coverage.

Navigation partner is Map my India and now includes live traffic and signal overlays. Features such as theft alerts, ping my scooter, Super Share for sharing vehicle data, park assist with forward and reverse, tyre pressure monitoring, telematics, and even a companion smartwatch app are all integrated.

Verdict?

The range starts at Simple OneS which costs ₹1.5 lakh. The Simple One Gen 2 with the 4.5kWh battery starts at ₹1.7 lakh ex-showroom. The 5kWh variant you see here is priced at ₹1.78 lakh ex-showroom. This is definitely not a budget electric scooter, nor does it pretend to be. With a solid build quality and increased range, power, features, and safety, this is one of the most complete e-scooters in the market. And for the price that you pay, there’s plenty of kit on offer.

Simple stumbled early, no doubts about that. That history cannot be rewritten. But with Gen 2, they have finally delivered a product that deserves to stand in the same conversation as the best electric scooters in India. We can only hope that the company delivered the scooter in the promised timelines and has strong enough sales and service representation to go with the strong scooter that the Simple One now is.

If your priority is long range without compromising performance or features, this is now one of the strongest options on sale.