The Honda Activa is the best-selling scooter in the Indian market, fending away names such as TVS, Hero, and Bajaj. However, with Honda’s entry into the electric world, it now has to try hard to catch these names. One of the leading scooters in the EV space is the TVS iQube and now the Activa e has to do a lot of catching up. Here’s how the Honda Active e compares against the TVS iQube in terms of specifications, battery, range, and performance.
Honda Activa e vs TVS iQube — Hardware and features
Both scooters, the Activa e and the TVS iQube (3.4kWh version) share similar hardware, but with a few differences. Both ride on telescopic front forks, get a disc brake at the front, get LED lighting, ride on 12-inch tyres, get a TFT instrument console, and more. One aspect they differ in is the rear suspension setup, as the Active e gets a monoshock at the rear, while the iQube gets dual shocks.
| Specifications | Activa e | iQube |
| Suspension (F) | Telescopic | Telescopic |
| Suspension (R) | Monoshock | Dual Shock |
| Brakes (F) | 160 mm Disc | 220 mm Disc |
| Brakes (R) | 130 mm Drum | 130 mm Drum |
| Seat Length | 675 mm | — |
| Wheel (F) | 12-inch | 12-inch |
| Wheel (R) | 12-inch | 12-inch |
| Dash | 7-inch TFT | 5-inch TFT |
| Weight | 119 kg | 118.6 kg |
| ABS | No | No |
| Traction Control | No | No |
One huge drawback of the new Honda Activa compared to the iQube is the storage area. The Activa e’s battery packs take up the entire space under the seat, leaving a tiny space for storage, while the TVS iQube has a 32-litre boot under the seat. Honda has thought about this and below is what the top management has to say.
Honda Activa e vs TVS iQube — Battery specifications
On the powertrain part, the Honda Activa gets dual 1.5kWh battery packs that are swappable and cannot be charged at home, while the TVS iQube gets a slightly larger 3.4kWh battery pack that is fixed. This gives the iQube a massive advantage over the Activa e because sales of the Honda will be limited to three cities owing to Honda’s battery swapping infrastructure while the iQube has no limits.
| Specifications | Activa e | iQube |
| Battery | 3kWh | 3.4kWh |
| Range | 102km | 100km |
| Torque | 22Nm | 33Nm |
| Charging time | Swap only | 4 hrs 30 mins (0–80%) |
| Top speed | 80kmph | 78kmph |
| Acceleration (0–40) | 7.3 seconds | 4.2 seconds |
On the battery specifications front, both have similar power capacity and range. The Activa e gets three ride modes while the iQube gets two. Also, both scooters get a host of connectivity features via dedicated apps, however, the TVS iQube just offers more. All this will come down to the pricing, which Honda will announce next month.
