Simple Energy One (2025) first ride review

The Simple Energy One electric scooter isn’t a completely fresh product; the 2025 version is essentially a ‘version 1.5’ of the original scooter which was launched in 2022. As such, there are only small design changes to the scooter, but these do go some way in making an already sharp-looking two-wheeler look even better.

This isn’t a big electric scooter, and some petrol-powered maxi-scooter options in the same price range might actually look a lot more imposing in comparison. However, it does strike a good balance between sporty and compact, delivering with an eye-catching street presence.

 

 

 

 

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The seat itself is excellent in terms of comfort over long rides, for the rider. It’s designed in a way to allow a bit of lower back support and plenty of space for the rider, but that leaves very little space for a second person to sit at the back. As I mentioned, this isn’t a very large scooter, and does seem to be designed primarily for solo riders, especially given its performance figures and sporty appearance.

Electric scooters typically tend to be a lot more tech-focused, and the Simple Energy One (2025) is no exception. Turning the key activates the excellent 7-inch TFT touchscreen display, which shows a clean user interface that focuses on the information that matters. When riding, this shows a clear indication of the speed, riding mode, and charge level, as well as the estimated range of the remaining charge.

Usefully, you can also switch to navigation mode while riding, to get a full map view and turn-by-turn navigation. The maps are powered by MapMyIndia, and are pretty good in terms of road markings and useful indications such as flyovers and highways. However, I found that there weren’t as many points of interest available to search and find, which might affect your ability to effectively navigate to specific locations.

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The UI is fully connected, which helps the Simple Energy One connect to the Internet for map data, send back diagnostic data, and connect with the app to provide relevant information. Connectivity was decent along stretches of the highway from Bengaluru to Kempegowda Airport where I rode the scooter for the media ride, but was a bit iffy in rural areas.

Beyond maps, the Simple Energy One lets you access saved documents (such as the vehicle registration and insurance), connect to a smartphone for notifications and the ability to answer calls, view notifications, and control music playback from the handlebar itself, and view basic diagnostics including battery levels and tire pressure. 

It’s worth pointing out here that the scooter doesn’t have a speaker system - controls are linked to your phone’s audio, or to wireless earphones. On the whole, it’s an uncomplicated UI that sticks to the important stuff, while also giving a few quality-of-life features that can come in handy while riding.

Most scooters in India - electric or petrol-powered - tend to be a bit conservative when it comes to performance. Usually, the condition of roads don’t really allow for very high riding speeds, and the focus is usually on getting superior riding range or mileage, as the case may be. Interestingly, the Simple Energy One (2025) hopes to offer a bit of everything, along with the flexibility to ride it however you want thanks to four well-calibrated riding modes which you can switch on the fly while riding by simply releasing the throttle and toggling through the modes.

If you’re a performance-focused rider, the Sonic mode is the one for you. It’s the only mode while opens up the 105kmh top speed of the Simple Energy One scooter, and also adjusts the throttle for better response and faster acceleration, letting you go from 0-40kmh in under three seconds. The scooter has a peak power of 8.5kW and peak torque of 72Nm.

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On the opposite end of the modes is Eco, which delivers the best riding range if used continuously. You can get over 180km per charge on the 5kWh dual-battery system using this mode, which limits throttle response to a conservative level and also restricts the top speed to about 52kmh. 

Notably, this is the only mode usable when the battery level drops below 35 percent, which I thought was a bit too restrictive and a bit annoying when riding on fast highways. The Simple Energy One has a total battery capacity of 5kWh, split into a fixed 3.7kWh battery and a 1.3kWh portable battery which comes into play only after the fixed battery is drained.

The mode you’re likely to use the most is Ride, which strikes a good balance between range and performance, while restricting the top speed to around 68kmh. The Dash mode gets you to about 90kmh, and offers generous throttle response too, but naturally limits your range. When the charge drops under 50 percent, Dash and Sonic are disabled - again, a bit too restrictive and limiting given that a 50 percent charge level is still plenty.

With mixed use and trying out all of the different modes, I was able to ride the Simple Energy One (2025) for about 60km before the charge level dropped to 50 percent. The mode limitations at lower battery levels means that you can likely get to about 130-140km per charge with mixed use, and the figure of over 180km purely on Eco seems quite doable. 

Usefully, there is also braking regen, but the scooter keeps it ‘Simple’ by not having any different modes and levels for this - it’s a standard level that is neither too aggressive nor too weak. It was good enough to ensure no battery level loss on a downhill ride of around 8km, where I usually relied on the regen to slow the scooter down for cornering.

On the whole, the scooter is a pleasure to ride, delivering plenty of power and excellent riding dynamics on varied road conditions. I felt confident riding the Simple Energy One (2025) even at very high speeds on clear stretches of the highway, and enjoyed the ability to corner quickly on hill roads by leaning in deeper than I normally would. The performance and dynamics of the Simple Energy One are impressive, making this a rider-centric scooter that matches its impressive performance figures with the ride experience.

Simple Energy isn’t quite as established in the electric scooter segment in India as some of its competitors, but it’s an ambitious brand with big plans for the future. Backing up those plans is a very solid offering in the Simple Energy One (2025), which delivers an impressive experience, both in terms of performance and range.

There are a few drawbacks for now, notably the rather conservative mode limitations based on the battery level, and the limited points of interest in the built-in map system. However, the Simple Energy One (2025) delivers more good than meh, making this one to look out for if you’re looking for a performance focused electric scooter in 2025.