There’s no scooter in India that’s as popular as and racks up more sales than the Honda Activa – in fact, Honda recently crossed the 3.5 crore units sales milestone for its bestselling product. It's been about five years since the Activa got its last major update and in the interim it has only received more variants and features. Since Honda was kind enough to give us the top Smart variant for a few days, now seems like a good time to revisit what the Activa experience is all about.
2025 Honda Activa design and features – 8/10
Top variant comes with TFT dash, keyless go and alloy wheels
Honda hasn’t really tampered with the Activa’s silhouette pretty much since the second generation model came out in 2009. Even today, the Activa’s safe styling remains instantly recognizable on the road and considering the sheer number of them you see on the road, sales numbers clearly indicate that market demand doesn’t care.
Typical of a Honda product, build quality as well as fit and finish are at a good level, especially at this price point. The Activa is also one of the few scooters on sale today that uses metal generously in its body panels, something that has proved to be all too important for the success of a product in this class – just ask its erstwhile sibling, the Activa-i.
While the Activa’s silhouette may not have changed much in more than two decades, Honda has brought its feature-set quite up to date – especially so on this top Smart variant. There’s a nice colour TFT dash right in your point of view – surrounded by a little too much black plastic though – complemented by a four-way joystick, a super convenient key fob and this variant of the Activa is also the only one to get alloy wheels. The fuel-saving start/stop system is also one of the best ones on the market today and is quick to respond – very helpful in chaotic, impatient big-city Indian traffic. The key fob, in particular, adds an extra layer of convenience and is a feature you won’t find on any rival in the class.
However, since Honda hasn’t changed the fundamentals of the Activa in a very long time, you get a rather small underseat storage area – it holds just 18 litres, which is well below the current benchmark for ICE scooters. You can’t even opt for a front disc brake on any version of the Activa 110 which seems like a crucial miss in this day and age.
2025 Honda Activa ride and handling – 7/10
Neutral ergonomics and plush suspension make it a lovely urban runabout
The Activa wasn’t India’s first family scooter but it had perhaps the best-packaged concept – at the time at least – of a practical, family-oriented urban runabout which helped cement its stellar reputation. Its formula as a no-nonsense, fuss-free commuting companion hasn’t really changed and that’s a good thing – for the most part, at least.
| Weight and dimensions | |
|---|---|
| Kerb Weight | 106kg |
| Seat Height | 764mm |
| Fuel capacity | 5.3 litres |
| Ground clearance | 162mm |
| Wheelbase | 1260mm |
Once you’re perched atop the Activa’s pleasingly low yet spacious and well-padded seat – just 764mm off the ground – you’ll find that your arms and legs are placed very neutrally. If there was one nit 5’11 me could pick with the Activa’s rider’s triangle it's that the handlebar feels a tad too low and when making lock-to-lock u-turns, I need to move my leg out of the way or the handlebar fouls my knees. However it’s not as bad as on some other scooters and is unlikely to affect the majority of the Indian riding public.
| Suspension, tyres and brakes | |
|---|---|
| Suspension (F/R) | Telescopic / underbone |
| Tyres (F/R) | 90/90-12 / 90/100-10 |
| Brakes (F/R) | 130mm drum / 130mm drum |
Complementing the neutral rider’s triangle is a suspension setup which makes light work of average road imperfections, but isn’t a segment benchmark when it comes to dealing with really bad roads. Combine the two and you have a great commuting partner inside the city, whether you’re just bopping around the neighborhood or travelling to the other side for work.
| Engine and output | |
|---|---|
| Engine | 109.51cc, single-cyl, air-cooled |
| Power | 8hp at 8,000rpm |
| Torque | 9Nm at 5,500rpm |
| Gearbox | CVT |
While the Activa is neutral and predictable through almost every scenario, Honda can still refine its chassis a little bit. If you encounter a bump at faster speeds or when going through a corner, the Activa can feel a little out of its element as the soft suspension pogos around a fair bit before regaining its composure. The lack of a front disc brake is disappointing, but credit where credit’s due, the drum brakes – while they do feel numb – have enough power to slow the 105kg scooter down confidently and in a controlled manner.
2025 Honda Activa performance and fuel economy – 8/10
Engine is exceptionally fuel efficient and very smooth
| Fuel efficiency | |
|---|---|
| City | 54.4kpl |
| Highway | 66.2kpl |
The Activa’s long-stroke 109.5cc engine first came out sixteen years ago and since then it has only been refined and updated for changing emission regulations. This is an engine that’s best enjoyed when riding in an unhurried manner and it does its best work between 0-60kph. Between that band, it feels peppy and smooth, just as you’d expect from a city-oriented scooter. But, performance and speed are quite immaterial for almost anyone that’s shopping for an Activa. What matters to them is the fuel economy and on that front, the Activa delivers and how!
| Performance | |
|---|---|
| Acceleration | |
| 0-40kph | 3.64s |
| 0-60kph | 8.13s |
| 0-80kph | 18.12s |
| Roll-on acceleration | |
| 20-50kph | 4.85s |
| 30-70kph | 11.01s |
In our tests, the Activa returned 60kpl (overall) which is some of the best efficiency we’ve seen on a scooter, and today’s E20 fuel doesn’t seem to have put a big dent in its fuel economy. What is undoubtedly helping here is Honda’s seamless start/stop tech. The system shuts the engine off after 3-4s of being at a standstill and to get going, all you need to do is twist the accelerator – intuitive and straightforward, just as it should be.
| Braking | |
|---|---|
| 60-0kph | 18.43m |
For the thin sliver of people that actually care about how the Activa fares at highway speeds, the engine does start to feel strained above 70kph. Mild vibrations do make themselves felt at high speeds and it’s not the most refined scooter in its class at highway speeds.
2025 Honda Activa price and verdict – 8/10
A compelling purchase even today, although it's a little pricey
It's quite fair to say that the Activa well and truly kicked off the scooter segment in India and over the past 25 years it has established itself as the ubiquitous Indian scooter. Multiple rivals from various manufacturers have fallen by the wayside in attempts to take the Activa’s throne and that’s down to a few key reasons.
It delivers stellar fuel efficiency, offers the promise of bulletproof reliability and low running costs over time as well as great resale value. By and large, this is the holy trifecta that most cost-conscious, family-oriented buyers look for in a practical, urban runabout. This top-spec Smart variant sweetens the deal even further with its combination of feel-good and convenience enhancing features like the colour TFT display, key fob and slick start/stop tech.
Speaking of variants, the Activa is available in three – standard (Rs 74,619), DLX (Rs 84,272) and Smart (Rs 87,944). The difference largely boils down to the sort of features you get based on the variant so even if you opt for the most affordable one, the core Activa experience remains unchanged.
While summing up the Activa, the saying ‘all good things come at a price’ comes to mind because in the 110cc family scooter segment, the Activa is the most expensive option. Then again what you’re paying for is one of the most well-rounded, robust and fuel efficient products in the segment.
