Suzuki e-Access Review: Too Little, Too Late?

The Suzuki e-Access has been coming for a long time. It was first shown at the 2025 Bharat Mobility Expo, post which media rides were held in May of the same year, and it took about 8 more months before it was finally launched. At a price of Rs 1.88 lakh (ex-showroom), it has raised more questions than what it answered with its late arrival.

So, to put the questions to bed, I spent a few days riding it. If I had to sum it up in a line, I’d say that that the e-Access performs well in certain areas and falls short of expectations in others. For the longer answer, read on.

Suzuki e-Access Review: Design, Ergonomics and Practicality

The e-Access has a rather conventional, and handsome design (for most parts). I call it conventional because if you were to ignore the green number plate that signifies it’s an EV, the e-Access looks like any other ICE scooter on Indian roads, and that’s a plus in my books. I call it handsome because Suzuki offers the e-Access in a dual tone shade of black and deep red, and it looks premium.

There are three other colour options too - beige, green and blue, and they all look the part. But the dual tone shade that you can see on our test unit really stood out for me. That said, there is a chink in that design armour, and that’s the front overhang of the scooter; it’s quite short and resembles a stubby nose.

On the ergonomic front, the e-Access does well for most parts. The seat is wide and comfortable, the reach to the handlebar doesn’t really stress the hands, and despite the footboard area being a little smaller than I would have liked, I didn’t face any clearance issue between the handlebar and my knees. For reference, I am 5 feet, 8 inches tall.

Taller riders can face an issue on this front, and the small footboard area also limits the size of bags that can be placed on it. I did like how the controls fall to hand, and the screen - though small at 4.2 inches - does display information well and is legible in harsh sunlight as well.

On the practicality front, the Suzuki e-Access falls a bit short. You will find a cubby hole underneath the handlebar than can house a water bottle or even your phone. There is a USB smartphone charging socket located right next to it. Furthermore, you also get a hook that can be used to securely place shopping bags on the floorboard.

That said, a scooter’s real practicality comes from its under-seat storage, and at 17 litres, the e-Access offers very little of it. Once I put in the portable charger into the space, there wasn’t any space left for even a small backpack.

Suzuki e-Access Review: Performance, Ride and Handling

One look at the numbers and the e-Access will come across as a rather tepid scooter. After all, 5.57 PS and 15 Nm are hardly the kind of powertrain specs that we are used to seeing from electric scooters. Furthermore, a 3.07 kWh battery pack means that it only offers an ARAI-claimed range of 95 km. However, all is not lost, especially if you also consider how the three riding modes (Eco, Ride Mode A, and Ride Mode B) are configured.

In Eco Mode, the e-Access is limited to a top speed of 55 kmph. What I really liked is that the Eco Mode is properly usable. The acceleration doesn’t feel like the scooter is struggling to gain momentum, and you can easily move past vehicles in slow traffic. Ride Mode A and Ride Mode B measurably up the acceleration without overwhelming you with instant torque, and you get a top speed of 78 kmph. The only difference between the two is regenerative braking, with the former offering more of it, and even then, the difference is minute.

However, you cannot switch between Ride Mode A and Ride Mode B on the move. Although you can switch between Eco Mode and one of the pre-selected Ride Mode(s) while riding. Ultimately, the acceleration and top speed are good enough for a family electric scooter.

On the range front, you can eke out close to 90 km in Eco mode. Even when using one of the two ride modes, you can expect about 70 km. More so, the range indicated on the instrument cluster has been calibrated well, and that number depletes in a rather predictable manner. With the claimed range of the scooter being just 95 km, it is rather low.

The ride and handling balance tries to cover for these shortfalls. The scooter feels rather comfortable and predictable over varying surface conditions, offering a composed ride quality. Furthermore, show it a gap in traffic and it’s quick to attack it without any drama. It’s safe to say, Suzuki has done a great job of bestowing the e-Access with the same handling instincts that make its ICE version popular among two-wheeler buyers.

Suzuki e-Access Review: Price and Running Cost

Coming to the elephant in the room, the Suzuki e-Access has been launched at Rs 1.88 lakh (ex-showroom). There is no other way to say it – it is an absurdly high price for a scooter that has a range of under 100 km and offers very little in terms of practicality.

As far as the running cost go, you can realistically go about 70-90 km on a single charge, and with a 3.07 kWh battery pack, it’s roughly going to consume three units of electricity to charge it from 0 to 100 per cent. If you charge it using the domestic electricity supply at home, it’s going to cost you anywhere between Rs 15 to Rs 25 to fully charge the battery, essentially allowing you to travel between 4-6 km on a single Rupee! While that is great value, it’s nothing new and other electric scooters in the market have similar running cost.

Suzuki e-Access Review: Verdict

Ultimately, the Suzuki e-Access is a classic case of too little, too late. An electric scooter which doesn’t have much to offer in terms of range and practicality would have been acceptable a few years ago, when electric scooters where at a nascent stage, but that’s not the case anymore. Many new-age electric scooter manufacturers such as Ather and Ola, and even River to an extent, have moved far ahead in the game.

So, the e-Access, at this stage, is hard to recommend to any type of buyer. However, if Suzuki were to give it a price correction, it could then appeal to those looking for a budget EV scooter that rides and handles well.