Simple One Gen 2 First Ride Review: Almost Fixed

In July 2022, I had the chance of riding the pre-production Simple One e-scooter where the foundations, while solid and had a lot of potential, a lot of the fit and finish as well as quality levels demanded a lot more attention. But since then, Simple has not had quite a simple journey. Several delivery delays and shortcomings forced it to officially arrive on to the scene in 2025 and even then it seemed sort of rushed. Finally, Simple claims the new Gen 2 version of the One has nothing left to complain about. Is that the case? Can we finally say that Simple has got its act right?

Same Bottle, Better Quality

Upon first glance, there is not a lot that has changed in terms of the styling of the Gen 2 from the scooter that we first saw in 2022 or 2021. And that's a good thing because the scooter looks particularly stylish and sporty. What has dramatically improved are the quality levels on offer. All of the plastics, switch gear, fit and finish levels on this scooter are leagues better. Even the screen and the interface looks a lot cleaner and simpler to navigate through. The Sonic Red colour continues to be my favorite, but the new Asphalt X (dark blue and orange shade) is also something that I quite fancy.

Simple has definitely taken a big step in that direction, but it's still not quite the segment benchmark yet. It still needs those finishing touches to get there. There are a few gaps, notably around the headlight, the ignition panel and underseat compartment, which could do with a bit more attention to detail. 

Uprated Chassis And Performance

There's also clever engineering happening under the body. The underbone chassis has been fortified with new battery pack mounting. There are new battery pack options as well as state of tunes for the motor available. 

On the test was the 5kWh battery pack version with the motor in a higher state of tune. It promises a lot more range and performance than before without compromising on that sweet riding characteristic. Does it deliver though?

Nerdy Range Algorithms

With the Gen 2, Simple has introduced two new riding modes: Eco X and Sonic X (only on 5kWh). Think of Eco X like a nerdy way to deal with the range anxiety issue. What Simple has done is that it has found clever algorithms to deliver the exact range that it claims to be in the real world condition. When you charge it up thoroughly, the 265km IDC (Indian Driving Conditions) range, which is 180km in the real world in Eco X mode. But this mode sort of recalibrates your throttle algorithms to deliver a plain and basic riding experience, almost to the point of feeling like it is dragging the scooter ahead. Overtakes need planning and it won’t be quite a popular mode on clean, open stretches of road.

Switch to Air mode (the new name for Dash mode, one above Normal) and the scooter really comes alive. It's properly quick and fun. It is my preferred suggestion for virtually all riding scenarios, as it offers that quickness from the e-scooter while claiming to offer a healthy riding experience. 

Pump Up The Pace

Hold down the mode button for 3 seconds after Sonic and it engages Sonic X. It will give you that little extra juice to reach higher top speeds. Acceleration and throttle response remains the same in both Sonic and Sonic X modes. The latter just unlocks that 10kmph extra at the top, helping you go from 105kmph to 115kmph. This does rapidly eat up the battery, quite a lot more than Sonic. 

Mighty Range Or Not?

No removable battery packs now on the One, all three options get fixed battery packs. The top version on test has an IDC range of 265km, which means real world range is roughly 180km in Eco and close to 140km in Normal riding conditions. Since we rode the scooter in Sonic X mode for the majority of the ride, the 5kWh battery pack was able to go for 74km. The last 10-15km were in Eco mode which was considerably slower.

And once the battery SOC drops below 20 percent, it automatically will lock you into Eco riding mode. Forget Air, it won't give you access to Normal either. I wish that Simple was not so conservative in this manner and calmed down the battery management algorithms. Hence, even when the SOC drops to 15 percent or 10 percent, maybe lock the scooter out of Air but still give it that little extra juice in Normal riding mode. You will have a slightly higher top speed and hence riding it in the city will be a little bit more beneficial. 

Sweet Handling Still?

Simple has made the handling on the One a lot better than what it used to. It holds its line rather well. It tips into corners in a jiffy. It's very stable, very predictable, and overall, this gives you that confidence to push a little harder, go a little faster, take that extra one-two degrees of lean. It is a thorough joy when you come out to the twisty roads. 

The ride quality, though, over broken tarmac stretches is not quite as enjoyable. It definitely has a little firm tune, especially the front fork. You will feel the smaller bumps at slow speed. The balance between the front and rear is rather neat and when riding over the bad patches at a reasonable pace, the suspension is able to behave in a rather clean manner. The brakes on the Simple One Gen 2 are also quite sharp, quite solid. There is nothing left to complain about the braking performance. Maybe, a little more feel at the levers would be appreciable, but overall, no complaints.

What’s The Verdict?

Has Simple finally finally got its act together? Well, certainly because all the quality and the switch gear and the fitment issues that were there in the past, those are no longer present on the Gen 2. It becomes an easy recommendation provided Simple delivers on the delivery timelines and there are no major troubles with the scooter in the long run.

I would suggest not getting the top 5kWh version, though. If you really really want to spend your money wisely, get the base S version because the performance delta as well as the range delta in the real world is not significant enough. Plus, you end up saving close to say Rs 35,000 - Rs 40,000 in the process. And if you want the ultimate sporty scooter experience from Simple why not get the Ultra.