At its very core, the Wave is a fairly well-specced scooter. You can have one in four battery capacities spread across six variants. The one I rode was the 3.7-kWh version, but you can have one with 2.2-kWh, 2.7-kWh and 5-kWh options as well. There are two motors on offer — 4.5 kW and 6.4 kW — with the smallest being exclusive to the base Wave S variant. IDC range varies between 110 km and 243 km (171 km for the 3.7-kWh version we sampled), in ascending order of the available variants. The most affordable of the lot is priced at ₹1.09 lakh (introductory, ex-showroom), while the top-end version is priced at ₹1.89 lakh. Our test bike, the 3.7-kWh version with a TFT screen, came wearing a ₹1.59 lakh price tag. Steep, eh?
Anyway, let’s dive into the details. It looks the way it does because it’s meant to appear appetising to the new-age family. Yes, it does appear exaggeratedly elongated and I think it looks better in person than in photographs. Space management is at an all-time high, too, what with that enormous 66-litre underseat boot, the apron storage compartment, the standard four-litre ‘pill’ storage integrated into the side panel (remember the lockable storage on an old Bajaj Super/Chetak?) and the option to have one on the other side as well, as a paid extra.
FAMILY MATTERS
Structurally, the Wave has all the makings of a good family scooter, too. There’s a telescopic fork, two shock absorbers, an uncomplicated tubular swingarm and even a chain-drive system with a rubber-lined sprocket. The chassis isn’t a carry-over from the sporty One/Ultra, and with a kerb weight ranging between 121 kg and 128 kg (124.5 kg for the 3.7), it’s pretty light. Keeping in mind its ‘family’ orientation, it rightfully features a 775-mm seat height and an appropriately low-set handlebar as well. The floorboard appears rather wide, too, but I don’t think it’ll cause any trouble.I was handed over the Wave with 97 per cent charge, with an indicated 136 km of range. While wiping it down I admired its smooth surfaces and, on first impression, there’s no mistaking it for anything other than a proper family-class scooter. My test scooter did feature a few panel gaps that other scooters didn’t, so it’s probably a case of early production inconsistency.
What I couldn’t agree with was the plastic shroud around the TFT screen; it’s just drab mass-produced plastic with no design or thought to it. I mean, it’s the one thing you as a rider will look at for the longest time (other than the road, that is) and it ought to appear special, no? The alloy wheels (matte black with diamond-cut style edges) are so-so.
ON THE MOVE
To ride, you get to pick between four modes (EcoX, Eco, Ride and Sport) and set off. It’s all fairly intuitive, with the throttle calibration well suited to seamless use. There is quite a bit of motor whine, though, which is an irritant at low speeds; at higher speeds, the wind noise drowns it out. In EcoX, the speedometer indicated a limit of 47 kph, which goes up to 57 kph in Eco and 75 kph in Ride. Sport lets you hit its top speed of 90 kph.The modes are well judged, with each mode being distinctly different in performance. I feel Eco and Ride alone would have sufficed; Sport feels excessive (if fun) for a scooter of this purpose. What came in the way of my fun morning out with the Wave were the brakes, specifically the inconsistency that marked my test unit. The rear brake lever could be pulled all the way in, while the front was the opposite, being annoyingly wooden. Having adapted, braking performance itself felt good, but to expect just-right braking feel isn’t a tall order in 2026, right?
What’s likeable is the room on offer. The long seat is more to the benefit of the pillion (especially if there’s a bulky handbag involved), although given my above-average weight I did wish for a firmer, more contoured rider’s seat. An hour of non-stop riding did create a noticeable bit of sag and, therefore, tailbone fatigue. As an aside, I’ll also add that I found the multi-function key slot a bit unintuitive. I struggled to open the seat (that’s probably on me) and couldn’t once open the storage ‘pill’ on my own. When someone else did volunteer, I was happy to notice that it opens with a hydraulic progression rather than like a drop-down flap.
The best bit of the Wave is undoubtedly its chassis and dynamics package. Thanks to a 14/12-inch front/rear wheel combination and a visibly long wheelbase, the Wave is both flickable and remarkably stable. It’s a fun scooter to ride in the city and one that didn’t feel out of place on the highway either! As a result of my enthusiasm, I returned the scooter 46 km later, with 31 per cent SoC and 38 km of range left in EcoX mode. While this isn’t indicative of its real-world range, I’m certain it can do far better under a more conservative riding style.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Is it the most compelling family electric scooter out there, then? Not quite. For one, it’s needlessly complex. What the Wave should have aimed for, was to be the last word in real-world practicality and comfort. It isn’t because Simple has evidently tried to do too many things at once (start-up syndrome, perhaps?) and so, the Wave comes across as something with a lack of clarity. Is it meant to be premium? Yes. Does it come across as such? Not consistently. Is the price tag palatable? No. What should you buy instead? There are as many answers to that as there are variants of the Wave.Scooters, beyond the novelty-of-ownership timeframe, are ridden from muscle memory. Push navigation, call and music controls (seriously?), and other connectivity bits might be the norm today, but what matters ultimately is carefree usability. I get that it matters to Simple, to be impressive. With a foundationally strong scooter such as the Wave, though, it didn’t have to. Isn’t making an impression a bit performative anyway?
I’ll admit, this isn’t a problem exclusive to Simple. The EV scooter world inexplicably lives in an illusion of pretend-cool. It’s a world that prominently features limited-run sneakers and sans serif fonts set against primary colours. Virality is the currency here and every new ‘breakthrough’ is meant to be applauded as an ‘Apple moment’. Apple didn’t have its moment until it came up with the iPhone and the Simple Wave simply isn’t one. It could’ve been, though. The hack is in the name itself. Should’ve kept it simple!
@TheMotorGram
Published on September 11, 2026
