Ather just launched a scooter starting at ₹99,999, but that is not the one you can actually book. The two variants shipping first, the Konarc S 125 and S 161, cost ₹1,21,999 and ₹1,44,999, undercutting Ather’s own Rizta family scooter while aiming squarely at the crowded ₹1 lakh to ₹1.25 lakh segment where nearly half of India’s e-scooter sales happen.
Unveiled at Ather’s fourth Community Day in Bengaluru on August 29, 2026, the Konarc is the first scooter on the company’s new EL platform, built to be cheaper to manufacture than the one underpinning the 450 series and the Rizta. Ather’s CEO framed the logic bluntly: 45 to 55 percent of India’s electric scooter market sits in the ₹1 lakh to ₹1.2 lakh band, a zone the Rizta’s ₹1.30 lakh starting price never reached.
Konarc Price and Variants: What You Can Actually Book Today
Six variants exist on paper, but only two are on sale right now.
| Variant | Battery | Claimed IDC Range | Price (ex-showroom, Bengaluru) | Bookings Open |
| Konarc S 100 | 2.1 kWh | 100 km | ₹99,999 | Later phase, date unconfirmed |
| Konarc S 125 | 2.7 kWh | 125 km | ₹1,21,999 | Yes, deliveries from mid-September 2026 |
| Konarc S 161 | 3.5 kWh | 161 km | ₹1,44,999 | Yes, deliveries from mid-September 2026 |
| Konarc S 200 | Not disclosed | 200 km | Not announced | No |
| Konarc Z 125 | Not disclosed | 125 km | Not announced | No |
| Konarc Z 161 | Not disclosed | 161 km | Not announced | No |
That ₹99,999 headline is doing the marketing work, but it is not a real choice yet. If you walk into a showroom this month, the actual entry price is ₹1,21,999 for the S 125.
Claimed Range vs Ather’s Own Real-World Number
Ather publishes a second figure alongside the IDC claim, called TrueRange, meant to reflect real riding conditions. It is Ather’s own estimate, not an independent test, since deliveries have not even started.
| Variant | Claimed IDC Range | Ather’s TrueRange Estimate |
| Konarc S 100 | 100 km | 80 km |
| Konarc S 125 | 125 km | 100 km |
| Konarc S 161 | 161 km | 130 km |
No independent outlet has ridden a production Konarc yet, so treat both columns as manufacturer figures until owners start posting odometer numbers after mid-September deliveries.
Which Variant Is Actually Worth Buying
Buy the Konarc S 125 if you commute under 40 km a day and want the lowest price you can currently book. The step up to the S 161 costs ₹23,000 more for 35 km of extra claimed range, worth it only if your daily loop genuinely needs the buffer or you charge less often than daily. Skip waiting for the S 100 purely to save ₹22,000; it is not on sale, has no confirmed date, and Ather has not said whether it will even get the 7-inch display and voice control that the pricier variants carry.
The Konarc undercuts its own family scooter on price, but Ather is shipping the two variants that protect margin first and holding the cheapest one back. That is not unusual for a launch, but it does mean the headline price is not the one on the road-tax slip in September.
Specs That Actually Matter for Daily Riding
The S 125 and S 161 get a 4.7 kW motor, 16 Nm torque, a 70 kmph top speed and a 7-inch display with navigation and voice control. The base S 100 makes do with a smaller 4 kW motor and a 4.2-inch display. All variants get MagicKey keyless start and AutoPop, which pops the seat open hands-free, useful when you are juggling a helmet and groceries at a signal. The real upgrade is the battery warranty: 10 years or 100,000 km, guaranteeing at least 70 percent health at the end of that period, against a standard 3-year, 30,000 km vehicle warranty.
How Konarc Stacks Up Against the Chetak, iQube and Ola S1 X
Four scooters already fight over this exact price band.
| Scooter | Starting Price | Segment Position |
| Ola S1 X | ₹84,999 | Cheapest of the group, undercuts even the Konarc S 100 |
| TVS Orbiter | ₹95,250 | Just under the Konarc S 100’s ₹99,999 |
| Ather Konarc S 100 | ₹99,999 | Not actually purchasable yet |
| Bajaj Chetak | ₹1.19 lakh | Sits below the Konarc S 125 |
| Ather Konarc S 125 | ₹1,21,999 | The Konarc variant you can actually book |
On paper, Ola’s S1 X and the TVS Orbiter both undercut every Konarc variant on sale today. Ather is betting its service network, the TrueRange honesty on the spec sheet, and that 10-year battery warranty justify the gap. If you are weighing the Rizta against waiting for Konarc, they are not really rivals: the Rizta is a bigger, family-focused scooter, while Konarc is built purely to win on price. For a straight shootout between the Chetak and the Ola S1 X, Ather’s two cheapest rivals, The Spec’d’s Compare tool lines up their specs side by side.
The Real Catch: You Are Booking Something You Cannot Ride Yet
Every figure here, the price, the range, the motor output, comes from Ather’s own launch announcement, not from anyone who has ridden a Konarc on Indian roads. Deliveries begin mid-September 2026 at the earliest, in a phased rollout, so even early bookers are weeks from a real test. If you need a scooter this week, this is not that scooter. If you can wait a month and want the newest tech in the segment backed by the longest battery warranty on sale in India, book the S 125.
Can I book the ₹99,999 Ather Konarc right now?
No. Only the Konarc S 125 (₹1,21,999) and S 161 (₹1,44,999) are open for booking, with deliveries starting mid-September 2026. The base S 100 at ₹99,999 has no confirmed booking date.
Is the Ather Konarc cheaper than the Ather Rizta?
Yes. The Rizta starts at roughly ₹1.30 lakh, while the Konarc S 125 that is actually available to book costs ₹1,21,999, and the unreleased base variant is priced even lower at ₹99,999.
How does the Konarc’s range compare to its rivals?
The Konarc S 161’s claimed 161 km IDC range is competitive with the segment, but Ather’s own TrueRange estimate puts real-world range closer to 130 km. No independent test data exists yet since deliveries have not started.
