TVS Jupiter vs Honda Activa 6G

When you think of gearless scooters, the first scooter that comes to mind is the Honda Activa. Over the years, the Activa has undergone many changes, but one thing has remained the same- its chart-topping sales figures. To tackle the Activa, TVS introduced the Jupiter in 2013 and while it became pretty successful, it couldn’t really shake the Activa’s crown. Curious about how their BS6 models fare against each other? That’s exactly why we’re here, as we do a specs comparison of the new TVS Jupiter and Honda Activa 6G.

TVS Jupiter vs Honda Activa 6G Design

Sadly, both scooters keep most of their old styling elements and there are no major changes for the BS6 models as such. Both scooters look decent and have a commuter-type feel to them. Talking about the Honda, the Activa has always been too vanilla for my taste and sadly, it’s received almost no major changes to its design over the years, other than the addition of LED DRLs and some bits here and there.

The Jupiter, on the other hand, has always looked sharper than the Activa. The new Jupiter also gets alloys, windshield, and a pillion back-rest as standard which enhance the overall design of the scooter. Further, the Jupiter gets beige plastic between the seat and the handle, while the Activa 6G gets black coloured ones. The Jupiter also gets various chrome touches. Finally, TVS really went all-in with the colour options as the Jupiter gets 13 colour options to choose from whereas the Activa 6G has only 6 colours on offer.

TVS Jupiter vs Honda Activa 6G Features

Both TVS and Honda have equipped their respective products with many features, and both scooters are feature-rich in their own way. The Honda Activa 6G gets features like LED headlamp with LED daytime running lamps (DRLs), LED turn indicators, Integrated dual function switch, engine start/stop switch etc. as standard. For the icing on the cake, it also gets Honda’s silent start system. While the TVS Jupiter misses out on features like LED DRLs, silent start system and LED turn indicators, it gets some exclusive features of its own. The Jupiter comes with alloys, USB charging port, extra storage space, windshield, pillion backrest and a dual-tone seat as standard while the Activa misses out on all these. Some variants of the Jupiter even get Bluetooth connectivity.

TVS Jupiter vs Honda Activa 6G Performance

The TVS Jupiter has a single-cylinder 109.7cc engine which produces 7.8 BHP at 7500 RPM and 8.4 Nm of torque at 5500 RPM while powering the Activa 6G is a single-cylinder 109.51cc engine which churns out 7.68 BHP at 8000 RPM and 8.79 Nm of torque at 5250 RPM. Both get a CVT transmission and fan-cooling. The story remains the same in the braking department, too. Both get 130 mm drum brakes as standard with a combi-braking system in the Honda and a synchronised braking system in the TVS, but the Jupiter gets a disc brake variant which is missing on the Activa 6G. The Activa gets a bigger fuel tank (5.3-litres) as compared to the Jupiter (5-litres), though. Both Honda and TVS also claim that the BS6 models are about 10-12% more fuel-efficient than their BS4 variants. We think both scooters have identical performance and both have fallen prey to the new stringent norms.

TVS Jupiter vs Honda Activa 6G Handling and Ergonomics

Like any other scooter in this segment, these two will also end up on city roads and both scooters will take you from point A to B with minimal effort or discomfort, as both have an upright and comfortable seating posture. The TVS Jupiter and Honda Activa 6G both have a lot in common here. The tyre size, seat height and suspension setup are exactly the same on both.

But the Activa has a higher ground clearance of 171 mm as compared to the Jupiter’s 150 mm. This means that the Jupiter will struggle on big potholes with two heavy people onboard. While the tyre sizes are identical, the rim sizes are not. The TVS gets both 12-inch wheels while the Honda gets a 12-inch front wheel and a 10-inch rear wheel. But, because the Activa is 2 kgs lighter and has a slightly shorter wheelbase as compared to the Jupiter, the Activa will be easier to ride around the city.

TVS Jupiter vs Honda Activa 6G Verdict

With various similarities, it’s very hard to pick a winner between these very-capable scooters. This is where the pricing comes in. The TVS Jupiter retails at Rs. 86,295/- (on-road Mumbai) while the Honda Activa 6G costs Rs. 83,656/- (on-road Mumbai). This makes the TVS Jupiter dearer by about Rs. 3000/- and this is arguably the biggest difference between the two. Both scooters are extremely good at what they’re built to do and offer good value for the price but with alloys, chrome bits, windscreen, backrest, dual-tone seat, USB charger and a huge variety of colour options on offer, the Jupiter justifies the premium and it gets our vote.