Indy River E-Scooter | Image source: Yash Sunil
The River Indie is a machine that you identify within minutes of swinging your leg over it. Although it was born in Bengaluru’s tech ecosystem, my time with the 2025 version was playing out on Mumbai’s potholed roads. Since its launch in 2023, the Indie has positioned itself as a versatile electric scooter with a no-nonsense attitude, and in 2025, the River is introducing what it calls a Gen 2.5 update.
This isn’t a comprehensive redesign, but the changes are significant enough to change how the scooter feels in daily use. There’s a new final drive, lower weight, increased ground clearance, and a narrower handlebar. On paper, this all sounds reasonable. But what really matters is how it performs amid Mumbai’s traffic chaos.
You can’t talk about Indie without mentioning what it looks like. This scooter completely ignores the traditional family scooter mold. During one of my afternoon trips, people stopped me several times and asked me about the brand and price. What’s even more impressive is that Indie doesn’t sound different just for the sake of it. Design is clearly driven by function. Instead of a skinny apron, you get a massive 12-litre front storage box that looks more like a tool box than a scooter compartment. The chunky bumpers are integrated directly into the bodywork and the overall silhouette is boxy and honest. The 43-litre under-seat storage space is truly cavernous. And if that’s still not enough, there are basket racks in the back. This acts as crash protection, eliminating the need for unsightly aftermarket guards that usually ruin a scooter’s dimensions.
Rest first
All this practicality means that the Indie is actually larger than your average scooter and this is evident the moment you get on. It rides on 14-inch wheels and uses a double-shock rear suspension. The payoff is space, lots of it. As a larger rider, I found the Indie to be one of the most comfortable scooters I’ve tested. There’s plenty of room to stretch out and the seat remains supportive even in hour-long traffic. The rear suspension does an excellent job of smoothing out broken tarmac. However, the front fork feels noticeably stiffer. If you hit sharp concrete ledges on bridges, you’ll feel the jolt through your wrists, creating a distinct contrast between the plush rear end and the sturdier front end.
The most significant mechanical change for 2025 is the switch from belt drive to chain drive. River claims that this reduces ownership costs in the long term and that the logic is sound. The previous belt needed to be replaced every 10,000km, while the new chain and sprocket should last 15,000-20,000km with proper maintenance. There’s also a performance benefit. Chains typically lose less energy than belts, and this showed in testing, where the Indy car improved its 0-70km/h time by about a full second. This extra urgency is really useful when rushing through gaps in traffic.
Of course, chain drive brings additional responsibility. Maintenance is now more demanding, with River recommending cleaning and lubrication every 1,000 kilometres. Fortunately, the chain is well protected from road dirt by a sturdy cover and there is a removable plate for easy access. Alongside this update, the 2025 Indie car gets narrower handlebars to better filter traffic, a revised LCD cluster with improved readability and a weight reduced to 135kg. The hazard switch has also been reused in the park assist button, which makes sense given the size of the scooter.
Living with an Indie reveals some frustrations. The biggest one is its heavy reliance on the physical key. In a world where electric vehicles are embracing keyless systems and smartphone integration, the autonomous car seems old-fashioned. There is no quick release trunk or front trunk. Charging a scooter is a surprisingly complex process: open the trunk, open the front cover, and only then access the charging cover, all using the same key. It quickly becomes boring in daily use and feels incompatible with a well thought out product.
However, Indie’s biggest challenge isn’t the scooter itself. River’s limited sales and service network means that the viability of a property depends largely on where you live. At INR 1.47 lakh, this is a big investment, but it offers a rare combination of utility, comfort and real-world ease of use. The Indie device looks less like a tool designed for marketing slides and more like a tool for everyday life. If you have access to River’s ecosystem, it remains one of the most thoughtfully designed electric scooters on sale today.
© World of Cars
Posted on January 2, 2026
