If you are tired of fighting against the chaos of urban traffic every day or you are looking for a cheap and manageable solution to avoid crowds, probably the answer lies in a compact and simple 125cc scooter that you can drive with 3 years of car license or A1 license. At Diariomotor we review the key models within this type to guide your search among the innumerable options on the market.
The figures speak for themselves for years: the first positions in the sales table in Spain are usually dominated by 125 scooters with an urban vocation and a contained price
Furthermore, it is not simply a question of where they stand in the ranking of 50 best-selling models but of the volume they accumulate. If we read the data carefully, we see that the top 10 made up is almost entirely 125 scooters and that these stand out with double, triple or quadruple the number of units enrolled than the rest of the members. The first 5 of the table of 50 motorcycles add between them alone about 20% of the total sales registered until September 2022.
125 scooters for the car license: options for all tastes and pockets
It is clear that in a sector as juicy and at the same time as close as this one, all the brands have worked hard trying to put themselves in the best possible position. Thus, a multitude of variants of urban motorcycles have emerged that are suitable for carrying with the validation of permit B, there is also a fierce war of prices and promotions to take the cat (or in this case the buyer) to the water.
In all this confusion, the first and most important thing is to begin by briefly defining what kind of scooter we stick to this post. We are going to focus on models with small wheels, weight, consumption and contained power, compact dimensions and preference for maneuverability over offering ample capabilities or stability and speed.
In addition, we seek to draw a contained price range, capable of adapting to various starting budgets. It must be said that each of the suggestions on this list fits into the classification but at the same time stands out in some aspect. Let’s go by parts.
Basic 125cc scooters for just over €2,000
The Peugeot Tweet 125 Active It is the first and most affordable on our list today. It is the only one that also sports 16″ wheels at the front and rear, so in theory it should go in the category of high-wheel scooters, but its weight content (120kg), power (10.2 CV of air-cooled engine), consumption (2.8l/100km) and reduced dimensions bring it closer to the spirit of this classification. €2,320 You can take a scooter with combined braking and somewhat fair qualities that fulfill their function and have a giant in the sector behind them.
In second place, for just a few euros difference, we find the best-selling motorcycle in Spain in recent years, always in fierce rivalry with the Honda PCX. It’s about the Kymco Agility City. The Korean motorcycle is not the most powerful (9CV air motor) nor light (131kg) nor low in consumption (2.6l/100km), but for €2,399 At your fingertips is a motorcycle with a high front and 14″ rear wheel whose chassis concentrates the weight under the central platform and makes quality winks such as the two-tone seat or the USB power socket.
Scooters between €2,200 and €2,500 for the car license
On the second step we find two other motorcycles with good sales figures. Let’s start with the Italian Piaggio and his Liberty S125 ABS. It offers a good balance between modesty (124kg of weight, 2.5l/100km of consumption), an engine that is a little more comfortable than the ones seen so far (10.8CV, air-cooled) and quality details such as a LED screen that operates from pineapples or a more refined aesthetic than the competition. By €2,712 you can drive it.
These are very manageable motorcycles in the city but, in general terms, they are not very advisable for anything more than brief and sporadic incursions on radial highways.
A little above we find the SYMJet 14. Compared to its successful sister Symphony 125, this bike offers a more compact size with 14″ wheels front and rear. The Jet mounts an engine that produces 11.2 CV to move its 134kg with a consumption of 2.7l/100km. Without reaching the Honda PCX and the Yamaha Nmax in qualities and features, this SYM has a space under the seat as generous as them and also does not sacrifice the flat platform between the feet, very useful for carrying bags. €2,799.
The most refined 125cc compact scooters, just over €3,000
And we reach the bottom of the ladder with the queen of the party: the Honda PCX 125. Launched in 2009 with a good arsenal of innovation, it would soon become the undisputed benchmark in a new segment, being a resounding sales success in many countries. Without ceasing to be a small and unpretentious scooter beyond the urban, the PCX is clearly situated on another level both in finishes and components as well as in technology. It mounts a water-cooled engine that produces 12.15CV to displace 130kg, whose low-friction design and start/stop system not only ensure longevity but also a consumption of 2.1l/100km. It has ABS, an attractive LCD screen, full Led lighting and, in general, a touch and dynamic behavior characterized by smoothness. Of course, you will have to scratch something else in your pocket to pay €3,250.
As a climax, Honda’s great competitor is called Yamaha Nmax 125. With the same engine power, 127 kg of weight and a consumption of 2.7l/100km, this scooter boasts a tubular chassis that gives it great poise and variable distribution to ensure smoothness at all speeds. It is the only one that mounts 13″ wheels and slightly wider tires that facilitate its handling and turns, as well as the one with the largest space under the seat despite not having space between the feet to put bags. It is currently the most expensive of all the comparative, although for little: €3,499 you will be asked to go out with this bike capable of meandering through the city like the champions.
With a little ingenuity and the right accessories, the cold and the rain do not have to be an excuse to get stuck in the desperate urban traffic and be the first at the traffic lights. You dare?
