Vespa ZX 125 mileage and running cost

ZX 125's claimed mileage is 45 kmpl, and unusually, owners and our own riding land right on it: expect 42–47 kmpl in everyday use. Few bikes get this close to their brochure figure.

Among the 34 scooters we have reviewed it ranks 23th for mileage, 1 kmpl below the group average of 46 kmpl.

At Delhi's petrol price of ₹94.80 a litre and a real-world 44.5 kmpl, the ZX 125 costs about ₹2.13 per km in fuel. Ride 30 km a day and that is roughly ₹1,662 a month, or ₹19,940 a year, before servicing.

The 7.4-litre tank gives a realistic range of about 329 km, so a 30 km commute means a fill-up every 2 weeks.

Spread over five years and 46,800 km, the ZX 125 works out to about ₹5.6 per km all-in, of which 38% is fuel and 52% is the purchase price itself. Resale value is not counted; expect roughly 50–60% of ex-showroom after five years for a well-kept example.

The cheapest wins on the ZX 125: tyre pressure (5 psi under can cost 2–3 kmpl), shifting up early, and not idling at long signals.

Filling only to the first click and keeping the 7.4-litre tank above a quarter helps in two ways: fuel that sloshes out of a brimmed tank is wasted, and a near-empty tank on a hot day loses more to vapour. Realistic range is about 329 km, so on a 30 km commute you will fill up roughly every 2 weeks.

Service on time. A clogged air filter, a tired spark plug or a dragging brake shows up in mileage before it shows up anywhere else, and each is a cheap fix at the 3,000 km service.