If you’ve been putting off a new bike or scooter purchase, here’s a good reason to stop waiting: the GST Council cut tax on two-wheelers under 350cc from 28% down to 18%, effective September 22, 2025. It’s a meaningful cut, and it was clearly aimed at making everyday mobility cheaper and giving the two-wheeler market a nudge.
Bajaj Auto, Honda HMSI, Royal Enfield, and TVS Motor Company all said they’d pass the full benefit on to buyers. Most others followed shortly after with their own price cuts, though not everyone moved at the same pace.
Here’s what changed, roughly what it means in rupees, and — the part a lot of coverage conveniently skipped — which bikes actually got more expensive.
Quick disclaimer: this is general information, not tax or financial advice. Figures below are approximate, based on manufacturer announcements around the time of writing, and things can change. Confirm current on-road pricing with your dealer before you buy.
What actually changed
The 56th GST Council meeting, held September 3, 2025, revised two-wheeler tax rates like this:
| Vehicle type | Old GST rate | New GST rate | Effective from |
|---|---|---|---|
| bikes ≤350cc | 28% | 18% (down 10 points) | Sept 22, 2025 |
| bikes >350cc | ~31% (28% + cess) | 40% (up roughly 9 points) | Sept 22, 2025 |
| Electric bikes and scooters | 5% | 5% (unchanged) | — |
Notice that last row up top before we get into the good news — bikes above 350cc technically got more expensive under the new structure, even though basically none of the headlines mentioned it. We’ll come back to that.
What got cheaper (under 350cc)
TVS — cuts of up to roughly ₹25,000
TVS passed on the full benefit across the board, with the biggest cuts landing on the Apache RTR 310 and RR 310.
| TVS model | Approximate price cut |
|---|---|
| Apache RTR 310 | Up to ~₹24,300 |
| Apache RR 310 | Up to ~₹24,500 |
| Apache RTR 160 4V | ~₹8,000–₹10,000 |
| Apache RTR 200 4V | ~₹12,000–₹15,000 |
| NTorq 125 | ~₹7,200 (about 8.5%) |
| Jupiter 125 | ~₹8,000–₹10,000 |
| Raider 125 | ~₹7,000–₹9,000 |
| Ronin | ~₹10,000–₹12,000 |
| XL100 / Sport / Star City | ~₹5,000–₹7,000 |
TVS’s electric line (iQube, Orbiter) stays at 5% GST — no change there, obviously.
Royal Enfield — cuts of up to roughly ₹22,000 on 350cc bikes
RE’s 350cc range, which is honestly most of what they sell, got some real cuts:
| Royal Enfield model | Approximate price cut |
|---|---|
| Classic 350 | Up to ~₹22,000 |
| Bullet 350 | Up to ~₹20,000 |
| Hunter 350 | Up to ~₹18,000 |
| Meteor 350 | Up to ~₹20,000 |
| Guerrilla 450 | Up to ~₹22,000 |
| Himalayan 450 | Up to ~₹20,000 |
| Shotgun 650 | Up to ~₹15,000 |
| Super Meteor 650 | Up to ~₹15,000 |
The 650 twins (Interceptor, Continental GT) saw smaller relative savings since they sit right near the 350cc line where the higher slab starts — worth a call to your dealer for exact numbers.
Honda HMSI — cuts of up to roughly ₹18,800
| Honda model | Approximate price cut |
|---|---|
| Activa 6G | ~₹10,000–₹12,000 |
| Shine 125 | ~₹8,000–₹10,000 |
| Unicorn 160 | ~₹12,000–₹14,000 |
| SP 160 | ~₹12,000–₹14,000 |
| CB350 H’Ness | ~₹18,000–₹18,800 |
| Hornet 2.0 | ~₹12,000–₹15,000 |
Honda’s EVs (Activa e:, Elevate Electric) stay at 5%, no change.
Bajaj Auto — roughly ₹5,000 to ₹15,000 off
Bajaj stacked some festive offers on top of the GST savings around launch, so the total saving looks a bit bigger for some models:
| Bajaj model | Approximate saving (GST + offers) |
|---|---|
| Pulsar N160 | ~₹10,000–₹12,000 |
| Pulsar NS125 | ~₹12,200 (including festive offer) |
| Pulsar 150 | ~₹8,000–₹10,000 |
| Pulsar N250 | ~₹12,000–₹15,000 |
| Avenger 220 | ~₹10,000–₹12,000 |
| CT100 / Platina | ~₹5,000–₹7,000 |
Hero MotoCorp — up to roughly ₹13,500 off
| Hero model | Approximate price cut |
|---|---|
| Splendor Plus | ~₹7,000–₹9,000 |
| HF Deluxe | ~₹5,000–₹7,000 |
| Xtreme 160R | ~₹10,000–₹12,000 |
| Xtreme 125R | ~₹8,000–₹10,000 |
| Super Splendor | ~₹8,000–₹10,000 |
| Passion Pro | ~₹7,000–₹9,000 |
Suzuki and Yamaha
| Model | Approximate price cut |
|---|---|
| Suzuki Gixxer SF 250 | ~₹18,000 |
| Suzuki Gixxer 155 | ~₹10,000–₹12,000 |
| Suzuki Access 125 | ~₹8,000–₹10,000 |
| Yamaha R15 V4 | ~₹12,000–₹15,000 |
| Yamaha FZ-S Fi | ~₹10,000–₹12,000 |
| Yamaha MT 15 V2 | ~₹12,000–₹14,000 |
What got more expensive (above 350cc)
This is really the part buyers of bigger bikes should pay attention to, since it barely got covered anywhere. Bikes above 350cc now fall under 40% GST, up from roughly 31%. On paper:
| Model | Impact |
|---|---|
| KTM 390 Duke / 390 Adventure | More expensive |
| Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 | Held steady — RE absorbed the hike |
| Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 | Held steady — RE absorbed the hike |
| Kawasaki Versys 650 | More expensive |
| Triumph Speed 400 (349cc) | Actually falls under ≤350cc — cheaper |
| Triumph Scrambler 400X | Also under ≤350cc — cheaper |
| BMW R 1300 GS | More expensive |
| Ducati Panigale V4 | More expensive |
| Norton Manx R (1,200cc) | Falls under the 40% slab |
A few premium brands, RE included on its 650 twins, just ate the increase rather than raising prices. So don’t assume every big bike got pricier — worth a direct check with the brand and dealer instead of guessing.
What this means if you’re actually buying
If you’re shopping under 350cc, this is about as good a window as India’s seen in a while — figure on roughly ₹8,000-22,000 cheaper than before September 2025. If it’s a 350cc Royal Enfield specifically, the Classic 350, Hunter 350, and Himalayan 450 are all down roughly ₹18,000-22,000, which is a real saving, not a rounding error.
Above 350cc, prices are technically higher under the new slab, though several brands absorbed some or all of it — get a proper on-road quote rather than assuming either way. And if you’re going electric, nothing’s really changed — EVs were already at 5% GST and remain the cheapest two-wheelers to own by a wide margin.
A rough example, so the numbers actually mean something
Take the Classic 350 at roughly ₹1,87,000 ex-showroom before the change. Under the old 28% GST, a bigger chunk of that price was tax. Under 18%, that chunk shrinks — net saving lands around ₹18,000-22,000 ex-showroom, and slightly more once you factor in registration and insurance getting recalculated off the lower base price.
Rough rule of thumb: a ₹1.5 lakh bike saves you somewhere around ₹8,000-12,000. A ₹2 lakh-plus bike, closer to ₹15,000-22,000.
And electric scooters?
They stay put at 5% GST, which was already the lowest rate around, so this particular change doesn’t move the needle for them directly. But between low running costs (roughly ₹0.30-0.50 per km against ₹2.50-3.50 for petrol), the PM E-DRIVE subsidy still being available, and no mandatory PUC requirement, EVs are still the cheapest thing to actually own and run day to day — GST cut or no GST cut.
