Ola owners win refunds in consumer court: Kurnool and Kasaragod orders

Owners who complain about Ola Electric service are no longer only posting about it. In 2026 at least two district consumer commissions ordered the company to take the vehicle back and return the money, and in both the orders the paperwork trail reads like the complaints owners have been writing for two years.

What the two 2026 orders say

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission at Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, decided complaint no. 65/2026 against Ola Electric Mobility. As recorded in the order, the buyer placed the order on 29 September 2025, paid the full ₹1,34,161 on 2 October 2025 and was given 23 October 2025 as the delivery date. The vehicle was registered and insured on 31 December 2025, but it was never physically handed over. Ola argued that the delivery date was only "indicative" and non-binding, and that completing registration and insurance met its obligation. The commission rejected that, holding that an estimated delivery date cannot let a service provider hold a consumer's entire payment indefinitely. It ordered the ₹1,34,161 refunded with 12 per cent annual interest from 2 October 2025, ₹90,000 as compensation and ₹10,000 as litigation costs, payable in 45 days.

The Kasaragod commission in Kerala went further on 30 July 2026. An S1 Pro Gen 2 bought on 22 May 2023 for a base price of ₹1.3 lakh, with an ₹8,000 extended warranty covering 80,000 km or eight years, kept failing. The owner said the rear shock absorber went repeatedly and the battery would cut off below a certain charge, that the nearest service centre at Payyannur could not do the job, that the Kasaragod outlet had shut, and that he ended up riding about 100 km to Mangaluru. The commission called it a gross deficiency in service and unfair trade practice, and ordered the ₹1.3 lakh refunded with ₹25,000 compensation and ₹5,000 costs. Ola filed no reply. Notice reached its Bengaluru office on 5 March 2026, and the notice to the local store came back undelivered because the store had closed.

An earlier Thrissur order of 27 October 2025 on an S1 X Plus followed the same shape. The bike broke down on 30 April 2024 and again on 22 June 2024, an expert commissioner's report found manufacturing defects, and the commission ordered a replacement plus ₹50,000 compensation and ₹10,000 costs. There too, the manufacturer and dealer did not appear.

What owners are posting, and Ola's side

On the complaint board consumercourt.net we opened four separate Ola threads posted between May 2025 and October 2026. One, on an S1 Pro third generation, has run to 19 replies, with the owner saying the scooter stopped after 20 km and that eight service visits changed nothing. A second, started in August 2025, has 12 replies with the latest in October 2026, and other owners in it describe parts waits and closed outlets. A third says a Gen 1 S1 Pro went in on 23 September 2025 and was still not repaired when the owner posted in late December. A fourth says an S1 Air left for a warranty controller replacement on 11 November 2025 had not come back by 19 January 2026. These are owners' own accounts, not verified facts, and four threads are not the whole network.

Ola's answer has been to rebuild the service side. In December 2025 it launched its first Hyperservice Centre in Indiranagar, Bengaluru, promising eligible customers a same-day service guarantee at no extra cost, with more centres to be upgraded and the spares and diagnostics platform opened to independent garages.

What an owner can do

Put everything in writing. Insist on a job card every time the vehicle goes in, with the date it was received, and ask for the parts order number if a part is on backorder. If the vehicle is held beyond a reasonable time, email Ola's support and its grievance officer, both of which owners in those threads say they used, and keep the ticket numbers.

Next, register the complaint with the National Consumer Helpline on 1915, on WhatsApp at +918800001915, or through the NCH or UMANG app. If that does not move it, file at your district commission, online through e-Daakhil. As the Kasaragod and Thrissur orders show, the maker not turning up does not stop the case, and the commissions awarded compensation and costs on top of the refund.

Sources

• Kurnool commission holds OLA liable over non-delivery after full payment, LiveLaw
• Ola Electric ordered to refund customer and pay damages over defective vehicle, Kasaragod, LawTrend
• OLA Electric and its dealer held liable for manufacturing defect, Thrissur commission, LiveLaw
• Ola Electric expands Hyperservice, launches centres with same-day service guarantee, Outlook Business
• Ola S1 Pro complaint thread, consumercourt.net
• Complaint on delay in repair of vehicle, consumercourt.net
• National Consumer Helpline