GWM Ora 03 GT (2024 - )

It seems like a new Chinese brand lands on UK shores every week nowadays and this week, we’ve been out in the GWM Ora 03 electric city car. But it’s not totally new as GWM, which stands for Great Wall Motors, is a company that has been around for some time. And the Ora 03 was launched here a couple of years back but was called the Ora Funky Cat.

The new 2025 Ora 03 has a new trim line-up called Pure, Pro and GT with prices starting from £24,995 for what is a genuinely well-equipped vehicle that’s also pretty easy on the eye in its own distinctive way.

There are two battery sizes, a 48kWh unit with 171PS and a driving range of 192 miles between charges which is available on the Pure specification, or a 63kWh 171PS unit with an increased range of 261 miles which is standard on both Pro and GT models.
We opted for the Ora 03 GT for our test drive, priced at £32,995.
 

It’s quite difficult to define the look of the five-door Ora 03 hatchback. It’s like a modern day Mini, old Micra, VW Beetle and an Audi TT were all thrown into the mixer and the blended result is the Ora 03.

It has funky looks with a certain amount of kerb appeal thanks to its modern styling traits. It boasts distinctive circular light clusters, a tapering bonnet (almost Porsche-like), GWM badging, tinted rear windows and the range-topping GT, as tested, features a sunroof, lots of red trim to accentuate its sportier nature, plus snazzy 18-inch alloy wheels.

Moving inside and you are greeted with an upmarket cabin with a black and red colour scheme throughout. There are comfy leatherette seats that are powered, can be heated or ventilated and even offer a massage function. With plenty of steering wheel adjustment available, finding the ideal driving position is a simple process and all dials, controls and readouts are well positioned in the driver-focused cabin.

A 10.25-inch infotainment screen offers access to the many on-board features, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, sat nav, a six-speaker sound system with DAB radio, Bluetooth and lots more besides. A further 10.25-inch instrument cluster behind the steering wheel displays all the vital data such as speed, battery charge levels and existing driving range.

This all sounds well and good, but the readouts and icons are so tiny you can barely read them without moving within inches of the screens. That means when you’re driving along, you have to guess what most of the readouts are displaying.

Elsewhere, a chunky dial is used as a gear selector and there are toggle switches for other functions – again drawing inspiration from Mini.
 

The GWM Ora 03 GT looks sporty in its styling and the performance is quick enough for day-to-day use. With 171PS and 250Nm of torque, the car can sprint to 62mph from a standing start in 8.2 seconds (the entry level car takes 8.3 seconds), with all versions topping out at 99mph.

Admittedly there are more engaging and faster EVs to choose from, but the Ora 03 is nippy around town with plenty of fizz out the starting blocks. The driver visibility is good which is a bonus with cars, cyclists and pedestrians darting out from all angles and it’s worth mentioning the plethora of safety features and driver assistance aids that come as standard across the line-up. While these do bing quite a lot, they are not as loud as some rival Chinese brands.

On motorways, the Ora 03 will sit at 70mph, but the cabin gets quite noisy with lots of wind and road noise filtering through. Then when faced with twisting country lanes, the vehicle feels relatively confident. The grip through corners is well grounded, but the lack of any steering feel or feedback is a tad unnerving.

There are drive modes called Eco, Auto, Normal and Sport that alter the driving characteristics of the vehicle and each mode has a corresponding chime, obviously!

This is a car that’s happiest in busy stop-and-go traffic where the various levels of regenerative braking can be adjusted to suit the traffic conditions with single pedal driving proving a welcome option.

The GWM Ora 03 GT is a compact family car that stretches 4,235mm in length, is 1,825mm wide, 1,603mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,650mm. The cabin is quite roomy with ample space for a couple of tall adults up front. If the seats are not pushed back too far, a further two adults can fit in the back … just. But ideally it’s best suited for two or three children.

The boot is compact and can swallow 228 litres of luggage with all seats in an upright position. That’s just about enough room for a family shop. The capacity can be increased to a more respectable 858 litres with the 60:40 split-folding rear seats dropped flat. And there is a little extra room beneath the boot floor, but it’s not really large enough to store charging cables.

Elsewhere there’s lots of practical storage compartments scattered throughout the cabin, including a locking glovebox, door bins, a central cubby, wireless charging pad, front and rear cup holders, seat back pockets and some USB-C ports to stay connected on the move.

Charging the smaller 48kWh battery takes just under five-and-a-half hours using a home wallbox. The larger 63kWh battery takes 7.2 hours.  This time can be reduced if using a 100kW fast charger cutting the waiting time down to 42 minutes (48kWh battery) and 48 minutes for the larger unit.

The change of name from Ora Funky Cat to a slightly more mature Ora 03 also coincided with a revamp of the trim levels. While the initial model was available with Pure+ and Pro+, GWM has launched the latest model with three well-equipped grades called Pure, costing £24,995, Pro priced at £28,995 and GT as tested which is £32,995.

For now at least, there are a number of Government-led financial incentives to owning or running an EV. These include free road tax, and being exempt from Ultra Low Emission Zone and Congestion Charge fees. But these schemes to attract more people towards the electric car market are being withdrawn or reduced this year.

And while it doesn’t affect the Ora 03, owners of ICE vehicles costing in excess of £40k are subject to a premium car levy for five years, while EV buyers escape that too.

For any business drivers considering the GWM Ora 03 as a company car, it has a Benefit in Kind tax rating of two per cent.

While it’s too early to predict the reliability of the Ora 03, it does come with an attractive five-year, unlimited mileage warranty, with the battery covered for eight years and 100,000 miles.
 

It may seem we have been a little harsh with our criticisms of the GWM Ora 03, and while the car has plenty of plus points, it’s seriously lacking in other areas.

The tiniest readouts are a real problem and the overall driving experience is not brilliant either. The problem is we are seeing a number of competitively priced EVs at the moment and they are more of a complete package than the Ora 03. If this car in its current guise had been launched three years ago there was far less choice for consumers. But nowadays, this model doesn’t stand out in a competitive arena.

That said; it will attract plenty of attention from people drawn to its quirky design.