The Ora 3 from Chinese manufacturer GWM might not be one of the best known electric small cars around, though it did earn some headlines when first launched onto the UK market in 2022, basically because it had a different name.
The car’s creators, however, very quickly got the idea that UK audiences were unlikely to want to drive a car called the ‘Funky Cat’ (we kid you not) and with a speed that Western manufacturers should take good note of, the model was rebranded as the Ora 03. Now the only evidence of the former name are a couple of feline shaped plastic vanity mirror holders in the cabin.
While Ora is new to the UK and among the influx of Chinese brands now looking for sales on these shores, its parent has been here rather longer. GWM, Great Wall Motor is one of the top ten automotive manufacturers in China, and first came to the UK in 2013, marketing a pick-up truck called the Great Wall Steed and signing up with respected UK distributor International Motors, which also looks after Subaru and Isuzu. IM is overseeing the new GWM expansion into the UK market with both Ora and its sister brand Haval, long established in China.
First impressions
On first viewing the Ora 3 is one curvy small electric car, making the most of the lack of a grille. The bug’s-eye headlamps give it a reasonably distinctive but not unattractive visual appearance.
Our test car is the latest range-topping GT variant, launched for 2025, and gets a few styling enhancements that work quite well. Bespoke 18-inch alloy wheels are contained within wheel arch extensions, with red-coloured brake calipers behind. The bumpers are modified, a spoiler added and inside there are red seatbelts and styling elements – all very sporty for a car that is in fact no more powerful than its siblings.
Interior
On getting in the Ora it feels reasonably well put together with soft-touch materials which are of generally good quality.
Space is no less generous than typical rivals in its market except in the boot, which is rather small and not easy to get stuff in and out of due to its high loading lip – this is compensated for by impressive legroom in the back seats. The driver’s seat is very easy to get comfortable in with loads of adjustability available, and the view is good except out back, which suffers from a small rear window.
Ahead of the driver are two screens – an enormous 10-inch instrument cluster and then the central infotainment touchscreen of identical size. The driver screen seems too big for its function, what information is on the screen generally lost in a sea of white which changes to a muted green or red depending on how one is using the right pedal.
The touchscreen is a definite minus point of the car – it’s not very user-friendly to use, commands are not always actioned unless one makes more than one attempt, and the graphic design does not lend itself to easy understanding especially when on the move. GWM could improve things easily by taking heed of the infotainment offered by some rivals.
Equipment
In GT form the Ora 3 comes well-equipped extending to some surprises, such as a massaging function on the heated front seats, not exactly typical on a small car.
Keyless entry and start, a reversing camera, facial recognition functions, a powered tailgate and wireless phone charging are all in the mix, as is a mildly odd 360-degree surround camera that shows the side of the road on the central touchscreen, though not always… GT buyers also get a panoramic sunroof.
Safety
The Ora 3 ticks all the boxes in the safety section and has earned a top-level five-star Euro NCAP rating, not something that is always the case particularly with small cars, where their intended market dissuades the fitment of the more extensive and expensive electronic aids.
The car comes as standard with a full set of ADAS driver assistance features including adaptive cruise control with a stop and go function (useful in traffic jams), lane-keep and lane-centring, rear cross-traffic alert, blindspot and driver-fatigue functions.
Which leads us to the one major minus point of our week with the Ora 3. Audible driver alerts are a bane of any motorist driving a new car thanks to European legislation, and Chinese manufacturers in particular have come in for criticism for the intrusive nature of their alerts – our Ora took this to the next level…
A camera is mounted on the inside of the windscreen pillar pointing at, and monitoring, the driver, and slightly too long glancing to the side as we passed something elicited a “DON’T be distracted, please keep your eyes on the road…”, delivered in the tone of a 1970s schoolmistress admonishing a class of unruly 12-year olds. Yawning at the wrong moment, or brushing a loose hair away, would produce “Don’t drive tired” and it soon became very annoying indeed…
The good news is that these alerts can be turned off in that not very user-friendly central touchscreen. The bad news is every time you get back in the car you have to go through the turn-off procedure again.
Powertrain
Base-level Pure trim models of the Ora 3 come with a 48kWh battery pack that is stated as producing a range of up to 193 miles. This is not particularly impressive but also average in a segment where cars are very much used for short journeys without racking up large daily mileages.
Our range-topping GT, and the Pro that sits between it and the Pure, fare rather better. A 63kWh pack feeds the front-mounted motor, common to all three versions, putting out an equivalent 171hp with 250Nm of torque. The ‘GT’ moniker is therefore just for show and referring to the styling – this car is no more potent than the base model, reaching 62mph from rest in just over eight seconds. Once this would have been considered adequate but in today’s electric market it is rather pedestrian.
One of the additions to the GT model is launch control, a slightly strange extra for a car that’s had no power hike. A better feature buyers of the range-topper get is a heat pump, helping owners make the best of their charging options when the weather is less than helpful.
Charging does come with some limitations. These cars cannot make full use of the most rapid DC rapid chargers, and a 15 to 80% refill at a public point will occupy you for three quarters of an hour. A single-phase 6.6kW home charger will do the job in just over seven hours.
On the road
Driving the Ora 3 literally is a case of getting in, selecting drive and going – there is no turning it on, though there is an on-off among the line of toggle switches on the centre console. It appears that if you forget to press this when ending your journey the madam schoolmistress will alert you to the key being removed from the car, but pressing the lock button on the key fob turns everything off anyway.
On the road the Ora is adequate. Around town at lower speeds it is very easy to drive indeed, manoeuvres carried out easily through the light steering, but get up to speed on for example a motorway and the ride becomes a little less composed and fidgety.
The EV trait of instant power does make rapid overtaking manoeuvres practical though the lack of pace confines these to slower speed traffic. However the car does have a good regenerative braking function, which can be adjusted through the touchscreen, and allows the battery-replenishing EV trait of one-pedal driving.
Costs
GWM Ora prices start at around £25,000 and our range-topping GT costs £33,600. Two major plus points for the car are that five-star Euro NCAP rating plus a five-year warranty that comes as standard, together with an eight-year battery warranty. The level of standard equipment one gets is also another positive.
Having said that, the Ora 3 is not one of those cars expected to be best at holding its value on the used market.
Summary
In its week under test the GWM Ora 3 GT proved a generally reasonably easy car to live with, just not outstanding in any particular area. It does come with a short list of irritations, very much topped by the driver alerts, and GWM could likely improve the image of this car with just one or two carefully chosen updates.
Business Motoring First Drives are the initial test of a new vehicle, of usually between 50 and 100 miles. Business Motoring Reviews are usually conducted over a full week, completing several hundred miles.
