If you enjoy the attention of having strangers ask what car you’re driving, then the GWM Ora might be the car for you.
The ‘Funky Cat’, as the five door electric hatch is known in its home market of China, is the brand’s latest edition in its fast expanding Australian line up which started with the GWM Ute.
It’s also the most affordable EV on the market today but let’s that hold that against the Ora and find out whether its cute looks and budget friendly price tag is enough to cut it.
How much is the GWM Ora?
Despite its original bargain basement sticker, that doesn’t stop the Ora from copping a further price cut recently, with the EV hatchback now starting at $35,990 driveaway for the Standard Range on test here, undercutting other Chinese EVs such as the MG ZS EV or the BYD Atto 3.
If you are suspicious that to achieve that, GWM have migrated some of the features onto the option list, you would be wrong. There are no costly options here, with only metallic paint costing a very reasonable $595.
These include Sun Black with White Roof, Aurora Green with Black Roof, Glacier Blue with Black Roof and Mars Red with Black Roof. The Hamilton White with Black Roof you see on the tester here is the only no cost paint work.
GWM Ora driveaway pricing:
- Ora Standard Range: $35,990
- Ora Extended Range: $40,990
- Ora Ultra Extended Range: $43,990
- Ora GT: $46,990
What features does the GWM Ora come with?
Standard equipment on the GWM Ora Standard and Extended Range includes:
- 18-inch alloy wheels
- Automatic LED headlights
- High beam assist
- 25-inch digital instrument cluster
- 25-inch touchscreen infotainment
- 6-speakers
- Apple CarPlay
- Wireless phone charger
- AM/FM radio
- Faux leatherette seats
- 6-way electric driver’s seat
- 4-way electric passenger seat
- Climate control
Ora Ultra Extended Range gains:
- Electric tailgate – hands free
- Panoramic sunroof
- Front seat heating, ventilation and massage function
- Auto-folding door mirror with memory
- Heated steering wheel
Ora GT adds:
- Red brake calipers
- GT style bumpers and grille
Interesting, digital radio is conspicuously absent in the Ora, while you don’t get a light with the vanity mirror unless you’re in the GT.
What’s the GWM Ora like on the inside?
The Ora’s interior looks thoroughly contemporary, clean and high-tech. As with most modern cars, it is dominated by two giant high-resolution widescreens that present various useful information.
While the driver’s screen isn’t as configurable as some other EVs, the information displayed such as lane guidance, range and battery level are crisp, clear and easy to grasp.
There are also interesting retro-style toggles on the dash that reminds me of the Mini. The Ora uses a simple rotary dial to select drive and reverse.
Like Teslas, there is no start button to be found, as the car detects the presence of the driver automatically and turns itself on.
While it may be shorter than a Toyota Corolla hatch, the Ora’s interior is impressively voluminous. There is plenty of head and legroom all round both front and back. The seats are also comfortable and comes with nice quilted faux leather trim.
There is a 12V power outlet and USB port at the front, and another USB port for rear seat passengers.
It’s clear GWM has used most of the real estate for interior space because where the Ora falls short is its meagre 228L boot space. Even with the 40:60 seat back folded, boot capacity is still only 858L.
It’s also puzzling that in 2024, the Ora still only has height adjustable steering wheel column. Too bad if you have short arms.
Like all GWM products, digital radio is also absent.
Build quality appears solid with no squeaks or rattles on our tester.
What’s underneath the GWM Ora’s bonnet?
The entire Ora Range is propelled by a single front-mounted electric motor producing 126kW of power and 250Nm of torque, numbers which are relatively standard in the small hatch segment whether they are EV or not.
The Standard Range is fed by a 48kW/h lithium-ion phosphate battery that provides a claimed 310km driving range (WLTP), while all other variants are connected to a 63kW/h Ternary lithium battery that is good for a claimed 420km range (400km for the GT).
All are front-wheel drive and dashes from 0-100km/h in 8.4 seconds, according to GWM.
The Ora comes with a CCS2 charging socket and will top up from 10-80 percent in 5.5 hours using an 11kW three-phase AC charger. Charging time drops to 41 minutes with an 80kW DC fast charger.
There is no V2L (vehicle to load) capability to speak of.
How does the GWM Ora Standard Range drive?
In short, the Ora drives like a normal petrol-powered, front-wheel drive hatchback. It’s also the best handling GWM product we have driven.
It feels nippy around town with the typical instantaneous delivery of torque found in most EVs. Get too enthusiastic with the right paddle and you might even induce some tugging from the steering wheel especially in the wet.
Ride comfort is generally good although potholes aren’t ironed out as good as they could be.
Its simple MacPherson struts front and torsion beam rear suspension set up soaks up speed bumps nicely, but its softish spring tune means you’ll find a hint of body roll in corners.
The cabin is generally quiet although tyre noise becomes more apparent if you find yourself on coarse-chip bitumen.
Like most EVs, there are three levels of brake-energy recuperation to choose from, with the strongest allowing one-pedal driving. But rather than utilising steering wheel pedals like most, you have to dig through the touchscreen menus to select your preferred mode.
As we have mentioned before, GWM still has a bit of work to do to finesse their driver assist technology, especially the overzealous lane-keep assist and annoying driver attention alert systems.
Frustratingly, you must again dive into the touchscreen menus to deactivate these.
In terms of the Ora’s energy efficiency, we returned 15.5kW/h over our weeklong test against GWM’s claim of 14kW/h.
How safe is the GWM Ora?
The 2024 GWM Ora comes with a five-star ANCAP safety rating as tested in 2022.
Standard safety features include:
- 7 airbags including front centre airbag
- Autonomous emergency braking with car, pedestrian, cyclist and junction detection
- Adaptive cruise control
- Lake-keeping aids
- Traffic jam assist
- Traffic sign recognition
- Safe exit assist
- Driver monitoring
Ownership
All GWMs carries a seven-year warranty for the car eight years for the Ora’s battery.
Owners also get five years roadside assist along with capped priced servicing at just $99 for the first five services.
The Ora requires a visit to the dealership every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.
In terms of charging costs, it varies depending on where you are and the type of charger but you will typically pay 30 cents per kWh. That means the Standard Range’s 48kWh battery will cost $14.40 to charge from flat to full.
Verdict
Design & Comfort
Performance & Handling
Quality
Economy
Equipment & Features
OUR SCORE
3.9/5
+ Plus
- Attractive design inside and out
- Nippy and comfortable
- Most affordable EV money can buy
- Drives well
– Minus
- Driving range could be better on Ora Standard Range
- Small boot space
Overall
The 2024 GWM Ora will sell based on price and looks but there’s quite a bit more to this affordable EV. It drives well, is comfortable and well built. It also has all the latest technology drivers come to expect these days along with a long warranty for peace of mind.
However, there is room for improvement, including boot capacity and its driver assistance systems.
Nevertheless, its ideal for those looking for their first EV that doesn’t cost and arm and a leg.
2024 GWM Ora Pricing and Specification
Price | From: $35,990 driveaway As tested: $35,990 |
Warranty | 7 years / unlimited kilometre |
Battery Warranty | 8 years / 160,000 km |
Warranty Customer Assistance | 5 year roadside |
Country of Origin | China |
Service Intervals | 12 months/15,000km |
Electric Motor | Single Front-Mounted Permanent Magnet Motor: 126kW, 250Nm |
Battery Capacity (kWh) | 48.0 |
Battery Type | Lithium Ion |
Wall Socket Charge Voltage/Charge Time | 11kW 3-phase AC/10-80% in 5.5 hours 80kW DC/10-80% in 41 minutes |
Transmission | Single-speed reduction gear |
Drivetrain | Front-wheel drive |
Power to Weight Ratio (kW/t) | 81.8 |
0-100km/h (seconds) | 8.4 |
Electric Driving Range (WLTP) | 310km |
RON Rating | Electric |
Body | 5-door hatch, 5-seats |
Safety |
|
Dimensions (L/W/H/W-B) mm | 4,235/1,825/1,603/2,650 |
Tare Mass (kg) | 1,540 |
Boot Space (min/max)(L) | 228/858 |
Turning circle between kerbs | 11.2 |
Ground Clearance: | 145 |
Towing Capacity (kg): | N/A |
Entertainment | 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, Bluetooth, USB, AM/FM, 6-speaker sound system, Apple CarPlay |