Overview

The GWM Ora 03 was originally launched as the Funky Cat, a memorable name for a fresh, fun and, er, funky-looking small family-sized electric car. Ora is an offshoot of GWM, or Great Wall Motors – a large Chinese car firm attempting to break into the UK as successfully as MG has. The Funky Cat’s name was changed as part of a full rebranding of the firm. This isn’t GWM’s first crack at the UK, as it previously sold a pickup truck called the Steed.

However, things have moved on since then, with the Ora 03 taking aim at the most hotly-contested sector of the EV market. But before you get too confused, it isn’t as small as it looks in photographs. Despite looking like a MINI Electric or Fiat 500 rival, it comes in at 4,235mm long and 1,825mm wide, making it slightly shorter and a little wider than a Volkswagen Golf or ID.3.

That means it’s up against the aforementioned VW, Cupra Born, Citroen e-C4, Renault Megane, BYD Dolphin and the Parkers Car of The Year-winning MG4 EV. That size endows it with good passenger space but comes at the expense of boot room, making this less of a practical option for families and more of a rival to the fashion-forward MINI and Fiat.

And fashionable it certainly is. Its retro-cute styling conjures up images of a Nissan Figaro for 2023, while its interior mixes chrome, ivory plastics and a clean aesthetic to make for an ambience that’s rather unique to the Ora 03. Of course, that makes it divisive, but we suspect GWM Ora will sell quite a few models on the strength of this interior alone.

The 03 was initially only available with a 48kWh battery in First Edition guise, but in 2024 Ora has now renamed it to the Pure+, while introducing a new ‘Pro+’ model, which features a larger 63kWh battery. That increases the range from 193 to 260 miles.

Standard equipment is generous and includes features such as electric front seats, wireless smartphone charging and a full suite of driver assistance tech. The Pro+ trim brings fancy massaging and cooled seats, along with a panoramic sunroof and automatic parking. Prices start from £31,995 for the Pure+ and £34,995 for the Pro+.

Over the next few pages we’ve reviewed every aspect of this interesting electric car, so read on for our full GWM Ora 03 review.