Cheap Chinese EVs are finally here! ORA CAT First Look | Subscribe to FULLY CHARGED

I’m sure many of you were hoping for a cheaper, more basic package from China’s first EV to land on UK soil. Starting at around £25,000 the Ora is still one of the cheaper EVs available in the UK, but it’s hardly the sub £15k price tag some were hoping for, based on Ora’s previous China-only model costing the equivalent of just £7,000.
But don’t dismiss the Ora Cat just because it isn’t as cheap as chips. For the price, it is a fairly remarkable package which both looks and feels far more premium than the VW ID.3 it goes up against. The Cat is the first of what will surely be many, many Chinese EVs to be offered in the UK and its main goal is to offer excellent value-for-money, while also demonstrating that Chinese car brands are capable of much more than just ‘cheap and cheerful’.
What do you think of the Ora Cat? Check out the video and then share your thoughts in the comments below!
Want to know more? Check out Jack's new blog: fullycharged.show/blog/ora-ca...
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Timestamps:
0:00 Start with a story
1:49 Ora who?
3:11 Ora R1
3:59 Costs
4:40 Superior interior
6:25 Battery & range
7:35 Design chat
8:31 What's included?
9:44 Charging
11:02 Not a crossover!
12:12 Two screen set up
13:11 Back seat Jack test
14:20 Lightbar surprise
15:32 What do you think?
15:56 Ora Cat GT
16:41 Concluding thoughts
#ElectricCars #OraCat #Ora #OraCatReview #OraCatFirstLook #OraR1 #ChineseEVs #OraCatEurope #cheapestEV #2022OraCat #EVreview #GreatWallMotors

[@fullychargedshow]

What do you think of the Ora Cat? Would you choose it over a VW ID.3? Tell us below...

[@Kimbrough87]

It's 🚫 t the 25k price tag it's the do it have any self driving features that I'm curious about 🧐

[@Mufcforever-sl2gf]

No way. ID3 is far better

[@ninoloso]

You lost my attention at 25k

[@Kimbrough87]

@@ninoloso but I gained your comment 😂

[@truecolors967]

They are Both Losers because they both RIP YOU OFF. FIRE UP THOSE GAS ENGINES Peeps its at least 10 years till Affordable is connected with any E.V. Vehicles. All subsidy for E.V. are a scam.to.funnel money through car dealerships back into Politicians Pockets

[@agladman194]

I sat in an ID3 just last week and I have to say, I was very disappointed in the cheap, plasticky interior. The Ora however, would definitely get my vote.

[@kelanzhi7269]

wow, £25k is crazy. In china only around £11k

[@logicalChimp]

11k pre-tax, post-rebate, and apparently (based on other comments), sold at a loss in order to generate EV credits to offset against their ICE-car sales in China... also need to add on transport and import duties, etc.

[@toyotaprius79]

@@mingouczjcz3800 little did we know that Ora offers even cheaper and competent electric cars called the Ora Blackcat and Whitecat.

[@btnbiker]

The more I see this the more I like it and it's on my list. Nice size hatchback with good range and an interior to die for , that will be nicely

[@birdyashiro1226]

Same, especially the GT version

[@mpersad]

Personally, I think this is a very attractive small EV - well put together by the look of it and a good range and price in comparison with the competition.

[@SteveLawrance]

£25k ! I agree it is a nice car but with all the hype about Chinese EVs being amazingly cheap I an significantly underwhelmed. I strikes me they have upped their price just for the UK…

[@joey-pn3xe]

Might not be them. Might be our import duties

[@levyroth]

Inflation is a bitch.

[@hamshackleton]

7K in China,27K in the UK? Where does the 20K go?

[@mrpugster]

@@joey-pn3xe import duty is 10% vat of course is 20%, all the bs talk by Boris about everything ev and yet the government ain't waving these fees, fucking incredible

[@yodab.at1746]

@@mrpugster because they are lobbied and payed by the oil industry?

[@michaeledwards8079]

I think MG EV's will give them a serious run for the money at that price, but with battery technology advances and cost coming down there is going to be some interesting EV's from 2023

[@JohnDoe-bd5sz]

I disagree, MG has just announced the new ZS EV, this car is now a £35000 atleast where i live. No manufacturer that have no car below £35000 is going to give anyone a serious run for anything..

[@littlebluepanda394]

@@JohnDoe-bd5sz Damn, that's harsh. I bought my MG 5EV for £26k and there are better deals than that available now - I just wanted the 0% finance and needed to replace my Leaf before it became uneconomical to run.

[@JohnDoe-bd5sz]

@@littlebluepanda394 Yeah, the cheapest used ZS EV Luxury i can buy right now is a 1½ year old one that has done 20.000 miles and a sticker price of £22.500 And this is the "old one" that has no climate control, and a radio, containing a commodore amiga 500 processor in the infotainment system plus no support for max charge state, and remote start of the climate control, plus no heatpump :) To be honest, i can still get a heck of a lot more petrol or diesel car for my money. The prices are not really being helped by the fact that the state takes 25% VAT on the price of the car, when buying one from new. The 5 EV is not even available in my country.

[@nomoreheroes93]

Agreed - also it's not the first Chinese EV given we've had MG? Obvious mistake at the start there

[@JohnDoe-bd5sz]

@@iainsear7830 I agree, what we need is sub £20k cars that are atleast B segment and can do 200 miles in winter. If they sold a base version like that for less than 20.000 pounds i would not even care, that it was not loaded with loads of clever tech....Even though most of that clever tech actually does not cost them much to include. I don't know why, but the chinese seems to think that an electric sunroof is a luxury feature, so they put in, expensive, and technically challenging sunroofs. The original MG ZS EV for example.. Unregulated, manual aircon, and then an elaborate panoramic glass roof. Trust me, i had a car with a glass roof, and it was (Atleast for me) 100% a gimmick that made absolute no difference in daily driving. Had they made a "luxury" where they did not make the sunroof and used the saved money on an aircon, and had they paid 3£ more, and gotten a decent processor for the infotainment, i probably would have bought one, even at the moderately high price i had to pay here. (£29.000) Another point is that if it had climate control, the sunroof would be irrelevant, as the climate control would control the temperature, and you would not need to open windows and/or the sunroof.

[@Jaw0lf]

My wife is sold on this as she loves cats!!! Perfect size for her next car and sounds and looks super impressive, definately on the list.

[@stevenbarrett7648]

I thought the MG was the first Chinese EV sold enmasse over here in GB?. Very disappointed to learn the Cat is going to be over £20k, I truly believe Great Wall have missed a trick. If it’s near to VW in price Europeans will buy VW. Pity, this needed to be 200 miles+ and under £20k……..Next !

[@musclerent]

Yes, MG were the first...

[@musclerent]

@@phildaly3561 You may be right, but I think we can all agree the point was very poorly explained. Many people may know that MG is made by SAIC a huge Chinese brand. Thinking about it I'm now of the opinion the presenter simply meant the badge on the bonnet, but his explanation was extremely poor and likely to cause confusion and taken at face value was wrong

[@Dudleymiddleton]

At long last, a cute but cool looking car without a snarling angry face! Love round(ish) lights, nice and retroey!

[@Hjd10]

MG (SAIC, Chinese brand) have been making electric cars that are available in the UK for a while now.

[@littlebluepanda394]

I was going to say - if that's the first Chinese EV available in the UK then what have I been driving all year?

[@ThePr0Br0]

no one buys MG in China so they started selling overseas, pretty sad actually that foreigners love them. They are not good cars in china. The good stuff will always remain in china domestic market for profit reasons. MG's are selling like hot pancakes in Aus rn

[@littlebluepanda394]

@@ThePr0Br0 They sold 96 000 EI5s in 2020 and the GoodCat is on target to sell about 50 000 in 2021, so it's not like they aren't selling any at all.

[@jwickerszh]

@@ThePr0Br0 they sell quite a bit under other SAIC brands, it's mostly badge swapping.

[@showsiff]

I think the poor guy still regards MG as British 😅

[@timw1971]

In terms of looks and particularly the interior experience, it blows the ID.3 -- and ID.4, for that matter -- out of the water. Great start for Ora.

[@recklessrogue9027]

I'm looking at getting a Corsa e next year but this is honestly a contender for me it's got an extremely nice interior, funky design and good range for the money.

[@thearab59]

The European OEMs are not committed to advancing EVs as quickly as possible. We need firms whose interests are to speed development, and who are able to produce at lower cost. In short, we need Chinese EVs. It cannot just be Tesla (and their Chinese cars) left to confront the old guard!

[@captives6479]

@john h European always more expensive and low quality at lower price levels.

[@tuppenceworth5485]

It's a lot cheaper to buy in China, so £25k UK price would include a hefty import duty and markup by the UK's agent. Iconic looking car and good specs, should sell like hot cakes.

[@DavidKnowles0]

Which means the dealers will have space to push the price down to gain sales.

[@jimsouthlondon7061]

Made from Chinese coal no CO2 tax for them unlike us mugs in the west

[@dt8101]

People shouldn't use the Chinese selling price and simply do a currency exchange to compare the price between China and the UK. Chinese EV are all selling at loss in China. The regulation there has a very rigid points system, which are based on the number of ICE cars and EV cars a company sells. Car manufactures which sell too many ICE cars often have to buy points from manufactures which sells lots of EV, such as Tesla. Ora cars are selling at a loss in China because they can balance the points from the huge number of ICE cars GWM sells in China. Therefore, instead of paying Tesla for the points, GWM is willing to selling EV at a loss. But when it comes to overseas market, GWM is not restricted by the points system and they want to make profits. In addition, there are also logistics costs and tax when shipping to the UK.

[@Psi-Storm]

The price in china has subsidies subtracted and there is no vat on evs. A 15000€ Chinese sale price would come out to (15k+3k subsidies+1k transport)* 1,1 import tax * 1,19 vat = 25000 €. In Germany with our 6k rebate, the car could sell for 19k+500€ dealer delivery fee.

[@Moses_VII]

@@dt8101 Imagine if we did that in the West. Things would be better for everyone and there would be Chinese level of innovation in Western auto industry.

[@PeterJFlower]

At last a car that might be really suitable for the vast majority of us in the real world. As you say, shame that it is £25k rather than say £17k but at least it's in the ball park. I think that it looks better than the ID3 & Born but I guess that is just me. Lovely colour as well, a nice change from 50 shades of grey. I must be a cat lover! - Sorry couldn't resist.

[@JackScarlett1]

Agree to all the above! Will reserve final judgement until I’ve driven it but this thing looks like a proper rival for ID.3 and Born. Cheaper Oras to follow I hope!

[@mralistair737]

it si £25k before government grant as i understand it... so that should nudge down to £22k.

[@leiyue1411]

It is sold at 17k in China.

[@railvlogger1439]

The first Chinese EV is already in the UK. It is the MG.

[@davidspencer7254]

Fully Charged has a weird love hate relationship with MG that I don't understand the basis of.

[@flyingpanhandle]

The point with MG is it's very much pretending to be British, Ora is unashamedly Chinese.

[@davidspencer7254]

Nah. Bobby's review of the 5 and the ZS make it clear that it's Chinese. To me it just is either a continuation of the typical UK motoring journalists memory holing MG for whatever lame reason, or its a clickbaity title. I've seen a odd reply on this on twitter that went down the lines that the reason is the MG stuff is marmite. Well, so is everything and it doesn't do much other than highlight the inconsistent and antipathetic British motoring journalist treatment of MG. I tend to pre-filter the fully charged reviews by presenter these days but I love the Ora Cat so decided against my better judgement to click. In many ways I'm glad I did. However, the nonsense around MG always grates on me.

[@flyingpanhandle]

@@davidspencer7254 his reviews make it clear it's Chinese. Hiding behind the MG name doesn't. Will that do, or would you need me to dumb it down even further?

[@davidspencer7254]

@@flyingpanhandle no one is fooled that its a British brand, and nor does your contribution explain anything to any satisfactory level despite how much you are convinced by your own line of argument. That is if you have more than a very few braincells to rub together. Unless you have anything germane to put in a civilised fashion I suggest you go and enjoy the rest of your day elsewhere, preferably pick somewhere that is down to your level of cognitive capability.

[@danpaddy]

Did you forget the MG 5 EV? That starts at 25k and is an estate. Way better value.

[@levyroth]

Less milage and fugly.

[@kez2164]

Great little video, but the MG5, the MG ZS EV and the Polestar 2 are all Chinese made EVs already being sold in the UK, so this is certainly not the first chinese EV in the UK! So fake news from Fully charged? Also MG ZS EV (current spec) and MG5 (original spec- I'm not sure about the long range version) can both be purchased for under £25k already.

[@Saiyukimot]

@@levyroth Except the long range version of this ugly Ora is 261, with the MG5 doing 250. The MG5 looks better than this thing, this looks like a frog had a fart and blew up.

[@glennoc8585]

@@Saiyukimot it's hideous looking I don't see it as anything more than a big Nissan Micra from 10 years ago

[@scunekt]

I can only hope for the day when cheap EVs, Chinese or not, come to the US..

[@nickus9119]

It’s called the LEMON platform. LMAO! 😂😂😂

[@kevinrich5222]

Lemon has the meaning of sweet and sour love and youth in the Chinese world

[@roscopeco2000]

And it's means terrible car in England

[@hamshackleton]

@@roscopeco2000 - Don't buy a Monday morning, or a Friday afternoon one!

[@andrewcharles5575]

@@hamshackleton That's a sod. do I have to allow for time zones?

[@hamshackleton]

@@andrewcharles5575 - probably! Local to the production line.

[@jamesengland7461]

I really like the front styling! The rear is nice too.

[@ianburton9223]

Nissan Juke is what it reminds me about. Especially the high arched bulb over the front wheels and the headlights. On the other end I like the simple back presentation. Much more confidence inspiring than the near "transformer" angles of the Juke and the Civic.

[@chrisbamforth4125]

First Chinese ev available in Britain??? What about the MG 5 EV and MG ZS EV. They are Chinese made as well.

[@reginald7214]

FYI for right hand driving reviews, Thailand has all the color combos doing live driving in youtube videos from a week ago. Lots of views, some scary driving. The brown and cream interior is even better.

[@th-l8936]

Surely first Chinese ev in UK would be the MG ZS EV?

[@komoriboy]

I thought so too? I bought mine 18 months ago for a lot less than £25K!

[@btnbiker]

It's not a dedicated EV platform

[@JackScarlett1]

Technically yes, but I didn’t count it purely because they package and market it as a British brand, where Ora is unapologetically Chinese. Sidenote: I’m driving the new ZS next week and very excited!

[@johnwilson8582]

Definitely not the First Chinese EV available in the UK. I got my MG ZS in November 2019. This looks like a great car, hopefully it’ll drive as good as it looks.

[@logicalChimp]

@@JackScarlett1 Perhaps should have phrased it as 'First openly-chinese brand to sell in the UK' in that case... given there are several chinese-owned western brands already here (MG, Polestar, etc)

[@ccooper8785]

"First Chinese ev that you can buy in the UK" ? What about the ev offerings from MG? (both of which appear to be better value than the Ora)

[@HTeo-og1lg]

I thot MG is still made in the UK? Isn't it?

[@TheAegisClaw]

@@HTeo-og1lg nope.

[@dalejrose1287]

Now get ready for the big European companies to start lobbying

[@JackScarlett1]

👀

[@paulgoffin8054]

For what? At that price, they can carry on making Clios & 208s and keep on selling ICE for another few years.

[@soogoonu]

They simply can't even raise a single eyebrow, otherwise they can kiss their precious chips and battery components goodbye.

[@markknight3983]

Definitely a bit of Alfa Mito in the headlights. This thing will sell by the boatload if they keep the price down - the Chinese car makers are the new Korean car makers. Remember how we laughed at the early Hyundai and Kia cars ? I wonder what Nio and Ora will be like in 5 never mind 10 years time.

[@MrQwerty3000]

It’s £25k I think they already did 😂

[@vitavacek3483]

I take Chinese auto industry seriously, I think in the future they will be more competitive than many traditional OEMs. I'm impressed by the interior build quality/materials but for me the exterior is too old fashioned. I don't even like Porsche 911, for me those front lights look like design from 60's. Cannot wait for upcoming models from China.

[@Dudleymiddleton]

What you don't like about this car is precisely what I do like about it - opinions, eh? :)

[@vitavacek3483]

@@Dudleymiddleton Beauty is in the eye of the beholder :)

[@musclerent]

The interior has many Mercedes design cues

[@bafattvahetere]

@@vitavacek3483 And a forever ongoing subject.

[@musclerent]

@@kanding3369 That comment literally makes no sense. To my eyes it doesn't look "cute" or particularly attractive. It does however display several design cues from other cars

[@Drzewacz888]

He forgot to say that you can have heated and cooled seats in this little car! WITH the massager!

[@char1737]

I so want a Ora Good Cat as my second car !

[@patrickjr11]

I really like it, I get that it is initially pricy, but with grants and dealer incentives, I see this car routinely below 20K, and second hand, they will be extremely popular. The Japanese brands are toast.

[@TheVOTN]

How can this be the first Chinese EV in the UK, what about the MGs? As for the rest of Europe, in Norway we already have other Chinese brands like Xpeng, BYD, Maxus, and Hongqi.

[@Simon-nx1sc]

I'm wondering this as well! the Belgian postal service has a few Maxus vans as well I've seen.

[@suzanord]

I have always wanted a car built on the lemon platform! 😂

[@PaulHanley71]

First imprecisions, it looks like it has Mini lights, Model 3 nose, Beetle bonnet, Alfa Romeo Giulietta from the side and a Suzuki Swift from the back. Oh and the wheels on the GT are squared off Alfa 4 pot cloverleaf wheels. I like it though :-)

[@426baron]

An interior that is not black !?! Love it !!

[@torbjornstalenhag814]

Intersesting car, really. Right size, performance and price. Better charging capacity and i,ll order one! Thanks for a superb chanal with the consumers interests in the drivers seat!

[@trevorberridge6079]

Most experienced EV owners tend to do graze charging - they charge as and when it's convenient as opposed to just when it's necessary. It's not usual to drain the battery to 10%, fill it to 80%, drain it to 10%, fill it to 80% in a constant cycle. If you don't want to wait 50 minutes to charge from 10% to 80% then don't. When I took my 2015 24kw Nissan Leaf to Edinburgh in 2017 (437 there, overnight stay, 16 miles around town, 437 back = 890 miles in two days) I decided that I would charge for one full session at each stop (45 mins) and plan my journey around the realistic amount of range I would have available after each charge. Depending on how low my battery was I could add 80% to my car in that time. On my return journey I was more in tune with how much charge I needed at any one point. As a result I could charge for as little as 15 minutes at some stops. In fact, at no point did I reach my next destination with less than 10% battery remaining. The point is that unless you absolutely have to run your battery down to 10% between charges and absolutely have to charge it up to at least 80% before you move on then you don't have to wait 50 minutes to charge. Also remember that even if your car was capable of 100-150kw charging speed you would not be getting that speed from 10% to 80%. By the time you finished charging you could be charging at less than 70kw as your battery management system ramps down the input when the battery starts getting full. In my Leaf I can theoretically get 50kw charging speed. The most I've ever actually managed was 44kw, because I've never charged my car from as low as 1%. By the time my car is at 90% it can be slowed down to less than 4kw for the final trickle. That's slower than my local free 7kw chargers. Even a Tesla Model 3 can only achieve it's maximum charge speed from 0% to 3% or there abouts . That's just the way current battery tech works. For most people you wouldn't notice any significant difference in charging a car from 10-80% at 80kw and 100kw. If you took the 120kw Ora and were able to charge it at 100kw from 0% to 100% with no speed loss it would take 1h 12m. If you did the same at 80kw it would be 1h 30m. That's only 18 minutes difference IF the car didn't ramp down as the battery filled. EVs just don't work like that at the moment and if they did you could get to 80% on a 80kw charger in the same time as you'd get 100% at a 100kw charger. But, how often would you actually need the difference in range (an extra 25%)? It's not like you'd be at the only chargepoint in the country and couldn't top up anywhere else, now is it?

[@FrasSmith]

Saw my first one of these on the road today. Not sure about the back, but I expect I'll see many more, soon. So glad I live in Shanghai. :-)

[@cuteandfunnyearthlings2863]

Some westerners say the front of the car and the lights is stolen from porsche, but the car is designed by someone who used to work and design cars for porsche.

[@incognitotorpedo42]

I get a subtle 1950's vibe from the Cat. (the color, being two-tone, and the rounded shapes, I guess) I like it. I'd like it to cost a little less, given that it's an early entrant from China, but it beats every other EV available in the US at the moment by a mile, at least on price. We'll have to see how it is on performance, range, NVH, reliability, etc.

[@nottooherbal]

It looks like my Aygo Toyota (2007) so likely to sell very well; very tempting . Good design and nice colour.

[@nathmurphy]

Made it on the possible future ev list for me. Looks great 👍 and great drivetrain spec to boot. Very well presented as always jack

[@browtonbob8239]

Really really REALLY tempted to get this when it's launched! Looks a great car!

[@jimsouthlondon7061]

Made from Chinese coal

[@browtonbob8239]

@@jimsouthlondon7061 so is most of the plastic and metal in your house! 🤦🏽‍♂️🤣

[@HTeo-og1lg]

@@jimsouthlondon7061 . Did it stop you buying iphone, MS Surface, or 90% of your household appliances?

[@sh969]

This is really cute! And, it comes in more than the white/black/red/silver that is much of what's being offered in the US. Of course, we'll likely never see this and all the other cool ev's out there in the US because gas still reigns Supreme here. 🙄 if this were available in the US, it'd be on my short list

[@ramblerandy2397]

I like the Ora Cat a lot. Up until very recently, every picture of it I saw made me wonder about its familiarity. Then it hit me. Change from the distinctive nose and grille of the Alfa Romeo Mito to something a little more Porsche and you have a very similar car. I'm astonished it took me so long to see the similarities. I park next to a Mito every day at work. EDIT: Saturday at FC LIVE 2022, I sat in the RHD Ora Cat behind the wheel. I adjusted the seat. It was really comfortable and felt very nice indeed. I concur with Jack here, the interior is very nice. I run an ID3 Pro Performance, and the VW feels cheaper in comparison, and it's now a £30-40K car in various specs. The Cat is smaller, but waaaay cuter [and way cuter than a Honda-E actually], and that smaller battery ought to be enough. The ID3 58kWh/150kW PP has quite a bit of oomph, but I wouldn't expect the Cat to be too far behind. Can't wait for the driving review.

[@bonzo-er6ly]

This is the coolest of the upcoming Chinese EVs. This is a total sweet heart! Surely the ID.3 is simply too expensive for what it offers and pales compared to this car.

[@bobhawkey3783]

They're going to have to re-think that 'lemon platform' moniker if they come to North America. Lemon cars are generally nothing but trouble over here.

[@wouter6659]

The Dutch Martket will LOVE this car, as I do too by seeing this! Costs? Yeah, not 'cheap', but the Dutch "private lease" programs will score biiiiiiiig time with this kind of EV's, and price/range! Can't wait to see it coming to us Dutchies! :D

[@TiY]

I can tell that quality is exceeding my expectations with its price, and I use Tesla Model S 🤣 got our ORA Cat GT last week, so as home charger installed 👍👍

[@counterdebate]

£25,000 in the UK... er so... it's not a cheap Chinese EV then is it!!! In fact, its more an expensive Chinese EV esp since MG EV has been here for a while.... 🙄

[@theproffessional9]

Well, the MG EV has a crappy interior.

[@benholroyd5221]

Yes. I can see their thinking. testing the market with a high(er) margin vehicle. It might work? its cheaper than the established players, its a different tactic to the cheap as chips tactic that new entrants normally try. Ford Focuses (Focai?) start at £22,000 so its more average than expensive. But I agree, I'm getting tired of Chinese car that costs £2.50 in China getting branded 'cheap' despite the fact it cost £25,000 by the time it gets here.

[@Lando-kx6so]

MG's a British brand that's why said Ora is the 1st affordable Chinese EV in the UK

[@counterdebate]

@@Lando-kx6so it's says cheap not affordable in the title and I really don't think anyone thinks of current MG brand as anything other than what it is

[@counterdebate]

@@benholroyd5221 100% agree, BYD's car roughly equal to a focus but in EV is selling for under10k there...

[@DavidKnowles0]

The OTA is probably another reason why they think the range will improve. Both Tesla and Jaguar improve their range using software updates.

[@favesongslist]

The issue to watch out for is with OTA range updates is in some cases reduces range over time as some battery can degrade faster if to close to empty is allowed for the sake of a few more miles range is not worth it.

[@cannygrowabeard]

Fantastic opening sequence 🎥

[@CNile-se9xw]

I like it a lot, small cars are often seen as cheap toys & they're frowned upon, but the Ora will turn heads. I agree with Jack that the small hatchback is ideal. The design is well proportioned, practical, has its own identity & the quality is tangible. 👍

[@kyffelikyf]

It’s like a mix of Mini and Porsche xD

[@samspencer7765]

If you wanna get really pissed off, look how much it costs to buy in China. Yes there's gonna be an increase due to shipping / RHD - but we're paying literally twice the price.

[@BrianJohnsonBfreejohnson]

Thanks for giving us a great overview- I’m excited to see how it performs when you get to take it for a drive! I think they made a wise move focusing on a solid interior, and I like the curbside design as well.

[@matthewcollins1067]

If we’re serious about saving the planet give us an EV that I can buy for

[@MrQwerty3000]

They could do this but unfortunately the company would go bust long before your warranty ran out

[@matthewcollins1067]

@@MrQwerty3000 Yes your probably right. Though you wonder based on the fact that the current profit margins are really good for manufacturers that they can’t offer a more reasonably priced small EV where at least the consumer has a choice to keep the car or not. Basically the business model is predicated on selling more tin. It needs to be a bit more like smart phones let some users replace every year and others use it until it’s end of life. With EVs there is currently no such choice without the high risk that the car or batteries will fail. So another consideration is battery repairability. At the moment choosing an EV based on an environmentally conscious decision is a false choice.

[@scottishfanta]

This just completely wipes the floor with the id3, VW are in trouble if they keep making the same cheap shite with no buttons.

[@peterawlings6568]

Firstly, Fully Charged is a “go to” EV review site for me…..excellent presentation here as usual! This car is nice indeed! Facial recognition is used in many public spaces in China for social control/engineering…….just wondering! I wonder too about the warranty? Some questions are arising elsewhere online about a competitor’s actual warranty (against the onset of rust, for example) and I think any review of any car from anywhere should dig deeper than the surface features….for all reviews are aimed at assisting consumer decision-making. We rely on clear and accurate warranties in the event of any fault and the positive resolution of these and peace of mind in the EV sector is not just about countering range anxiety but also about consumer experience and satisfaction.

[@ronvalente65]

After seeing a review of the charging stations in the UK, I shall not be risking the stress of buying and using an EV! that is until the charging system is sorted out and running properly.

[@jamiewomack]

The GT trim looks even more like the Panamera, particularly from the front. I think it's a very attractive car, and not just how it looks. I'd really love to have one, but I live in the States and we don't get fun toys like this. If Ora decides to enter the US market, they'll probably make a stupid-looking SUV for us.

[@fastgold3727]

En China Ora tiene su Panamera.... Ora lightning cat

[@Petelmrg]

Yes Jack - so nice not to see another bloated barge; I think I'd have to take you to task on the boot though - c.280lt against c.380lt in the id3 is about the only thing that would stop us swapping as we have to carry a wheelchair. Shame, as I really like it.

[@Moses_VII]

Same price as the Cat is MG5 with bigger boot, as it is an estate car

[@Petelmrg]

@@Moses_VII - the MG is a great car - but I couldn’t live in that black cave of an interior.

[@flyingpanhandle]

I dont have a wheelchair, but the boot space is a worry for me too.

[@jwickerszh]

Fair enough, boot space is more important in Europe than it is in China. Maybe have a look in person, else the BYD dolphin will be coming soon as well (it's 345L) for same or cheaper price.

[@tran100hq]

@@jwickerszh Any indications when the BYD Dolphin will arrive on these shores?

[@trevorberridge6079]

On price. Most people lease to buy. They don't slam the cash on a desk and say "I'll take it with me now!". Because depreciation affects lease prices an EV can be much cheaper to lease than a fossil car with a lower up front price tag. An EV that's well looked after will suffer little of the mechanical wear and tear of a petrol/diesel car, so it can be leased on to a new customer with minimal "tidying up" expense to the hire firm. They can therefore lease the car at lower rates. Also the second hand market may be small, but you can get EVs for less then £16k that are fully functional. No worn gaskets, oil leaks, big ends etc. to go wrong and repair. An EV service usually consists of replacing the washer fluid and a pollen filter even if they don't need it (and they often don't). So, leasing is a bargain. My lease is costing me less than I've saved in fuel costs. My lease cost (relatively speaking) is basically £0. Just saying.

[@ferkeap]

I like the less complicated clean backside. Having no legacy Brand expectations to get stuck on helps on possible design choices.

[@PerdixDesignLtd]

REALLY like the interior - simple, but not bland. I wondered about the front wings, but then thought that they may be formed to do the same job as the Leaf headlights and reduce A-pillar wind noise.?

[@andrewheyes564]

Think this car looks fabulous inside and out. Like a little Porsche at the front, which is no bad thing. The equipment and interior is impressive. I want to get a new Yaris but if like to see one of these for myself.

[@pdsnpsnldlqnop3330]

It has charm and a size that appeals to me. Base model is great, don't feel like you need to go wild on options. Initial impressions and it is my favourite so far but I would check out a Leaf before making up my mind. Truth is though - my bicycle is working great so I am just window shopping. My lockdown beergut is diminishing thanks to the bike, not sure a Cat or any other EV would give me the same exercise for free.

[@CNile-se9xw]

Ah yes, aside from walking, the humble pushie is the ultimate in transport efficiency with the health benefits that you've mentioned. I also agree that going wild on options is unnecessary. 👍

[@MrGanbat84]

Hey. I just loved this caaaaaaar. This is so cute and looks strong too. Made of premium quality. Plus cheap. This is what everyone looks for. Nowadays I prefer smaller cars like this Ora good cat. WOOOOOOOOWW

[@hhcosminnet]

Looks like a little Porsche to me and I love how it says "happy". Nice styling, good range, decent charging speed, ota. I wonder how will the parts sourcing be. 25k pounds... It's a bit much and we already have a lot of choice for those into spending tens of thousands or more on a car. We need more "normal" cars. Meanwhile Dacia Spring, also made in China, is being delivered in Romania and around Europe in numbers. That can be had with fast charging for around 8.000 euros in Romania after incentives. We need more like these.

[@zhe8586]

It’s designed by an ex Porsche designer I heard.

[@bryandavies6074]

€8,000 is outstanding. If Renault allows Dacia to bring out a bigger battery/more powerful motor version, it's on to a big winner. Currently though the top speed/'acceleration' confines it to being something of a 'city car' - like the Smart. Not everyone requires heated reclining wireless coat hangers with over the air updates - the techno-clutter that pumps up EV pricing.

[@hhcosminnet]

@@bryandavies6074 Spring is already a winner. They can't deliver as many as they could sell. It costs like a regular (after state helping). Many want a Tesla model s but a spring is what they can afford. I would not say it's a city car. It's definitely not a long trip car and it definitely lacks space for a ton of luggage. But it can definitely service trips around big cities and in rural areas. 230 range km takes it well out of the city car range. Going longer trips will require some charging stops and lacks space. But if you are two people you can fold the beach and get a ton of space. We finally have an affordable real car.

[@bryandavies6074]

@@hhcosminnet It's not hard to understand why. But Renault, through Dacia, has a history of developing its models to occupy the lower and lower-mid price points of its markets. I would be surprised if the Spring was not developed, particularly if cheaper Chinese models come to market.

[@hhcosminnet]

@@bryandavies6074 yes, Dacia is the cheaper option in the Nissan-Renault group, like we see it in other auto groups. I think the group reacted to the ev market as a whole, not specifically towards the Chinese competition. Anyway the Spring is based on a for China model and is also made in China.

[@kevinabbott3890]

I think they're trying to set a quality standard for a future price point. It does look to have good materials and build. But did I hear the largest battery with a few options is nearly £30k? A little optimistic when they need to get sales to make an impact.

[@phil8437]

Good looking car.. Needs to be relatively cheap in price to get established in the UK

[@ukdronejourneys]

I test drove this a few days ago at Gridserve in Braintree and wow what a car, you just sink into comfort in those seats and the premium feel gave you the impression of being in a top end car.

[@ThaboNel]

Great opening shot!

[@donpalmaymesa2996]

would be nice to see something like this in the states

[@MrWillFell]

If it also had a triangular grille in the middle it would be very similar design to the Alfa Romeo Mito. One query about the rear brake lights being integrated into the rear screen, what happens if you attempt to drive it with the boot open for any reason? Are there secondary lights, or does it have a safety interlock that will prevent it from setting off?

[@Farangmoto]

Test drove and a great car and well built. Side by side with a XC40 and mini. The Ora had more features than the Volvo and was better than the mini in many ways. What makes it even better here in Thailand is that Volvo and mini are twice the price of the UK. The Ora Good Cat as it is called here is half the price,

[@jonathantaylor1998]

Great video, Jack on a very interesting new EV - thanks... 😎 You nailed the comment about VW spending all their money on the EV bit and left none for the interior - as you said, the interior design and, at least, perceived quality of the Cat is WAY better than the plasticy iD.3

[@Semmster]

I would definitely drive that.

[@rbettsx]

This is the kind of thing I've been waiting for.

[@petercotegolf]

I live in China. I have a friend who bought one here. It cost him 135k yuan, which is equivalent to 15.5k pounds.

[@jackwarren8498]

Hahaha love that. "Please get out the house more!" Brilliant - I know the car from my travels in Australia!

[@Colin623]

Nice looking car and premium interior, but my heart sank at the price tag ! disappointed doesn't come near, I'd rather go for an MG5 with bags more room and a similar price tag.

[@marks-0-0]

I sort of agree, give me the Ora Cat drivers cab with the room of the MG5 rear end.

[@js-hl5hv]

Looks like a nice car - especially for the money. I thought the rear looks a bit first model leafish. All up, a really good first effort by ORA. I did have a little chuckle though when you talked about WLTP. I always find WLTP a little conservative - only 5ish % low, but it is a pretty good indication of the real range. EV database is way out - over 25% low, well at least in my hands. My MINI electric does around 240km per charge in sports mode, which is about 3% more than WLTP. EV database is ludicrously low - a full 3kWh/100km too much, and around 25% short on range. I know which I would trust in the future :)

[@petermartin4675]

No spare wheel space MG has spare wheel space very useful when you get a flat in the middle of the night and those foam containers are useless.

[@Laaracansever]

Many people claims that it is a bit expensive. Yes, it is in the territory of ID3, Corsa-e, Zoe etc. But the price that the company asks for is very reasonable when you consider the car's styling, interior quality and range. The company produced a good car and obviously it asks a price that can help them to make profit. I don't understand people who try to justify their argument by saying that it is a Chinese brand. So what?

[@NormanF62]

Its a mid price car. This isn’t a budget EV and if that’s what you’re looking for, look elsewhere. At that price point, it seriously competes with German, Italian and Japanese EVs. A buyer in that price range would expect the best in build, material quality, fit and finish and reliability.

[@Laaracansever]

@@NormanF62 I didn’t say that it is a budget car. Please read my comment properly before coming up with a different argument. Anyway, it obviously undercuts the price of similar cars of manufacturers that you mention. I just want to say that the price is very reasonable when you consider the features of the car. Obviously, you can go for Dacia Spring if you are into a real budget EV. But for me, Ora Cat is the one of the best value small EV in the market.

[@BMWHP2]

Nice review, I will wait for more EV cabrio's.

[@HonestWatchReviewsHWR]

I've already seen a few videos on this car, but this is the one I've been waiting for. You always now Jack is going to deliver.

[@craddocraddoc]

I wasn't too sure about the interieurcolor choices, which seemed a little odd in blue and cream (?), but somehow in this video it does look a lot better than in many others. Does the interieur blue match the blue paint? If so, this could be quite a way nice choice than I thought...

[@JIMMY-nz1ld]

I like the funky retro look with modern tech collaboration on this car.

[@hhydar883]

Good quality car comes in a bit high price so £25k is justifiable. Lv the car, can't wait for more Chinese car models to come out of China 👍🏻

[@krisjonesuk]

Jack keeps referring to the Ora as the first Chinese EV to land in the UK. What about the MG ZS and MG5, which are both designed and manufactured in China? The MG5 is available with an on-the-road price of £25,095.

[@levyroth]

Technically Ora should have more range than the MG5 at the same price point. Also don't forget Dacia Spring, the cheapest electric car in Europe.

[@Thametownguy]

Reminds me a lot of the original Nissan Micra. We sold ours at 190,000 miles and it was still going strong.

[@ibunkatraining]

Smooth and perfectly timed walk to the car while talking! Noicely done.

[@islammohamed1441]

Great introduction! Orienting us to the Chinese auto industry story is so important. Build quality is already competitive. Design will come, and quickly.

[@justmatthere8521]

Ora designers are former Audi and Porsche designers. Looks very porsche-y in the front.

[@glennoc8585]

@@justmatthere8521 rubbish is nothing like a Porsche.

[@willng247]

@@glennoc8585 need to get your facts right. It’s completely designed by Porsche. Get out the house more. Do some fact check.

[@williamzhaohargis9384]

What about the details of this car? The driving / using experience. I have a MG ZS EV, it is all good to say, the car is cheap and it has all the stuff that you need. However, the details of the MG is just not quite there, but mind you, MG EV is not expensive. Let's hope this car is a better one! 🥳

[@matthewwallace4756]

As always, excellent car review. Thank you Jack. Instead of “this car , this is fully charged”. Can we do “ that is car , this is fully charged ‘. I know , but it’s the small things.

[@zizimai7568]

I've owned a Haval from Greatwall Motors for the last 6 years. Beautiful & reliable SUV. Looking forward to the new Haval & Ora EVs thats hitting the market soon..

[@Roedy_Coedy]

Provided it gets a 5* NCAP It will be on my list to check out in 2 years time when the ZS EV goes back.

[@johnsamsungs5561]

Like the look! The blue one.

[@oksyar]

It is absolutely gorgeous inside out. Looks to die for. Big battery! Just perfect.

[@tommym1966]

Those physical buttons look great. Think the Chinese will be a real force in the EV market.

[@tomattime]

An intriguing car and excellent introduction episode.