Budget EV test! GWM Ora 2024 review

[@hutch1638]

I brought one of these as a lease in the UK. Had never driven one, or seen one in person, just went for it for 2 years, in Black. Been a great car, useable range, punchy, well put together. It has a small boot. How much stuff and how how often do you cart it around? Thats the only question for you.

[@therightcar]

Yep. And if you have a kid or two, it’s a no-go because of the boot. Unless you put roof racks and cargo box on top. That’d look mad.

[@rexthesheep]

I do really like the Ora Goodunky Cat. It's got that sort of Mini-esque charm to it. 🙂 Though GWM calling it the GWM Ora in Australia is perhaps a bit short sighted when there's other Ora vehicles that exist, and no doubt would (or at least hopefully would) filter to our market soon. GWM Australia really are an odd sort sometimes.

[@therightcar]

I agree. I think the name is silly. They have the Ora Sport as well, which is a different car and not sporty!

[@snich63]

It’s called the GWM Ora in New Zealand too, so we’ll have the same problem when the next model arrives.

[@craigthacker]

That was a really helpful review Matt. There are definitely elements of the car that are excellent like price, comfort and performance, and some that are below average like lack of rear air vents and excessive road noise. The small boot is a deal breaker for me. The fact that 4 adults can fit comfortably in the cabin but can only fit 2 grocery bags in the boot is a shame. I believe this type of car will start driving down the price of EVs in Australia, that's a real positive.

[@therightcar]

Thanks mate. Glad you found it informative. And you bet - EV prices are on their way to affordability!

[@chrissydney5451]

Another great review and well done on launching your own channel!

[@amon5124]

It is a good family car for a short road trip. Don't need more. For everything else we all have our large Petrol SUV. So this city car and an SUV is the perfect combination.

[@buncha5651]

Great review Matt. These EV,s might be good as a town shopping cart but not much else, should be at least $10,000 cheaper. If I was ever to get one it would be the MG4 with it's rear wheel drive for the same price as the Ora.

[@therightcar]

If it was my money the MG 4 would be my pick, too. Seems a smarter choice, and is more fun to drive.

[@himbo754]

As a retired person sharing a car with my daughter (Honda Jazz), this looks fairly reasonable. I rarely use the boot or the back seat. We mostly drive one, maybe both, of us adults around the local suburbs. If I had a load of bottles to take to a recycling centre, I'd just put the back seat down. As we just want a small car for one or two people, this looks attractive. We don't need a family car -- and we don't want a huge "tank" of a car anyway. Small and light, easy to park. A little car to zip around in.

[@therightcar]

Could easily fit your needs. And there are deals being done!

[@rogersmith5371]

I think the EV makers especially the smaller ones like this, the MG and some BYD models are yet to decide where their market is. Obviously price is a big consideration but these small cars are not serious contenders for the family getaway or road trip. Rather they are the sorts of cars to buy as a the second car - the run about. They have enough range to do the school run, grocery shopping, after school activities, the gym and the park and ride and then at the end of the week plug it in for a recharge and be ready for the weekend sport run. Some bigger models like Tesla and Polestar and perhaps even the BYD Atto 3 might be a longer ride option but this one is the city run about that will lead to cleaner air in our cities.

[@therightcar]

Yep, bingo mate. I reckon these are great urban cars, or second cars for those who might need something bigger for longer road trips.

[@Noogybaga]

I really enjoy your reviews Matt, once again disappointed to see limited coverage about the digital display for the driver and what’s included, a 1 minute focus on the tech such as selection, maps etc would be a fantastic addition.

[@therightcar]

Thanks mate. I'll try and factor this in, but like I've said before, I don't want to bore people who really aren't interested in that.

[@Noogybaga]

@@therightcar Legend! maybe a shorts video regarding the tech? :D Keep up the amazing work

[@mabo-l3p]

I took a look at the warranty document from the web site to understand what the 8 year battery warranty actually means, but the 8 year warranty was not mentioned. If you bought an Ora did you receive a written warranty, and what does it say?

[@russellchristison8425]

Not every car has to be a family car, we had a Toyota Corolla hatch rental recently and it couldn’t fit our 2 bags in the boot without folding the rear seats and it’s a bigger car than the Ora. This would be a great city runabout for the daily commute.

[@therightcar]

True. But it rules it out for those who want or need a decent boot.

[@bingyangyu6327]

People want a big boot will not look at a mini hatch like this, no point talking about boot.

[@gregb1599]

The GT model at least in China has a performance of 0-100kph in 6.9 seconds. Our NZ website says it will include the same launch mode that the Chinese version has so its possible it will match that time.

[@iEnofadov]

I do like the way the little Ora looks, a little retro-ish but still modern at the same time. The rear design of the car is probably the most interesting to me, it's just a pity that it houses such a small boot and why not include a rear wiper?? With the rear lights set up Matt, how exactly do they work? With the red strip of lights in the bottom of the rear screen, are they just brake lights or is there indicators on the sides, where there is a break in the strip, on each side? Or are the indicators and reverse lights included in those rear lights in the rear bumper? One of my pet peeves are indicators located in the rear bumpers! I'm looking at you Hyundai and Kia! And a black roof! I much prefer the roof to be the same colour as the car. I still think the GWM Ora, BYD Dolphin and MG4 are too expensive, but that's just my opinion. I think if these were priced at $33K-$36K Drive Away in base form, they'd make a killing!

[@Onlyme.n.u]

I definitely will go for the MG4 than this Ora aka Funky cat, base on the boot size and price point of view. This Ora definitely looks great. There is a sedan version of this car with a larger boot, but not sure if it is coming to Australia.

[@therightcar]

It is coming, and it's expected to be known as the Ora Sport. For whatever reason. It's not sportier. Or sporty. I'd call it the Ora Plus or Ora Fastback. Or something.

[@mindfreeze0838]

@therightcar between this and the BYD Atto3 which is the better overall package?

[@therightcar]

If you need a boot, the Atto 3. I like it more, but that’s mainly to do with space and value for money.

[@mindfreeze0838]

@@therightcar thanks much for the insight.

[@henrytoussaint7]

FYI Matt it does have an official ANCAP 5 Star rating!

[@photent]

Price is down to $38600 in WA. With $3500 gov rebate that's an EV for $35k. Not too bad!

[@unknownuser6809]

Do they have voice control? Many of the new cars lose the buttons and you can change the temperature by giving a voice command?

[@kathyburgess9943]

Yes they do. It appears decent on other reviews.

[@therightcar]

Yep, voice control that only works sometimes.

[@kimhoward8322]

I haven’t any problems with the voice control I have the 63 kw long range ORA . I had a leaf for 8 years done 70000 in that and it still has the full battery and range as new . Sold it to buy this one and was surprised to get it insured for less than the Nissan .

[@kmuinde]

I would love to see the longevity of this Chinese vehicles , it’s gonna take a while for them to be popular in Australia even when priced well

[@therightcar]

Agree. You still see a few first-gen Great Wall utes and SUVs running around, and Chery cheapies, too.

[@gregb1599]

My 9 year old Nissan Leaf was still going strong until today zero issues almost no maintenance, unfortunately it finally died today after it was involved in an accident and deemed uneconomical to repair, not sure how hard the impact has to be to get the curtain airbags to work at head vs side window hurts! Lol

[@TheGillederais]

​​​@@gregb15999 years ago, that means 2014. Nissan has been around since the 90s, compare to this chinese company that only been less than a decade thus longevity and reliability still questionable. Think this way, even with reputable and experienced car companies they still do hv recalls n reliability issues.

[@thehuonpine]

How many people are keeping their cars for more than 10 yrs? Definitely not German brands, they will be expensive to fix when out of warranty so most people got rid of them in less than 5yrs, and will not even keep Japanese ones for more than 10 yrs!

[@Byftpup]

I saw one of these at the dealer. it was a good bit better looking than it comes across on screen. I didn't do anything other than look but I was shocked at how good it was. Definitely a town car though.. I wouldn't want to put me (110kg) and the dog (40kg) in there and do a run to town (150km's return) or the beach in summer (aircon)... probably struggle to get back home on a full battery.

[@therightcar]

I got more than 340km from a single charge on this test, with a bunch of urban and highway.

[@deonrowe]

That’s a good looking hatch! Nice hat, can I buy one?😂

[@martiedoherty5765]

You dont need his permission to buy a hat..do you?🤣🤣🤣

[@therightcar]

Thanks Deon -- merch shop is coming soon. It's a priority I need to reprioritise!

[@brakgosi6271]

Looks like its intended as a city runabout or commuter car for young singles or 2 person families and retirees. The omission of rear air vents and a second USB charging port is unacceptable. The good thing is that Chinese cars are developing very fast and each model is much better than the one before. In fact, as a car obsessed guy who watches and reads car reviews from many countries, I think carmakers like Nio, Geely, GWM, BYD, BAIC and Chery have caught up with established car brands.

[@therightcar]

Thanks for your thoughts mate. Agree, the Chinese brands are faster than anyone else.

[@mickzed6393]

How could you consider this ahead of RWD mg4 ????? Discounts to come for sure.

[@therightcar]

If you like the look, or maybe like the interior more, then you could consider it. I would choose MG4, myself.

[@RechargableBattery]

The driver monitoring system does NOT work in this car in NZ and Australia, only works in the GT model. It is supposed to work but GWM China don't have a fix for it. They have been trying to fix my cars DMS for 8 months now. it is not a 5 star ANCAP safety without the driver monitoring system working. please share for the safety of ORA drivers

[@bingyangyu6327]

I bought a white one yesterday, $35,990 drive away, $34,490 with an ABN, we said if you could do $1000 less we will buy one and they did it. $33,490 brand new drive away with 12 months rego, 7 year warranty and 8 year warranty, Queensland $6000 rebate - 10% GST claim under my ABN, around $25k for a brand new EV, not bad at all I'd say. Taking delivery in two weeks.

[@therightcar]

Wow. That’s a terrific buy.

[@GlowingTube]

The DC fast charging is too slow, the boot is too small and the price for the long range is still a stretch. Not bad overall, certainly it’s an excellent effort but it just misses the mark for me.

[@therightcar]

What do you expect for DC charging at this kind of cash?

[@GlowingTube]

@@therightcar Close to $50K... I expect at least 150kw

[@alfstewart22]

not sure if the look is unique. The rear is a copy of the previous Suzi Swift

[@JoshuaMcTackett]

Car manufacturers looking to lose physical button controls really need to take stock of what they’re doing. A tiny screen like that for in car controls isn’t great. Tesla has a massive screen with awesome UI and just OK voice controls for example. BYD has an OK UI on a slightly smaller screen in the Atto 3, but amazing voice controls that even isolate audio which seat you’re speaking from. If they’re not doing a good job of making controls easy, they should keep buttons. Also I LOVE when car companies are brave enough to lose the start stop button. Going from my Model 3 to my Atto 3 makes starting and stopping tedious with that redundant button.

[@gregj7916]

Someone please put a decent set of alloys on this car….

[@therightcar]

Those don't do it for you?

[@theadoresmith2777]

"Cheap" ev? It's the ev I would purchase but "cheap" it ain't. ICE cars are still the most practical.

[@therightcar]

You can get one of these for $33k drive-away. That’s cheap!

[@coilnchamberlain6506]

The EV Ora price will keep dropping as will its resale value.

[@therightcar]

There are demos for $30k drive-away… but all EVs face uncertainty for resale!

[@revrickbibletalks5546]

Not interested - too small, too expensive, too uncomfortable, and perhaps too unsafe!

[@Ali-yj6pl]

If their target market is grandmas then they definitely got it right! LOL

[@zaamuro8408]

It's very much giving me Nissan Tiida and first gen Leaf vibes

[@therightcar]

Those are weird vibes.

[@markuc]

The target is definitely female or gender fluid segment which is bigger market than people realise...

[@trojanhman8136]

Given the problems and dangerous around EVs, and given manufacturers have turned back to petrol motors, I am confused at why you are advertising these cars. I know you put out a video on one experience you had with charging stations. From memory you found yourself standard and unable to charge the vehicle. Why is it, that car review sites keep "plugging" these expensive, dirty, dangerous and unreliable vehicles. It appears on the surface that car reviewers are entirely ignorant of what is happening in the global car industry and the issues countries are having.

[@tedhansolo]

"manufacturers have turned back to petrol motors", may I know which earth are you living on?

[@trojanhman8136]

@@tedhansolo I guess it is news you have not been told, which I why I am here. Renault & Geely are going to invest $7.7 billion USD in the UK to build 17 engine factories to build petrol, diesel and hybrid engines. They will employ 19 000 workers as well as 5 research and development hubs. These engines will be supplied to brands such as Volvo, Nissan and Mitsubishi. Volvo had announced it was going fully electric by 2030. Saudi energy giant Aramco may join the venture.