Ora 03 (Funky Cat)
Published · Researched 2026-09-21
Ora 03 review: buy the cat for its looks, budget for its nerves
The Ora 03 is for the style-first urban EV buyer who wants something with actual character — and who will immediately turn off the lane-keep assist and never look back. Verdict: the most likeable car in this cluster, and the least sorted.
What it is. A compact electric hatch from Great Wall Motor's Ora brand. It landed in Britain in 2022 called the Funky Cat, which got it headlines and giggles in equal measure, then got quietly renamed the Ora 03 in 2024 because — and I say this with love — nobody wanted to tell their boss they drive a Funky Cat. Front-wheel drive, 171 hp, two battery sizes (48 or 63 kWh), priced £25k–£33k in the UK. The 2025 GT trim adds red brake calipers and attitude but not one extra horsepower.
What's genuinely good. Let's be honest about the appeal: this is a car you buy with your eyes. The bug-eyed retro-modern styling stands out in a supermarket car park full of grey crossovers, and the cabin backs it up — quilted door cards, two-tone color schemes, more rear legroom than the footprint suggests. Around town it's a joy: nippy, quiet, smooth one-pedal driving, a turning circle made for city streets. Equipment is generous for the money — heated, vented, and massaging seats on upper trims, a panoramic roof — the kind of kit list that embarrasses a base Golf. UK owners who've settled into the car tend to be fond of it in a way nobody is fond of an appliance. It's the only car here with a personality, and personality counts.
What's actually wrong. Now the part where I stop smiling. The driver-assistance systems on this car are not just annoying — they have a documented habit of trying to steer toward oncoming traffic. Jonny Smith's long-term test caught it, the MG EV forums compare notes on it, German testers describe the emergency-steering as "nervous" and the driver-monitoring camera scolding you with "Stay alert!" for glancing at a roundabout. This is the single most important thing to know about the Ora 03: budget ten minutes at every startup to switch the nannies off, or buy a car without them. Then the electronics generally: reviewers found features that simply don't work properly, steering-wheel buttons described as "a nightmare," climate buried in touchscreen sub-menus, and no way to reset your trip consumption — the small stuff, everywhere, all the time. Charging is the other letdown: a headline 70 kW DC rate that German testers could barely push past 30 kW, full charges taking over an hour, and winter range on the big battery barely scraping 300 km against a 420 km WLTP claim. In Germany the GT costs over €49,000, which is simply too much money for this charging curve. Skip it if you do regular long motorway trips, you want assistance systems you can trust, or the German price list is what you're looking at.
The social pulse. The Ora has the warmest owner sentiment of the five cars here and the most forgiving community — people love the design enough to tolerate the electronics, which is either charming or Stockholm syndrome depending on your view. The UK press is fond of it. The rename from Funky Cat to 03 was mourned by enthusiasts and ignored by everyone else. Nobody is astroturfing this car; GWM's marketing is barely visible in Europe. The honest shape of the debate: "it's adorable, but the tech isn't finished."
The value call. New UK prices are the car's best argument — £24,995 for the Pure undercuts nearly everything electric with four doors, and the GT at £32,995 is £2,000 cheaper than the old Pro+ was. Germany is a different story: €38,990 to start, €49k+ for the GT, where an MG4 or a used ID.3 eats it alive. Nearest alternatives: MG4 (better sorted, blander), MINI Electric (pricier, more fun), used VW ID.3 (bigger, duller). Used prices: no reliable bands, UNVERIFIED — but UK depreciation on Chinese EVs has been steep, so a 2024 car at the right price is where the smart money goes. Sweet-spot year: 2024 or newer — post-rename cars with later software and standard CarPlay/Android Auto, past the worst first-year teething. Skip 2022–2023 Funky Cat-era cars — the worst software, no phone mirroring, and the documented LKA misbehavior era. If the lane-keep story bothers you — and it should — this is the car in the cluster where the software is genuinely the dealbreaker, not a quirk.
Buy the cat. Just keep your hands on the wheel and your finger near the off switch.