The cheeky little GWM Ora is on special and is now the cheapest EV in Australia.

The prices quoted in our video run out on the 31st of March, reduced in response to other manufacturers. Might that reduction be permanent? The press release cited decreases in battery costs, so that’s obviously not what it is.

What’s under the bonnet?

All Oras are front wheel drive, with an 126kw/250Nm electric motor powered by either a 49kwh or 64kwh battery. 126kw may not sound like much, and an 8 second 0-100 dash will not rip your face off, but it doesn’t need to, it costs at 38 grand.  If it sounds like the brand is thumbing its nose at just about every other manufacturer,  it probably is.

Evidentially, if a Chinese car maker wants to reduce a price, it does, with eyes firmly on the prize.

Tell us about the charging.

Charging at home means shelling out $1690 for a wall-mounted unit that will power any type-2 EV. It was included free, prior to the price reduction, in  all but the standard range car. For the time being, that home charger is a optional extra

Public fast charging maximum is 80kw, so searching for a more powerful charger is a waste of time.

The Price reduction:

GWM seems to have gotten itself into a bit of a stoush with fellow Chinese car makers. Cheap-as-chips models are popping up like mushrooms and the Ora was in danger of having its mantel mooched.

The first reduction from $44,550 (in NSW) to $41,045 (also in NSW), was a cheeky 3 thousand-ish off the back and sides. GWM’s “Offers” page, now shows a starting price $38,415 (drive away) for the standard range, to $50,919 (drive away) for the range-topping GT Extended Range. 6 grand in a year? What the?

At this rate a large coffee will cost more.

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ABOVE: Roadtrip snaps of our 2023 GWM Ora 

The Design

If you hadn’t seen an Ora, imagine a Porsche Mecan that shrunk in the wash, and you’de not be too far off the mark. That’s no coincidence because Ora’s designer, Emanuel Derta, once penned Porsches. It isn’t uncommon for Europeans to be head-hunted by Asian brands. Hyundai/Kia nicked Peter Schreyer off Audi, and he is credited with changing the faces of the Korean brands from cheap’n’cheerful, to a tour deforce of Teutonic magnificence.

There is a lot to fit in, and trying to make a city car powered by batteries is no mean feat.

For example: The puny 228L boot will never be called on to pack more than a full box of hankies, so does size matter? Gays everywhere know that size matters, the bigger the better. We know how to pack, leaving nothing behind. On the other hand,the  punters who bang on about roadtrips are the same bespectacled bogans who don’t do road trips. They go on and on about how EVs will ruin your weekend, but EVs can enhance the weekend, and they’re queiter too.

I’ve always thought it an undignified posture that people who ponder punts in bucolic bliss, are the very same people who hate EVs, and are trying to burn the planet to a cinder.

Consider this: There are 27,000,000 people in Australia, and unless it is a long weekend, our highways hardly get out of first gear. People do not do road trips.

Finally, what’s behind the exclamation mark being used as a bonnet emblem?

The Cabin

What a cosy little spot the driver’s seat is. Top models get seat heating and cooling, but even the most impoverished Ora gets powered adjustment.

Twin 10.25” screens are standard, and the driver’s screen has a Tesla-esque road readout. But, this is better than a Tesla because the data is in front of the driver instead of cowering over in the middle of the dash like a mongrel dog.

The seats are comfy, and the quilted coverings do a fabulous job of pretending to be leather.

Rear passengers are spoilt to within an inch of their lives. This little darling will take four full-sized fellas, 6 footers a piece. A town car does short trips so the lack of luggage accommodation is a moot point.

What is Ora like to drive?

Ora is chockers full of safety and driver aids, and the only pimple of the face of the tiny GWM EV is the carbuncle masquerading as a Smart Cruise Control lever. Toyota and Lexus did away with this shocker for a very good reason: it us ugly and hard to use.

Otherwise, controls are fairly simple. While other car marques are redesigning consoles to accommodate a few individual buttons and knobs, Ora has most setting functions within the infotainment screen, one of my pet hates.

Screen-based options cannot be safety fettled while on the move, unless the driver a front passenger are joined at the brain.

Acceleration is a comfortable affair, and the steering and brakes have a Goldilocks moment each time they’re experienced. Ride is surprisingly supple, and handling is more than adequate for a city car.

What the boys thought

Luke:

GWM slayed it. Ora is so cute that the slow charging and a small boot is a small price to pay, for a small priced car. You get what you pay for, and considering Ora is 10 to 30 thousand less than EVs that have less range, is a bargain.

Best of all, short weekend trips out of town can be done with planning, making a cosy twosome in a fun car very cheap.

Casper:

Ora is $30,000 cheaper than my Tesla. You could almost buy 2 for 1 and that’s something that will make a big impact on the motoring landscape. ONe thing though: Australia needs to pull its finger out and get on with putting a charger on every block, network be damned.

I love the way it drives, with the little EV not taking itself too seriously, it drives like it looks.

Ethan:

I keep hearing “city car” bandied about, but I reckon Ora is ok on the open road. The charging would need to be fast enough to get to 80% wuickly so as not to delay the journey.

Its unusual for there to be nothing that picky gays could whine about, but this was one of the rare occasions.

Alan:

What a little darling Ora is.

The GWM Ora is the best GWM so far. Those that came before were not even in the same ball park and it seems strange that such a huge jump was made so quickly. The story might be different had the prices not dropped so drmatically because a top model costing 60k might give buyers a wider range of choice.

As it is, GWM has left no choice at all for canny EV buyers, entry level or not.

What’s the verdict?

Established brands will be shivering their timbers.

GWM Ora wipes the floor with the lot of them not because it has longer range, better performance, or tighter handling, oh no. It kicks them in the cobblers because it is a great car for the price, leaving nowhere for the opposition to hide.

The top model at 50 grand offers little over the base model, so I’d get the extended range base model and be done with. Ora is a peach, small boot notwithstanding.

I’d happily have one.