Ora Funky Cat Review (2023)

The Ora Funky Cat is a new compact electric car expected to arrive in Ireland before the end of the year. The Funky Cat will be available with two different battery sizes and will go on sale priced from €31,995, including the grant for electric vehicles.

Ora is a Chinese car brand that’s part of the Great Wall Motor (GWM) group and it’s one of the newest car brands to arrive in Ireland and Europe. The IM Group will be responsible for distributing the new Funky Cat in Ireland, adding to their brand portfolio that already includes Subaru.

Caroline travelled to Birmingham to drive the new Ora Funky Cat ahead of its official arrival in Ireland.

Styling

The Ora Funky Cat is designed as a compact hatchback – but a very stylish one. It might look like a supermini but it’s actually similar in size to a Volkswagen ID.3. At the front, there are striking details like the circular headlights, reminiscent of another famous small car! The bonnet has some quite sporty looking detail and there is a sleekness and shine to this car that will surely put a smile on your face. The Ora logo is an enigmatic exclamation mark and appears on the bonnet and the alloy wheel caps. Like every fashionable small car, there is the option of a contrast white roof or black roof, and a palette of colour choices from metallic to pastel. 18-inch alloy wheels come as standard across the range. At the back, there is an unusual fully integrated light bar in the windscreen and a mid-mounted fog lamp finishes off the upscale look. Later in 2023, a GT model will become available with more sporty features.

Interior

Ora pitches the Funky Cat as an upmarket compact car and the interior certainly mostly lives up to that. It strikes a good balance between feeling spacious, but also cosy and well-appointed. A black interior comes as standard, while there is the option of two-tone colour schemes that add a fashionable bespoke look to the cabin of the Funky Cat. Stylish touches include the rotary dial for the gear selection and the chrome switches in the dash. There is some stylish quilting in the doors, suede-style fabric finish to the dashboard, and the quilted leatherette seats are another highlight.

Where the Funky Cat really excels is in onboard technology. There is a widescreen set up behind the steering wheel that incorporates the digital driver display and the touchscreen for the infotainment and voice control that responds to commands of ‘Hello Ora’. Wireless smartphone charging is also included as standard as well as high-tech features like a reversing camera, 360 degree surround cameras and even facial recognition to personalise your settings to the car.

Practicality

The Ora Funky Cat comes with five doors as standard. It feels roomy up front for a compact car, while the back seat is much more spacious than small electric cars like the Fiat 500e and the Peugeot e-208. The Funky Cat is built on a dedicated electric vehicle platform and the floor in the back is flat giving everyone on board some great legroom. It doesn’t feel too cramped for headroom either.

The boot measures 228 litres, which is small for a compact car. It’s bigger than a Fiat 500e, but smaller than something like a Peugeot e-208 and significantly smaller than the likes of a Renault Megane E-TECH, MG4 or Volkswagen ID.3. Still, it will work for some lifestyles and you can let the rear seats down. There is also a small bit of underfloor storage for a set of charging cables.

Battery

The Funky Cat is available with two different battery sizes. The range kicks off with the 48 kWh 300 PRO (priced from €31,995) with a range of 310 kilometres (WLTP). The price rises to €39,995 for the 63 kWh 400 PRO+ with a range of 420 kilometres (WLTP).

Charging

The new Cat can charge up to 11kW (AC) and up to 67kW (DC). A standard CCS port comes as standard for all Funky Cats sold in Europe.

On the road

The Ora Funky Cat uses a 171hp motor to send power to the front wheels, making it a secure and swift compact hatchback on the road, no matter which version you go for. There’s 250Nm of torque available and the 0-100 km/h sprint can be done in just over 8 seconds, going on to a top speed of 160 km/h. There’s certainly power when you want it, and it feels nippy and capable, whether in town or on the motorway. It rides well for a small electric car too, offering a smooth and comfortable drive for the most part. Refinement out on the motorway could be better, with a fair bit of noise entering the cabin at high speeds. Steering provides some feel and there’s lots of front end grip. Despite some lean in corners, it remains a fun and agile compact electric car. I was driving the 48 kWh 300 PRO version, which showed about 300 kilometres of range when I got into to it with a full battery. It seems reasonably efficient as well, averaging about 17.4 kWh per 100 kilometres during my time with the car.

Pricing 

The Ora Funky Cat goes on sale priced from €31,995 including grants for the 300 PRO version with a 48 kWh battery and 310 km (WLTP) of range. It’s exceptionally well-equipped with lots of high-tech interior features, safety equipment, and 18-inch alloy wheels. The 400 PRO+ version is available from €39,995 including grants with a 63kWh battery and 420 km (WLTP) of range. It has even more luxurious features as standard including heated steering wheel, heated front seats with massage function, powered tailgate and a panoramic glass roof.

Summary

In Ireland, expect a dealership to open in Dublin very soon where the Ora Funky Cat will be available for test drive, followed by locations in Cork and Galway before the end of the year.

The Funky Cat is a stylish and charismatic addition to the market for compact electric cars in Ireland. It’s a car that leads with style and high-tech features as standard, while the interior fit and finish with its myriad of colour options give it an upmarket feel.

Depending on which version you go for, the Funky Cat falls into two arenas when it comes to rivals. At the lower end of the scale it compares well to small EVs, offering bespoke style, a high specification, and a lot more passenger room in the back. The battery range is competitive as opposed to outstanding, but the Funky Cat has enough charm to be in contention.

Go for the more expensive version with the larger battery, and there’s a more impressive 420 kilometre range yet the Funky Cat’s small boot may hold it back from family buyers in the market for a good value, compact electric vehicle.

Ora is positioned as a more premium brand in the market so for buyers looking for a stylish and well-appointed small electric car that’s a little bit different to the competition, then the new Funky Cat is definitely worth a look.

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Written by Caroline Kidd

Founder and Editor of Changing Lanes, Juror for Irish Car of the Year