Ora ‘Funky’ Cat… The funny thing is, it is only £13,000 in China. Granted, the Chinese version probably hasn’t all the bells & whistles that the UK version has, but that is one hell of a price hike 😳😬

So it costs more than an MG4, but has worse range, much worse charging and worse boot space, but it is "funky" and has a nicer interior......think this might be a bit of a harder sell than ORA expect in the UK...

This sells for about £17-18K in China. Apart from shipping, who's getting the margin?

We still need a really good 13-15k new ev on the market. When? No idea

Saw the Funky Cat at Fully Charged live and I was impressed with the interior design and quality. Downsides, the boot is tiny, the range is not great - 170 miles according to EV Database. Even with a small battery it charges slowly - 47 minutes 10-80% I hear what you say about it aiming for a premium market, but they have got the pricing all wrong. The launch model should be £25k, they need to sell some in order to start building the brand. £32k for a short range, slow charging, small boot car from a brand no one in the UK knows is too much

I test drove the Extended Range here in Australia. To turn the indicator off after a lane change you have to tap it in the opposite direction, not keep tapping it in the same one. The extended range is A$47k drive away with a free 7kW wall charger (not installed). You can easily keep it going all the time even by just plugging in the Type 1 standard wall charger every time it’s home in the garage. It’s unlikely to be an issue unless you take a long trip. 420km range is ok for the size car (think Corolla or Golf dimensions). In addition to your Auto/Normal/Eco/Sports modes there are also 3 steering wheel modes you change separately - Sport/Normal/Comfort. Also I believe it charges at 75kW here. And the warranty is 7yr unlimited km plus 8yr on the battery. This vehicle has only just arrived in Australia and there are 2 be 4 models. The Standard range 310km, Extended range 420km, Ultra 420km and GT 400km (due to sunroof and other weight).

apparently its a lot cheaper in china, below 20k euro - so where did 15k euro go, tariffs?

Nice car but they've misread the market at that price.

Just released in Australia and around $3 to 4,000 cheaper than an MG4 also just released but is the Hi-Spec Essence model.

Hey EVM, love the channel and this review. A couple of issues, the elephant in the room is price, this car is far too expensive for a "second car" which is not sufficiently versatile & family sized. It has a confused and mixed USP, a very poor value proposition, its not in the value segment but not good enough, in terms of Sharp looking or equipped (small battery 48kW ?) nor badge /. brand desire to be premium offering and there in lies the rub. Its an Expensive middle ground offering from an unknown Chinese brand. The rear is (in my opinion) its worst angle, when your only plus point is its nicer than a Nissan Leaf, that is not a design achievement to crow about. I tend to also agree the 18" alloys are so awful. Your initial opening comments are in fact correct, but perhaps for not the reason you stated, it is NOT an MG4 competitor, no where close in terms of a clear segment it is aiming to conquer (e.g. the value proposition) The looks are obviously a very personal aspect but its not "premium". So its not a value proposition nor a premium vehicle which puts it in no-mans land. An "average" EV with a splash of design flair (the front only). The only things you state is that its a "meh" car...does nothing badly, and nothing really well. It will appeal to "non car" people who like a specific design and colour combo. This is such a shame as it held so much promise, but ultimately I feel it is the wrong car for the wrong market at the wrong price. "You will not see many on the road"....such an understatement :)

If you’re torn between a Porsche and a Mini, Ora has got you covered with the Funky Cat. The Chinese are aiming square for the premium car segment owned by VW and BMW. Whether they succeed, only time will tell. Looks like a fun car to drive!

This over the MG4? Not a chance. MG4 everything.

Really great that you included a reasonable PCP example. Would be great if you could keep that up in other videos. After all, that's the real cost for most private buyers.

I like the Cat's appearance because it bucks the current trend towards angular cars. Nice paint job on the launch model and smart looking interior.

The indicators have a light shove for 3 flashes, harder for longer. So if you press again for stop, it understands it as 'do another 3 flashes'.

If they hadn't put the price up so much we were going to get one, and nickname it Rita

what impresses me the most about this whole thing is the fact you owned a nissan leaf from 2015 to 2000. ( 4:20 ) EVM mastered time travel folks. but jokes aside, good honest review, great channel and nicely down to earth. well done

Your right it’s certainly not an MG4 rival in anyway

Typical retailers, they give you an estimated price then realize that we're silly enough to pay premium prices in the UK.I think it's more of a 25k-26k car,having said that it's a great looking car reminds me of the Nissan Figaro interior.Thanks once again for a great honest opinion 👍

I’m not so sure we are brand snobs anymore. Most of us will go for good quality and price over badge. When I was young, no one would be seen dead in a Kia/ Hyundai or Skoda. My only worry with this brand would be dealer backup and parts in the longer term

Its refreshing that GWM, Hyundai, Citroen are not churning out endless boring SUVs in different sizes. I hope it spurs the other manufacturers to start showing some imagination

Always loved your no frills plain speaking approach reviews. If I could be so brazen to suggest an enhancement. I find myself being distracted and trying to come up with practical suggestions to help with your strange wardrobe choices. I hope you don't take offence. Great review. Colin

Norway £28k - feels like rip-off prices right now but doubt it will last.

I like it, but I don’t think it’s good value of money. There are better ones out there for the money. I’d have a DS3 over that

Would be interested to see the charge curve, most have peak charge but over only 15-25% of the range. So a flat curve means it would charge ok.

For me, it actually is a MG4 rival. My car needs 2 seats (the kids are going their own ways) and space for 2-3 weeks of baggage. Both cars will have enough space for the once-a-year haul trip to the Hardware Store or Ikea. For me it all comes down to range, charging speed and driver assistance. The first is similar (with Ora's bigger battery announced at least for Germany), charging is clearly pro MG, so it comes down to driver assistance. MG Pilot atm is a straight path into suicide (waiting for the coming update), Ora is supposed to be quite good here, at least that's what the German Importeur says...

Well, the demographics ORA targets is young urban female which is reflected in styling, color, performance and safety. There are some specific details including slightly lower door handle position, big console pocket for cosmetic bag, the little pocket next to driver is perfect for lipsticks, big visor mirror, facial recognition auto start so hand free to hold purse, alert from monitor when driver focuses putting on eye shadow instead of road, the entrance has no sharp edge that may catch stocking, high roof for tight skirt to get in and out easy, etc. Did notice a voice control improvement needed, in US we say roll down the window and I noticed a few British testers said put the window down and ORA only understood roll down and not put down.

Nice enough car but the price is too high was originally touted around the £25k mark at £32k it'd be a no from me.

Well i think we can agree, 😂 it definately is not a MG4 competitor, nor I think much else really. Until they actually get my MG4 for me, I am still looking to see if anything else comes close or better so thought this might be interesting, Nope!. Although have to say do like the interior of that model, but then thats why my MG4 (when it comes) will have the grey/white 2tone interior instead of the horrible all black.

Good review. Interested to see how this sells in Australia given the style of vehicle, unknown brand and dealership parts and maintenance history. Agree with another viewer, the price is significantly above what they sell for in China which again will be a hard sell. Specs might be higher but the basic chassis, quality, paint etc. will be same as Chinese model so price appears on the high side. Time will tell 👍

A no goer at that price especially with that battery size

I quite like it, it's got a new mini/ beetle esq styling.

If this had been £25k then I would have said this will fly out of showrooms for it's looks alone which will appeal to people who like they styling of Fiat 500's/Mini's/Jukes etc, but just don't see that many people paying £7k more for a chinese brand they have never heard of over an MG4. If you can spend £32k on a small car you're looking at a much more established brand in my view...Renault Zoe, Fiat 500 etc

Ora have a >60kWh version of this they left at home . With the bigger battery version at 30k it might be a more interesting proposition . 25k for this (which is the price banded around when they initially launched it last year) .as for retro looks Mini-e Fiat 500 Electric have that sorted . This is a Nissan Figaro attempt at retro

Love the styling and well equipped it’s just the cost like all electric cars.

Is it me, or is the ORA badge on the back not central? It looks like the L fell off, but that said, I'm not going to Google oral cat. Nice video as always.

Those indicators would do my head in!! Why would anyone buy this over the MG4???

theyve killed it stone dead by doubling the price in a global market, just for the Brits...

Im a car guy mechanic with 20 years experience and I would have one for sure in green with the two tone green and cream! It’s a good car already seen reviews in china by WHEELSBOY.

I like the car a lot... But it is the same size as an id3, with half the boot, 95% of the price and 70% of the range! I can't make that work, maybe the long range version would make us interested in a car with no boot!

You're damn right it's not an MG4 rival. It's way smaller and way more expensive. It's not even in the same ballpark.

My wife quite liked this and looked on their website. Nearest dealer is over 200 miles away from us !!

Very fair and balanced review. This is what I would define as a “cute” electric car. Price is critical for IK market entry. Quoted Chinese prices bear no resemblance to what price we have to pay in rip-off Britain. Once Nissan does a Honda we will have no UK Electric car Manufacturing capability and will be at the mercy of world markets🤔

I just bought one in South Africa. Really great car

I like it, have seen a number of reviews from Bjorn and was looking forward to it, but not at this price and for the small battery plus where has the sunroof gone! I think I'll wait for the Tesla small when it arrives.

Remember when they all told us how much more space a ground up would have compared to an ICE?

No, no no no - Its a £18-22k car with nice seats. Elephant in the room here is Dealers, Parts availability and probably most of all - Residual values. No doubt Chinese cars will eventually dent the market as Japanese did in the late 20th century. But they had to buy their way into the market, lots of kit for little money - Until they became properly established. This at a price higher than an ID3, noisier, with less range, smaller battery, slower charging, smaller boot and zero credibility in the UK marketplace is a non starter. £22k tops might buy it a place with gamblers.

Thats a great car. Beautiful and a wonderful size for most people who need an efficient car.

Too big for a city car, too small for a family car, range too short for an only car, What's the opposite of a Goldilocks product ? Heritage borrowed from various brands and stitched together like Frankenstein's monster. Porsche front and Nissan Leaf rear - nice! I think it's ugly but others will love it) Not that quick, Tech no better than average Dealer network? maintenance? Warranty support?? "Let's pitch it as a premium (aka over-priced) brand, give it a stupid name and see what happens, 30% of the Honda E market ain't that many cars ! lol

I imagine a 5 year old one will be a great buy. I suspect there won't be that many on the roads though. MG are attracting buyers because there's nothing else offering the same thing at the same price. This is quite a risk for anyone shelling out cash. I guess if you are leasing as a company car driver it may be ok because you aren't taking that risk.

At time of writing the lease costs (48 month) for the Funky Cat are about 25% cheaper than alternatives like the MG4. So the "list price" doesn't tell the full story

I really like the looks and interior, but the battery and boot are to small. Do you have any idea why there seems to a current trend of building hatch backs and not fitting a rear wiper ?

I couldn’t decide for ages wether to get one of these, a BYD atto or an MG4.

It is not an MG4 rival, the MG is far better looking and would be my choice

On the MG4 front the cat is definitely not an alternative as the 4 has a decent enough boot to be a credible family car. The cat looks like a honda E, fiat 500e, mini electric competitor to me. Totally see where you are coming from the design, it is the love child of an original leaf and a Porsche!

the app is fantastic you can do more on it than most and you can even turn the temp up and down when precondition where alot you have only 1 set temp

Love the jonny smith notebook

There is something off about the outside of that car but it looks really nice on the inside. I think that infotainment screen looks like a usability disaster though - imagine trying to fumble around trying to touch on that while driving.

It's beautiful. I might even learn to drive now- although I'm 73 now, so maybe it's too late :-)

If it had the bigger battery at that price, very interested, although would prefer the GT trim. With that range, not interested at any price but it's competing with the Solantis cars and it's way more expensive than those and no dealer network. No thanks

Sorry but anyony with a PC can see that ORA is half the price in China. They could have sold it below the MG and it would have raised a lot of interest. For me £32k upwards is too expensive.

I don't know why they changed the name. Should have left it as Good Cat. In reality I would probably just debadge it just leaving the Ora bit. There is only one model so it doesn't really matter having the name.

It's just too expensive. Which is a shame as there is a lot to like about it! But 170-190 miles, realistically, and just over 60kw rapid charging? That's not in the technical ballpark of cars at that price or, indeed, many cars cheaper than it. At £25k I'd have chewed their arms off for one.

I like your way to speak about cars...you are so passionate 🤗

The bigger battery is the one to go for. As for charging speed the larger battery will likely be 90kW. In China the affordable cars tend to have 60kW to 90kW charging but a flat charging curve. The generous warranty is likely due to the LFP battery.

🤔3:12 are you going for "shorter Johnny Smith" vibe, with that notebook? 😉

Wait for the new DS3 E-Tense! It has (and had in fact) nothing to do with the C3!

6:15 I prefer the look inside of ORA to MG 4 tho 👍 nice . the rotary dial 9:01 is identical to MG4s.

Very funky looking car 👍🏾

I've driven both and the Ora's quality is visible superior, plastics and and software in mg are cheaper and has lags. The 9nly thing is Ora is not that easy to get used to.

Good review. Although I did initially think the Ora Cat would have been targeted toward the cheaper end of the market. Storage space is horrendous and there should at least be a frunk! 😅

As GWM (Ora's parent company) are the new designers and builders (and soon to be owners of the marque???) of all future electric Minis, don't be surprised if you're looking at the future of the Mini ...

One thing you could do to differentiate yourself from other reviews, and also be really helpful…. Spend a lot more time on the apps. We’ve got a Honda E for example and the app as shockingly bad. And a Tesla, which highlights how bad the Honda is. It’s be good to know what the app of given cars is… what features it has, and how well it works. Honda E for example you can warm it up or cool it down, but can’t set the temps. You get the idea. Would be very helpful 👍

Well - now in Feb 2024 - no deposit £179.99 @ 5,000 miles for 2 years leased.

From the front it's a Porsche, from the side it's a Micra, and from the back it's a lightless leaf

Seems funky

Not quite what I need, but it is something I really like. Can I get my Ioniq funded up?

Would like to get one in the US.

I love the style of this car, it looks really classy. It's not practical for my camping lifestyle, hence I drive an MG5. But I really like the vibe. Oh, and I've never been a badge snob or fallen for the myth of German build quality.

Reminds me of a kia soul. Short and tall with small boot.

At £25k it'd sell in bucket loads. At that price, no a little too much.

Fiat 500 or Zoe but with better access and a nicer larger interior and I kind of lik the out side.

Cool little baby Porsche in front, welded to a Leaf rear end. I'll hold out for the Punk Cat.

I was expecting to see Harry for the glove box test😄

Beetle/mini thing from the front

Great video mate

Given that it is fairly similar in size to the MG4/id3 where did they lose the boot space?

My main takeaway from this review is that it's not a competitor to MG. Good luck with that.

It's not a bad looking wee thing, quite like it. Not the car for me, I'll stick with my ZS, but I can see it being quite popular for those who would go for the likes of Fiat or Smart, maybe even the Vauxhall Adam.

A premium car this size should be £40k to £50k?????? Really??. That motor shouldnt be a whiff over £21k . I cant believe this is on its way to £35k. Goodness me. EV inflation is something else! (heres looking at you too Volvo EX90! 🤪)

I like the looks but the range for the price is disappointing.

Wouldn’t be seen dead in that to be honest. Looking forward to the ioniq 6 review.

I can't believe the UK price. Has it dropped in the 11 months since this video was made? We are in New Zealand and a friend purchased one, same model and specs, last Saturday for $NZ 37,000 that is £18,000 There is a soon to be scrapped, by our new incoming government, rebate of $NZ 7,000. So with out that $NZ 44,000 or £21,000 going forward.

Does locking glovebox suggest their might be a cabrio on the way?

Well after watching your other video about taxes coming on in 2025 this car is excluded from the Luxury Car Tax then as it's under the 40k mark. The charging could definitely be better at 65kW that is not great the MG ZS & BYD Atto3 are both higher with the Atto3 at 90kW peak as witnessed by owners.

Honestly they are priced to prevent accusations of product dumping. Plus they need the cash reserves to help cover the costs of all food imports China needs.

I can understand why Ora are discouraging the comparison with MG; this over-priced pretentious Funky travels far fewer miles, charges slower, has no heated seats or steering wheel, and a much smaller boot. The video reports of slow throttle response, sub-standard handling, and that stupid direction indicator put more nails in the coffin. When I sat in one at Fully Charged in Farnborough, I was shocked at the rough plastic seams of the cheap centre console and massively shocked when they told me the price. It was top of my list a year ago but it's now nowhere close at more than £30k.

So doesn’t come with shaver ?

Hi what’s your octopus referral code I might us it next year

That indicator noise sounds like a "clicker" from a Christmas cracker. It would drive me nuts.