GWM Ora 03 - Reliability & safety
Too early to comment on a new brand’s reliability, but the GWM Ora 03 is a safe small electric car
It’s difficult to gauge the reliability of the GWM Ora 03 because both the brand and car are too new to have been included in the annual Driver Power rankings. Should anything go wrong, there is a long, five-year, unlimited mileage warranty (as discussed below), plus five years’ worth of AA breakdown cover to rely on, if required.
We can comment on safety since the 03 has been put through its paces by crash test experts Euro NCAP. It got a five-star rating when tested in 2022, and received a higher score in the adult, child, and safety assistance categories than the MG4.
Every 03 model has lots of safety tech, including adaptive cruise control to keep you a safe distance from the car in front, front and rear cross-traffic alert (it warns you of vehicles that’ll cross your path), traffic sign recognition and lane keep assistance. The latter is one of the most intrusive systems we’ve ever tried. On roads with undefined borders and fading central lines – in other words, pretty much any British B-road – it regularly panics that you’re straying out of your lane and tugs at the wheel to compensate. Having listened to customer feedback, you can swipe down on the central touchscreen to find a shortcut to turn this off more easily, although you will need to do this every time you start the car because these safety features are a legal requirement.
Used - available now
2018 Toyota
C-HR
50,830 milesAutomaticPetrol1.8L
Cash £14,300
2019 BMW
1 Series
49,116 milesAutomaticPetrol1.5L
Cash £14,000
2020 BMW
2 Series Convertible
39,952 milesManualDiesel2.0L
Cash £11,800
2019 Ford
Kuga
45,669 milesManualPetrol1.5L
Cash £12,300The 03 also has a facial recognition system that monitors whether you’re paying attention to the road ahead. It'll ping a warning tone if it thinks your attention is wandering or you’ve fallen asleep. This can be very annoying because it doesn’t work all that well, and the system can be confused if you’re wearing sunglasses because it can’t track your eyes, so some may feel the need to turn this feature off.
| Key standard safety features | Euro NCAP safety ratings |
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Warranty
The 03 comes with a standard five-year, unlimited mileage manufacturer’s warranty, which is above average and only bettered at this price by MG, who provides you with seven years of coverage. A separate battery warranty guaranteeing the pack maintains above 70 per cent capacity after eight years or 100,000 miles is typical by electric car standards.
Servicing
You only need to book your 03 in for a check-up every two years/18,000 miles, whichever comes first. This is typical of an electric car because they’re generally more straightforward to maintain than a traditional petrol or diesel model.
Our only note on this is that GWM Ora is a relatively new car company in the UK and, as such, is still building up its dealer and servicing network, so you may find you’ll need to travel further afield to get your car looked over compared with more established brands. The same was no doubt said of MG when it came back to the UK, so we’re sure coverage will improve over time.
