GWM Ora Funky Cat UK Exit: What Every Owner and Used-Car Buyer Needs to Know

The Ora Funky Cat arrived in the UK in December 2022 as a bold opening move from GWM's dedicated EV sub-brand Ora. Distributed by International Motors and priced from £30,495 (after the then-available Plug-in Car Grant), it was positioned as a premium alternative to the Volkswagen ID.3, MG4, and Renault Zoe. Its retro-futuristic styling — penned by a former Porsche designer — attracted attention, but sales never matched that initial buzz. In January 2024, GWM renamed the car the Ora 03 and rebranded the range with new trim levels and a larger 63 kWh battery option, hoping to boost momentum. Prices were revised to a wider span of £25,000–£33,000. Despite these changes, the car was outsold heavily by rivals. GWM's UK importer International Motors registered just 542 Ora 03s across all of 2025, compared with around 9,000 units each for the similarly-positioned Volkswagen ID.3 and MG4. With only 26 cars registered in the first quarter of 2026, International Motors confirmed in April 2026 that the Ora 03 would be withdrawn from UK sale. Right-hand-drive production — which had moved from China to Thailand — has since stopped. No further cars are arriving; only residual dealer stock remains.

GWM offered a comprehensive warranty package on UK cars: a 5-year unlimited-mileage vehicle warranty, an 8-year/100,000-mile traction battery warranty, and a 12-year anti-corrosion warranty. These run from the original registration date and are transferable to subsequent owners, provided the servicing schedule has been followed. International Motors has confirmed that the UK dealer network will continue to provide servicing, repairs, and aftersales support after the model's withdrawal, and owners report this is happening in practice. However, there is an important distinction between this goodwill commitment and a legal guarantee: the manufacturer's obligation is only as durable as GWM's continued presence in the UK market. Under the UK Consumer Rights Act 2015, buyers also retain statutory rights — entirely independent of any manufacturer warranty — to claim against the retailer who sold them the car if it was not of satisfactory quality. These rights persist for up to six years in England and Wales (five in Scotland) from the date of purchase. Buyers of used cars should check whether any manufacturer warranty has been properly maintained, and obtain written confirmation of remaining cover from the selling dealer or International Motors.

The Ora 03/Funky Cat is an electric car, which simplifies routine maintenance considerably. There is no engine oil, no cam belt, no spark plugs, and no exhaust system to worry about. The main service items are the cabin air filter, brake fluid (every two years), wiper blades, tyres, and the 12V auxiliary battery. All of these are standard, widely available items that any competent independent garage can supply and fit. A number of independent garages across the UK now advertise Ora servicing, from Chorley to Wimbledon to Inverness, using generic EV service procedures. For car-specific body panels, trim pieces, and — most critically — high-voltage components such as the inverter or the traction battery pack, the situation is more nuanced. GWM continues to supply parts through International Motors and the dealer network, and the Ora 03 is sold in markets globally (China as the Good Cat, Australia, and several European countries), which means some components can be sourced via global aftermarket channels and specialist EV suppliers. However, with only around 3,000 UK examples on the road, there is little incentive for a dedicated UK aftermarket to develop, and no independent parts warehouse has been announced for the Ora brand — unlike, for example, Chery-group brands (Omoda, Jaecoo) which use DHL from a Rugby warehouse with 48-hour delivery promises.

Software is arguably the biggest specific risk for Ora Funky Cat and Ora 03 owners following the UK exit. Unlike Tesla, BYD, and many newer Chinese brands which push firmware changes wirelessly, the Ora 03 does not support over-the-air (OTA) updates. Every software change must be carried out by a GWM-authorised dealer during a workshop visit. This creates a structural problem: as the dealer network contracts following the model's withdrawal, access to software updates — which have meaningfully improved the car — will become progressively harder. The most important update to date, released in May 2024, added wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and improved infotainment stability. Earlier-firmware cars (reportedly pre-version 2.6) had a range of well-documented issues: overactive distraction alerts, an indicator stalk that could not be cancelled intuitively, a parking camera that dominated the screen below 11 mph regardless of whether you wanted it, and a charging-cable release quirk requiring the owner to lock and unlock the car. Most of these are improved by the latest firmware, but buying a used example without confirming the software version — and without a nearby authorised dealer to update it — is a meaningful risk.

The Ora Funky Cat launched at £30,495 and briefly topped out at £32,995 for the 2025 GT. It has since suffered among the steepest depreciation of any recent mainstream EV. By November 2024 — less than two years after UK deliveries began — 18-month-old cars with fewer than 10,000 miles were appearing at £13,000–£14,000. By July 2026, with the brand exit confirmed, Autotrader listings show 2024-reg 48 kWh Pure+ examples from £9,490, and 63 kWh GT models from around £13,499. That represents a 55–70% loss from original list price within two to three years, far steeper than the 30–40% typical for a mainstream rival like the Volkswagen ID.3. The confirmed exit has accelerated this trend and may continue to do so. Insurance is a separate but related concern. Several major comparison-site insurers do not readily quote for the Ora, citing limited repair-cost data. Owners report that Admiral is among the most accommodating, but premiums can still be elevated — particularly for inexperienced drivers, where one forum member cited over £6,000 per year. VED (road tax) is unaffected: zero-emission vehicles registered before April 2025 pay nothing, and those registered after that date pay only the standard flat rate — not the luxury-car supplement unless listed above £40,000, which the Ora was not.

At £9,500–£14,000 for a well-specified, five-star Euro NCAP-rated EV with a genuinely upmarket cabin, the Ora 03/Funky Cat represents a compelling bargain for the right buyer. The car itself is not the problem — build quality is solid, the 48 kWh/193-mile WLTP or 63 kWh/260-mile WLTP range suits most commuters, and running costs are low. The risk is extrinsic: it comes from the brand exit's downstream effects on software access, parts supply for serious repairs, and insurance availability. For a buyer who mainly commutes on shorter journeys (under 150 miles per charge), has a GWM dealer within reasonable distance, checks insurance before signing, and is content with the current software state, a used Ora 03/Funky Cat at £9,000–£12,000 is a high-value proposition. For a buyer who needs genuine motorway range, plans to keep the car for eight-plus years, or cannot easily reach an authorised dealer for software or warranty work, the long-term risks are material. If in doubt, pay a modest premium for an MG4 (same rough price bracket, established parts network, MG Motor UK's committed UK presence) rather than gambling on a 3,000-car niche fleet.

The Ora Funky Cat is the first significant Chinese EV to exit the UK market since the current wave of Chinese brands began arriving in 2022–2023. It will not be the last. GWM is a top-five Chinese automaker by volume — not a fragile start-up — yet even its well-built, five-star-safety-rated hatchback could not sustain a UK presence on 542 annual registrations. The lessons for buyers considering any Chinese EV brand are practical and important. Volume matters: a brand selling 9,000–22,000 units a year in the UK (MG4, Jaecoo 7) is orders of magnitude safer than one selling 500. Infrastructure matters: check where parts are warehoused (on-shore warehouses are better than shipping from China each time), how software updates are delivered (OTA is preferable to dealer visits), and whether the brand has independent service coverage via a partner network (as Leapmotor does via Stellantis dealers). Post-Brexit, the UK has no legal requirement for manufacturers to supply spare parts for a minimum number of years — unlike the EU's approximate 10-year norm — so the practical commitment to aftersales is entirely voluntary. Finally, brand stability matters: distinguish between brands that are core to a parent company's global strategy (BYD, MG/SAIC) and those that were exploratory forays. The Ora brand was GWM's EV experiment in the UK; the company's core UK business now centres on the Haval and Poer lines.