Video: GWM Ora 5 first drive: $36,990 small EV that punches well above its price

The GWM Ora 5 is one of the most anticipated small electric SUVs landing in New Zealand this year, and we’ve now seen it three different ways.

Editor Richard Edwards travelled to China last month for the Beijing Auto Show, where GWM gave him a full walkaround of the production-spec Ora 5. The trip then continued to GWM’s Baoding test facility for a brief drive on the company’s ride and handling circuit, before finishing with something rare on a launch programme: the chance to watch a brand-new Ora 5 get crash tested.

The headline numbers are sharp. The Ora 5 Lux opens the range at $36,990 plus on-road costs, with the Ultra at $39,990 plus on-roads. Both run a 150kW, 260Nm front-mounted motor fed by a 58.3kWh LFP battery from SVOLT, with a WLTC range of 430km. Real-world range is more likely to sit around 350km based on our experience with similar drivetrains, which is still solid for a vehicle this size.

DC charging tops out at 120kW, with 30 to 80 percent achievable in around 20 minutes. Vehicle-to-load is rated at a generous 6kW, well clear of the 3.3kW figure most rivals offer, which makes the Ora 5 a genuinely useful tool for camping or running tools in the field.

GWM is targeting an ANCAP five-star rating under the 2026 protocol, and is confident enough in the result to crash one in front of the international media at its own facility.

First New Zealand deliveries are scheduled for June, and GWM tells us the initial allocation is largely accounted for already.