Ora 5 Review

by Ben Chia, 1 September 2026

The cutesy Ora brand has grown up with its first SUV model for Singapore, and the Ora 5 offers practical usability with its own unique charm.

There are some cars where I wished I had more time to test drive sometimes. Typically these are either mind-blowing high-performance models that I don’t get to experience often, or extremely fun to drive cars that just make me reluctant to hand the keys back.

The Ora 5 is neither of those things, and yet it feels like one of those cars that I really wanted to spend more time with, beyond the short single-day test drive period that I was afforded. Let’s just say that if I had the money to put down for a small Chinese electric SUV, the Ora 5 would feature very highly on my list.

Grown Up Cat

Think of the adorable-looking Ora Good Cat and imagine what it’s like being slightly grown up. That’s essentially what you get with the design of the Ora 5.

It literally looks like a Good Cat that’s been stretched in every direction: taller, longer, wider. All of the design cues remain, including the round headlights, curvy lines, and taillight strip that sits at the base of the rear windscreen. Yet it doesn’t come across as awkward, and the Ora 5’s styling looks surprisingly well-resolved.

That said, the extended dimensions also seem to tamper down the cuteness somehow. Even though it retains most of the design elements of the Good Cat, the Ora 5 looks somewhat conservative. Maybe it’s just the SUV proportions, but you get the sense that it doesn’t stand out as much as the Good Cat.

Premium Sensibility

More evidence of the Ora 5’s grown up nature comes inside, where the interior offers a mix of easy usability with a premium feel.

Although the Ora follows the lead of many other Chinese carmakers by having a touchscreen-dominant interface, the system here feels far more intuitive than most.

The controls are easy to understand, most of the functions are within easy reach, and navigating through the screens does not require 30 minutes of poking around trying to figure things out.

There’s even a small set of physical switches to toggle the air con settings, which is nice to see these days in an era where screens dominate. However, while you could adjust the fan speed or switch the air con on or off, it does seem a bit odd that there isn’t a switch to adjust the temperature.

While the Ora 5 is meant to be a budget-friendly offering, the cabin materials do seem to belong to a car in a different class. The soft-touch plastics and padded surfaces elevate the ambience significantly, and the copper-like accents that run around the dashboard add a tinge of luxury to proceedings.

But it’s not just fashion without function. The Ora 5 is actually decently spacious, thanks to its generous 2,720mm wheelbase. There’s a good amount of legroom for rear passengers, and the increased height over the Good Cat means that there’s plenty of headroom as well.

The panoramic sunroof gives the cabin a sense of airiness, and is a feature that is much appreciated here.

It doesn’t fare quite so well in terms of boot space, however, with the Ora 5 offering a mere 362 litres of cargo carrying capacity. There is also no frunk, but it makes up for it with a few clever storage solutions.

For instance, there’s a section under the boot floor that you can use to hide contraband (just kidding, please don’t), and a neat cooling compartment for the rear passengers that is handy enough for a few drinks. It goes to show how much thought Ora has put into creating an interior that is both pleasant and practical.

Easy Peasy

One of the Ora 5’s biggest wins though is the way it drives. The thing that strikes you most instantly is how easy it is to pilot, with its compact dimensions and light steering that makes manoeuvring out of the carpark a stress-free affair.

That sensation translates out on the road too. While you wouldn’t call it enthusiastic, the Ora 5 impresses with its neat handling manners. The steering is direct, the car is easy to place, and it just feels very planted and steady through the corners if you don’t overcook it.

Likewise, the overall refinement is excellent for a car in this class. The suspension strikes a nice balance between soft and firm, and the ride quality is comfortable enough over rough surfaces. It’s relatively quiet too, even for an EV, and there’s barely noise permeating into the cabin, which is a pretty impressive achievement in this segment.

Power output is a modest 100kW/134bhp to enable it to qualify for a Cat A COE, but it feels responsive enough for you to make decent progress without much fuss, thanks to its generous 260Nm of torque.

The 58.3kWh battery gives the Ora 5 a range of 435km on a full charge, which is just about on par with most new Chinese EVs these days. Efficiency is rated at 6.5km/kWh, which is pretty decent, and realistically achievable given the car’s laid-back nature.

A Pleasant Proposition

Throughout my short test drive with the Ora 5, the one word that kept popping into my mind was ‘pleasant’. It feels like a car that I wouldn’t actually mind as a daily runabout, with few compromises, which is not something that I could say for every car.

At $185,888 with COE (accurate at time of writing) however, the Ora 5 is priced just above some of its key rivals, such as the BYD Atto 2 and Dongfeng Vigo. However, you do get a lot more car for your money, so perhaps the extra outlay is worth it.

Certainly at least, the Ora 5 is a perfect demonstration of how charm and practicality can combine to deliver something that is truly enjoyable every day. There’s plenty to like about this car, so give it a go and take it out for a test drive, for as long as you can if possible.

Technical Specifications

Ora 5

Powertrain: Single Electric Motor, Front Wheel Drive 
Power: 100 kW (134bhp) 
Torque: 260 Nm 
Gearbox: Single-Speed (A) 
0-100km/h: 9.6 Seconds 
Top Speed: 170 km/h 
Battery Capacity: 58.3 kWh 
Drive Range: 435 km (claimed) 
Energy Consumption: 6.5km/kWh (claimed)
Price: S$185,888 with COE (accurate at the time of this article)