Surprise: this is the safest compact car of 2022

To get right to the point: the safest compact car of 2022 according to Euro NCAP is the Ora Funky Cat. Yes, you read correctly. The Ora Funky Cat. It is not strange if you have never heard of it, because this is a new model from China that is not (yet) for sale in the Netherlands. It was introduced in the United Kingdom late last year and recently became available for order in Germany for prices starting at 38,990 euros. The rest of Europe will follow later.

Ora Funky Cat

The Ora Funky Cat is a 100% electric five-door hatchback with a hip look and a length of 4.24 meters. This makes it one stroke roomier than the Peugeot e-208 and slightly shorter than the Volkswagen ID.3 and MG4 Electric, for example. The model has a 126 kW (171 hp) strong electric motor and is offered with a range of 310 km (48 kWh battery) or 420 km (63 kWh battery).

Ora is a new electric car brand founded in 2018 by Chinese automaker Great Wall Motors. The Funky Cat is the first model with which the brand intends to break through in Europe. But that can only happen if everything about that car is right. You can only make a good impression once as a new car brand. Great Wall Motors has at least done its homework well.

Chinese advance

So in addition to making a fine first impression with its design, equipment and specifications, the Ora Funky Cat also achieved the highest Euro NCAP safety score of all compact cars in 2022. In doing so, it leaves behind all kinds of competitors from large well-known brands. It is further proof that the Chinese auto industry has been catching up tremendously. Precisely because of (poor) safety, Chinese car brands never managed to gain a foothold in Europe in the past.

View the Ora Funky Cat’s full Euro NCAP test report here.