Ground-level ozone can reduce plant growth, but models represent this damage in different ways. We tested six approaches in the same vegetation model for China during the 2010s. They estimated that ozone reduced plant carbon uptake by 17 % to 27 %, averaging about 21 %. Approaches based on broader observations and leaf traits matched measurements more closely, while using leaf lifespan improved how the model represented the accumulation and decline of ozone damage.