Polestar 2 Review & Prices

The Polestar 2 is an all-electric hatchback that now offers more than 400 miles of range and comes with sleek Scandi styling that stands out. Alternatives include the Tesla Model 3, BMW i4 and Hyundai Ioniq 6.

It’s a lot like if a traditional wooden Nordic cabin was made out of metal and glass – clean design, excellent fittings and superb build quality, while offering lots of practicality for the family.

Building on the original Polestar 2, the 2023 revision introduced a blanked out front grille with a small vent for cooling and a squared-off area that houses the sensors for the safety systems, while the 20-inch alloys that come with the Performance Pack have been changed too.

Not a lot of changes outside then, and it’s the same for the interior - most of the changes are under the skin, as we’ll come to shortly. The modern exterior is matched inside, with excellent build quality and nice-feeling materials. The infotainment is also really simple to use and in most aspects, you won’t need to plug your phone in, as the Google system is brilliant.

Spaciousness is good throughout with plenty of adjustment in the front seats, while those in the back should have decent space. Having a panoramic roof as part of the Plus pack does limit headroom in the rear, while sitting three adults across the back is a squeeze. Legroom behind taller people can be an issue too.

The boot is of a good shape and size, with 405 litres to use. There’s also some storage under the bonnet to put your cables, although Tesla offers more room overall with the Model 3. BMW’s i4 has a larger rear space, but it doesn’t include additional room under the bonnet. The Ioniq 6’s boot is a touch smaller and has the extra front space.

With the updated Polestar 2, you get four battery and motor combinations, including an upgraded Long Range version that can now do 406 miles on a full charge. In its own Long Range guise, the Tesla Model 3 only goes 374 miles.

You can also charge the 2 faster than before, with charging speeds of up to 205kW on a DC current. On an AC current, you can charge at up to 11kW.

Around town, you can alter the weight of the steering to be lighter to help make turns and manoeuvring very simple, while you can adjust brake regeneration for one-pedal driving or full coasting. You get 360-degree cameras as standard to help with visibility, but the rear window isn’t the biggest. The frameless wing mirrors are an excellent touch.

Video range test: Polestar 2 v Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus v Tesla Model 3 Long Range Performance

Getting up to speed is simple with the torquey electric motors on offer, while cruising at motorway speed is comfortable. There’s some wind and road noise, but as soon as you play music or put on the radio, both are subdued.

The overriding part of the Polestar 2 experience though is the ride comfort, or lack of it. There’s always a sharper edge, especially over less-than-perfect roads, and it’s more noticeable at slower speeds. But that becomes an advantage when you’re on a twisty road. Upping the steering weight to the top level makes the car feel sharp, and the overall experience is rather fun.

While the update doesn’t help the 2 live up to the Tesla Model 3 in terms of performance, it’s a more accomplished product overall and is the better car, although Tesla’s exclusive charging network is still a big selling point.

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Compared to many alternatives on the market, the Polestar 2 is at the pricier end of the scale. But when compared to the likes of the Tesla Model 3, BMW i4 and Hyundai Ioniq 6, it starts to look good value for money.

Both Volvo models and the BMW are more expensive, while the range of the Polestar is considerably better also. Only the Tesla is cheaper and can theoretically go further on a charge, but the quality of the Polestar’s cabin is considerably better, while it’s better to drive as well.

With a more performance-angled setup, the Polestar 2 is excellent to drive, but it feels a bit firm where other EVs would be comfortable

In town

Polestar has made the 2 very configurable, and it offers plenty of driver settings. The main ones you’ll use are the steering weight and brake regeneration. Putting the car in its lightest steering setting and most aggressive regen mode makes the 2 excellent on urban roads.

With the regen working at maximum, you get one-pedal driving which makes your life easy (You can also choose whether the car continues to creep forward or not when you’re at slower speeds), while you get lots of easy manoeuvrability from the steering. The turning circle of 11.5m across all versions of the 2 means that for a car that isn’t the smallest, you can make fairly tight turns in car parks or narrow streets.

The visibility out of the rear window is a little poor though, so it’s a good thing Polestar includes 360-degree cameras as standard across the line-up to help with that. The rimless wing mirrors also look excellent and provide a good view down the side.

But where you may find the 2 not to your liking is the ride comfort. Although it certainly isn’t uncomfortable, the suspension is on the firmer side and although the edges of bumps are rounded off nicely, you may find that bumps can be a bit sharp on initial contact and that shows up more at slower speeds.

Video review: Polestar 2 Single Motor

On the motorway

Out on the open road you’ll find the Polestar 2 to be a capable cruiser. You do only get cruise control without distance control as standard, but the system is easy to start with the buttons on the steering wheel. You can have adaptive cruise by speccing the optional Pilot Pack – something that is worth your while if you travel long distances on a regular basis.

Getting up to speed with the updated rear-mounted single motor version is easy, with the instant torque giving plenty of kick so you can get up to the highway limit in no time. The dual-motor version will provide even more punch.

Once you’re there, there’s some tyre roar from the 19-inch alloy wheels as well as some wind flutter from the wing mirrors. But if you’ve got the radio playing, it’s barely noticeable and won’t drive you bonkers.

Changing the drive settings so the car will coast helps with efficiency too, as although there aren’t different drive modes per se, removing brake regeneration will help with making the most of your momentum and reduce battery usage.

On a twisty road

By altering the steering weight to ‘Performance’ and putting the regenerative braking in the middle setting, the electric-powered 2 weirdly feels like a combustion engined sports car. By replacing the engine braking with some slight regen, you’re able to lift off the throttle, get some resistance and then steer through the corner without disrupting the weight balance too much. It’s quite surreal but really works.

With the weightier steering, you get excellent turn in and there’s limited body roll so you don’t feel like you’re leaning round the bends. The Polestar 2 is certainly one of the better EVs to drive. The electric motor – now rear-mounted – offers plenty of punch, but when we get to drive the Performance version with dual motors, you can expect that to be even more aggressive.

Saying that, is it the most exciting car to drive? No. It doesn’t have the drama or fully invigorating experience petrol-powered sports cars have, but it’s by no means boring.

Taller people may find the rear seats a bit of a squeeze, but the Polestar 2 is very practical in most other terms

In the front part of the cabin, you get plenty of adjustment in the front seats and steering column to get comfortable, while – even with the panoramic sunroof in place – you get good headroom. Having the sunroof also helps make the cabin feel brighter and more spacious.

In terms of storage, you get two cupholders in the middle – one hidden under the armrest – while you now get a wireless charging pad as standard under the large portrait touchscreen. Door bins are large enough for a bottle and other items, and as they’re lined things won’t rattle about. The glovebox is of a decent size as well, while you can fit a child seat to the front passenger seat thanks to standard-fit ISOFIX points.

Space in the back seats

Compared to some other EVs, the Polestar 2’s rear bench isn’t the most spacious for adults. Especially if you’ve got a taller person sitting up front, rear legroom is limited, while people over six feet tall will be squeezed for headroom too – especially with the optional sunroof.

For most though, the rear seats offer decent room, with good underthigh support. Door bins are of a good size here as well, while you get two sets of ISOFIX points on the outer seats. The covers snap off, so make sure you don’t lose them, but the doors open wide enough for easy fitting of bulky child seats.

Video twin test: Polestar 2 vs Tesla Model 3

Boot space

The Polestar 2 has a 405-litre boot. The space itself is pretty square, while you get some nets and hooks as well. You also get a 41-litre space under the bonnet to store the charge cables.

Compared to its alternatives, the Polestar 2 is a little down on rear space. The Tesla Model 3 offers 425 litres, while the BMW i4 has 470 litres. Hyundai’s Ioniq 6 has 401 litres, so is a touch down on the Polestar 2 but it’s barely noticeable. Where the BMW falls down is that it doesn’t offer a space under the bonnet for your cables, but both the Hyundai and Tesla do.

The rear seats of the 2 fold down very easily and provide a flat space. When you have that, there’s 1,054 litres up to the back of the rear seats. Weirdly though, if you want through-loading, you need to open the hatch from the boot and not the rear seats.

The Google infotainment setup is simple to use, but the lack of physical buttons may make some things tricky to use when driving

The different materials and textures make for an interesting and layered cabin. With the upgraded interior finish with lighter Nappa leather and open-pore ash wood it’s particularly nice, but the quality of the finish is consistent on the other trim options – all of which come with a mostly black finish.

The simple Scandinavian styling is very pleasing, with the monolith-like portrait touchscreen the obvious centrepiece. It does have a rather thick bezel around the edge that makes it look a bit dated already, but the system itself is a breeze to use.

Running a Google-based system, the 11.1-inch unit gets maps and a full app store like you would on an Android phone and in most cases, you won’t need to connect your smartphone because it’s so easy to use. The graphics can be a little dark, but if you want to, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are available as standard.

The quality of materials throughout is excellent, with all the major touchpoints smooth and of a high quality. You will find scratchy plastics low down, but the surfaces themselves are few and far between.

There are limited accessory options to add to your 2. But you can choose to fit roof bars, rubber floor mats, a boot floor cover and an electronic tow bar – with which you can tow up to 1,500kg on all versions.

But for most the Plus Pack should be on your radar if you’re willing to add a bit of extra money to your outlay. Costing £4,000, you get a Harmon Kardon sound system, fully electric seats, tinted glass, an uprated air quality system, a full-length panoramic roof and bag hooks on the adjustable boot floor.

You get four motor and battery options, with a combination of single- or dual-motors and two battery packs. Polestar introduced two new batteries with the summer 2023 updated version of the 2.

The line-up starts off with the Standard Range version that has a 67kWh usable battery pack teamed to a rear-mounted motor that develops 271hp and 490Nm of torque. This combination allows for up to 331 miles on a full charge and can charge at up to 135kW – meaning a 10-80% top-up at full speed takes around 35 minutes.

For the rest of the range, you get a 79kWh usable battery and you can charge at up to 205kW on a DC charge point. That means a 10-80% charge takes 28 minutes. All versions can only charge at up to 11kW on an AC current, with a full charge taking seven hours for the smaller battery and eight hours for the larger pack.

The Long Range model gets an uprated version of the rear motor – here it has 299hp and 490Nm of torque. This offers the best range of 406 miles, and when tested with some vigorous driving included, you can easily get over 300 miles on a full charge.

Next up is the first dual-motor model. The Long Range Dual-Motor gets an extra motor on the front axle which means 421hp and 740Nm. With that, you get 367 miles of range on the official WLTP test cycle, and it provides a little more surefootedness slippery conditions.

Finally there’s the Performance Pack for the Long Range Dual-Motor. That ups the power output to 476hp with the same 740Nm of torque, but does reduce the range slightly to 353 miles. With that though, you get the best 0-60mph time of 4.2 seconds.

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When it was tested in 2021, the Polestar 2 was awarded a maximum five-star rating by Euro NCAP. Across all areas of the testing, the 2 scored 80% and upwards, showing an excellent level of safety – especially for occupants.

As standard, all versions come with collision avoidance and mitigation with pedestrian and cyclist detection, forward collision warning, lane keep assist, driver alert assist and cruise control. You also get blind spot assist and cross traffic alert for further peace of mind.

Adding the £2,000 Pilot pack adds adaptive cruise control and pilot assist that accelerates and brakes the car in traffic up to 81mph. You also get adaptive LED headlights with that setup.

You get all-round airbags, three sets of ISOFIX points and an immobiliser on all models of the 2.

The Polestar 2 has only had two recalls in the UK. The tin plating on part of the battery pack could cause a short circuit, while the other high voltage connectors to the battery could disconnect while driving to stall the motors. Both could be resolved by visiting a Volvo dealership.

Each new Polestar 2 comes with three years or 31,250 miles worth of scheduled maintenance for free, whichever comes first, while all get three years/60,000 miles of warranty. That warranty is carried over if the car changes hands.

The battery packs get an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty, and if the battery health drops below 70% in those first eight years, Polestar will replace it for free.