Polestar

Polestar 2

The Polestar 2 is a long-range, powerful five-door fastback that is very big on style and performance. It has recently received a number of upgrades for 2024 and it is also the first car in the world to feature an infotainment system powered by Android. Polestar is a performance-led electric car manufacturer that has very strong ties to Volvo and Geely. 

The good

Styling, handling, range and price

The bad

optional packs are quite pricey

Tech Specs

Price from

£49,900

Combined Fuel up to

Combined driving range of up to 406 miles

0-62 from

4.2 seconds

max speed up to

127mph

co2 from

0g/km (EV)

Test Drive

Polestar 2 MY24 – First Drive (2023)

With a fresh new look, along with some advanced technical enhancements the new fully electrified Polestar 2 now boasts an improved range plus rear-wheel drive for the first time.

Customers have plenty of choice with models offering Standard-Range Single-Motor RWD, Long-Range Single Motor RWD, Long-Range Dual Motor AWD and the latter can also be specified with a Performance Pack.

Prices range from £44,950 and rise to £57,950, although those prices can be bumped up further with a number of optional packs available.

We tested the Polestar 2 Long-Range Single-motor RWD version which featured the newly-improved 82kWh battery with 299hp and 490Nm of torque. With its WLTP tested driving range between charges of up to 406 miles (the highest in the Polestar 2 line-up) it could complete the 0-62mph sprint in 6.2 seconds and maxed out at 127mph.

The 2024 Polestar 2 has been given a new look with a front end featuring a flat grille which resembles the design of the Polestar 3. This is called the SmartZone area, which is appropriate as it houses a number of radar sensors, cameras and other clever technology that helps create extra safety features and driver assistance aids to protect occupants and other road users.

Other eye-catching features on this beautifully streamlined five-door fastback include light clusters featuring the trademark Thor-Hammer signature daytime running lights, a panoramic roof, frameless side mirrors, distinctive rear lights connected by a light bar, body-coloured bumpers, plus 20-inch 5-V Spoke black silver alloy wheels that were a £900 upgrade on the test car.

The interior is beautifully styled with a minimalist, yet feature-rich approach. There is vegan Nappa leather upholstery, light ash-coloured trimmings, a hexagonal-shaped gear selector featuring an illuminated Polestar emblem, a frameless rearview mirror, plus ambient lighting.

The seats are power-adjustable and can be heated or ventilated and the steering wheel has full manual adjustment and can also be warmed against the winter chill.

An upright infotainment screen powered by Android Auto OS is the main nerve centre and access point to the many onboard systems. These include Google built-in assistant, Google maps, an eight-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, full smartphone connectivity, a rearview camera, DAB radio and Bluetooth.

And for all the vital driving data, including speed, battery charge and driving range, there is a clear 12.3-inch driver display behind the steering wheel.

All controls are perfectly positioned for ease of use in this driver-focused cockpit which feels like it has been made-to-measure especially for you.

So, the MY24 Polestar 2 looks the business with its strong road presence and is packed with high-end fixtures and fittings, but how does it rate when it comes to performance? The answer is exceptionally well.

The acceleration at the slightest hint of throttle power is instant and there is a constant supply of power on tap to make light work of overtaking slower-moving vehicles. The car weighs in at almost two tonnes, but it feels deceptively agile whilst fizzing through the twisting country lanes. It’s beautifully balanced and there is minimum sign of body sway no matter how enthusiastically you attack the tighter bends.

It is a vehicle that effortlessly cruises at 70mph on motorways eating up the miles for fun and the range dropped accordingly provided it was driven with some care and consideration.

Single pedal driving is possible with the strongest level of regenerative braking and this means you barely need touch the brakes at all for a relaxed all-round driving experience.

Occupants are well protected against outside noise, although a little road rumble was noticeable at higher speeds, but that’s where the superb Harman Kardon sound system comes into play.

My only other slight gripe was the fairly firm ride which can be blamed on a number of factors. Firstly, we were testing a pre-production car so not all the suspension tweaks were set up. Secondly, we suffer from appalling roads in the UK and, thirdly, the test model was fitted with larger wheels than normal which can also lead to more fidgety handling.

When it comes to practicality, the Polestar 2 has room for five occupants, but three full-sized adults in the back would feel a little cramped on longer journeys. It would be ideal for a trio of youngsters though.

The boot, accessed via a powered tailgate, can hold 405 litres of luggage, increasing to 1,095 litres with the 60:40 split-folding rear seats dropped flat. This limit does include 41 litres of underfloor storage which is useful to keep charging cables. The boot also has a really handy fold-up partition with an elasticated strap to hold items safely in place. And up front, among the many storage options, is a practical curry hook that prevents the weekly take-away from spilling over.

The Polestar 2 has a towing limit of 1.5 tonnes and charging is simple with the battery being boosted from 10 to 80 per cent via a fast charger in 35 minutes or in eight hours using a 3-phase AC outlet.

When you also factor in the comprehensive range of safety features that are standard on the Polestar 2, this is a car that is not only a very capable challenger to Tesla, but also the premium German marques too.

Test Drive

Polestar 2 – First Drive (2020)

A new big hitter has arrived on the EV scene and it’s all fired up to take on rivals in the performance sector. It’s called Polestar and while the name may be new to many it has a long-established history in developing fast cars.

Polestar was previously involved with the racing-led side of Volvo, but now it’s a fully-fledged stand-alone manufacturer owned by the Swedish car maker and, in turn by Volvo’s parent company, Geely in China.

The first model launched was the highly-exclusive, limited-edition Polestar 1 which carried a £140k price-tag. But the Polestar 2 is far more reasonably priced and will be a real-life challenger to Tesla – namely the Tesla 3.

The Polestar 2 is a five-door, four-wheel-drive fastback model that boasts an impressive driving range between charges and costs from £49,900.

Powering the car is a large 78kWh lithium-ion battery that develops 402bhp and a whopping 660Nm of torque. When it comes to performance that translates into a 0-62mph sprint time of just 4.7 seconds and top speed of 127mph. But maybe the crucial figures are the range which is a claimed 292 miles combined or 348 miles of city driving where more energy can be captured during regenerative braking in stop start traffic.

There’s no denying that from a design point of view the Polestar 2 is a head turner. It stretches 4.6 metres in length with smooth streamlining, along with tinted rear windows, pixel LED headlights, active bending headlights with cornering function, a full panoramic roof, a powered tailgate and frameless side mirrors.

The interior is a classy place to sit and shares some of its parts with Volvo models. In addition, Polestar 2 is packed with kit with a large upright touchscreen that is the main focal point and the nerve centre for accessing the on-board systems. It operates a new Google-based Android infotainment centre and works very smoothly. The navigation system features Google maps and conveniently highlights charging stations along the set route.

Creature comforts include powered front seats with memory settings, a 13-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, DAB radio, a heated steering wheel, a wireless charging pad and lots more. Our car also featured Barley Nappa leather seats that could be ventilated at an extra charge of £4,000.

So, onto the performance of this dynamic-looking newcomer. If you’re not pre-warned you could spend the first five minutes or so looking pretty perplexed as you search for a start button. That’s because there isn’t one! Instead, you simply move the neatly designed hexagonally-shaped gear selector with illuminated Polestar symbol into the drive or reverse position and the car glides smoothly away.

The acceleration out of the starting blocks is instant and blisteringly quick with a seemingly-limitless supply of power at your disposal. The road holding is ultra-grippy meaning bends can be attacked with confidence and there is no sign of body sway whatsoever.

Our car was sitting on upgraded 20-inch wheels (19-inch are the standard fit) that added a further £900 to the final cost and they perfectly suited the car whether it was firing down twisting country lanes or cruising effortlessly at 70mph on a stretch of motorway.

The Polestar 2 weighs in at a chunky 2.1 tonnes so it feels very planted without feeling cumbersome in any way. The steering is nicely weighted and there are driving modes called Light, Standard and Firm that alter the steering feel, along with ways to adjust the levels of regenerative braking with a Creep setting that makes one-pedal driving possible.

Despite the weight, the Polestar 2 is agile in city surroundings easily weaving its way through the traffic, and there are all manner of sensors and cameras to assist when parking.

The comfort levels are generally very high with heated front and rear seats and there is ample space for a trio of passengers to sit in the back of the car. Storage options are good with a boot capacity that ranges from 405 litres to 1,095 litres with the 60:40 split-folding rear seats dropped flat. There is a pull-up partition in the boot along with a net and elasticated grip to prevent items rolling around. Elsewhere, there’s a glovebox, door bins, cup holders, storage pockets each side of the centre console and a deep central cubby box.

And safety levels are comprehensive too – as one would expect from a company that has anything to do with Volvo. On-board systems include blind spot warning, pilot assist for semi-autonomous driving, adaptive cruise control, cross traffic alert, rear collision warning, run off road mitigation, forward collision warning, driver alert, all-wheel drive and plenty more besides.

It may all sound like this Polestar 2 is a little too good to be true, but I did have a few concerns after a week behind the wheel. Firstly the charging. That large battery seemed to take forever to boost. I have a 7kWh wallbox and even when charged for a good 12 hours overnight the battery percentage had only reached just over 55 per cent. Obviously, this time would be dramatically reduced by using a fast charger. And if you plan on driving the Polestar 2 in the manner that its looks deserve, that range will plummet quite dramatically.

Secondly, the front central armrest became more annoying as the week progressed. Its edges are angled and it is positioned just too far back to be really comfortable meaning you are constantly hitting your funny bone which is anything but a laughing matter.

Finally, the key. It may sound like I’m being picky here, but this is not a cheap car. However, for an outlay of £50k-plus (with options) you are given the tackiest, plastic key ever. Thankfully you can keep it away from view as the car has keyless entry!

But all in all, the Polestar 2 is a very impressive newcomer on the EV scene. And with the promise of a model featuring a smaller battery and lower asking price in the near future, it’s appeal will grow and grow.