Polestar 2 review

The entry-level Standard Range Single Motor starts from £43,150, while the Long Range Single Motor carries a £3.3k premium. Want the Long Range Dual Motor? That'll be £47,900, please. That’s significantly cheaper than a Tesla Model 3, mind, with the single motor starting at £48,490, and the long range dual motor starting at £57,490.

Monthly payments, meanwhile, start at £469, £517, or £555 respectively, on a four-year agreement with a 12-month initial payment.

We found the Standard Range Single Motor (69kWh battery) provided around 250 miles of real-world range, against a claimed 297 miles, while the Long Range Dual Motor provided around 265 miles, against a claimed 301 miles range. At least on a hot summer’s day. After around 100 miles on the road, using the AC and plenty of gratuitous acceleration surges, the car offered 120 miles of range with 51 per cent charge remaining. 

How long does it take to charge?

Charging at home using a standard wallbox takes 12 hours, but find a rapid charger (the 2 maxes out at 130kW) and Polestar says an empty 2 will have an 80 per cent charge in 40 minutes. Polestar has also teamed up with Europe-wide charging outfit Plugsurfing, so owners get access to 195,000 charging points across Europe – including the UK – with one electronic key tag.

So, hopefully no waving your iPhone around for signal so you can download your eighteenth charging membership app while stuck at a rainy services at 3am. Phew.

What are the options like?

The good news is the 2 gets a pretty healthy kit list as standard, with even base spec models getting LED lights front and rear, those lovely Scandi frameless mirrors, 19-inch wheels and heated seats, and Google’s operating system displayed through an 11.2-inch portrait touchscreen, up there with the best infotainment systems we’ve used.

The only standard colour is silver (or Magnesium) as Polestar calls it, with white (Snow), blue (Midnight), or black (Moon) coming at £900, while upgrading to 20-inch wheels (don’t bother) will set you back the same amount.

There are three ‘Packs’ to choose from, including £2,150 Pilot lite (which focuses on safety with things like Pixel LED lights, Volvo’s 360-degree camera and the Pilot Assist cruise control), £4,000 Plus (which adds a panoramic sunroof, Harman Kardon sound system, heated rear seats and a wireless phone charger among other bits) or – on Dual Motor spec only – Performance, which gets you a power upgrade plus flashy bits like 20in forged alloy wheels, Öhlins dampers, Brembo brakes and more.

What’s the best spec?

As is the way with most EVs, the cheapest, plenty fast enough single motor version is arguably the pick of the bunch here, but if you’re prone to range anxiety (and can afford it), spec the long ranger. Ask yourself this first, though: when did you last drive 250+ miles in one go?

You’ll have to make do with the standard suspension, with the Performance pack reserved for dual motor versions only, but quite frankly you’ve got better things to be doing than faffing around with the 20-way adjustable Öhlins dampers anyway. Spend the savings on the Plus pack instead – we know we would.