2022 Polestar 2

By Alex Forrest

Polestar is an electric car brand owned by Volvo, which itself is owned by the China-based carmaker Geely.

The Polestar 2 is built in China, and it’s the first model they’ve sold in Australia.

It’s a medium sized four-door hatchback, which with its black plastic wheel arch flares, might also be called a ‘crossover’ vehicle, meaning it has some SUV attributes such as a little extra ride height. Only the top-of-the-range model gets all wheel drive.

Released in Australia in January 2022, the Polestar’s price (from $66,300) and battery range (from 440km) make it a key rival for the Hyundai Ioniq 5, the Kia EV6 and of course, the Tesla Model 3.

The long-range version of the single motor Polestar 2 will give you another 70km of range and cost $71,600, while the dual motor Polestar 2 will cost $77,000 and has range of 455km, but also much stronger performance.

The Polestar 2 is slightly shorter, narrower and taller than a Tesla Model 3. You can notice the narrower cabin of the Polestar, which is amplified in the front seats by a wide and high centre console. There’s also a small storage spot under the bonnet.

The interior overall is finished in high quality materials formed around a typically clean and clever Scandinavian approach to design. It also uses no animal products.

Over-the-air updates can be applied to the car by Polestar, similar to the way Tesla updates the software on its vehicles.

Our test car was the long range, single motor variant. As with all EVs, acceleration from standstill is strong, quiet and completely acceptable for around-town driving.

The Polestar 2 sits squarely in the price range where electric cars are selling in big numbers in Australia, and is a welcome addition to the segment, bringing more choice for consumers and more competition for rivals.