Polestar 2 2023 electric car owner review

Anthony Hibbs drives a Polestar 2 Single Motor 78kWh 2023.

This is Anthony’s third electric car, he’s owned the Polestar 2 less than 1 year and drives 10,000-15,000 miles annually. The current mileage of the car is between 10,000-20,000 miles and he achieves 270 miles from a full charge.

Why did you choose the Polestar 2?

I was hankering after the superb build quality and reliability of previous Lexus and VW cars. My current IONIQ 5 was disappointing on many levels. I liked the look of the Polestar 2 and read many reviews which were overwhelmingly positive so I booked a test drive at Polestar Trafford Centre. The staff showed me the car in their showroom then let me take an unaccompanied one hour test drive on a route of my choice.

I was impressed with the car, interior and exterior build quality were exceptional and the test car drove well despite more road noise than expected. I put this down to its 20″ wheels and glass panoramic roof.
I enjoyed the drive, found the car to be comfortable with good vision despite its restricted rear screen.

Boot space was excellent, particularly with the 2WD version having a motor-shaped well under the boot floor. The froot/frunk was also a good size with all cables easily accommodated. The car ticked many, if not all, my boxes and the search began…

Positives

There are too many SUV-style EVs now and I like the traditional saloon styling
Build quality (see caveat later in the review)
Simplicity – Having owned an IONIQ5 with its myriad of settings, bings & bongs and OTT intrusive safety features, the Polestar is a dream. Once the basic settings are completed no more tinkering is required.
Seat memory! I am 6’2” and Mrs H is 5’4”, opening the car door and the driver’s seat presenting itself with our individual setting is amazing!
Motorway performance – Most relaxing motorway driver I’ve owned and remarkably range is not an issue. I’ve had over 300 miles range on several long motorway journeys.
Preconditioning is so intuitive. If it’s frozen, it defrosts the screen, if it’s below 10°C the seats heat up, if there’s a chance the rear screen will mist up it takes care of that too. I initially thought “Where are all the settings?” when in fact you don’t need any!
Boot and froot space – Froot has loads of room for your cables and more. The boot is huge.

Negatives

The only serious negative for me, and it’s one that I accepted when buying the car as everything else outweighed it, is the rear accommodation. This car is effectively an electrified Volvo ICE prototype and has a huge rear tunnel which effectively limits the otherwise comfortable rear to just two adults. I have two Cybex child seats with Isofix fixings and when both are in place there isn’t room between them for my granddaughter, so no chance for an adult.

Material quality. Not the same as build quality. Everything fits and works well, panel gaps are tight and consistent. No rattles or squeaks 12k miles on. But, and it’s a big but, some of the materials used are cheap and nasty. Interior carpet and OEM mats are awful. Interior kick panels are poor quality, easily scuffed by shoes. Parcel shelf is fragile, be careful when storing it out of the car. Sill plastic lets the exterior down badly, mine has faded quickly so requires a finishing product or just looks dirty grey. Such a pity as this lets down a near perfect car.

Compared to when you first bought the car, does your battery still charge at the same rate & do you still get the same range?

My car was an undriven lease car, having stood for 7 months with just 90 miles on the clock when I took delivery and initially range was all over the place. However, after about 1,000 miles it settled down. I get 300 summer miles and 270 in winter.

Have you experienced any faults with the car? If so, what have they been?

Not a fault but the car only came with one key. The seller paid for another but it meant a 100-mile round trip to collect it and have it programmed. Otherwise? Faultless!

What are the standout technological features of the car?

For me it’s how the car just takes care of itself automatically. Regen basically has two settings and is excellent, effectively one pedal driving.

The safety features, particularly lane assist, are helpful without being intrusive. This feels such a safe, solid car. Preconditioning is a dream, hot or cold always coming back to a comfortable, clear screened car is something I now take for granted. No fuss, no tinkering, get in and drive.

This car charges on the (available-to-all) Tesla network, the charge port is in the right place and it’s fast.

The hatch opens and closes with a flick of the foot under the bumper, so useful.

Auto dimming headlights work perfectly, this car has the best headlights I’ve ever had.

If you like settings, tech, fuss and tinkering maybe this isn’t the car for you, but for me it’s perfect.

Tell us something people wouldn’t readily know about this electric car

Curry hook (or Chinese in my case) on the glove box, so useful
Parking ticket/pass holder on the windscreen is another useful feature
The wheels – front and rear are different sizes, yet the tyre size is the same, most odd.

What’s the biggest or funniest myth you’ve heard about EVs?

I’ve heard them all. I have several EV-sceptic friends who despite travelling in my EVs many times and for quite long distances over days, still can’t seem to get over having to charge, even though it now takes less time than a coffee and toilet break.

What electric car(s) are you interested in next and why?

I still hope Lexus will see the electric light and build a CCS V2H/V2L/V2G capable EV. This will be the biggest factor in my next choice, in fact, I won’t be buying another car unless I can power my home using it. The lunacy of having huge capacity batteries sitting on driveways of homes using peak rate grid energy when they could be using off-peak stored energy has gone on long enough.

Home charging unit

Rolec Smart Wallpod – Bought from Rolec direct in 2019 using the grant available then. Installed by Tidyco, software by ev.energy.

There lay the problem, it would not smart charge reliably but none of the three parties involved would take responsibility. My relationship with Rolec eventuality broke down and I resigned myself to using it as a dumb charger with my cars doing the off-peak scheduling.

When I bought my Polestar in Jan ‘24 I tried it in smart and of course it failed. So, I half-heartedly reported this via the ev.energy app and was amazed when Constantinos replied, took ownership of the issue, upgraded the software and I’ve been smart charging reliably ever since. Never say never!

Electricity supplier & tariff

I’ve been on Octopus GO since November 2019, initially four hours off-peak, now five. Excellent service at all times, only had minor issues which were resolved quickly to my satisfaction.

What public charging networks would you recommend to others and why?

The open-to-all Tesla network is reliable and great value
GRIDSERVE also reliable but pricey
Pod Point – for 7kW destination charging.

I’m annoyed with all of them in that I feel forced to use apps for better value when contactless is much more convenient. I am boycotting Osprey since they briefly put the cost up to £1 per kWh during the energy price crisis.

Insurer

Hastings Direct – Only been with them a month so can’t comment other than they were best value for my car.

Please itemise where you’re saving money (or not) owning & running a Polestar 2

So long since I ran an ICE vehicle I can no longer relate to costs but with three year’s free servicing and being able to home charge for around £6 I’m definitely saving. Public charging, ever increasing insurance costs and VED from 2025 will surely eat into these savings but I definitely made ‘electric hay’ whilst the sun shone!