The range and running costs aren’t deal breakers, but there’s no denying that they are slightly off-pace. If you spend a lot of time on the road, you may want to pick a rival who can instead go further between charges.
But if you don’t – and let’s face it, relatively few of us have to regularly cover more than 250 miles at a time – the overall feeling of warmth and wellbeing of the 2 may be more satisfactory. This isn’t the best electric car out there, nor is it the best value for money, but it’s still satisfactory and really desirable.
Telegraph rating: Four out of five stars
The facts
In the test: Polestar 2
How much? £ 49,990 on the way
How fast? 127 mph, 0-62 mph in 4.7 seconds
How economical? 3.2mpkWh (WLTP combined)
The oily parts: N / A
The electrical bits: 2x AC synchronous permanent magnet motors (one per axis), 402 PS (combined maximum power), 78 kWh Li-ion battery, 11/150 kW (AC / DC) maximum charging speed
Electric range: 292 miles
CO2 emissions: 0 g / km
BY: £ 0
Guarantee: 3 years / 60,000 miles
Boat size: 435 liters
Spare wheel as standard: No (not available)
The rivals
Tesla Model 3 Long Range
434 hp, 360 miles, £ 49,990 on the road
On paper, the Model 3’s significantly greater range makes it a breeze, but in the flesh, the Polestar’s more refined feel and smoother ride wins out. If you don’t really need the Tesla’s long range, the Polestar is the nicer of the two cars – but you’ll have to live without access to Tesla’s excellent Supercharger network.
Jaguar I-Pace EV400 S.
394 hp, 292 miles, £ 65,195 on the way
If there’s one car the two of them really steal a march on, it’s the I-Pace. It manages to offer more performance and an identical range for less money. More importantly, since the interior of the I-Pace is one of its strongest suits, the Polestar is just as tempting to sit in. The Jag offers a bit sharper handling and a larger trunk in return – otherwise the Polestar knocks it down more.
Ford Mustang Mach-E Extended Range RWD
290 hp, 379 miles, £ 49,980 on the road
This version of the Mach-E misses the all-wheel drive of the Polestar and is also less powerful. Additionally, the Tesla-inspired interior lacks the feel-good factor of the 2. But you simply can’t buy that much electric range for that kind of cash anywhere else. Additionally, the Mach-E’s are fun enough to drive in a way that justifies the Mustang badge in some ways.
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