2023 Polestar 2 Hatchback

　　

2023 Polestar 2 Review

byChristian WardlawCorrespondent

　　Christian Wardlaw has worked in the automotive industry since 1994. He has written nearly 10,000 car-related articles and tested and reviewed more than 2,000 vehicles over the course of his career. Chris is a correspondent at zzdcar and was the first editor-in-chief of zzdcar.com in the 1990s. He has also contributed to Autotrader, CarGurus, J.D. Power, Kelley Blue Book, NADAguides, New York Daily News Autos and WardsAuto. His mom claims that his first word was “car,” and Chris believes that Miata is always the answer.

　　, rating written byChristian WardlawVehicle Test Editor

　　Reese Counts has worked in the automotive industry since he started as an intern at zzdcar in 2015. He has written or edited thousands of car-related articles and tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Reese is a vehicle test editor at zzdcar and has also contributed to Autoblog. Reese has also been featured on Yahoo! Finance, Engadget and AOL reviewing cars and covering automotive technology, auto shows and more. Reese learned to drive in his father's C4 Chevrolet Corvette and now owns his grandfather's 1999 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG. A love for cars runs deep in his family.

　　Tesla's Model 3 is understandably a popular choice for EV shoppers, but there is another option if you're searching for a small electric car: the 2023 Polestar 2. Similar to the Model 3, Polestar 2 offers both single and dual electric motor configurations. The single-motor model has more potential range, while the dual motor trades some range for quicker acceleration. Polestar is the all-electric offshoot brand from Volvo, and the 2 shares much of its EV tech and underpinnings with the Volvo XC40 Recharge SUV.

　　Continue reading zzdcar Expert Rating below

　　

Polestar 2 EV Insights

Trim:2 Long Range Single Motor

　　Long Range Single Motor 4dr Hatchback (electric DD) - $48,400 MSRPLong Range Dual Motor 4dr Hatchback AWD (electric DD) (Most Popular) - $51,900 MSRP

　　

Range

 zzdcar TESTED

　　289 miles

　　zzdcar Tested Rangezzdcar begins with a full battery charge and drives the vehicle on a mix of city and highway roads (approximately 60% city, 40% highway) until the battery is almost entirely empty. (We target 10 miles of remaining range for safety.) The miles traveled and the indicated remaining range are added together for the zzdcar Tested Range figure.

　　EV batteries lose 1-2% of range per year. Est. range for this car is 246 miles after 8 years.Electric cars typically experience 1-2% of range loss per year with slightly faster degradation over the first 50,000 miles as the car settles into its long term state, according to Recurrent's study of 15,000 EVs.

　　Estimated range mapThis map is a visual representation of the possible one-way and round-trips by this vehicle (on a full charge) from the geometric center of Rutland, North Dakota. The depicted ranges are based on the estimated new vehicle range value provided by the EPA, rounded down to miles for one-way and miles for round-trip. Actual range will vary depending on the condition of this vehicle’s battery pack, how you drive, driving conditions and other factors.Map display generated using: © openrouteservice.org by HeiGIT | Map data © Recurrent contributors | Recurrent

　　from 58067

　　

EV Battery Warranty

　　8 yrs or 100,000 milesThe federal government requires that EV batteries be warrantied for a minimum of eight years or 100,000 miles. The EV battery warranty includes replacement if your battery capacity drops below a certain percentage of the original capacity.

　　

Charging at Home

　　8 hours

　　Total Charging Time (240V outlet)

　　SAE ComboStandard port for most electric models. Supports Level 1, Level 2, and DC Fast charging.

　　Plug Type

　　

EV Tax Credits & Rebates

　　$400

　　Available Rebates. Restrictions apply.

　　Utility EV Charger Offer

　　$400

　　Restrictions: Otter Tail Power offers EV owners a rebate of up to $400 towards the installation of a Level 2 charging station. To qualify for this rebate, the customer and/or charging station must meet the following requirements: Receive electricity from Otter Tail Power.

　　To learn more, visit Recurrent

　　

Cost to Drive

　　$67/mo

　　2

　　vs

　　$165/mo

　　Car Avg.

　　Monthly estimates based on costs in North Dakota

　　

Am I Ready for an EV?

　　EV ownership works best if you can charge (240V) at home or at work This typically means a 240V home installation, but you could also have a similar setup at your office or other places your car is already parked for several hours each day. Don't expect a regular household outlet (120V) to suffice unless you've got a plug-in hybrid, in which case overnight charging at home is feasible.

　　If you can’t charge at home, charging at a charging station could take at least 10x longer than at a gas station With public charging infrastructure still in its infancy, the user experience can be maddeningly inconsistent. Tesla owners tend to rave about the reliability and speed of the company's proprietary Supercharger stations, but rival DC fast options have thus far been plagued by technical issues and overcrowding. It's an evolving landscape and our best advice is to do your research on the available options for the EV you want to buy.

　　Adding a 240V home charging system could cost up to $1,600 or more If your existing electrical service can handle the additional demands of EV charging, you may be able to add Level 2 charging at home for less than a grand, including installation. But your costs will multiply if you need to upgrade your electrical panel or add a dedicated circuit.

　　The Polestar 2 debuted for the 2021 model year, and the 2023 model benefits from numerous updates. The Long Range Dual Motor version gains 11 miles of driving distance on a full battery, now offering an EPA-estimated 260 miles between visits to a charging station. Get the optional Performance Pack, and this version of the car now adds 68 horsepower and 15 lb-ft of torque for an impressive total of 476 hp and 502 lb-ft. For 2023, Polestar also adds the BST Edition 270, a limited-edition trim that ups the performance ante with hardware upgrades and a tougher exterior look. Polestar will build just 270 units globally, making it the rarest Polestar model to date.

　　Fresh wheel designs, paint colors and interior materials are available, including a new premium leather upholstery upgrade that also equips the Polestar 2 with ventilated front seats for the first time. In addition, the Plus Pack now includes a more advanced air filter for keeping unwanted particulates out of the cabin. Finally, the heat pump included in the Plus Pack now operates over a wider range of temperatures to help negate the driving range losses observed in cooler weather.

　　Polestar knows the field of similarly sized and configured EVs is growing by the day, and Tesla is no longer the only source of competition. The changes for 2023 certainly help the Polestar 2 stay near the top of our rankings for best EVs. Learn more about what we think of this EV by reading our test team's full Polestar 2 Expert Rating below.

　　zzdcar Expert Rating

　　Our VerdictThe zzdcar Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.

　　Good

　　7.8

　　out of 10

　　zzdcar TESTED

　　Rated for you by America's best test team.

　　

Performance

8.0/10

　　How does the Polestar 2 Single Motor drive? For the most part, we like the way the Polestar 2 drives, no matter how many motors it has. Single-motor models are front-wheel-drive. Acceleration, unfortunately, is underwhelming. Our test car needed 7.2 seconds to get from 0 to 60 mph. That's about 3 seconds slower than the Polestar 2 Dual Motor and still off the pace of single-motor rivals such as the Tesla Model 3.

　　Elsewhere, the Polestar 2 shines. Its steering may not have quite the quick and immediate snap of the Tesla's, but it zips around turns with confidence. When you just feel like cruising, the Polestar is a smooth operator, delivering the easy and quiet acceleration we've come to expect from an EV. Emergency braking is trouble-free, with short distances, and the Polestar 2 offers easy one-pedal driving. Lifting off the accelerator brings about strong regenerative braking to slow you down, so you don't need to use the brake pedal for most situations.

　　

Comfort

8.5/10

　　How comfortable is the Polestar 2 Single Motor? Polestar has done an excellent job of making the 2 comfortable. The ride is compliant without being overly soft, and overall the car is smoother over bumps than some Teslas we've tested. It's quiet, too, with only a mild amount of wind and road noise apparent at highway speeds. The front seats have enough cushioning and support to make long drives comfortable.

　　All Polestar 2 models come standard with dual-zone automatic climate control, and our test vehicle was equipped with heated front and rear seats. The climate control system works quickly, though some may not like that the controls are tied entirely to the touchscreen.

　　Continue reading zzdcar Expert Rating below