2026 Polestar 2 review: Quick drive

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The Polestar 2 was the first model launched in Australia by the Swedish electric vehicle (EV) brand, and the battery-powered liftback has just received yet another update to keep it fresh in first-generation form.

The Polestar 2 is largely the same five years after its global launch in 2020 and made its Australian debut in 2021, at least on the surface. Despite minor cosmetic changes here and there are some notable revisions to the current status, most important change has been the transition from front-wheel drive to rear wheel drive for single-motor variants.

Polestar recorded 38. Only the Polestar 2 model in its three-model lineup to post a drop in sales of 2025 was the polestar 2, which has 5 per cent year on years, and is the only one model that had sold out.

A series of small tweaks have been introduced for a decade, and are the first few minor changes that Chinese-owned Scandinavian brand has made to its name for 2026. These are chief among them a new Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, redesigned battery at the bottom of the range with much faster charging and sand paint colour called ‘Dune’.

It has now also become a permanent member of the range’s ‘Long range Dual motor Performance’ variant, which is optional Plus Pack as standard and rear-wheel drive ‘Leong variety Single motor’ versions remain identical to those previously used.

The media were urged by Polestar Australia to Victoria’s Yarra Valley area to try the new Pole star 2 Long range variants. Are the changes in the brand’s cheapest model still relevant to a growing segment of the market?

How much does the Polestar 2 cost?

Despite the fact that the Plus Pack (typically $4700) is standard, the top-spec Performance has gone up to $85,080 before on-roads and since the Polestar 2 still remains in its line-up at $62,400 for initial costs.

| Model | Price before on-road costs |
| — | — |
| 2026 Polestar 2 Standard range Single motor | $62,400 |
| 2026 Polestar 2 Long range Single motor | $66,400 |
| 2026 Polestar 2 Long range Dual motor | $71,400 |
| 2026 Polestar 2 Long range Dual motor Performance | $85,080 |

Most closely related to its rival, Tesla Model 3, which runs from $54,900-$80,000.0 on the road before it is launched, and offers similar variants of Polestar 2 as well as a model that has been shown in recent years. There are also base rear-wheel drive trims, as well as a hotter performance model and that’s what means.

Meanwhile, the entire BYD Seal range is significantly cheaper than its predecessors. The Dynamic and Premium are both rear-wheel drive models with a price of $46,990 and $52,990 before on-roads respectively, while the range tops out at $61,990 prior to on road options for the all-drive Performance.

A Chinese-sourced electric liftback sedan, the all-new Mazda 6e is slated to be released soon with an estimated sub-$55,000 price tag that could make it a strong rival as another China-based model.

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What is the Polestar 2 like on the inside?

Practically identical to before, which is to say visually simple and very minimalist.

Nevertheless, there are few buttons here (not physical ones) for . If you’re there, and have taken the time to electrically adjust your seat, then you’ll find that the Polestar 2 has a clean, comfortable and very ergonomic interior.

Polestar’s focus is technology, and the headline feature is that 11. You’re primarily controlled by your main control centre for the entire car, with 15-inch portrait-style infotainment touchscreen (which is also known as an Infotanment Touchscreen). It’s so important that you can perform full system reset by holding down the ‘home’ button at the bottom of screen, should anything… play up?

It is also a source of entertainment apps, but it remains disappointing that Apple CarPlay only uses one of the two USB-C ports under the central display. CarPlay isn’t available at all on the Model 3, but it’s something we would like to see, so that doesn’T make sense for a dealbreaker.

It’s the alternative to Polestar’s Google-integrated Android Auto system, which means that users of Android phones will feel more at home. Also, note the new Qualcomm processor here (which doesn’t have any observable effect), although it is snappy in both loading times and response.

Spectacular variants have an optional Bowers and Wilkins sound system, known by the lone tweeter sitting on the dashboard as one of their bonuses. This system is certainly punchy and crisp, and you can adapt the sound to mimic many spaces (including a large concert hall).

Polestar’s brutalist icons and controls are still accessible via permanent ribbons at the top and bottom of the display when any app interface is open, allowing for its extreme icon or control. It is where you’ll find climate-related controls at the bottom, and for a number of shortcuts such as vehicle settings on the top.

Big black square buttons are used in all of the menus, and orange square ones with information presented in Polestar’s trademark no-nonsense typeface.

We certainly don’t think that the distinctive black and orange buttons of Polestar are a sign of our own, but we won’t say having such bold basic design elements is in any way distracting from what it means. It’s a very simple menu to navigate and read at once with the same expression as for instrument display, which is also true.

It’s just a simple screen with stripped-back speedometer and power meter readouts, plus plenty more basic information scattered around the world. nice, a button on the steering wheel will also mention native maps integration.

The only real complaint about the interior is material choice while we like all the ‘environmentally friendly’ surfaces look, we don’t love gloss-black plastic in some variants – even if it doesn’T go everywhere. This can be found in such locations as buttons on the steering wheel and centre console.

Certain models have woodgrain-look material on the centre console instead, which is dull in finish but nicer to look at than the scratchable plastic – not to mention more durable, too. Also, the gear selection itself looks like a cheap piece of plastic (which is odd as all else seems to be pretty much flat) and it’s strange that everything else is relatively sleek.

It is a quality leather-wrapped steering wheel with’very generous diameter, thick thickness and at least the size of its weighty chunkier side’. Several other areas, such as the armrests, are appropriately padded and tasteful Polestar logos appear as Easter eggs on the Plus Pack’s glass roof and gear selector.

Two cupholders are up front as for storage, but only one is exposed; the other is inside the central storage box and is removable. This places it on a storage space that is used to steal the memory of its place.

Similarly, in the door cards there are bottle holders and slots on both sides of the centre console (although without a large tray or pass-through underneath), as well as ‘traditional passenger-side glovebox’. When your phone is plugged in, you can pull it down under the center of the display; that’s also where you’ll find the wireless charging pad which will be deactivated if required to be activated.

If you go inside the back of Polestar 2 and step into the polestar 2, it’s a comfortable space. The roof line is high towards the back of the car, so headroom has been preserved because it’s a model 3 with less legroom than in – but you have more leg room.

The hump of a large driveline will affect legroom for those sitting in the middle, which is known as . The back of here is a pair of USB-C ports, two rear-facing air vents and two comfort items.

Is the boot of Polestar 2 acceptable and not exceptional, but a bad boot for polestar 2. The load floor is relatively low compared to the boot opening, while there’s enough space for and loading heavy items can be more difficult.

It is flat on the cargo floor, and you have a storage net (right-hand side) to keep smaller items in lock. The under-floor cubby is also relatively deep, so it’s the best place to store the car’ – its charging cable.

A tailgate is standard across the range, but you only get a foot sensor with the Plus Pack (which means it’s now standard on the Polestar 2 Long range Dual motor Performance). Sadly, there is no spare wheel but that’s not all that unusual for EVs.

Polestar 2 is a solid insider all up, even though there has been no real change in the polestar 2, and it’s fundamentally solid. Despite being the brand’s oldest model and still having an older setup, we don’t blame you for wanting something more traditional.

| Dimensions | Polestar 2 |
| — | — |
| Length | 4606mm |
| Width | 1859mm |
| Height | 1479mm (1473mm with Performance Pack) |
| Wheelbase | 2735mm |
| Cargo capacity | 407L (rear seats up) 1097L (rear seats folded) 43L (under-floor boot storage) 41L (under-bonnet storage) |

To see how the Polestar 2 stacks up against the competition, use our
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What’s under the bonnet?

Several different types of powertrain configurations are available across the range, but in all variants you’ll get a 41-litre storage cubby under the bonnet. There are two battery sizes, rear- or all-wheel drive depending on the trim.

| Specifications | Standard range Single motor | Long range Single motor | Long range Dual motor | Long range Dual motor Performance |
| — | — | — | — | — |
| Drivetrain | Single-motor electric | Single-motor electric | Dual-motor electric | Dual-motor electric |
| Battery | 70kWh li-ion NMC | 82kWh li-ion NMC | 82kWh li-ion NMC | 82kWh li-ion NMC |
| Peak power | 200kW | 220kW | 310kW | 350kW |
| Peak torque | 490Nm | 490Nm | 740Nm | 740Nm |
| Drive type | Rear-wheel drive | Rear-wheel drive | All-wheel drive | All-wheel drive |
| Kerb weight | 2042kg | 2081kg | 2185kg | 2182kg |
| 0-100km/h (claimed) | 6.4 seconds | 6.2 seconds | 4.5 seconds | 4.2 seconds |
| Energy consumption (claimed) | 14.9kWh/100km | 14.8kWh/100km | 15.8kWh/100km | 16.8kWh/100km |
| Claimed range (WLTP) | 554km | 659km | 596km | 568km |
| Max. AC charge rate | 11kW | 11kW | 11kW | 11kW |
| Max. DC charge rate | 180kW (10-80% 26 mins) | 205kW (10-80% 28 mins) | 205kW (10-80% 28 mins) | 205kW (10-80% 28 mins) |

A base Standard range Single motor variant swaps its 69kWh (NMC) battery from LG Chem for a 70kWh NMC unit from Chinese manufacturer CATL, bumping WLTP driving between 546km and 554km.

This is rated at 180kW rather than 135kW, and has seen a greater jump in its DC fast-charging rate (which now stands for 180kWh instead of 1 35kW). None of the other three versions have had any mechanical modifications to their .

The two hours long routes were offered for us to assess the new 2 hour-long routes that Polestar’s local launch event provided. Multiple members of the media cycle through each Polestar 2 variant, so we didn’t have time in any one car to record a representative real-world energy consumption figure.

A long-wheeled driving in the top-spec Long range Dual motor Performance equated to about 26kWh/100km of energy consumption, while more ‘normally’ in a Long variety Single motor returned an efficient figure of approximately 15kWh or 100km.

To see how the Polestar 2 stacks up against the competition, use our
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How does the Polestar 2 drive?

Again, much the same as before, which isn’t a bad thing.

There is no start/stop button, which will be a learning curve for Polestars or Teslas who don’t know about PoleStars and even Tesla. In the case of , you just hop in and put your foot on brake to wake up a car after which you can flick the gear selector to Drive and set off.

It’s easy to settle in once you are moving, and that’ll be a good way of saying ‘I am sure I can. Polestar has said it isn’t a fan of fake engine noise or other such gimmicks, so there’s no sound when I am going to be at low speed (except for whirrled electric motor) and that doesn’T really mean anything.

There’s a classy atmosphere like that for the Polestar 2 as it is. With the tech’s blitzy graphics, as well with the car’s minimalist design, it’ is so easy to adjust some settings and dial everything in your favour.

With a few thoughtful options, you are shown ‘clean menu with just. There are three levels of steering weight and regenerative braking strength, an auto-hold on/off switch, a dedicated Sport Mode button that’s it.

You can also adjust some of the safety-assist tech on a car, but there’s very little need (of course) because it’ll mostly be well-calibrated by default. The Polestar 2 is a straightforward car to adapt to, and the driver still has ‘high control’ after you’re used to the lack of buttons.

I like this regen braking, but we have the lightest steering option far too flimsy as for the driving settings. I have never been a fan of one-pedal driving. Even though Polestar’s system works very well, it was just down to disable one for the most part.

If you’re looking for a nice car to drive, the Polestar 2 is otherwise – and it’s. It’s a fair time for us to play the middling Long range Single motor, which we found is rightly fast and accurate, nimble (and even slightly fun) in our own words.

Default is good for the Polestar 2, but it’s all the more interesting because of the fact that the Long range Single motor is rear-wheel drive and so does this make its polestar 2. Throw it in a hard turning, you’ll see how the rear-end pivots but never feels unwieldy or out of control – the standard brakes are strong and Sport Mode liven things up by increasing the stability control’s intervention threshold.

A performance car (especially one that isn’t a performance vehicle) is rare, especially for an EV to behave like this. Similarly, remember this used car as front-drivers is worth recalling – some Polestar had on hand for comparison’s sake so that this rear-wheel package was all the more positive reviews.

Another beast entirely is the Long range Dual motor Performance, a that has been described as being completely different. This is the most brutal version of the Polestar 2 when it comes to acceleration, with loads of power and all-wheel drive as standard; but also the best one can do about handling things like this.

Only hlins dampers are manually adjustable, even if you have to use an spanner to adjust their 22 levels of firmness – and therefore gives a noticeable chassis upgrade over the rest of the range. While all variants are undoubtedly firm, the middle-of-the-road tune they play out of the box strikes a good balance between comfort and handling.

We were most impressed with the car’s grip levels in high-intensity driving. We never had a major traction loss, with quality rubber, giving real confidence and making this car more capable than most drivers. No problem pulling up either, thanks to good Brembo brakes.

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The steering of its is also gratifying, with good weighting in its most harshest environment. Stabilities and feedback are a good mix, and there is no hesitation in response to rapid changes of direction from .

When you’ll get from a performance EV, it’s about as full of – or even more. I would like to see how it changes with different suspension settings, but we’re still a little odd that the Polestar 2 doesn’t have adaptive damping. Another touch quieter may also be road noise as well, for example, a bit quiet.

We did not get the opportunity to fully test a car’s driver assistance gear as we touched on safety systems. The adaptive cruise and lane centring functions of its system were not working well in the faster roads on higher-speed country, with general hiccups (in both centred in its veto but maintaining constant speed around tighter bends) keeping it at an even pace.

That’s not the end of the world, so it’ll probably be better to drive on highways. But, surprisingly, we had no problem with driving attention tracking and passive-lane keeping — all of that makes this a nice EV to spend time behind the wheel in front of the car.

To see how the Polestar 2 stacks up against the competition, use our
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What do you get?

The Polestar 2 range has four variants, with four variations. As part of the 2026 update, the Plus Pack is now standard on the top-spec Long range Dual motor Performance.

2026 Polestar 2 equipment highlights:

• Single-motor or dual-motor powertrain
• 19-inch alloy wheels
• Tyre repair kit
• ‘Standard dynamic chassis’
• Automatic LED headlights
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Charcoal embossed textile upholstery
• ‘3D-Etched deco’ inlays
• Power-adjustable, heated side mirrors
• Power-adjustable front seats with lumbar and position memory
• Heated front seats
• Wireless phone charger
• 12.3-inch digital instrument display
• 11.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Built-in Google apps and services, incl:

• Google Maps
• Google Assistant
• Google Chrome Beta browser
• Spotify
• YouTube
• Waze
• Prime Video

• Wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Connected services (12 months complimentary)
• DAB+ digital radio
• 2 x front USB-C ports
• 2 x rear USB-C ports
• 8-speaker sound system
• Dual-zone climate control
• ‘Mid-level’ interior illumination
• Power tailgate

Polestar 2 Long range Dual motor Performance adds:

• Performance software upgrade (350kW)
• 20-inch Performance forged alloy wheels
• Swedish gold four-piston Brembo brake calipers
• Drilled ventilated brake discs
• ‘Polestar Engineered performance chassis’
• Öhlins manually adjustable dampers (22 settings)
• Panoramic glass roof
• LED front fog lights with cornering function
• Bio-attributed MicroTech charcoal upholstery
• Black Ash deco inlays
• Power-adjustable front seats
• 4-way power lumbar
• Driver memory
• Front cushion leg extension
• Swedish gold seatbelts
• Backrest storage nets
• Power tailgate with kick sensor
• Grocery bag holder in boot
• 13-speaker Harman Kardon sound system
• ‘High-level’ interior illumination
• Digital key

The Performance software upgrade is also available for Long range Dual motor variants without the Performance pack.

Options

Multiple option packs are available for the Polestar 2.

Performance Pack ($8980, only available with Long range Dual motor) adds:

• Performance software upgrade (350kW)
• 20-inch Performance forged alloy wheels
• Swedish gold four-piston Brembo brake calipers
• Drilled ventilated brake discs
• ‘Polestar Engineered performance chassis’
• Öhlins manually adjustable dampers (22 settings)
• Swedish gold seatbelts

Plus Pack ($4700, standard on Long range Dual motor Performance) adds:

• Panoramic glass roof
• LED front fog lights with cornering function
• Bio-attributed MicroTech charcoal upholstery
• Black Ash deco inlays
• Power-adjustable front seats
• 4-way power lumbar
• Driver memory
• Front cushion leg extension
• Backrest storage nets
• Power tailgate with kick sensor
• Grocery bag holder in boot
• 13-speaker Harman Kardon sound system
• ‘High-level’ interior illumination
• Digital key

Pro Pack ($1900) adds:

• 20-inch Pro alloy wheels in graphite
• Black seatbelts with Swedish gold striping
• Swedish gold valve caps

Climate Pack ($1500) adds:

• Energy saving heat pump
• Heated wiper nozzles
• Heated steering wheel
• Heated rear seats

Other options on the Polestar 2 include:

• Pixel adaptive LED headlights: $1600 (requires Plus Pack)
• Rear privacy glass: $500
• Bridge of Weir animal welfare-secured leather upholstery in Zinc: $4800 (requires Plus Pack)
• Bridge of Weir animal welfare-secured leather upholstery in Charcoal: $4400 (requires Plus Pack)
• 14-speaker Bowers and Wilkins sound system: $3500 (requires Plus Pack)

To see how the Polestar 2 stacks up against the competition, use our
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Is the Polestar 2 safe?

The Polestar 2 boasts a five-star ANCAP safety rating, based on testing conducted in 2021 by sister organisation Euro NCAP.

| Category | Polestar 2 |
| — | — |
| Adult occupant protection | 92 per cent |
| Child occupant protection | 87 per cent |
| Vulnerable road user protection | 80 per cent |
| Safety assist | 82 per cent |

Standard safety equipment includes:

• 8 airbags, incl:

• Front
• Side
• Inner-side
• Curtain

• Adaptive cruise control
• Autonomous emergency braking

• Vehicle, cyclist, pedestrian detection
• Steering support
• Reverse AEB

• Auto-dimming side mirrors
• Blind-spot assist
• Cross-traffic alert and assist
• Emergency stop assist
• Front, rear and side parking sensors
• ‘Indirect tyre pressure monitoring system’
• Lane-keep assist
• Pilot Assist
• Post-impact braking
• Run-off road Mitigation
• Surround-view camera
• Traffic sign recognition

To see how the Polestar 2 stacks up against the competition, use our
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How much does the Polestar 2 cost to run?

Polestar Australia defends the line under its 5-year, unlimited-kilometre vehicle warranty. It says that the brand’s Polestar 2 generally ‘doesn’t need to be serviced for up to two years or 30,000km’, although the car’ onboard diagnostics will alert the owner if servicing is required earlier.

| Servicing and Warranty | Polestar 2 |
| — | — |
| Warranty | 5 years, unlimited kilometres |
| High-voltage battery warranty | 8 years, 160,000km |
| Roadside assistance | 5 years |
| Service intervals | 24 months or 30,000km |
| Capped-price servicing | 5 years or 100,000km |
| Total capped-price service cost | $1131 |

For reference, Tesla doesn’t outline service pricing or intervals for the Model 3, and warranty durations are practically identical.

Meanwhile, BYD outlines precise 12-month or 20km service intervals for the Seal and capped service prices for 11 years. Compared for the sake of comparison, it will cost $1805, or an average of $361 per year to get Seal servicing done in the first five years.

To see how the Polestar 2 stacks up against the competition, use our
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childcareman.xyz’s Take on the Polestar 2

The Polestar 2 might be slightly different from this new update, but you could say its maker has resenibly opposed reinventing the wheel for what is an already pretty successful model.

But the Polestar 2 has been given another round of refinement to further strengthen its reputation as a more premium Model 3 alternative, with only minor improvements in tech functionality and fewer quality-of-life features. They may not be a high-capacity infotainment processor or faster base-model charging, but they’ll certainly make sense in ownership experience.

But this is particularly true for the range-opening variant, which we think will remain as the preferred option for fleet and business buyers to choose downtime due to slower charging or technical bugs. Long range Single motor is still an intelligent choice for private buyers as a .

This is not too long to adapt to its screen-heavy interior and it has a lot of dynamic character to keep you entertained on the road. It’s a niche variant and isn’t really an intelligent buy, especially given the breadth of more sensible options available across the range.’ The performance flagship may be as outrageous as it might seem to be with features packed in its own right now.

Ultimately, the Polestar 2 is still an attractive choice in the electric sedan space — and its age doesn’t seem to be holding it back too much.

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