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Is the 2024 Polestar 2 a hatchback, a sedan, or a crossover? Depending on the angle it might suggest any of the three. By dimensions it’s a little taller than comparable electric sedans like the Tesla Model 3 or Hyundai Ioniq 6, yet a little shorter in overall height than the likes of the Tesla Model Y or Ford Mustang Mach-E. We call it a hatchback.
Yes, but the packaging is flawed. With new drive systems and a new battery pack in the lineup, the 2024 Polestar 2 is sportier than ever and ranks high on charging and range numbers. But the dated design and compromised interior space limits its TCC Rating to 8.0 out of 10. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
This is the Polestar 2’s fourth model year, and while it doesn’t look much different than previous model years, much has changed underneath.
Last year the Polestar 2 was front-wheel drive for single motor versions, while dual-motor all-wheel-drive versions provided all-wheel traction that favored the front wheels. This year all versions of the P2 lineup have been flipped around to favor the rear wheels.
All 2024 Polestar 2 versions get a permanent-magnet rear motor at the rear wheels, while dual-motor all-wheel-drive versions get an asynchronous (induction) motor at the front wheels. The drive systems behind those motors are new, too, adding up to a big boost for the single-motor version—to 299 hp and a 0-60 mph time of 5.9 seconds. Dual-motor versions make 421 hp, or 455 hp with the Performance Pack, enabling 0-60 mph times of 4.3 or 4.1 seconds, respectively.
Single-motor versions get a new, somewhat higher-capacity battery pack, rated at 82 kwh, and now achieving 320 miles of EPA range thanks to efficiency improvements. The dual-motor Polestar 2 gets up to 276 miles, or up to 247 miles in dual-motor Performance Pack form.
While last year the dual-motor car seemed to offer up the better balance to everything, our preference is now the single-motor car—for a lot of reasons that start with range and the larger battery pack but also amount to what feels like a better-balanced car in all but the most vigorous driving situations. For those buyers, there’s the Performance Pack, which is only offered in dual-motor guise anyway.
The Polestar has a squat profile that’s chiseled like a sedan in back and can look coupe-like from some angles. Polestar’s interior loads up on recycled materials and vegan upholstery, although all the hard plastics of the dash, console, and doors can counter the positives. The simplified layout includes a gauge cluster and a 11.2-inch central infotainment system powered by Google Android Automotive OS, with Google apps, navigation, music, and more all synced to the Google account of your choice, for better or worse—although it is Apple CarPlay zcompatible..
The Polestar 2 shares its platform with gasoline models, and that limits interior roominess, with the broad center console confining front passengers, short door cuts in back, and a trunk-like 14.3 cubic feet—although you can flip the seats forward for 38.7 cubic feet and there is a modest front trunk (frunk).
Crash-test safety for the Polestar 2 has been excellent, with five-star results in federal NCAP testing. Automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection and active lane control are among the active safety items included here, while adaptive cruise control is optional.
The base single motor version of the Polestar 2 costs $51,300, including the mandatory $1,400 destination charge. Dual-motor all-wheel-drive models start at $56,700. The top dual-motor Performance Pack starts at $62,200 and spices up the Polestar 2 with bright gold-colored seatbelts, Ohlins dual-flow dampers, gold four-piston front brake calipers, and 20-inch forged alloy wheels with summer performance tires—in addition to their software-enabled performance boost plus launch control.
The feature list is robust, with dual-zone climate control, heated power front seats, LED headlights, and a hands-free tailgate all included and much more—including heated rear seats, a panoramic sunroof, and a range-boosting heat pump—added with the $2,200 Plus Pack.
The Polestar 2 has a fastback shape that isn’t echoed in any gasoline model, yet it doesn’t instantly call itself out as an EV. With an exterior that strikes just the right balance between formality and flair, it earns two points to a 7 here. The interior doesn’t move the needle.
The most noteworthy new element, other than new wheel designs for 2024 across the lineup, is how Polestar has neatly packaged the active-safety and driver-assistance sensors under an integrated cover at the front, instead of a grille. A modified version of Volvo’s “Thor’s hammer” LED headlights flank that, and around to the back this hatchback might easily be mistaken for a sedan.
The interior design is as understated as the exterior, but it just doesn’t click in the same way—mostly because of the dash, doors, and center console. They’re mostly made up of hard plastic, and between the confining, cockpit-like layout elbowed-out by the center console and the chunky door panels, you’re likely to bump into the hard plastic in the process of getting in and out. Vegan upholstery and recycled mixed materials around the cabin are far better than what you’ll find in a Tesla. And taking in the look and feel of the interface, the way in which Polestar simplifies its gauge cluster and lays out its larger center touchscreen is impressive in a design sense.
The 2024 Polestar 2 feels a bit like a throwback European performance sedan, only it’s an electric hatchback, and whether with base single-motor versions or those top dual-motor performers you’ll find handling and braking—and a firm ride—that measure up to those expectations. It adds up to an 8.
Dual-motor versions signal all-wheel drive, while single-motor versions have rear-wheel drive.
Single-motor versions have a new permanent-magnet motor at the rear wheels, making 299 hp and 361 lb-ft of torque. Dual-motor versions get that same motor in back while adding an asynchronous (induction) motor at the front wheels, amounting to a combined 421 hp and 546 lb-ft of torque, or boosting it to 455 hp and the same torque rating with the Performance Pack.
Single-motor versions now accelerate to 60 mph in just 5.9 seconds. Dual-motor versions can do that dash in 4.3 seconds, and the Performance Pack version knocks it down to 4.1 seconds and feels breathtakingly quick, especially in the way it kicks out a surge of acceleration from about 20 mph well past normal freeway speeds.
The dual-motor premium of at least $5,400 ($9,900 more for the Performance Pack) makes them a tougher argument versus the single-motor versions, which offer a much better handling balance in their new rear-wheel-drive forms. While the ride is a bit stiffer (and noisier, perhaps), we actually prefer the way the base version handles for most kinds of enthusiastic driving at legal speeds. Steering feel, in particular, is better in versions without the motor in front.
Drivers can customize the way the Polestar 2 drives with three steering settings, a sport mode that partially shuts off stability control, and three regenerative braking settings, the highest of which enables one-pedal driving. In any case, the Polestar 2 has a firm, reassuring brake-pedal feel.
In addition to the power boost, the Performance Pack adds 20-inch alloy wheels wrapped in grippy Continental SportContact 6 summer tires, four-piston Brembo calipers up front, and (manually) adjustable Öhlins dampers with three settings.
The 2024 Polestar 2 is neatly designed, but it doesn’t reap the packaging benefits of going without an engine, tailpipe, or gas tank. That’s a demerit next to all the EVs today that manage to perform more magic with cabin space—although great front seats pull it back to a middlin’ 5.
Upon getting in, the first impression the Polestar 2 is likely to give is how confining this interior feels. In front, a wide and tall center console splays out in front and between the driver and passenger, separating them into a cramped cockpit-style layout. In contrast with that impression, the driving position is excellent—simultaneously low yet upright, and seat comfort and support are superb.
In back, there’s a packaging surprise, too. The exterior design of the back doors are just a tease for the sake of appearances, and the rear door cuts are much shorter—to the degree that it can get in the way of taller occupants getting in and out, or reaching child seats. Back-seat comfort leaves much to be desired, too, with hard cushions and a somewhat higher seating point. It technically seats five, but we recommend just pulling down the center armrest in back.
The 60/40-split rear seats fold down to expand the narrow 14.3 cubic feet of rear cargo space to a very spacious and usable 38.7 cubic feet, while the frunk adds another foot—enough for a daypack.
While the dash, door, and center-console materials leave much to be desired, with too much hard plastic, Polestar’s seat textiles are positive standouts. The sustainable, mixed-material approach showcases seat upholsteries that look inspired by outdoor gear, and altogether they can feel like a better version of base German-car interiors. And for 2024 it’s made some of the combinations even more visually appealing with available perforated nappa upholstery and light ash inlays.
Traditional occupant safety has always been one of the top priorities for Volvo, and this brand that follows closely on the Swedish automaker’s roots has shown plenty of signs that it’s upholding the same standards for safety.
The Polestar 2 earns a point for its five-star safety ratings, another one for its full-speed automatic emergency braking, and another one yet for the impressive expanded set of active driver aids included with the Pilot Pack. That adds up to an 8.
Despite new motors underneath and a different battery pack for some of the lineup, which makes the Polestar 2’s weight distribution quite different, the body structure isn’t any different and NHTSA has opted to carry over its top-tier crash-test results for this model. It hasn’t been tested by the IIHS.
This year, the Polestar 2 adds blind-spot monitors and a surround-view camera system—both previously part of the Plus package—as standard features. All versions also include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, active lane control, and blind-spot monitors. Adaptive cruise control and LED front fog lights and cornering lights are part of the $2,000 Pilot pack.
There are three core models in the 2024 Polestar 2 lineup—single-motor, dual-motor, and dual-motor Performance Pack. All of the models in the lineup come with Google-powered infotainment, for better or worse, plus a great list of tech-focused standard features, earning two points. A 4-year/50,000-mile warranty with three years or 30,000 miles of scheduled maintenance earns a point to a total of 8.
Standard features includes heated power front seats, LED headlights, remote start, keyless entry, satellite radio, a hands-free power tailgate, rain-sensing wipers, dual-zone climate control, and parking sensors.
The 11.2-inch touchscreen is powered by Google’s Android R operating interface, and those who live and breathe on the Android ecosystem will find it instantly familiar. The rest of us will need to do a lot of downloading of apps, although Apple CarPlay is fully supported. The entertainment offerings depend highly on a data connection and apps.
With the arrival of the Kia EV6 GT and Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, among others, top-of-the-line dual-motor Performance Pack models (see the performance section above) now have more competition. Instead, base single-motor models, at $51,300, are now the ones to get—for their satisfying performance and poise, their 320-mile range rating, and the robust list of standard features.
We’d add the $2,200 Plus Pack because it helps make the 2024 Polestar 2 feel more like a great year-round touring car. It includes upgraded power front seats with lumbar support, a glass roof, a heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, a digital-key system, and a heat pump that will help maximize range on longer trips in cold weather.
Option the $56,700 dual-motor with the $5,500 Performance Pack, the $4,000 nappa leather pack, and $1,250 metallic paint and you end up at $67,450.
Dual-motor models with the 78-kwh battery pack use 75 kwh, while single-motor models with the new 82-kwh battery pack use 79 kwh of it. Base single-motor models get a slightly larger battery pack with updated CATL prismatic cells, versus the 78-kwh battery pack’s LG pouch cells. With the larger pack helping make the most of efficiency gains and maximizing range to 320 miles, it’s now the efficiency standout of the lineup—amounting to more than 4 miles per kwh by the official numbers.
The single-motor models with the larger pack also get quicker fast-charging—up to a peak 205 kw, from the 155 kw possible from the 78-kwh pack. That drops the 10-80% road-trip charge time to 28 minutes, from the smaller pack’s 34 minutes.
Electric Hoverboard Self-Balancing In either case, the 2024 Polestar 2 gets an 11-kw onboard charger, allowing a full charge on 240 volts at home in eight hours. For slower stopgap charging, a 16-amp connector that’s 240-volt compatible is included.