Polestar 2 (2024) Review

The 2024 revision fixed the Polestar 2's original sin. The single motor car moved from front wheel drive to rear, the motor and battery were both improved, and the result gained roughly seventy miles of range and a great deal of poise. It was always a well sorted thing, with firm damping, honest steering and a low, planted feel that came from Volvo's chassis engineers rather than a marketing brief, and rear drive turned that into something genuinely enjoyable.

The infotainment was first in the industry to run Google's software natively, which means proper mapping in the instrument cluster and voice control that works the first time. The compromises come from a platform designed around a combustion car: the transmission tunnel is still there, the boot is small and rear space is tight. Polestar's commercial difficulties and heavy discounting have destroyed resale, which is the worst grade here and the single best reason to buy one second hand.