2024 Polestar 2 Single Motor One-Year Test Verdict: Too Bad You Can’t Get One Anymore
The best version of the Polestar 2 existed for just one model year, and we loved our time behind the wheel.
Over nearly 15,000 miles, our long-term 2024 Polestar 2 Single Motor proved itself as a solid commuter, road-trip warrior, and grocery getter. Imagine my dismay, then, as I found out that this single-motor rear-drive model won’t be offered beyond the 2024 model year. Sure, all-wheel-drive models are still available, but those higher-performance variants don’t have the well-rounded charm of this far-driving fastback. Although the Polestar 2 isn’t a perfect EV, we have good reason to be saddened by the discontinuation of the powertrain that’s propelled us through the last year.
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What We Liked
The single-motor layout bestowed our 2024 Polestar 2 with a variety of virtues, the first of which being its 320-mile driving range. This allowed us to recharge the all-electric hatchback at a similar cadence as we would a car with an internal combustion driving around town while also keeping stops to a minimum on road-trip adventures. The Polestar 2 Single Motor is one of the few cars that has beat its EPA range rating in our testing, where we drain the battery from 100 to 5 percent charge by driving at a constant rate of 70 mph. We recorded an impressive 329 miles of real-world range in our evaluation.
Rapid charging was another of the 2024 Polestar 2’s positive attributes. Its 82-kWh battery pack (with 79 kWh usable) can recover 159 miles of range in just 15 minutes. We noticed that it would frequently attain and at times exceed its peak charge rate of 205 kW, especially when we plugged into a Level 3 charger with under 30 percent charge remaining. In fact, 30 minutes is all you need to get back 253 miles.
Charging kept the cost of ownership to a minimum, and although we had to repair some damage, the long service interval period of 20,000 miles (or two years, whichever comes first) meant we never had to go into the dealer for maintenance in the 14,444 miles we spent behind the wheel.
Most of our EV long-termers have cost us nothing to maintain. In total, we spent $1,951.72 on charging, which came out to just $0.15 per mile. Real-world efficiency is solid at 3.1 mi/kWh. That matches our long-term 2023 Tesla Model Y, though that all-electric SUV has been cheaper to charge at just $0.12 per mile. However, our long-term 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 SE RWD Long Range has beaten both the Polestar and Tesla in these metrics. We’ve recorded an average of 3.85 mi/kWh in our avant-garde sedan over the last two months at just $0.11 per mile, though we should note that car is operating in the Pacific Northwest, where charging costs are lower.
The Single Motor powertrain proved to be plenty powerful for all of our exploits in the Polestar 2. Our sporty EV felt every bit as quick as its 5.3-second 0–60-mph sprint. Accelerator response was immediate and linear until you ease off. We became fond of the Polestar 2’s well-calibrated one-pedal driving and favored its use over the available coasting mode. Steering feel, which could be adjusted to three levels of resistance, was accurate and precise, though the heaviest setting is far too aggressive for our tastes.
We found the Polestar 2’s exterior design to remain just as attractive to our eyes on the day it left as it did when it arrived. The Volvo-esque “Thor’s Hammer” headlights, smoothed-out grille, and strong beltline made a design statement that impressed our friends and family. Yes, the somewhat lifted stance is a bit unconventional, but the Polestar 2 managed to stand out from regular traffic. The animated LED taillights, connected by a lightbar running across the tailgate, contributed to the car’s overall sense of specialness that we enjoyed over the year.
As fans of Scandinavian minimalism, we appreciated the Polestar 2’s thoughtfully laid out cabin. Real wood trim and cloth accents gave a subtle upscale look to the dashboard, and its beautiful vent knobs meant we never had to fish around in a menu to adjust airflow. The powered heated seats, with Polestar’s WeaveTech upholstery, were comfortable and breathed well on long drives. Ample but unintrusive bolstering provided plenty of support on twisty roads.
The central touchscreen was easy to navigate, with its home screen displaying four primary app zones. Choosing an app would enlarge its interface to fill the whole display, which made us extra appreciative that Polestar outfits the 2 with a large, fully digital driver’s display to always keep pertinent information on hand. Google’s Assist voice commands and built-in apps eliminated the need for Apple CarPlay. The Spotify player was updated during our time with the Polestar 2, receiving a slicker-looking interface and more intuitive controls. Speaking of music, we loved the Harman Kardon sound system that came equipped as part of the Plus pack. Audio quality was full and clear.
We praised Polestar for its well-engineered cargo area throughout our prior updates, which featured a clever divider for separating and securing smaller items stowed beneath the hatch. The trunk was spacious enough to swallow the luggage of four adults for a weekend trip, especially because the underfloor cubby was deep enough to secure one or two extra small bags. The Polestar 2’s hatch had enough straps and pockets to keep single items in place, safe from sloshing around under the car’s torquey takeoffs.
It would be remiss of us not to extol our Polestar 2’s merits as a software-defined vehicle, as it can receive over-the-air updates without connecting to Wi-Fi and relies heavily on computer power to control all aspects of the vehicle’s functionality. We were able to schedule updates to download and install at convenient times, usually overnight while parked in the garage. The Polestar app, which enabled remote monitoring and interactivity, received additional capability over the course of our loan. While not as robust as Tesla’s app, Polestar’s proprietary software was easy to navigate and provided useful features for charging and tracking our test car.
What Could Improve
While we generally enjoyed the Polestar 2’s balanced handling resulting from its 49/51 split weight distribution, other aspects of its driving dynamics needed refinement. Body control was typically excellent over better-paved roads, but the chassis shuddered and jiggled over rougher surfaces. Wind noise at highway speeds was minimal, but road and tire noise was an issue when we drove over poor pavement. As good as the Polestar 2’s one-pedal driving was, mechanical and regenerative braking needs to be blended more smoothly. If we needed more than regenerative braking, stepping on the brake pedal gave way to awkward and wooden-feeling travel.
The Polestar 2 uses the same platform as the Volvo XC40, so you feel some of the constraints of its architecture in the interior packaging. Although we were generally fond of the cabin’s restrained layout, the cockpit-style space could feel a little tight at times, and there wasn’t nearly as much storage as we’d have liked due to the vestigial transmission tunnel. Additionally, the door pocket cupholders weren’t deep enough to fit taller water bottles. Another ergonomic flub we noted was the pause/play button located in the center of the volume knob, which is positioned just under the shifter. It was easy to bonk the button and accidentally pause music while resting a hand on the console.
Overall, we appreciated the Polestar 2’s more conventional approach to car design than newer all-electric competitors, but many of the limitations we’ve mentioned arose from its reliance on a platform shared with gasoline-powered cars. Future Polestar models will use dedicated EV architecture, which should open up more space in the cabin and elsewhere. As much as we loved the Polestar 2’s clever trunk layout, the shallow frunk was borderline useless for anything other than hauling the mobile charging kit. We kept the included charging cable and power supply stashed under the hood, which ate up most of the extra storage space we could have had in the front of the car. We hope future models don’t suffer from these constraints.
At face value, the Polestar 2 is a high-tech car, but certain aspects made us wish that it had the same slickness of a Tesla Model 3. Its touchscreen’s graphics look a generation old, screaming early Android rather than modern iPhone. The driver assistance tech proved itself to be useful most of the time, but we preferred to steer ourselves on the highway due to less than reliable Pilot Assist lane keeping. Polestar’s highway assist hardware performed well with distance control and deceleration, but the car tended to wander within its lane and struggled to stay on track through higher-speed bends. Finally, we had issues where the audio sound and even the turn signal sounds wouldn’t play from the infotainment system, requiring us to fully reboot the car’s telematics before we could continue driving.
The Verdict
Our test car had its imperfections, but in general it was a pleasure to drive on a daily basis. We wish we could tell you that you can buy a rear-drive Polestar 2—and should if the package appeals to you—but unfortunately Polestar discontinued this configuration as it seeks to focus on more profitable (and presumably more tariff-immune) U.S.-built models.
Our test car, which came well-equipped with the Plus and Pilot packages, was on the pricier side for a compact luxury EV. You can currently purchase a Tesla Model 3 Single Motor Long Range for $44,130, a bargain given the sedan’s strong suite of standard equipment. You have to spring for the slightly more expensive and less refined Model Y if you want a Tesla hatchback, however. A single-motor 2025 BMW i4 starts at $59,075 and exhibits better driving dynamics while retaining a hatchback design. For now, Polestar’s only compact is the 2025 Polestar 2 Long Range Dual Motor Performance, which starts at $66,200. It shares a lot of the positives of our long-term Polestar 2 Single Motor, but the value and range simply aren’t as compelling.
As such, this 2024 Polestar 2 Single Motor was an ephemeral blip in automotive history, a representation of the market’s transitory state between gasoline cars and EVs. We hope Polestar can take the lessons learned from its first-ever mass-market car and put them to work when the Polestar 4 arrives. If the automaker is able to keep bringing attractive designs to production while improving refinement, there’s a chance Polestar will stick around for years to come.
For More On Our Long-Term 2024 Polestar 2 Single Motor:
- 2024 Polestar 2 Single Motor Yearlong Review Arrival: Meet Our Far-Driving Fastback
- 2024 Polestar 2 Single Motor Yearlong Review: Long-Range Road Trip Champ?
- Our 2024 Polestar 2 Can Drive Farther Than Google Thinks
- Our Polestar 2 May Lowkey Be One of the Best Road-Tripping EVs
- How Does the Polestar 2 Electric Car's Safety Tech Stack Up?
- Repairing Our 2024 Polestar 2’s Damaged Mudflap Cost Us a Small Fortune
- Our Yearlong-Review Polestar 2 EV Faces a 1,200-Mile Road-Trip Test
- The Best Apps You Need For Your New EV: Pros and Cons
Billy Rehbock's passion for cars started with his dad's Volkswagen Jetta GLX, his mom's Cabriolet, and his own Hot Wheels collection. A USC graduate with a Master of Science in journalism, he's an associate editor for the MotorTrend Buyer's Guide and covers everything from sports cars to SUVs.
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