Our Polestar 2 May Lowkey Be One of the Best Road-Tripping EVs

For such a sleek-looking car, the Polestar 2 got off to a bumpy start. When the handsome hatchback made its debut, it arrived with standard front-wheel drive and not enough range to fight its chief rival, the Tesla Model 3. That all changed when the 2 got its big refresh for 2024, the newest version, like our yearlong review Polestar 2, sending more to the rear wheels. While more power is always nice, the best part is the 2’s incredible EPA-estimate combined range of 320 miles, which translates to an as-tested road trip range of an incredible 329 miles based on our standardized procedure.

Not one to make concessions that will sacrifice my comfort for the sake of squeezing the most range out of a car’s battery, I’ve enjoyed having the ability to drive our long-term Polestar 2 without having to adjust many of my habits. My wife takes a lot of these road trips with me, so she’s also been relieved that we don’t have to cut off the air or throttle our cruising speed. The habits I’ve changed have been for the better, ultimately saving me time on my oft-repeated road trip between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Whereas I tended to stop twice in gasoline cars on this trip because I didn’t have to plan ahead for refueling and eating, I now plan to plug in our Polestar 2 at the closest charger to the center of the route. During that stop, I have just enough time for a meal and a restroom break before finishing the drive. How often, exactly, could I repeat that formula? That’s what I aimed to find out during the Polestar 2’s latest long-range drive.

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Better Than a Gas Car

After a couple of mixed experiences navigating California’s Central Valley in the Polestar 2, namely getting stuck waiting for a charger at the popular Electrify America location in Kettleman City, I’ve taken to leaving at the crack of dawn to ensure the quickest charging experience. The occasion for our Polestar’s latest outing was my father-in-law’s birthday, so my wife and I didn’t want to miss a moment of our planned long weekend. Hauling out of Los Angeles at 6:00 am sharp, we made good time to the midpoint in Kettleman City, which boasts a massive bank of ten Level 3 350-kW Electrify America chargers. Usually, about two stalls are out of order, so leaving early guaranteed I beat the rush.

After this uneventful journey of 179.9 miles, the Polestar 2 replenished 68.265 kWh of electricity, which amounts to 86 percent charge and 260 miles of range. This was one of my longer fast-charging stops, taking 42 minutes and costing $38. I pulled the Polestar off the charger early, even though the automaker recommends a maximum of 90 percent, since that final 5 percent tends to be slow, and I didn’t want to hold up the line that had formed since I plugged in.

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Based on prior drives, I had total confidence we could make it to my in-laws’ house in San Jose without stopping, so I hit the road and finished the drive without drama. The Polestar 2’s suspension is supple enough for comfortable highway cruising and stiff enough to make short work of California 152’s winding curves as we slithered from I-5 to U.S.-101. Upon completing the final 159.8-mile stint, the battery still had 15 percent charge remaining, which the computer estimated would allow a further 50 miles of driving.

I took advantage of the 120-volt power outlet located at the front of my in-laws’ garage to recoup some electricity over the course of our visit since we weren’t planning to do much driving over the weekend. The Polestar 2 slowly replenished 41 percent charge over 39 hours and 23 minutes. With 66 percent of charge on hand after a day and half, the Polestar 2’s dash displayed 220 miles of range available for the next leg of our grand tour, which would take us into San Francisco.

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Range Anxiety Is Over, if You Want It

The more we’ve driven our long-term Polestar 2 to new places, the less worried about range and charging we’ve been. Toward the beginning of our test, I would have wanted at least 80 percent charge before heading into a city where I’m unfamiliar with the charging network. Having now taken the Polestar 2 into Arizona and back again with range to spare, I’m cautiously confident that I can use my best judgment to plan the route.

Arriving at our hotel in the city, the Polestar 2 crushed the 60-mile drive using just 22 percent of its battery, leaving me with a whopping 44 percent remaining. With 140 miles of driving range left, I could relax and enjoy my father-in-law’s birthday without dwelling on where I’d need to charge on the drive back to Los Angeles the following day.

With over 7,000 miles on the odometer, the Polestar 2 has shown that its in-car Google Maps routing can reliably find an open charger most of the time. When we set off on our return trip, I tapped the button for my home address and let the Polestar 2 figure out where I should top off the battery before heading south. To my pleasant surprise, Google Maps found a 200-kW EVgo station in Oakland, just shy of the 2’s 205-kW peak charge rate.

Starting from 33 percent charge, which could have given me an additional 110 miles of driving range according to the Polestar 2’s estimate, the EVgo station replenished 47.962 kWh of electricity in 43 minutes. I yanked the cord at 86 percent again, because 280 miles would be plenty to get us far enough to stop for lunch. This was a cheaper charge than before, costing just $29.29.

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Dodging traffic as we headed east and then south after rush hour, the Polestar kept us entertained as we blasted classic rock over the high-quality Harman Kardon speakers, equipped as part of our car’s optional Plus pack. We were peckish as we arrived at the California-favorite Harris Ranch Resort’s Prime Steakhouse, even though the Polestar 2 didn’t necessarily need a charge just yet. Still, we figured we could turn off the charge limiter and get as much range as possible by allowing the 150-kW to keep juicing up the battery while we enjoyed a longer meal.

Plugging in at 17 percent after 168.6 miles of much hillier driving than we experienced during earlier legs of the trip, we still had about 55 miles of range left if we wanted to extend to a further charging station. There weren’t many people on the road since it was a Monday, so most of the other fast chargers at Harris Ranch were still available. I didn’t feel bad leaving the Polestar 2 alone for an hour and ten minutes as it charged up to 97 percent, bringing about a stated range of 320 miles thanks to the addition of 68.864 kWh of electricity.

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Finishing the Trip and Concluding Thoughts

Climbing over the Grapevine back into Los Angeles is always where the Polestar 2’s battery is stretched, but we still managed to round out the final portion of the road trip in a single charge. We piled on another 195.2 miles before eventually charging back home in Los Angeles, one of the longest trips recorded in our log to date. When we ultimately plugged into the 350-kW Electrify America charger in my neighborhood, the Polestar 2 was showing 8 percent charge and 27 miles remaining on the battery. Getting it back to 90 percent added 70.8311 kWh of electricity, which took a relatively quick 51 minutes considering some of the other charges we logged in this story. It wasn’t very expensive, either, costing just $33.60.

Our 2024 Polestar 2 impressed us with its overall build quality, thoughtful features, and satisfying driving dynamics. While that’s all well and good, its functionality as a long-range EV truly blew us away during this most recent excursion. It’s hard to imagine living with the 2024 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range after we had this excellent experience driving our Polestar 2 all over California.           

For More on Our Long-Term 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