• Piano black center console. I rectified this with a wrap.

  

• No native Apple Music app. To be fair this is more of an Apple and Google problem than a Polestar problem. I also use Apple CarPlay most of the time so this has an easy workaround. From what I’ve been told, the Apple Music SDK for Android requires an ARM-based processor and so won’t be compatible with the Polestar 2 and its Atom processor.

• Left-side mirror seems to re-adjust itself randomly. This does not happen often (perhaps once a month?), but it does mean I have to make sure I check it on each drive.

• Limited cupholders. I usually keep an insulated water bottle in my cars, but that was not practical with the P2. The cupholder in the center console is too close and too high so I always bump anything there with my elbow. I removed the one in the armrest because I use it for storage. Instead I solved this by purchasing a small 3D-printed cupholder for the driver door pocket that lets me store a small insulated travel mug and this has been working well for me.

  

• Sun visors are just too small and don’t extend, limiting their usefulness.

• Somewhat poor efficiency. To be fair, this is mostly an issue with the 2021 model year. Later models get a heat pump that helps with efficiency in cooler weather and 2024 and newer models have more efficient motors and even turn off the front motor (on dual motors models) when cruising to further help with efficiency.

• I’d like a few more settings for the driver console. I’d love to be able to show the currently playing song there. I’d also love to see current efficiency number there. Right now it can show the cumulative efficiency number for Trip Auto, but I want to see the instance efficiency number that shows in Range Assistant.

• Related, I really would like to be able to show all efficiency numbers as mi/kWh instead of the irritating kWh/100 miles.

• I know this is a performance car, but I still would like a softer ride. Even in my non-performance model the ride is stiff and can be jarring on rougher roads, especially for rear-seat passengers. Turns out the ride was greatly improved with new tires.

• Lack of Vehicle-to-Load. It’s a shame to have an EV with a large battery and be unable to use it to help power household appliances and equipment during a power outage.

• No Utility or Pet mode. It’s more difficult than it should be to keep the car on when you are not sitting in the driver seat. I realize that holding down the Play/Pause button on the console is not that hard, but it is an awkward reach. It also only keeps the car on for 30 minutes at a time, which is not always useful.

• No wireless CarPlay. I remedied this with an Ottocast USB gadget. It works surprisingly well.

• Lack of built-in dash cam or camera access when parked. I installed FitCamX in order to have a dash cam, but it would sure be nice to be able to use the app to view the cameras while the car is parked.

• Infrequent software updates. I’ve now had my Polestar 2 for a little over a year and it’s gotten two software updates. I suppose that is better than none, but a benefit of having over-the-air (OTA) update capability is that you could actually update things more frequently. I feel like many of the things I complain about here could be addressed with software updates.

• Wireless charge pad overheats my phone. This could be due to the case I use. I have instead mounted an actual MagSafe puck there instead.

• TPMS does not actually track tire pressures. This might not be that bad as it does make it easier to get tires replaced. I check tire pressure regularly anyway.

• Lack of service centers. It’s not that I’ve needed to visit one just yet, but the closest one is 100 miles away so it will be a hassle when that time comes.

• Related, I hate that the new models of the Polestar 2 are not currently sold in the US. Because the Polestar 2 is made in China and due to the annoying US tariff situation of the past year, it was pulled from sale here just about a year ago.

2027 Polestar 2

Polestar has announced that a new Polestar 2 will be released in 2027. At this point, nothing is known about it except for a fuzzy picture showing its new headlight design.

We do not know if this new Polestar 2 will also be made in China. We do not know anything.

I still like the Polestar 2 and don’t really need to see much changed with it. Certainly the center console area could be better designed and its efficiency could be improved. But the styling still looks modern and eye-catching, even 4+ years after its debut, so they don’t need to go wild with changing that.

I’m sure they will tweak things to make it feel more like a Polestar and less like a Volvo, but I sure hope they keep its relatively small size, which is appealing to me.

And I really, really hope that they are able to bring it back to the US. After all, I’ll want some used models around when I’m ready to upgrade!

Even still, earlier this year Polestar announced an update that was a big version jump to 5.0.10 (from 3.6.4 that was released in June 2025). The major change for this version is that it upgrades the underlying Android Automotive OS from Android 12 to Android 13.

The release notes for this update first appeared on the Polestar web site in mid-March and it started rolling out in some parts of the world shortly after that. The US was not included in that initial rollout, but on April 20 reports started appearing on Reddit and Facebook that owners in the US were seeing the software update notification in their cars and in the Polestar app.

Upgrade Process

I received the software update notification late evening on April 21. I had actually gone out to the car to check if there was an update notification. When I got to the car there was no notification, so I was playing around in the infotainment and noticed that the YouTube app was not working. I restarted the infotainment, YouTube worked and then a few moments later, I got the cloud icon in the top bar and the update notification.

I told it to do the update now, got out and locked the doors. The update took about 40 minutes. I liked that the app kept me informed of its progress.

When I checked on things the next morning, everything seemed fine. The app was working properly, all my apps and icons were in the same positions and my other settings remained the same. To be honest, if it weren’t for the update complete screen, I might not have noticed an update had been applied.

I did go to settings to verify that Android itself had been updated.

Changes

The release notes are a little weird to read because they differ a bit depending on the year of your Polestar 2.

I have a 2021 model, so the changes that applied to it were:

• The operating system, Android Automotive OS, is upgraded to Android 13. This includes overall infotainment improvements and performance

• Bug fixes for the rear-view camera

• Bug fix for Range Assistant, including historical data now showing correct consumption figures in 20 km and 40 km views

  • When French is selected as system language, the Range Assistant also includes a bug fix for when the app closes automatically

  • Note: All historical consumption data will be cleared once this software has been installed

The rear-view camera is the 3rd (and hopefully final) fix for the NHTSA rear-camera recall. I had gotten a notice about another recall for this in November 2025 and this 5.0.10 is apparently the latest attempt at a software fix for it. The issue is related to the rear camera view not always appearing when the car is put in reverse, usually when first getting in the car after it has been sitting for a while. Since the infotainment can take a moment to boot if you haven’t been in the car recently, the camera would time out and display an error. Switching out and back usually cleared things up.

I personally had this camera issues once in the year or so I’ve had the car. The thinking is that Android 13 will improve this due to more granular priority settings (and general speed improvements) that will allow the camera to always be displayed. We will have to wait for reports from others to see if it addresses the issue. Initial reports seem cautiously optimistic.

The Range Assistant app displays some driving stats and its charts and data have always seemed a bit wonky to me. Here’s hoping the output in this new version is more accurate. I did confirm that my historical consumption data had been cleared.

Not noted in the release notes, but probably added in a separate iOS app update is that the location panel on the app’s front screen now shows a button to flash the lights.

Otherwise, I have not really noticed any significant changes. Considering the big version change, I would have like to seen some new features, but more about that later.

I never felt the infotainment was all that slow, and I’ve not really noticed a big change in its performance in this new version.

Since I previously had 3.6.4, there was one other update (that was not OTA) also listed on the Polestar release notes page: 4.2.13. It showed two fixes, but I had not had these issues so they may not have applied to my car:

• Bug fix for when DC-charging sometimes delivered limited max effect

• Bug fix for when the trunk courtesy light intermittently did not turn on

Problems

As with any update, problems get reported. Most of the problems that I’ve seen reported seemed to be rare and not reproducible, however there are a couple that are worth mentioning.

• The SiriusXM app no longer shows the currently playing song or the previous, play and next buttons in its home screen panel2.

• I’ve not observed this, but people have reported having reduced acceleration. According to others, this occurs when you are not wearing your seat belt. I’m not sure why you’d try to floor it when not buckled in, but a surprising number of owners have reported this on both Reddit and Facebook. Wear your seatbelt, people!

If you are having other glitches, the usual recommendations to reboot things are a good place to start.

Some of the random problems I’ve seen reported include:

• 12-volt battery being reported as low or even dead after the update.

• Infotainment stuck in a boot loop. After waiting a while this seems to have resolve itself for some.

• Changes to 1-pedal drive behavior. For some people, switching the setting to something else and then back to what it was seems to solve this.

I hope none of these strange things happen to you!

Thoughts

I’m glad to have finally received the update and that I had no significant issues with it.

I know it is too much to expect, but I’d really like to see Polestar take advantage of the update to Android 13 to perhaps start actually enhancing the infotainment with some new features. For the most part, recent updates have only been to fix bugs. I’m all for bug fixes, but they could also try throwing us a bone once in a while.

Now I’m not saying Polestar 2 needs to have a Tesla-level of weird features and settings, but a few things would be nice. Here’s my short wish list:

• Provide a way to display efficiency as mi/kWh.

• Optionally display the currently playing song in the driver console area. Even my lowly Ioniq could do that!

• Pet mode or utility mode. I really want an easier way to keep the car on for longer once I leave the driver seat. Having to press the Play button to get an extra 30 minutes is weird, awkward and finicky. I’d rather just go to something in the menu to turn on a utility mode that keeps everything running for a selectable period of time.

• Use the outside speakers to play audio when parked.

• I don’t know if Android Auto supports this, or if it is just a Polestar design decision, but it would be really nice to have a split-screen view to show two apps at once on the infotainment. For example, 1/2 screen CarPlay and 1/2 screen Range Assistant would be cool.

• I’d like to see some better driving stats in the car. Perhaps Range Assistant could gather more detailed information, with the ability to export it. Right now you can export some data from Journey Log, but that app does not display it well either. Perhaps even show these improved stats in the phone app.

All of these things are clearly possible and probably not too difficult. I would be great if Polestar was able to take a little time to improve things like this.

How did the 5.0.10 update go for you? What features would you like to see?

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In fact, most data suggest battery degradation is about 1-2% per year for the first few years and then starts to level off after that.

So how can you actually tell the battery state of health (SoH) for your car? You certainly cannot tell by looking at the estimated range. After all, it is just an estimate and depending on the setting you have, either just shows a range based on the battery percentage (Standard) or based on driving habits and outside temperatures (Dynamic). In the Polestar 2 you can change between these two settings using the Range Assistant app. I prefer Dynamic.

To get the actual SoH, you need to ask the car. Unfortunately, the Polestar 2 does not provide this information anywhere in its infotainment. You’ll need to take it to a Polestar dealer to have them generate a report for you with the Battery State of Health. The report does have these disclaimers:

Definition of State of Health:

The battery state of health is the available cyclable capacity at 25°C compared to the nominal capacity at beginning of life. The calculated battery state of health is based on the measured value of the battery’s cyclable capacity and the expected degradation trend. The usage pattern of the battery affects the cyclable capacity.

Disclaimer:

The provided value of the battery’s state of health (SOH is based on data-driven estimates in the vehicle and the expected degredation trend. Estimations in the vehicle depend on the past usage pattern of the battery and other factors. The accuracy of the given value is expected to be within +/-3% SOH for batteries with above 90% SOH and +7-5% SOH deviation for batteries with less than 90% SOH. The estimated battery state of health is not a prediction or guarantee of future battery health and the battery health will degrade over time.

Battery health and the rate of degradation can be affected by many factors, including but not limited to outside temperatures and charging habits. For information on managing battery health and performance, please see the owner’s manual.

I have no idea what “cyclable capacity” is supposed to mean, but there is a way for you to get a SoH number directly from the car’s internal computer.

Before we get too far along, I want to point out that although you can read the value from the car itself, this value may not be 100% accurate.

The Polestar 2 uses a NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) lithium-ion battery. Ideally you want to “calibrate” the battery before reading its SoH value and that is time-consuming task. Best practice is to charge it to 100%, run the battery low (5-10%), let it rest for 1-5 hours and then charge it to 100% without interruption.

I recently took a trip to Salem, MA and back (for an EV Show) that took my battery from 100% down to 9%. I then let it sit for about 4 hours and charged it up overnight to 100% and read the SoH value. The only deviation in this process from the what Polestar recommends is that I did not have temps anywhere near 25C (77F). It was more like 7C (46F).

For my 2021 Polestar 2, that has been in use for about 4.5 years and has about 36000 miles, the battery SoH showed 93%.

Doing a little math on that:

4.5 years * 2% degradation per year = 0.09 (9%) degradation

4.5 * 1% = 0.045 (4.5%) degradation

Based on the 1-2% degredation per year estimates, my Polestar 2 would be expected to fall between 95.5% and 91%. At 93%, it is comfortably in that range.

Before doing this calibration, my battery SoH was reported as 92.47%. That’s not a big difference compared to the calibrated result, but as they say “results vary”. I’ll probably try doing this again in the summer when the temps are warmer to see if anything changes.

How to Read Your Battery State of Health

With that preamble out of the way, here’s how you can read the battery SoH yourself.

It is done using the OBD-II port that is on the left side of the driver footwell. You’ll need to purchase an OBD-II reader and there are a lot to choose from. I’m using the Vgate iCar Pro adapter, which is a tiny OBD-II reader that plugs into the port and transmits data to a phone app using Bluetooth LE. I bought mine for about $30 on Amazon.

Exact model: Vgate iCar Pro Bluetooth 4.0 (BLE) OBD2 Fault Code Reader OBDII Code Scanner Car Check Engine Light for iOS/Android

For the phone app, I am using Car scanner ELM OBD2 on my iPhone. The free version also works, although it has ads and won’t show as much data when used with CarPlay. The paid version is only $8, so totally worth it.

The device can connect to the app using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth MFi and Bluetooth LE, but I’ve only been able to get it to work using Bluetooth LE.

After you connect you’ll want to go to settings and choose the Connection profile. Polestar is in the list, and once selected is shows as “Polestar XC40 EV/C40 EV E400V2/E400V5/E400V6 2020- / Polestar 2”.

For things to properly connect, you will also need to be sitting in the driver seat and have the car in Drive. It won’t be able to read data with the car in Park. This also means that you can’t have your Polestar plugged in.

Once connected you can use the app to view all kinds of settings. The app does not have the nicest UI, but it is functional.

However, one really nice thing about the app is that is works with Apple CarPlay. The UI in CarPlay is larger and easier to read. Plus you can drive around with it connected to the OBD-II reader to see stats as you drive.

There’s even a screen that can show you some launch times to common speeds, which is fun.

(Only do this in safe conditions, of course.)

What is your Polestar 2 battery SoH?

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Salem, Massachusetts is about a 100 mile drive and with the show scheduled to start at 1pm, I left around 10:15am, arriving there right around noon.

I checked in and got my “packet”, which had a name tag that unfortunately said “Chevy Equinox” on it instead of “Polestar 2”. I scratched it out with the pencil I keep in the pen clip in the glove box.

There were designated spots assigned to people and their cars, but from what I could tell plenty of people were not in their spots, probably due to “best laid plans” and all that.

The weather started off sunny and reasonably comfortable for mid-April in New England. But as the afternoon progressed, the wind picked up and the clouds came in, noticeably dropping the temps. I’m a Mainer so was prepared for wild April weather fluctuations and had a variety of coats, hats and gloves to handle whatever Mother Nature had up her sleeve.

At the beginning of the show I talked with Corbin, The Ioniq Guy, for a little while. I met him at last year’s show and it was good to chat with him again. He had his 2025 Ioniq 5 there and it was being used to help power some equipment for one of the food vendors.

While we were talking, Jesse from Green Wave EV came over to chat as well. Both the Ioniq Guy and Green Wave EV were show sponsors, so many thanks to them!

It was also great to hear from Jesse that used EV sales have been heating up the last couple months. After all, used EVs are one of the best ways to get into the EV world!

I spent a fair amount of time with my Polestar 2 answering questions about it and EVs in general. The Polestar 2 is certainly a “looker” and people loved to check it out, especially since it is not a commonly seen EV.

EV Showcase

Here’s a brief recap of some of the other EVs that I visited and talked to their owners about. Unfortunately, I didn’t get everyone’s name and certainly didn’t get to look at everything there.

Lucid Air

My neighbor at the show was Rich with his lovely Lucid Air.

The Air is a gorgeous car and that trunk opening is wild. There’s a ton of room in there and the front trunk is also huge (I’m pretty sure I could have curled up and taken a nap in it). The car itself is luxurious, comfortable and spacious. I really liked it and the only negative I had about it was that it was rather long, about 15 inches longer than my Polestar 2. Even Rich said that it can be a bit tricky to park on the street in downtown Salem.

BMW i3

I love the original BMW i3 and when I saw one was at the show, I had to get a closer look at it. This is a small car with quirky, unique styling. It’s carbon fiber! This version has the range extender (REx) engine in the back that works as a small generator to charge the battery and increase the effective range.

I didn’t catch the owner’s name, but we did talk a bit about the innovative things in the i3 and how it really didn’t appeal to BMW owners. It’s an unBMW!

I did consider an i3 for a short while when I first started looking at EVs. Its design appeals to me, but it being rear-wheel drive only, didn’t make it a great option for Maine. The range was also less than I wanted.

This would make a wonderful city car, and I still kind of want one!

Ioniq 5

I do love the funky design of the Ioniq 5. It’s angles and shapes are unique and cool, at least to me. Unfortunately, it’s bigger than I want, but I like everything else about it. There is a ton of room, controls are nicely done and it has colors that I like.

The owner of this 2025 Ioniq 5 Limited had driven it on a road trip from Rhode Island to Ohio and had some printouts of the route they took with charging stops. It was really interesting to hear his story.

He mentioned that even though the 2025 Ioniq has the NACS plug, he almost never uses Tesla Superchargers because the Ioniq charges slower at them due to the mismatch between the Ioniq’s 800 volt design and the Tesla Superchargers lower voltage specs.

Rivian R1S and Chevy Equinox

The Rivian R1S was huge! The owner said he had reserved the smaller R2 and will likely switch to it when it is available.

Next to the Rivian was a Chevy Equinox. This was an all-black model and looked kind of mean! It actually didn’t seem too big to me and the design was pleasant. I’m not surprised this has been such a popular vehicle for Chevy.

Other Notes

I didn’t count, but there were somewhere between 20 and 30 EVs at the show. Strangely, the assigned parking chart made it look like there would be a lot more EVs there, but I guess some people that had signed up didn’t bother to show up.

In addition to EVs, there were also people showing electric bikes, unicycles, lawn mowers and stuff.

There were certainly more visitors than last year’s show (which had terrible weather), but I’d love there to have been more. I think things dwindled down a bit once the weather cooled off.

Salem has done this EV show for several years now and I hope it continues. Maybe someday we’ll get a warm April day, though!

Polestar 2 Drive Stats

This drive to Salem was the longest single trip I’ve made without charging. It came out to 193.4 miles.

I left with 100% charge and I arrived back at home with 9% charge and 23 miles remaining. Both of those are the lowest I’ve gotten my Polestar 2 down to.

At 9% everything still drove normally. There was no “turtle mode” yet.

The drive was nearly all highway and I set the ACC to the speed limit, keeping speeds between 60 and 70mph. On the drive back I mostly kept things at 65mph. The Polestar 2 gets noticeably better efficiency at slower speeds.

The end result was 33.2kWh/100mi, which comes out to 3.01mi/kWh. That is amazingly good, especially for a cool April day with temps between 45-50F and some wind.

With those numbers, that gives a maximum range of about 225 miles, which is darn close to the 233 mile EPA rating. In the summer, I will be able to easily beat that!

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But after a year and about 10,500 miles, the tires had reached about 3/32” tread depth and were ready for replacement at nearly 36,000 miles. I know people like to complain about EVs wearing out tires quickly, but I think that 36K miles on the original tires is pretty good. My 2016 Corolla wore through its original tires in fewer miles.

I knew tires were in the cards for early this year, so I had been researching replacements. You might think that I should get EV tires for an EV, but that is just not necessary. Sure, EV tires will likely be more efficient and improve range, but you will almost certainly get worse performance and traction.

I live in Maine and we do get our fair amount of terrible winter driving conditions with cold, snow, ice and slush. After reading and watching reviews at Tire Rack and TyreReviews, I decided that I didn’t want to get another set of Pilot Sport tires and instead wanted an all-weather tire.

My Polestar 2 was originally from the New Jersey area, which made more sense for the Michelin Pilot Sport All-Season 4 tires, but those tires really did not behave well in any sort of snow. It turns out for Maine, an all-weather (3PMSF, 3-peak mountain snowflake) tire is more appropriate than an all-season tire.

Although you might think the names mean the same thing, an all-weather tire is better rated for snow conditions, whereas an all-season tire is probably best for areas that can get cold, but don’t really see much, if any, snow.

To be fair, I work from home so I don’t usually need to head out in the snow, but you never know and I really wanted something that would give me confidence if I did have to do so.

We had previously put Michelin CrossClimate 2 tires on my wife’s RAV4 (and that Corolla), and although they are great tires and very popular I didn’t really want them on my Polestar 2.

I had a few reasons and one was just vanity: I didn’t like the way they looked with their odd tread pattern. The tires are also rather pricey and I was concerned about noise.

After watching and reading more reviews I decided to get the Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive tires. These all-weather tires had really good general-purpose performance, but also worked well in the snow. By all accounts, they are not as good as the CrossClimate 2 in the snow, but I felt that their performance in wet/dry and general quietness were worth that tradeoff.

At the end of March I ordered a set of these Pirelli’s from a local tire shop (Sullivan Tire). The tires were $290 each with a $100 discount when buying four, getting them down to $265. That’s a better price than Tire Rack so I can’t complain! (The CrossClimate2 were $318 each, over $200 more for all four.)

One thing that is unusual about Polestar 2 is that the wheels in the back are wider than the ones in the front. I had to give the shop specific instructions to make sure they put the wheels back in the same positions. I even marked them with some white duct tape so I could verify afterwards!

Sullivan Tire did a great job, installing the tires in about two hours. They also checked the alignment and did do a slight alignment to the front passenger wheel, which they did for free!

I did check and adjust the tire pressures at home (after giving them a chance to cool). I did need a few pounds of pressure in three of the tires to get them up to spec.

The next day I did get a tire pressure warning in the driver console, but I went to the Car Status screen in the infotainment to Store Pressures and that quickly went away.

I think the tires look pretty great:

And here’s a closeup:

After putting about 100 or so miles on these tires, there are several things I really like about them.

First, is that they have dramatically improved the ride. I always felt my Polestar 2 had a rather stiff ride, even though I don’t have the Performance Pack. I just figured that was the way this drove, being a sports sedan. Well, with these tires things have softened dramatically. The ride is so much more comfortable. The Michelin tires would crash and bang over bumps and potholes, but these Pirelli tires are smooth and quiet.

And speaking of quiet, they are also seem quieter in general with less road noise.

And lastly, they seem to have tighter handling. Steering feels more responsive with them.

Certainly a lot of these things could be just because they are newer and have more tread on them than the Michelin’s had from 25K-36K, so I guess we will see as I put more miles on them. But so far, I am incredibly pleased.

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As I am writing this my Polestar 2 is at 36098 miles. When I bought it, it had about 25500 miles. So in one year I’ve put over 10,000 miles on it. That’s a lot for me! In fact, it is the most miles I’ve driven any car in a year. I work from home, so don’t have a commute that puts on miles. Instead, I’ve accumulated these miles because I just like driving it everywhere!

I don’t take it on long road trips, I just drive it regularly. My longest trips with it, that I have done several times, have been to Boston and Bangor, both in the 200 to 240 mile round-trip range.

Styling

I still get a smile on my face every time I walk up to the car. Its styling is a perfect blend of muscular aggressiveness combined with a compact sedan. The Polestar 2 really is a mean-looking sports sedan.

Technically the Polestar 2 is a liftback, which I (and my dog) do greatly appreciate. But from the outside, it just looks like a sedan.

I also love that it sits just a little higher than a regular sedan. That’s made it slightly easier for people to get in/out of it and it does improve visibility when driving. Having sat in a Tesla Model 3 several times, it always surprises me how low you are in it.

The Thunder color always looks stunning.

Favorite Things

The acceleration and handling are definitely favorites. This car drives like it is on rails and can go from zero to illegal very quickly.

I absolutely love the Harman/Kardon audio system. It has the perfect amount of bass for me, but also sounds crystal-clear. I often sit in the car in the garage to listen to tunes when I need some metal therapy.

The seats are incredibly comfortable. They are nice and firm with great lumbar support.

The headlights do a wonderful job of lighting the road and I appreciate the extra “turn lights” that illuminate when taking corners.

These Things Could Be Better

The efficiency of the Polestar 2, at least my 2021 Launch Edition, is not great. Newer models are more efficient so I can’t complain too much, but the relatively poor efficiency means that its range also suffers. I keep a spreadsheet of a variety of trips and the worst efficiency I’ve seen is 45 kWh/ 100 mi (2.22 mi/kWh) and the best I’ve seen is 25.1 kWh / 100 mi (3.98 mi/kWh).

On this recent 98 mile trip, you can see I got 37.5 kWh/100mi, which is 2.67mi/kWh. The temp was on the cold side, however.

There is too much black plastic on the steering wheel controls. I wrapped the area around the shifter to cover its excessive black plastic.

Front-seat storage is minimal. This mostly works for me as I don’t tend to keep junk in my car, but things can get tight quickly when it’s more than just me in there. I bought some 3D printed cupholders for the door pockets and a small shelf for the center console below the infotainment, which helps somewhat.

I do have to reboot the infotainment system somewhat regularly, although not super-often. I’d guess I reboot it about three or four times a month. I’ve had the audio go out once in the year I’ve had it, which is a complaint I have seen online, but a reboot fixed that.

I really think Polestar should be updating the car’s software more often. My friends with Teslas get monthly updates. My Polestar 2 has only gotten one update in the year I’ve had it, although the v5 update is expected soon-ish. It has been starting to appear in Europe and Australia, but so far not in the U.S.

I’d like more settings for some things. In particular, I’d like to be able to show the currently playing song in the driver console. I’d also like to see efficiency as mi/kWh instead of kWh/100 miles. It would also be great to see more driving stats in the infotainment. Right now I have to export data from the Journey Log app and import it into another tool to get stats.

Battery Degradation

Checking the car’s settings with an OBD-II reader, my Polestar 2 reports its battery state of health (SoH) as 92.46%. Take this with a grain of salt as I don’t know how accurate that value is. I’ve heard that it is best to “calibrate” things to get the most accurate number, but that requires getting the car down to 0% and then charging it up to 100%, which I really don’t want to bother with.

If this number is accurate, I think that is a reasonable amount of degradation. I’ll probably be checking it periodically to make sure it doesn’t start changing drastically.

Issues

• A low coolant message appeared shortly after I got the car when taking a corner aggressively. When I checked the coolant level, it was exactly at the minimum level. I bought some coolant and topped it off to be between minimum and maximum and the message has not reappeared.

• An SRS (air bag) light turned on in the dash in June. This turned out to had been caused by a connector under the passenger seat that got jiggled loose when my wife stuffed her purse under there. The light has not come on since I fixed it.

• I changed the cabin air filter in December. It was filthy. I suspect it was never changed by the dealer I bought it from.

• The large key FOBs started behaving unreliably. I replaced the CR2032 batteries in them in early January and have not had a problem since.

• I originally had trouble getting the phone app and phone as key (PAK) working. It wasn’t until after the 3.6.4 update in June, when I did another full factory reset of the car that everything started working. I’ve not had any problems with either since then.

• At times there is a slight clicking/ticking noise that can be heard from the climate vents in the front dash. This is typically only after first getting in the car when it is starting things up. It’s always done this and I presumed it was just a normal Polestar 2 sound, but I’ve since learned that it is possible it could be an indicator that the internal actuators that control the climate vents could perhaps be starting to fail or that perhaps a gear tooth on an actuator could be broken. This has not been a frequent enough problem to worry about, but fixing it will require a visit to the service center.

• My wife has said, while sitting in the back seat, that she has heard some faint clicking when the car is slowing down when I’m using regenerative braking. This is likely the telltale “wheel of fortune” axle clicking that many Polestar 2 owners complain about and that is addressed by replacing the axles. Apparently this is just an annoying sound and not dangerous, so I’m not likely to worry about it. I’ve never heard it myself while driving, even with the windows down.

Concerns

My Polestar 2 is now out of its bumper-to-bumper warranty. The battery warranty remains in effect. Without the B2B warranty, fixing things could quickly get expensive.

The closest and only practical service center I can go to is in Boston, about 100 miles from me. EVs generally don’t need much regular maintenance, but when something goes wrong it is stressful to not have a nearby service center. Polestar really needs to step up their service situation here in the US. I’d love it if Volvo dealers could become Polestar-certified, at least for the Polestar 2 since it shares so many components with the EX40 Recharge.

Summary

Would I buy another Polestar 2? Yes, in a heartbeat! I really hope that Polestar is going to be able to bring the Polestar 2 back to the US market next year with the 2027 update. But if they don’t, I suspect I’ll end up looking for a used 2024 or 2025 model when I decide my time with this Polestar 2 is up.

If you’re looking to get your own Polestar 2, you might find my Used Polestar 2 Buying Guide helpful.

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I’ve been driving an EV for over two years now. My decision to get an EV was sudden and perhaps a little bit accidental, but the only thing I regret is that I didn’t do it sooner.

Here are are three things you should know to make it easy to jump into the EV world.

How will you charge?

Charging is not complicated, but it is different than filling a gas tank. In fact, many people often think it will be the same as getting gas, just slower.

But the reality is that if you can charge at home, it will be much different than you are used to and also significantly easier.

If you can charge at home (or work), even using just a regular 110-volt outlet, then your EV experience will be a breeze. And if you have access to a 240-volt charger, you’ll mostly never worry about charging at all.

If you cannot charge at home or work, you’ll have to rely on public DC fast chargers. This is actually more like filling a gas tank: you’ll have to drive somewhere to charge and wait. This type of charging is also more expensive, although it is still less than gasoline costs these days.

Any of these options can work, but it is worth thinking about before you purchase your first EV.

If you own your own home, getting a 240-volt charger installed in the the garage is often worth the initial investment, which ranges about $500 to $2000.

How many miles do you typically drive?

The number of miles you drive each day is also highly relevant. The average driver only drives about 30 to 40 miles a day, which is actually not much.

If you also only drive a low number of miles each day, then any charging method will work just fine for you. However, if you drive many more miles per day then you may want to ensure you have easy access to 240-volt charging.

These days, EVs have ranges of about 150 to 350 miles, depending on weather and other factors. Unless you have a regular round-trips that are more than your EVs range, you generally won’t have much to worry about.

Used or new?

Many people often think that EVs are just too expensive. I used to think so as well. However that is far less true today than it has been.

In particular, new EVs are becoming much closer in price to their gas counterparts. And if you factor in the reduced maintenance costs, they can even cost less.

EVs still have significant depreciation and that is something to consider. If you want a new EV you will often find that leasing is a better choice, unless you intend to keep your vehicle for five years or more.

But don’t sleep on another overlooked option: a used EV. Because many people lease EVs and turn them in for newer models, you can get lightly used EVs at great prices.

And because EVs need little maintenance there is also far less risk than buying a gas car which may not have had its required service done properly. I often hear from people worrying about the battery in an EV failing, but recent studies have shown that EV batteries are expected to outlast the vehicle itself. Plus, EV batteries are warrantied for at least 8 years and 100,000 miles (in the US) so much of the warranty is still applicable even to used EVs.

It can sometimes be tricky to find good used EVs, but that is getting easier with EV-only used dealers such as Green Wave, Eco Auto and EV Auto. Of these, Green Wave has the best selection of non-Tesla EVs.

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If you’re in northern New England, I’ll be displaying my Polestar 2 at a couple upcoming EV shows:

• March 28: Drive Electric Earth Month EV Expo

• April 12: Salem Kicks Gas: A North Shore Electric Vehicle Expo

Once summer gets closer, schedules for other car shows should start appearing. I look forward to getting my car all shined up for these shows!

I want more of this:

And less of this:

Related

Tire Inflator

It’s important to have properly inflated tires on any car for safety, but with an EV it also helps get you your best efficiency. I keep a small, battery-powered tire inflator in the frunk. It doubles as a phone battery back, although I haven’t had to use it for that.

You should always check your tire pressure when the seasons change at a minimum, but even when there has been large temperatures swings. In particular, tire pressure can drop when air temps drop and lower pressure reduces efficiency and if it is dangerously low, it runs the risk of overheating the tire and causing a blowout.

Tire Repair Kit

Most EVs do not come with a spare tire. This is to save weight and space. If you don’t have some sort of road-side assistance, such as AAA, then you might want to think about getting it. But you can also keep a tire repair kit in the car as well. New EVs will come with this, but a used EV might not. A tire repair kit can vary, but typically has a bunch of “plugs” that you can use to patch up a leak. These kits do not provide a way to permanently repair a tire, but are designs to stop a leak enough so you can get to a tire shop to have the tire properly inspected and then repaired or replaced.

Charging Adapters

For the most part, EVs use the CCS fast charging standard, but more and more EVs are also able to charge at Tesla Superchargers. However, to do so, you’ll need an adapter to go from CCS to the Tesla NACS plug.

I use the A2Z Typhoon Pro adapter, which is kept handy in the frunk.

Portable Charger

A portable charger is a cable that you can use to plug into an AC outlet. I have a ChargePoint level 2 charger installed in my garage, so that is what I use to charge at home.

But most EVs also come with their own “portable charger” that can be used with a standard household outlet. My Ioniq had a simple one that could charge (slowly) at a standard 110-volt outlet. My Polestar 2 came with a fancier one that could also work with a 240-volt outlet.

I’ve never used my portable charger, but I keep it in the frunk. If I were visiting someone for more than a day, this charger could perhaps be used with an outlet in a garage to provide a little extra juice. It’s also handy to have for emergencies when you need a little extra power and can sometimes be used in parking garages or with outlets on light poles.

If your car didn’t come with one or no longer had one, you can pick up one anywhere. You don’t need one specific for your EV. It just has to match the plug (J-1772 or NACS).

Portable Vacuum

I’ve always been a bit of a neat freak when it comes to my cars. I like to keep the clean and one of my favorite things I purchased in the past year is a small, portable, battery-powered vacuum (a Fantik). I keep this in the back hatch area in the side pocket and can grab it to vacuum up dirt and dog hair in a snap. This my favorite!

Power Converter

An EV has a giant battery and sometimes you might want to take advantage of it for other things. My Polestar does not have Vehicle-to-Load (like Ioniqs), so it doesn’t have much in the way of power output. It has some lower power USB ports in the cabin and a single 12-volt (150 watt) outlet in the hatch area.

I have a small 150 watt power inverter that connects to the 12-volt plug in the back and gives me a standard outlet for small electronics plus a couple more USB ports.

Portable Jump Battery

My most recently added gadget is a jump battery. This are designed to charge the 12-volt car battery and can also provide a jump start to a gas car.

In the case of an EV, they are useful because the 12-volt battery is incredibly important and if it loses it charge, the car won’t work at all, even if its main battery is 100% charged.

With this little guy, I can let it charge the 12-volt back up so that the EV can start and then do its thing to charge the 12-volt back up. Because a gas car relies on the 12-volt battery to crank the engine, you start to notice when it gets weak: it’ll take extra cranks to start. But with an EV, you don’t often get much warning that the 12-volt battery is about to die, so having this in the car could save you from getting stranded.

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There are no affiliate links in this post, but I do have to throw out that you can purchase some Polestar-themed merch to help support Current Notes. We’ve got some hats and t-shirts you might like. Check them out in the Shop.

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More Generally Useful Things

Those are the primary EV-specific things I keep in my car. Of course, there are plenty of other things I have on hand that everyone should keep in their vehicle, regardless of whether or not it is an EV.

Here’s a quick list:

• Blanket

• Shopping bags

• Doggie bags (even if you don’t have a dog, these can be handy)

• Doggie treats (always give dogs treats)

• Water bottle

• Tissues

• Glass cleaning cloth (those big infotainment displays get lots of fingerprints)

• Hat

• Gloves

• Flashlight

• Tire gauge

• Snow brush / ice scraper

• Cleaning wipes (keep that backup camera lens clean in the winter)

• Small shovel

• Towel

• Small toolkit

• Window breaker

• AAA card

A little over a week ago, Polestar held a Strategy Update where they talked about their plans for the coming years. In that meeting they announced four new cars in the next three years: Polestar 5 halo car, a Polestar 4 wagon, the Polestar 7 small SUV and an updated Polestar 2 that is expected in 2027.

The new Polestar 2 is what interested me the most and 2027 is only a year away. Exciting! In the Strategy Update, Polestar only showed a sneak peak that indicates this new Polestar 2 will have the new signature Polestar split “blade” headlights instead of the previous “Thor’s hammer” headlight (which are really more of a Volvo thing at this point).

There have been lots of articles being posted since then that speculated what this all meant.

Today, Auto Express, a UK automotive site related to Carwow, posted an article called “New Polestar 2 to lose SUV looks and embrace its sporty saloon side“.

For us Yanks, a saloon is a sedan.

The most interesting thing about the article is an “exclusive image” of this new Polestar 2. This is a small thumbnail, go visit Auto Express to see the full image.

To be clear, this is not a spy photo or anything real. It is simply an AI photo of what Auto Express thinks the new Polestar 2 might look like.

To me it looks like the front end of a Polestar 4 glommed onto an existing Polestar 2, with some fancy wheels. I think it looks nice enough, but it’s just an AI guess so don’t get too attached to it.

Many outstanding questions about the new Polestar 2 remain and likely won’t be answered until next year.

• Will it still be a hatchback/liftback?

• Will it remain the same size or get longer?

• Will it have a vertical or horizontal infotainment screen?

• Will it be available in the US and Canada?

There is one rumor that the car could be up to 30cm longer (that’s about a foot), which would not thrill me. I like the relatively compact size of the current Polestar 2 and don’t want a car that is as long as an Ioniq 6 or BMW i4.

Otherwise, no one really knows anything about the new Polestar 2 and won’t for some time. I’m just happy to know a new one is on the way and am keeping my fingers crossed that it can make it over to the US.

In the meantime, it would be great if Polestar could improve their service situation in the US. During the Strategy Update, CEO Michael Lohscheller hyped up Polestar’s great service, with 1200 service points, but that is definitely a European thing. The service situation in the US is rather dire where there are only about 30 service points.

If you’re curious, you can watch the full Strategy Update below. It’s about 30 minutes.

Current Notes Merch

You can now purchase some Polestar-themed merch to help support Current Notes. We’ve got some hats and t-shirts you might like. Check them out in the Shop.

Current Notes Shop

Obviously EVs are very polarizing right now, especially in the US. But the reality is that EVs are a great option for many people, even if they’ve perhaps been misled to think otherwise. Don’t discount an EV just because you’ve been driving a gas vehicle your entire life!

Myth: EVs Don’t Have Enough Range

Enough for what? EVs made in the last 6 years or so typically have ranges from about 220 to 400 miles. A gas car may have a range of about 350 to 500 miles.

So yes, a gas vehicle will almost always have more range on a full tank of gas than an EV will have on a full charge. But unless you actually plan to use that entire range in a single trip, it just won’t matter most of the time.

You might fill up the tank of a gas vehicle once or twice a week, waiting outside (maybe in the cold or rain), but with an EV you instead can just plug it in at home each night and the next day it’ll be “full”. Every time you leave your house, you effectively have a full tank. This change is behavior is really nice once you get used to it.

For long road trips that exceed the range of the EV, then you will have to stop at charging stations along the way. Depending on where you live, this can be super-easy because they are readily available or impractical because they are too few. Use something like A Better Route Planner to see if there are enough chargers to support the trip you want to do.

For what it’s worth, I personally know many people that have driven EVs from New York to Florida and the trip was little different than with a gas car.

Myth: EVs Are Worthless in the Winter

EVs does lose range in the winter. That is a fact that is often greatly exaggerated with claims of 50% range loss, vehicles not charging and other silliness.

Yes, EVs do lose range as temperatures drop, just as a gas vehicle does. You’re usually looking at 20-30% drops when the temps get below freezing. That is certainly noticeable, but it is not often all that important, especially if you are able to charge at home or work.

Although the range drop is real, you can’t bring that up without also mentioning the significant advantages that EVs have in the winter, which includes:

• Pre-heat in the garage or anywhere

• Warms up much more quickly (less than a minute)

• Generally better traction in snow due to low center-of-gravity

Myth: Charging Is Too Difficult and Takes Too Long

If you are able to charge at home or work, then you won’t think about charging. You’ll just plug in when you get out and the car will be “full” again when you leave. It may take the car a while to charge, but you won’t notice or care because you’re doing something else. You will definitely appreciate not having to ever go to a gas station again, however.

If you are on a road trip, you will have to stop at DC fast chargers. These charge an EV relatively quickly, but certainly slower than a gas fill-up. However, most EV stops are going to be in the 15 to 30 minute range, which often is pretty close to the time it takes to hit the restroom, grab a snack and stretch your legs.

Unless you’re trying to power through a several hundred mile road trip in as little time as possible, you won’t care much about these extra breaks.

And if this really matters to you, then consider an EV with longer range and rapid DC fast charge times. An EV with a 800-volt design (such as the Ioniq line, but there are others) can charge up in about 18 minutes!

Myth: EVs are Too Expensive

This is still true to some extent, especially in the early days when batteries were expensive, but EVs are now closer to gas car prices than they have ever been. And some manufacturers are releasing less expensive models such as the Chevy Bolt, Nissan Leaf, Ford Maverick, Slate truck and more.

EVs have far fewer mechanical parts and once they reach critical adoption will become much less expensive to manufacture than any gas vehicle.

And used EVs are typically much, much cheaper than an equivalent gas car. In general, used EVs are a tremendous bargain and a great way to dip your tow into the EV world.

Myth: EVs Wear Out Tires Quickly

This is usually brought up alongside something about EVs being incredibly heavy and thus wear out tires quickly. This just isn’t true. EVs are often slightly heavier than an equivalent gas car, but it’s not like they are twice as heavy or anything like that. Many giant pick-up trucks and SUVs weigh more than a typical EV.

But still, OEM EV tires are often low-rolling resistance tires that will wear out more quickly, but that doesn’t really have anything to do with weight. It’s just the type of tire the manufacture puts on the EV to maximize range.

Just like the summer tires that can be put on some cars to improve performance, OEM tires usually don’t last long regardless of whether they are on a gas vehicle or an EV.

But here’s the thing: you can put any tire you want on an EV. A set of Michelin CrossClimate 2 tires on an EV will last about the same as the do on any vehicle.

Myth: EVs Are Boring to Drive

Sure, if you are one of the less than 1% of drivers that still drives a vehicle with a manual transmission then you will likely find an EV boring, just as you would find any gas vehicle with an automatic transmission boring.

But EVs have a trick up their sleeve: all their horsepower and torque is available immediately. You don’t have to wait for the engine to reach an appropriate RPM before all the power is available.

For the average driver that is used to driving a bog-standard truck or SUV, an EV will, without a doubt, be much more fun to drive because it is faster and quieter than a gas vehicle.

EVs Are Less Repairable

You can make this statement about any new vehicle. Manufacturers are constantly making things less repairable, which is why many states are enacting “right to repair” laws.

But if you take a step back, in a gas vehicle the thing that most often needs a repair of some kind is the engine. However, an EV does not have an engine. It has sealed electric motors. They are not repairable because they don’t need repairing. An electric motor typically has about 20 to 25 moving parts while a gas engine can have over 2000 moving parts!

Other things you may need to repair (or service), such as brakes, tires or fluids are the same in an EV as they are in any other vehicle. Well, except for the fact that EVs, because of regenerative braking, don’t use the brake pads nearly as much. Many EV drivers report that they can get to 100,000 miles before the brake pads need replacement.

Myth: Hybrids Are Better

People that have an irrational fear of range often like to say that hybrids are better. And certainly that is true if you need 600 miles or more of range. A hybrid typically has a low-power engine combined with a small electric motor and a tiny battery.

But hybrids bring with them the maintenance of a gas engine alongside a small battery and an overall more complex drive system that has to know when to switch between gas and electric.

Because of its improved efficiency, a hybrid is certainly better than a standard gas vehicle. But it is not always be a better choice over a pure EV.

Myth: EVs are Worse for the Environment

This is perhaps the biggest myth of them all. The only thing in an EV that uses any significant resources are some of the raw materials for the battery. But unlike a gas vehicle that literally burns and uses up gasoline, which cannot be replaced, the battery can be recharged for many, many years.

Plus, the battery materials do not get used up. They may wear out over (a long) time, but they can be nearly 100% recycled, much like the regular 12-volt lead acid batteries that are used by all vehicles.

The batteries are also charged using electricity which is created from power plants that are always far more efficient than any gas engine. And to top it off, EVs can even be charged by renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and hydro, something that you cannot do at all with a gas vehicle.

And don’t forget the immediately improvement to air and noise pollution in cities. EVs do not spit out noxious fumes and noise while idling in traffic.

Myth: EVs Have Crippling Depreciation

Yes, currently new EVs do depreciate much more than an equivalent gas vehicle. This is mostly because of many of the myths I’m trying to debunk in this article.

For now that means you should probably only lease new EVs rather than buy them.

But that high depreciation does have a benefit: used EVs are much cheaper to buy. I often recommend a used EV as a great, easy way to join the EV world. I have actually purchased two used EVs in the last couple years. The value for the dollar is tremendous.

Myth: The Battery Will Wear Out and Need to Be Replaced After A Few Years At Enormous Expense

This myth had some truth to it when talking about some of the very early EVs, such as the first generation Nissan Leaf. But today, it is completely false.

Nearly any study you can find today says that EV batteries will outlast the vehicle itself. In fact, all manufacturers provide, at least, an 8-year warranty on the battery. There is no manufacturer that warrants a gas engine for that long.

If for some reason you have an EV that is out of warranty and has a battery failure, then it’s not like you have to go out and buy a brand-new battery for it. Many EVs can have their battery repaired by replacing or updating any faulty cells.

An EV battery is not a single battery. It consists of hundreds of smaller battery cells that are all linked together. Swapping out a few bad battery cells is much cheaper.

Plus, like there is with engines, there are sources of used batteries that can be swapped in, usually much easier than doing any sort of engine replacement. As EVs become more prevalent, so will availability of used batteries.

And as EVs age, there will be a market for battery refurbishing, providing yet another way to keep an EV running for a long time.

Myth: EVs Can’t Tow Trailers

As mentioned earlier, EVs provide all their horsepower and torque immediately. That means they are actually great for towing with the ability to pull lots of weight with smooth power delivery.

Of course, the range will be dramatically reduced when towing, perhaps as much as 50%. But that matches what I’ve seen with gas vehicles as well. I have owned a Toyota Tacoma in the past and it went from about 19mpg to 9mpg when towing our camper.

The more annoying thing about towing with an EV is that most EV charging stations are not designed to pull through, so you may find you have to unhook the trailer in order to connect to the charger. That would definitely be annoying.

But like with anything regarding range, unless you are exceeding the available range in a single trip then this won’t matter.

Still, I probably would not recommend an EV for towing a trailer or camper across the country.

Myth: Government Can Disable Your Car

This is just crazy conspiracy nonsense. And even if it were true, it has nothing to do with EVs. Gas cars have just as much electronics and online communication as any EV so they would be just as susceptible to this insanity.

Wrap

Even though I think I’ve rebuked or explained the myths I commonly hear, that does not mean that EVs are for everyone.

There are plenty of situations where a gas vehicle makes more sense than an EV, the most obvious one being that if you do not have access to AC charging at home or at work, then it will be more of a hassle to own an EV.

But consider the early days of gas vehicles. Until gas stations became prevalent, the same concerns about refueling existed. Eventually EV charging stations will be commonplace and people will no longer worry about how to charge an EV.

And battery technology will continue to improve! Today’s EVs are much more efficient than gas vehicles, but they are using the equivalent of a 3 gallon gas tank. An EV battery that could contain the energy from just 10 gallons of gas would be able to go 1000 miles on a charge! Don’t discount this possibility. After all, cars in the 1960s typically got around 12.5mpg. Even with a large 25 gallon tank, that means they only had ranges of about 300 miles. Technology improved significantly over time for gas vehicles, and has largely plateaued, but EVs still have lots of room for big improvements.

It’s absolutely true that an EV might not be right for you right now. But make that decision based on facts and not on misconceptions and lies that have been spread by others.

What EV myths did I miss? What ones did I not address to your satisfaction? Leave a comment!

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