Polestar 2 review: the RWD switch it needed all along

How the Polestar 2 fits in 2026

The Polestar 2 arrived in Australia in 2022 as a front-wheel-drive premium hatch-sedan, and it was a car everyone respected without quite loving. The MY24 refresh changed that. Polestar re-engineered the single-motor variants to rear-wheel drive, fitted a larger 82 kWh pack in the Long Range, lifted power to 220 kW, and pushed WLTP range to a class-leading 659 km. The MY26 update layers on faster Qualcomm infotainment silicon, upgraded Bowers & Wilkins audio, and a bigger 70 kWh pack in the Standard Range — but the RWD chassis and drivetrain hardware carry through.

The volume trim is the Long Range Single Motor at $66,400 list. It’s the variant most Australian reviewers have driven and the one that best represents the car in 2026 — enough range to eliminate anxiety, enough power to feel quick, and the rear-drive layout Polestar always should have used. Full pricing and specs across the four variants are on the Polestar 2 model page.

What’s good

The rear-drive conversion transformed the car. CarExpert’s Scott Collie noted the RWD Polestar 2 now “hooks up and goes with no fuss,” eliminating the front-drive predecessor’s torque steer. Chasing Cars went further, describing “throttle-adjustable balance” that lets you rotate the car in corners with ESC Sport engaged. Every reviewer since the switch has said the same thing: this is the layout the car should have had from launch.

Google-built infotainment is genuinely best-in-class. Android Automotive with native Google Maps, Spotify and Assistant integration is the smoothest, most useful in-car OS reviewers have tested. CarExpert called the voice assistant “more useful than ‘Hey BMW’ or ‘Hey Mercedes’.” Later over-the-air updates added YouTube. The MY26 processor swap cuts remaining lag roughly in half.

Range is genuinely class-leading. The 659 km WLTP figure beats the Tesla Model 3 Long Range on paper, and Chasing Cars’ real-world testing recorded 12 kWh/100 km urban and 14.8 kWh/100 km highway — figures that translate to a real 500+ km highway range. Exhaust Notes called the range “outstanding” and singled it out as the reason the car eliminates anxiety on regional runs.

What’s not

Packaging betrays the ICE-era platform. The Polestar 2 is a converted combustion-engine architecture, and it shows. Rear headroom is tight above 180 cm (worse with the panoramic roof), the centre rear seat has a legacy transmission-tunnel hump that Chasing Cars bluntly called “a criminal sentence,” and the 405 L boot trails almost every direct rival. In-cabin storage is genuinely poor — CarExpert noted the under-armrest bin can’t even hold sunglasses.

Key safety kit still costs extra. Adaptive cruise control isn’t standard — it’s part of the $3,500 Pilot Pack. CarExpert described this as “absolutely baffling” given Polestar’s Volvo-adjacent safety heritage and the car’s premium positioning. Every direct rival includes ACC as standard.

Ride divides reviewers. MY24’s suspension retune helped, but the setup is still firm. Chasing Cars’ 2026 first drive found it “considerably firmer than you expect” on country roads, and CarExpert noted tyre noise on coarse-chip surfaces. Buyers coming from a Volvo or an i4 will feel it; buyers coming from a Model 3 Performance will not.

Where it lands among rivals

• Polestar 2 vs Tesla Model 3. The Model 3 is quicker, cheaper, and has Supercharger access. The Polestar 2 has better cabin materials, longer WLTP range, and a proper Google OS instead of Tesla’s proprietary system. If you resent the Tesla brand or the touch-only cabin, the Polestar 2 is the obvious cross-shop.

• Polestar 2 vs BYD Seal. The Seal Premium is around $10,000 cheaper and has more rear room, a bigger boot and comparable range. The Polestar 2 has a significantly nicer interior and a more resolved chassis. Choose on cabin quality and driving priority — not on spec-sheet parity.

• Polestar 2 vs Hyundai Ioniq 6. The Ioniq 6’s 800-volt architecture charges faster on public DC (roughly 18 minutes 10–80% versus Polestar’s 28). The Polestar 2 answers with better dynamics, a nicer infotainment stack, and a more conventional cabin ergonomically. Pick Hyundai for road-trip charging speed, Polestar for daily involvement.

• Polestar 2 vs BMW i4. The i4 eDrive35 is the closest true rival — European sedan, RWD, similar money. The BMW rides better and has more rear space; the Polestar has longer range and a more modern OS. Cross-shop directly.

Who should buy one

• Design-conscious commuters who want an EV that doesn’t look or feel like a Tesla.
• Buyers who value cabin materials, native Google integration, and long WLTP range over outright boot volume.
• Anyone crossing from a Volvo or a European premium sedan who wants the same feel electrified.

Who should pass

• Families who need proper rear-seat space and a large boot. The packaging is a known compromise.
• Buyers who won’t pay $3,500 extra for adaptive cruise on a $66,000 premium car.
• Regional drivers on rough coarse-chip roads who want a plush ride. The Polestar 2 is firm by design.

What I’d want for next year

Standard adaptive cruise control on every variant. Fix that and the Polestar 2’s remaining criticisms are packaging trade-offs baked into the platform — resolvable only with a Polestar 3-derived successor.

Verdict

The MY24 rear-drive conversion fixed the Polestar 2’s biggest weakness and elevated it into a genuinely engaging premium EV sedan with class-leading range and the best native infotainment in the segment. The compromises — tight rear space, small boot, ACC as a paid option — are real but predictable. For the design-led buyer who wants Volvo-grade materials and Google-native software without the Tesla badge, the Polestar 2 is the pick of the segment.