A used Polestar 2 – ‘pre-owned’ in the sporty Swedish brand’s terminology – is becoming an increasingly tempting route into a long-range, stylish and good-to-drive EV.
Prices generally start from less than £18,000 on the Polestar pre-owned website, for which you’ll get a approved used car that has undergone a 111-point inspection and comes with a two-year pre-owned Polestar warranty.
This inspecton also includes a battery health certificate, so you can see exactly what state the largest component of your potential purchase is in before you sign on the dotted line.
What’s not to like? That’s what I thought, which is why I’ve decided to live with a used Polestar 2 for the next six months. Keep reading for our regular updates – the newest reports are at the top.
Introducing the used Polestar 2
Polestar has, to date, sold several tens of thousands of cars in the UK. A large proportion of these are the Polestar 2, its breakthrough Tesla Model 3-challenging car. This was introduced in 2021 and remains on sale today, priced from around £42,000. The current model scored four-and-a-half stars in our review earlier this year.
It means there’s no end of choice on the Polestar pre-owned programme. The options for pre-configured personsalisation are near-endless, too.
Many pre-owned Polestars can be found at one of the firm’s two used car super-sites, located in Birmingham and Bury St Edmunds. Polestar plans to open more of these; again due to demand. The Birmingham site I collect my car from, (a few minutes from either junction five or six on the M6) will be the template for many of them.
Choosing the right Polestar 2 spec
Polestar located the car for me. I’d decided to go for a 2024 model, one of the earliest facelift cars. This saw a series of improvements, including the unusual switch from front- to rear-wheel drive in the interests of efficiency.
I wanted a long-range car, but only the single motor version, rather than the racy Performance, to maximise the distance I could cover between charges. The car that was located, resplendent in Magnesium silver metallic, also had the desirable Pilot and Plus packs already fitted.
It has an 82kWh battery, of which 75kWh is usable. This gives it a WLTP range of 379-406 miles, which is not to be sniffed at. Nor is 295hp that serves up 0-60mph in 5.9 seconds. The battery can DC rapid-charge at up to 150kW; also not as speedy as the new Polestar 3, but quick enough.
The Plus pack, which cost £4,000 when new, includes a range of desirable goodies such as a heat pump, 13-speaker Harman Kardon audio system, heated rear seats, a panoramic roof, a wireless smartphone charger and WeaveTech ‘vegan’ upholstery. The latter looks like sportswear and I rather like it.
The Pilot pack (£2,000) is less exciting, focusing on driver assistance tech, although the blind-spot warning system is nice to have. I’m also looking forward to trying out the pixel LED headlights, which have active bending functionality to help when cornering.
The beauty of buying used is that you don’t have to worry about forking out to add on these options; you simply choose a car with them already fitted. The configurator makes this easy by adding check boxes to narrow down your search – even down to your preffered colour and the size of the wheels.
Taking delivery of a used Polestar 2
Polestar Birmingham pre-owned is a dream for the brand’s enthusiasts. It’s packed with models, all available to buy, many for less than half their prices when new.
I didn’t realise it, but when I arrived, my car was sitting outside, complete with presentation plinth telling the world it was mine. Registration plate apart, you’d swear it was brand-new.
Such a high level of preparation is one of the benefits of Polestar’s used car scheme. All vehicles showed a similarly high level of detailing – the valet team are clearly very proud of their work.
Inside the showroom, I was met by sales executive Allister, who grabbed me a coffee before taking me through the handover process. For many people, he explained, a used Polestar is their first EV, so this is an important step in helping bring them up to speed.
Before the handover, he added, many customers may have been through a video call, to help them pick the right car and clear up any initial questions. “We do them from all over the country – there’s a very positive response to video calls.”
If I were actually buying this car, there’d be paperwork too, although much of it is now digital, says Allister – including the history and other records. He does print out a copy of the battery health certificate for me though. Mine shows 96 percent.
This was backed up by an encouraging 320-mile range showing from the 100 percent charged battery.
Into the new used Polestar 2
Then it’s into the car. You might think you’d like to get this over with as quickly as possible, so you could just drive away and enjoy your new Polestar, but hold your horses. Like most new cars, the ‘2’ is heavily digital, and time with an expert like Allistair is invaluable.
I’ve driven plenty of Polestars before and I learnt loads, from swiping down within each of the four home screen sections to access all the apps, to setting a profile for each of the two keys, so the electric seat will be automatically set for either me or Mrs. A as we get in.
First impressions of the interior were that it was as immaculate as the exterior. Even the software gives the ‘as-new’ experience, thanks to constant over-the-air updates from the Google Android-based system. This is one of the real advantages of so-called software-defined vehicles as they age.
Duly infused with expert-level insight, it was finally time to head off in my new (but used) Polestar 2. The mileage read 12,775 and the plan is to add many thousands more, putting the Polestar thoroughly to the test. Let the long-term review adventure commence…
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