Polestar 2 review: running costs & insurance
Generous standard servicing deal and zero road tax until 2025 make up for what's likely to be an expensive insurance premium for the Polestar 2
Insurance group | Warranty | Service interval | Annual company-car tax cost (20%/40%) |
---|---|---|---|
34-42 | 3yrs/60,000 miles | Variable | From £180/£359 |
In terms of running costs, the Polestar 2 sits on a par with other high-end electric cars. Insurance has the potential to be punchy, as with so many premium offerings in this class, but you should save money on servicing and mechanical repairs, given the 2's relative lack of moving parts. Polestar helpfully rolls three years' servicing into the deal, along with three years' roadside assistance and three years' free access to connected infotainment services.
Polestar 2 insurance group
The entry-level, single-motor Polestar 2 sits in insurance group 34, while the Long Range single-motor gets a rating of 35. However, both those rating go up if you add the optional Pilot and Plus packs. The top-of-the-range, all-wheel-drive Polestar 2 meanwhile attracts a rating of 42, which is lower than even the base Tesla Model 3, which occupies groups 48, with the Long Range and Performance versions of the Model 3 attracting the highest possible rating of insurance group 50.
Warranty
Polestar cars are covered by a three-year/60,000-mile warranty as standard, while the battery is covered for eight years or 100,000 miles. For comparison, the Tesla Model 3 comes with a four-year/50,000-mile warranty, with its battery covered for eight years or 150,000 miles.
Servicing
The Polestar 2 comes with three years' servicing (up to 31,250 miles) included in the asking price: intervals aren't specified, rather Polestar will contact you when your car needs maintenance. Servicing dates are figured out according to the car's running time and distance covered. Alternatively, you can book your Polestar in for a service if a message pops up on the car's screen.
Road tax
Being a pure-electric car, the Polestar 2 can save company-car drivers thousands of pounds in Benefit-in-Kind (BiK). For the 2022/23 tax year, electric-car drivers pay 2%, fixed at least until 2024/25. In addition, there's no annual road tax (VED) to pay – again until 2025. If you thought a plug-in hybrid looked attractive from this perspective, try a Polestar 2 for size.