Polestar 2 vs other Electric Vehicles

• Polestar 2 vs Kia EV6
• Polestar 2 vs Hyundai IONIQ 5
• Polestar 2 vs Volkswagen ID.4
• Polestar 2 vs Tesla Model 3
• Which electric vehicle should you buy?  

So, maybe you’ve been thinking about getting a Polestar as your next vehicle. Or maybe you’re ready to take the electrical leap to your first electric car but want to find the best one for you? In this article, we compare the Polestar 2 vs the Kia EV6, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Volkswagen ID.4 and of course, the Tesla Model 3. Here we compare competitor models against the Polestar 2 Standard Range single motor. 

So, if you’re interested in comparing the price, range and charging time of each of these models, keep on reading. 

Polestar 2 vs Kia EV6

Unlike the Polestar, the EV6 is getting a lot of noise. OSV regularly get asked about this new electric model. But what are the technical differences between the two?  

How good is the Kia EV6 Range?

Is it better than the Polestar 2? Does it beat Tesla’s seemingly unbeatable 305-mile range? The EV6 offers an electric range of up to 328 miles, that’s right! (Tesla should be scared) 

In real range, this comes down to 260 miles, still not at all bad! That’s 25 miles more than Tesla’s real range, and 55 miles more than the Polestar 2. 

Another scary story for Polestar and Tesla, the EV6 broke records when it travelled 2,880 miles from New York City to Los Angeles and only needed charging for 7 hours 10 minutes and 1 second. That’s around half of Tesla’s record charging time of 12 hours, 48 minutes and 19 seconds.  

What is the EV6 charging like?

How does it compare to Polestar’s? The Kia EV6 charge time ranges from a speedy 17 minutes with a 350kW DC charging point to just under 40 hours with a 2.3kW home wall plug charger. 

On top of this, if you find a charging point with 50kW, you’ll be ready to go with a full charge in just under 70 minutes. Compare this to Polestar’s fastest charging time of 34 minutes with a maximum charging power of 115kW, Kia’s EV6 wins.  

Costs

Now the Kia EV6 and Polestar 2 are similarly priced. You can enjoy the Kia EV6 for £40,945, that’s £1,100 more than the Polestar model.

So, for around 55 more real miles than the Polestar 2 and over a grand in price more, is the Kia EV6 worth it? If you really do need a car with long-range and speedy charging times, then the EV6 is your best choice. 

Overall, it’s safe to say that the Kia EV6 is a major contender to the Mustang Mach-e, Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2.  

Polestar 2 vs Hyundai IONIQ 5

Next, we move on to the South Korean brand Hyundai and its model the impressive IONIQ 5. It appears to have similar pricing and range, but does its 5-year warranty and established dealer network take gold? Let’s find out… 

Is the Hyundai IONIQ 5 Range any good?

How does it compare with Polestar’s? The Hyundai IONIQ 5 Premium 58kWh offers an electric range of 238 miles and 195 miles real range. This is 40 miles less than the maximum range Polestar 2 has to offer.  

How good is Hyundai’s IONIQ 5 charging? 

With a 350kW rapid charger, you can expect to be ready with a fully charged car in just 18 minutes. Charging from home? Thanks to a 2.3kW wall plug charging times range from under 30 hours to just over 6 hours.

Costs

The IONIQ 5 is available for £805 less than the Polestar 2 at just £39,040. But do you benefit from the savings?  

According to Lease Plan’s EV cost per mile calculator, the Hyundai IONIQ will cost you 4.24p per mile. This in comparison to Polestar’s 4.40p per mile, seems like the Ioniq 5 is the better option.

However, when you take into account Polestar’s mile range of up to 278 miles versus Hyundai’s 238 miles, you may question which vehicle offers the best benefits. Is your priority to budget or to drive longer miles? This is where you can get geeky… 

Polestar 2 vs Volkswagen ID.4

So, how does the Volkswagen ID.4 and the Polestar 2 compare? Which offers a longer range, and which is more worth it? Let’s dive into it… 

How good is the Volkswagen ID.4 Range?

The ID.4 can go up to 211 miles, and 175 miles real range. So… how does it compare to Polestar 2? With an electric range of up to 275 miles, and 215 miles real range – there’s a noticeable difference in range between the two.  

What is Volkswagen’s ID.4 charging like?

The fastest charge time the electric hatchback can take is 33 minutes with a 150kW DC charging point, and the home charging time ranges from under 27 hours (2.3kW Wall plug) to just 8 hours and 30 minutes (thanks to a 22kW charging point). 

The ID.4 beats the Polestar 2 by a very close one-minute faster charging time. If this sort of spec really does matter to you, then between the ID.4 and the Polestar 2, the ID.4 is your best vehicle choice.  

Costs

The Volkswagen ID.4 is available for £145 more than the Polestar 2, so again, very similar numbers. What about the charging costs of the ID.4?

Expect to pay 4.32p per mile, this in comparison to the Polestar 2 is just 0.08p more per mile. Again, if the details matter to you, then the Polestar 2 should be your first choice of an electric vehicle.  

Polestar 2 vs Tesla Model 3

Finally, we come to the ultimate, legendary rivals. Tesla vs Polestar. The models that compare closest are the Polestar 2 and the Tesla Model 3. Need more information about the Model 3? Read our article on if you should get a Tesla Model 3.  

What is the Tesla Model 3 range like?

What is the Tesla Model 3 range like? The Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive offers a range of up to 305 miles. In real range, this plummets way down to 235 miles.

The real range estimation varies between city and motorway, and cold and mild weather, going from as low as 170 miles way up to 340 electric miles. 

What about the Polestar 2 range? Polestar 2 offers an electric range of up to 275 miles, however, once factors like the climate, terrain and driving style are considered it’s more likely the range will be 215 miles on a full charge. 

Charging time

Now we’ve touched on the ranges of both electric models, let’s dive into the juicy charging spec. What is Polestar 2 charging like? The vehicle can charge from 10-80% within 35 minutes when powered by a public fast charger (DC, 116kW). With a home wall box, this can fully charge the car within 7 hours.  

Can you charge a Polestar 2 at a Tesla supercharger? In short, yes. Soon enough, you should be able to charge your Polestar at a Tesla Supercharger; the vehicle’s battery can accept up to 150kW of power.

It’s worth noting that the average charging rate will be reduced to extend the battery life. On top of this, not all stations have the capability to generate this amount of power. In the best situation, you can charge your Polestar to full charge within 78 minutes.  

Sounds like a long time, doesn’t it? Well, unless you’re completing a 500-mile road trip from Dundee to Dover, it’s likely this charging time won’t be an inconvenience to you.

Even so, if you do plan to drive on a long trip, the recommended time to take a break is every two hours. So, realistically, the fact you have to occasionally stop for more than 15 minutes every so often is a good thing.

But what if you can’t find the charger you need?

With over 624 Tesla Superchargers installed in the UK and more arriving every year, charging your electric car continues to be less of a worry every day. 

What is Tesla Model 3 charging like? The standard Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive can be fully charged within 25 minutes if powered by a Tesla Supercharger.

The model’s longest charging time is 56 minutes with a 50kW DC charging point. With a home-installed Wall Connector, the vehicle can be powered fully for just under 7 hours.

Compare this to the Polestar 2 home charging time of 7 hours, is there really much of a comparison? 

Costs

So, why is Polestar so expensive? Well, it’s not. What people are actually questioning is why electric cars are so expensive.

When you actually narrow down the costs of other electric vehicles compared to the price tag of Polestar 2, it’s not quite the expense as it seems. Tesla Model 3 is available for £40,935 whereas the Polestar 2 is just £39,845.  

What about the charging costs? According to our EV cost-per-mile calculator, a Polestar 2 will cost 4.40p per mile. Whereas a Tesla Model 3 Standard Plus will total 3.06p per mile. 

We’ve compared the price, range and charging times of both the Polestar 2 and Tesla Model 3. So, based on this, is Polestar better than Tesla? In all honesty, this is something that ultimately comes down to personal preference.

From a technical standpoint, Tesla beats Polestar. But in the everyday life, do you really need an electric vehicle that offers 20 more miles range? Now, if your priorities come down to building quality refinement and excellent customer service, Polestar takes gold. 

Which electric vehicle should you purchase, lease or finance? 

Now that we’ve compared the Kia EV6, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Volkswagen ID.4 and the Tesla Model 3 against the Polestar 2 – which vehicle stood out for you?

If we’re focusing on the best mile range, Kia’s EV6 wins by miles (pun intended). However, if you’re looking for something more affordable and within a lower budget then the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is something you should consider getting. 

What about the Polestar 2?

If you want to drive something that scores highly in build quality and ensures fantastic customer service, then Polestar 2 is the car for you. 

When you buy from brands such as Kia, Volvo, Volkswagen and more, you’re buying from a brand that is well-established.

This, versus Polestar and Tesla, which are still quite new brands on the block, offers something more than new and innovative technology. 

Which begs the question: as these established brands catch up with Polestar, how will Polestar define itself moving forward?