Polestar 2
Shares rank 24 of 40 electric cars by recommenders
Owners praise its handling and winter driving, and say regenerative braking and fuel savings are strong; critics say efficiency is weak and the heat pump needs the Plus package.
Owners praise its handling and winter driving, and say regenerative braking and fuel savings are strong; critics say efficiency is weak and the heat pump needs the Plus package.
12 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- criticize it
- 5
- approval share
- 58%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 7 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 1.4 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Weak efficiency, especially in winter
“one of the least efficient, has no heat pump in my year, and only has a ~225km effective range in winter”
Comment from 8 Feb 2026 in “The First Sodium-Ion Battery EV Is a Winter Range Monster” “you can't get other imperative things -- like the heat pump (major efficiency concern) -- unless you get the Plus package”
Comment from 30 May 2026 in “EV Stupidity Checklist” “Polestar 2s are not particularly efficient, though lovely to drive”
Comment from 25 Jun 2026 in “Slate EV truck starts at $24,950” - Comment from 30 Jul 2026 in “Why Is Everyone Trying to Build a Solid-State Battery?”
Heat pump only with Plus package
“one of the least efficient, has no heat pump in my year, and only has a ~225km effective range in winter”
Comment from 8 Feb 2026 in “The First Sodium-Ion Battery EV Is a Winter Range Monster” “you can't get other imperative things -- like the heat pump (major efficiency concern) -- unless you get the Plus package”
Comment from 30 May 2026 in “EV Stupidity Checklist” Cameras get dirty and unreliable
“The various cameras on my polestar2 are routinely getting caked in salt and dirt in the winter”
Comment from 29 May 2026 in “EV Stupidity Checklist” “Unreliable backup camera (even after several software "fixes")”
Comment from 30 Dec 2025 in “Tesla's 4680 battery supply chain collapses as partner writes down deal by 99%” “routinely getting caked in salt and dirt in the winter”
Comment from 29 May 2026 in “EV Stupidity Checklist”
Other electric cars people recommend
The four most recommended other electric cars, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla vehicles | 209 | 411 | 34% | 13 | 6 yrs24 owners | — |
| BYD electric cars | 157 | 53 | 75% | 12 | 1 yr3 owners | Approved |
| Ferrari Luce | 140 | 319 | 31% | 7 | — | — |
| Tesla Model 3 | 128 | 115 | 53% | 13 | 6 yrs32 owners | — |
| Polestar 2This page | 7 | 5 | 58% | 6 | — | — |
What people said
17 of the 18 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Saves her an absolute fortune in fuel money.”
“Some excellent EVs are based on the CMA platform, which also supports combustion.”
“all HVAC stops working until the system is finished booting”
“Your Polestar 2 battery is based on battery technology that is 5+ years old.”
“it drops another 30% due to the battery heater energizing”
“Polestar 2s are not particularly efficient, though lovely to drive”
“For many people, in real world usage, 205 mile range is great for how you'll actually use the truck.”
“you can't get other imperative things -- like the heat pump (major efficiency concern) -- unless you get the Plus package”
“routinely getting caked in salt and dirt in the winter”
“The various cameras on my polestar2 are routinely getting caked in salt and dirt in the winter”
“friction braking was basically zero - to the point where when you start a trip the brakes are used for a few seconds”
“one of the least efficient, has no heat pump in my year, and only has a ~225km effective range in winter”
“while the other one is charging in my garage”
“It's the best winter driving car I've ever owned.”
“Unreliable backup camera (even after several software "fixes")”
“little of this is structural, it's just an accumulation of details and attention paid to them”
“Wish it was a button. Buttons are much better for this sort of thing.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.