2026 Polestar 2 Long range Single motor review: The EV that quietly got better

February 1, 2026January 31, 2026 Bruce Newton 193 Views 0 Comments 2, polestar

When the Polestar 2 arrived in Australia in 2022 it was premium Sino-Swedish electric brand’s only act. Since then the 3 and 4 have joined the line-up and the 5 is looming.

Yet this ageing fastback remains a key contributor to the Polestar’s small-but-growing sales volume.

For 2026, the update list to the Long range Single motor (yes upper and lower case name, strange) is almost comically short. A faster infotainment processor. Tinted rear glass. Some new options.

So Polestar Australia did something smart. It handed over an original MY22 P2 LrSm and said: drive them back-to-back.

Because the real story of the Polestar 2 isn’t what’s new this year.

It’s how much better this car has become since the original launch.

2026 Polestar 2 Long range Single motor price and equipment

At $66,400 plus on-road costs, pricing is unchanged for the MY26 Polestar 2 Long range Single motor, although recent MY25 P2 run-out deals carved as much as $13,000 off that figure.

Despite often being grouped with SUVs, the Polestar 2 is better understood as a slightly raised five-door fastback. Its real competition sits with electric sedans and liftbacks like the Tesla Model 3, BYD Seal , brand new Kia EV4 and incoming Mazda 6e.

The fundamentals for LrSm MY26 are unchanged: 220kW/490Nm rear motor, 82kWh (gross) battery, 659km WLTP range, 205kW DC fast charging (which is very solid for a 400V architecture).

The cabin remains classic Polestar: clean, upright, screen-dominated, with Android Automotive, Google built-in, heated seats, dual-zone climate and textile trim as standard.

There are now numerous packs and standalone options, including a Bowers & Wilkins audio upgrade. The options structure is more complicated than it needs to be..

Warranty is five years, battery warranty eight years/160,000km, and service intervals are long at 24 months/30,000km.

2026 Polestar 2 Long range Single motor: What we think

Visually, you would struggle to tell the MY22 and MY26 Polestar 2 apart beyond the grille treatment and wheels. Inside, the architecture is almost identical.

Underneath, they feel like different generations of EV.

The change from front-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive in 2024 fundamentally transformed the Polestar 2. Power and torque has also risen signficantly, battery size edged up and efficiency improved dramatically. WLTP range has jumped by 119km.

Driven on its own, the MY22 still feels fine. Brisk, composed, slightly firm, slightly busy in the steering.

Jump in the MY26 and you’re in another league.

It accelerates harder, turns in cleaner, feels more balanced and more natural through the steering. The nibbling and tugging that marked the FWD car has vanished. It changes direction with a fluidity the old car simply doesn’t have.

Ride comfort is better. Cabin noise is lower. Some of that may be down to Michelin tyres replacing the Continentals, but the rear-drive layout is the real story.

Efficiency is where the gap becomes stark. Over the same 50km loop, the MY26 returned 15kWh/100km. The MY22 used 17.4kWh/100km. In the real world, this is now a 500km car between recharges.

Some Polestar 2 traits haven’t aged as well.

Rear seat space remains tight for taller adults, who sit upright thanks to the high battery floor. The Polestar 2 shares its CMA platform with ICE Volvos, so the transmission tunnel still eats into middle seat space.

Boot capacity at 407 litres is modest, although there is a useful 41-litre frunk.

The cabin remains heavily screen-centric. Climate functions and regen adjustment are still buried in menus when physical shortcuts would be easier. Steering weight adjustment is also screen-based.

And at more than $70,000 on the road, items like fully powered seats, a kick sensor for the tailgate and a heat pump feel like they should be standard.

There’s also no spare tyre, not a Polestar-specific problem, but as a socially responsible Swedish car company it should do better.

2026 Polestar 2 Long range Single motor: Verdict

The 2026 Polestar 2 is clearly ageing and a full replacement isn’t due until at least 2028.

But constant evolution has turned it into a better car than the one that launched in 2022.

As a Long range Single motor, it now stands out for its efficiency, real-world range and genuinely enjoyable rear-drive dynamics. In its own quiet way it’s become a better can than the original.

SCORE: 4/5

2026 Polestar 2 Long range Single motor price and specifications

Price: $66,400 plus on-road costs
Layout: RWD, single motor
Power: 220kW / 490Nm
Battery: 82kWh lithium-ion (gross)
Range: 659km (WLTP)
Efficiency: 14.8–15.8kWh/100km (WLTP)
0–100km/h: 6.2 seconds
AC charging: 11kW (Type 2)
DC charging: 205kW (CCS)
Boot: 407L + 41L frunk
Battery warranty: 8 years/160,000km