• Car unlocks and starts without touching key
• Main boot at rear, small front cubby, too
• Not a lot of space in the rear seats

How much space is there?

Rear-seat passengers do okay for legroom but those over 6ft tall may find the roofline encroaching on their headspace, owing to the standard full-length sunroof. A BMW i4 or Tesla Model 3 is better here.

Watch out for the large ‘transmission tunnel’ in the rear compartment. Although this is an electric car and doesn’t have a transmission as such, it’s based on the hardware of the petrol-powered Volvo XC40 – hence the presence of a tunnel, bisecting the floor and making this essentially a four-seater, unless a central, fifth passenger splays their legs.

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There are two USB-C chargers for back-seat passengers to charge their digital devices, with another pair upfront, plus an inductive phone charger for wireless smartphone top-ups. The door bins could do with being bigger, if we’re being picky, and the small plastic ledges on the side of the centre console are cheap and plasticky to touch.

Boot space and storage

The 405-litre main boot expands to 1,095 litres with the rear seats folded down, and the hands-free, powered tailgate opens nice and high. There’s a smaller 35-litre front boot under the bonnet, too, although it’s very shallow and won’t hold much more than the charging cables.

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The BMW i4 is also a hatchback and benefits from a larger, more practical boot. The Tesla Model 3 is a saloon, making it less flexible than the Polestar.

Is it easy to park?

The Polestar has quite thick roof pillars and a much higher bonnet than the Tesla Model 3 making it trickier to see out of. Thankfully, front and rear parking sensors plus a rear-view camera are standard making it easier to park.

If you want more help, a 360 degree camera system comes as part of the Pilot Pack along with adaptive LED headlights that are able to keep the main beam on for longer without dazzling other drivers. Conventional automatic LED lights are standard on all models.

Safety

• All cars come with loads of safety kit
• Five star Euro NCAP crash rating
• Comes with strong Volvo safety heritage

Although it’s not a Volvo, the Polestar 2 does have access to the Swedish car maker’s considerable catalogue of assistance and safety technology. It was awarded a full 5 stars from testing authority Euro NCAP.

Cars equipped with the Pilot Lite pack include Pilot Assist adaptive cruise control, blindspot information system with steer assist, cross traffic alert with auto brake, rear collision warning and mitigation, collision avoidance and mitigation by braking as well as steering and post-impact braking.