Fault File
All models / All cars / Saloons & estates / Polestar 2

Polestar 2

All generations and engines together · 6,774 MOT tests in the 2025 data

How this model wears

Polestar 2Class average, all tracked models

Known issues

Measured

Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.

What testers flag

Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.

Faults with the car itself

The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 6,774 tests in this band.

A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
Fail
2.1%class 0.1%
An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source m
Fail
1.0%class 0.1%
A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage
Advisory
0.7%class 2.1%
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated
Minor
0.5%class 0.2%
Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution.
Advisory
0.4%class 0.3%
An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction
Fail
0.4%class 0.1%
A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage
Fail
0.3%class 0.2%
A wheel badly distorted or wear between wheel and hub at spigot mounting
Advisory
0.2%class 0.4%

Wear, upkeep and luck

Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
Advisory
24.8%class 18.8%
A tyre seriously damaged
Advisory
14.3%class 13.1%
Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured
Advisory
8.5%class 7.0%
A tyre seriously damaged
Fail
6.8%class 2.3%
A tyre cords visible or damaged
Fail
4.0%class 1.3%
Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt
Advisory
2.8%class 2.1%
Nail in tyre
Advisory
2.2%class 1.7%
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
Minor
1.9%class 1.4%

Unconfirmed issues

Reported

Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.

Infotainment freezing and glitching

Emerging

The Android Automotive infotainment screen is reported to freeze, lag or glitch, sometimes needing a reboot to get climate or navigation back. It has cropped up across model years rather than one bad batch, and Polestar pushes regular over-the-air software updates that seem to settle some cars and not others. No formal recall or TSB covers this specifically, it is treated as a known software quirk rather than a hardware fault.

Reported at any age or mileage · sources: Honest John, Auto Express long-term test

Software fault cutting drive power

Confirmed pattern

Early cars had a software bug that could cause a sudden loss of propulsion while driving, essentially the car cutting out. Polestar issued a recall covering around 4,500 cars in Europe in late 2020, with a further US recall confirmed in March 2021, both fixed with an over-the-air software update at no cost to owners. Worth checking the car's update history shows this was applied, since a used example bought privately may not have had every OTA fix confirmed.

Fixed free via OTA update from late 2020 · sources: Auto Express, contemporary recall reporting via NHTSA/Carscoops coverage

Reversing camera failure recall

Confirmed pattern

A rearview camera fault, where the image can fail to display, was significant enough to trigger a US recall covering around 27,800 cars from 2024, and a second recall followed in 2025 after the first software fix failed to resolve it for every car. This is documented mainly through US NHTSA action; UK owners should still check the car's MOT and service history for any related recall work, since the fault is a software/camera issue rather than one confined to one market.

Recalls opened 2024 and 2025 · sources: NHTSA recall coverage reported by Reuters and Carscoops

Harsh, fidgety ride on the standard chassis

Disputed

Reviewers and owners disagree on whether this counts as a fault or just the car's character. Auto Express called the ride 'intolerably firm' on UK roads, and it is a recurring theme in long-term test notes, with bigger alloy wheel options making it worse over sharp ridges and expansion joints. It is not something a warranty claim will fix, so it is really a buying consideration: drive the exact wheel size and chassis you are looking at before committing.

Present from new, worse on larger wheels · sources: Auto Express, Honest John

Viewing one? Ask this

Built from the two sections above.

Reverse into a space and check the rearview camera image is sharp and appears instantly. A delayed, frozen or blank image points at the camera fault behind the 2024-2025 recalls.
Check the infotainment screen through a full boot cycle, and try navigation and climate menus. Freezing, lag or an unresponsive screen is the known Android Automotive glitch, not a hardware write-off but worth knowing about before you buy.
Ask to see the car's software update and service history, or check with a Polestar dealer using the VIN. Confirms whether the 2020-2021 propulsion-loss recall and later camera recall were actually carried out.
Drive it on a rough B-road, not just a smooth test route, and note the wheel size fitted. A harsh, fidgety ride on 20-inch wheels is normal for this car, not a fault, but it should factor into whether you want to live with it.
Pull away from a stop a few times during the test drive, including from cold if possible. Any hesitation or unexpected power cut is worth flagging even though the known software bug should be long fixed by now.
Check the DVSA MOT history for advisories, even though most Polestar 2s are still young enough to have had few MOTs. Repeated electrical or software-related advisories suggest a car that has not had its recall work done.

Others in its class

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