The name Polestar will have been familiar to Volvo aficionados for many years. It was initially used to identify a more powerful and tauter version of the model with the highest engine output.

Most police Volvos in recent years would have had the Polestar engine upgrades, for example.

A couple of years ago Polestar became a separate brand in its own right, upmarket and only selling plug-in models.

It launched with the high-end Polestar 1, a large two-door coupé too expensive for most company car choice lists, but 2020 witnessed the arrival of a fully-electric four-door 'fastback' saloon.

If Volvo had produced a new S40, the Polestar 2 might well have been its twin.

The Polestar is targeting drivers of electric cars costing between £40,000 and £60,000, with sales currently dominated by models produced by an American tech company. 

Although electric cars priced higher than £35,000 no longer qualify for the plug-in car grant in the UK, this range taps into a rich vein of user choosers seeking to minimise their tax liability on their company car.

The Polestar 2 launched with a 300kW/408hp electric motor with a 78kWh battery, giving the car a range close to 300 miles on the WLTP cycle.

We're likely to see less powerful versions and a shorter range entry-level variant as Polestar seeks to capture the people seeing something more upmarket than a Peugeot E-2008, but can't stretch to the costs of the high-output version.

The Polestar has an elegance missing from saloon/hatchback rivals, and while clutter-free, big-screen interiors are becoming common, this one looks and feels of quality far superior to a Tesla.

Seats are super-comfortable and supportive with a good range of adjustment - a trait borrowed from Volvo, perhaps - and the interior is more spacious than you might expect. The Polestar 2's wheelbase is longer than that of a Ford Focus.