Even though EVs only came to fruition a few years ago, there are many student drivers out there taking their driving exam in an EV. This means that these people experience driving an EV before having the opportunity to legally drive an internal combustion engine car.
This has its own set of drawbacks such as not being able to transition between the two seamlessly and not being able to drive a manual. However, most people don’t even know how to drive a manual at all, and given the fact that an ICE car with an automatic is fairly similar to an EV, there shouldn’t be too much of an issue to transition between the two.
The benefits consist out of having the opportunity to ride the wave of change and benefiting from all sorts of EV-specific qualities such as lower taxes, better reliability, and fewer fees overall. The Polestar 2 is currently one of the hottest new cars on the market so it’s only reasonable to suggest that it could potentially be your very first car.
All in all, the Polestar 2 can certainly be a really good first car if you are able to fully utilize the EV platform. Besides being an EV, the Polestar 2 is a fairly well-equipped car with all of the state-of-the-art safety and convenience technologies that make it easy to drive.
Benefits of having the Polestar 2 as your very first car
The Polestar 2 costs between $45 and $50k MSRP depending on the model you go for. If you take advantage of government EV grants you could potentially lower that price tag for as much as $7500 which leaves you a decent sum of money to tick all the options you need and desire.
Most people out there don’t have the opportunity to drive a $50k first car so it’s rather obvious why the Polestar 2 could potentially be a great option. It is safe and it offers lots of space for both yourself, your passengers and a decent set of luggage.
The shape of the car benefits overall visibility and the car itself is decently proportioned which makes it perfect for both highway driving and urban driving. You are not polluting your way with the Polestar 2 which is also a benefit, and the same story goes for not needing fuel.
The Polestar 2 also comes with AWD straight from the factory which means that it should be well suited for winter and snowy driving. It is a comfortable car that can offer you around 270 WLTP miles on a single charge and you can recharge it from 10% to 80% through a 140kW fast charger in around 30 minutes.
Drawbacks of having the Polestar 2 as your very first car
Having a $50k first car is also not a frequent sight which means that it could be beneficial for you to start out with something a little bit more sensible and later upgrade to a car such as the Polestar 2. The first few years of car ownership can be stressful and filled with lots of dings and scratches and that’s why having a cheap car is a good idea.
Furthermore, driving an EV as your first car means that you will have to do all of the EV compromises most people can avoid for a few more years to come. It is still not as easy as it is to own an ICE car or a hybrid because you can just rely on the combustion engine if you can’t charge the car.
Insurance prices for the first few years after obtaining your driver’s license are high which means having an expensive car is not a good idea. Even though the Polestar 2 is not exactly a large car, it can still be viewed as too large for many, and that’s not something you want from your very first car.
Conclusion – Should I buy the Polestar 2 as my first car?
The answer to this question depends highly on your purchasing abilities and if you are willing and able to fully utilize the EV platform. EVs can be great cars for everyone if they are always able to charge them and use them for what they are.
On the other hand, if you are not able to do so, you should skip it. Moreover, if you are able to buy a $50k first car, you should also cross-shop different options as much as possible. That’s not to say that the Polestar 2 is not worth $50k, but there certainly are other cars that are also worth the $50k.
Either way, you have to be sure that that’s something you want on a daily basis, if you are, then go ahead and buy the Polestar 2.
FAQ Section
Should I buy a plug-in hybrid as my first car?
A plug-in hybrid could be a really good first car because by using a plug-in daily you can familiarize yourself with what it takes to own both a combustion engine car and an EV. This gives you the ability to plan ahead if you are willing to transition towards a full-on EV or even go back and buy an ICE car.
Plug-in hybrids are similar to EVs because they benefit from similar factors, however, there aren’t many of them around so you need to pick from a small number of options.
What makes a great first car?
A great first car should be great value for money because the chances of crashing or damaging a car are much higher when only starting out. Furthermore, this also means that your very first car needs to be as safe and secure as possible.
It should be easy to drive and it should not be overly large. Be sure to pick out all the right options and try to be sensible with your budget. Don’t go ahead and buy overly powerful cars because first cars should be a bit more subdued.
What are the worst first cars?
Supercars are the obvious ones because they are way too cumbersome and difficult to drive. Large cars such as full-size SUVs and sedans are also not perfect because it takes some skill to park them if they are not packed with advanced driver aids.
Finally, you should also avoid cars that are too expensive to own, are unsafe, are expensive to insure, and are prone to breaking.
