- Polestar is offering some incredible discounts on its cars right now.
- The brand was barred from selling cars in the U.S. starting with the 2027 model year.
- The Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 are up to $25,000 cheaper as the company works to clear out inventory and wind down U.S. operations.
The last time we saw an EV get discounts this deep was when Fisker was circling the drain and attempting to bring in every penny it could. Now another EV-only company is staring down some hard times, but for a very different reason.
Last week, Polestar announced that it will exit the U.S. market, as it couldn’t find a way around the country’s new Connected Vehicle rule. The rule, finalized under the Biden administration, bars vehicles with software linked to China from being sold in the U.S. starting with the 2027 model year. Volvo managed to get a special authorization to continue selling cars, but Polestar, which is also owned by the Geely Group, wasn’t successful. So it’s winding down U.S. operations and focusing on other markets.
Photo by: Polestar
In a lot of ways, it’s a shame. I always liked Polestar’s clean, Scandinavian design aesthetic. I found the Polestar 2 fun to drive. And while I haven’t driven them, my colleagues generally had nice things to say about the Polestar 3 SUV (the brand’s best shot at mainstream success) and Polestar 4 (a weird lifted four-door with sheetmetal where a back window should be). And, especially given the raft of cancellations, the U.S. needs more EV options these days, not fewer.
The good news is that the Sweden-based, Chinese-owned brand is still selling down its inventory of cars. And that has resulted in some incredible deals for anybody willing to take the plunge.
Photo by: Patrick George
The Polestar 3 is $23,000 off, if you buy in cash or take a financing offer at 4.99% APR. That means the base single-motor variant with 350 miles of EPA range now starts at $44,500, down from $67,500. The more powerful dual-motor version—with nearly 500 horsepower and 315 miles of range—will run you just over $50,000, down from well over 70 grand.
Photo by: Polestar
The wackier Polestar 4 is cheaper to start with (at $56,400) and is even more deeply discounted. Cash purchasers can get $25,000 off. And you can get $18,000 off by taking Polestar’s 0% APR financing offer. The single-motor Polestar 4 gets 310 miles of EPA range, 272 horsepower, and a claimed 0-60 time of 6.7 seconds. Spring for the dual-motor option, and you’re looking at 280 miles, 544 hp, and a 0-60 sprint of 3.7 seconds.
As of this writing, I’m seeing plenty of Polestar 4s available in existing inventory in California in the mid-$30,000 range. That’s Chevy Equinox EV, Toyota bZ, or base Tesla money for a premium, interesting, tech-forward EV.
Across both models, Polestar is also offering deep discounts on leases. The Polestar 4, for example, starts at $399 per month for 39 months. All these deals expire on July 31.
Photo by: Patrick George
The numbers are tough to ignore. But should you pull the trigger? This is an unusual situation. But what I can say is that it’s not at all like what happened to Fisker. That company went bankrupt and ceased to exist, leaving owners and independent repair shops to pick up the pieces and figure out how to service the cars basically from scratch.
Polestar will continue to sell cars outside of the U.S. And it says it will “continue to support customers, including providing access to its service network.” The connection to Volvo helps too; Polestar spun out of Volvo and became its own brand in 2017. A company spokesperson told Reuters this week that Polestar customers will be able to get their cars serviced at its 32 service locations, which are located at Volvo dealerships.
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