• Tiny rear seats – strictly for small children
• Equally miniscule boot
• Big selection of standard safety equipment

Like many GT cars, rear seat space in the Polestar 1 is severely restricted at best and only really suitable for small children (both seats have standard-fit Isofix points). There’s very little headroom for an average height male (your head will be pressed forward against the roof), while leg and kneeroom is tight ­– even with someone of a smaller stature sitting up front – as is room for your feet.  Also, accessing said seats is difficult because a) the motor to move them forward is quite slow and b) the front seatbelt obscures entry even when unpinned from its standard position.

Boot space, meanwhile, measures up at up to 143 litres – far less than a Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe, Bentley Continental GT (and only just more than a Porsche 911). You can fit a small carry on case plus a couple of laptop bags in, but – without using the rear seats as auxiliary storage – that’s as good as it gets.

How safe is the Polestar 1?

The Polestar 1 is yet to be crash tested by safety regulator Euro NCAP. However, since it uses the same SPA platform as other five-star rated cars (such as the Volvo S90), there’s no reason to suggest it won’t attain the maximum score. Polestar are also keen to highlight that much of the body is constructed from carbon fibre, allowing excellent rigidity and strength throughout the shell. 

All available safety equipment on the Polestar 1 is fitted as standard, and includes:

• Front collision mitigation with steering support (similar to autonomous emergency braking)
• Seven airbags
• Lane Keeping Aid with steering support (similar to active lane-keeping assist)
• Blindspot Information System with steering support
• Cross Traffic Alert with autobrake
• Hill Start Assist
• 360-degree camera
• Adaptive cruise control
• Pilot Assist (assists the driver by keeping the car in lane and controlling throttle and brake inputs – especially useful in traffic jams)
• Adjustable speed limiter with speed sign support (the latter is similar to traffic sign recognition)