Polestar 2 lands top safety rating

Ancap has awarded a five-star safety rating to all variants of the Polestar 2, which is a fresh entry to the New Zealand and Australian markets.

The battery electric vehicle (BEV) boasts a comprehensive range of active-crash avoidance technologies and scored strongly across all areas of its assessment.

The Polestar 2 is the fifth BEV to be tested against Ancap’s 2020-22 criteria, adding to a total of 43 BEV, PHEV, hybrid and hydrogen-powered models it has so far tested.

High scores were achieved by the Polestar 2 in all crash tests, with full points awarded for adult and child occupants in the side-impact test, which simulates the effects of a T-bone crash. Good scores were also shown in far-side impact tests and occupant-to-occupant interaction. 

However, it was penalised for vehicle-to-vehicle compatibility because it was shown to provide a high risk of injury to occupants of a collision partner vehicle when struck.

The Polestar 2 also scored well in the assessment area of vulnerable road-user (VRU) protection, achieving a score of 80 per cent. With an active bonnet, it provides increased protection to struck pedestrians, and its autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system is also effective in reacting to pedestrians and cyclists. However, the AEB system doesn’t react to pedestrians in reverse and back-over tests were not conducted.

The Polestar 2 is fitted with lane-support systems, including emergency lane keeping and lane-keep assist with good results recorded. Such have been shown to reduce head-on and single-vehicle crashes by around 30 per cent.

“Today’s consumers are looking to purchase vehicles with top safety and environmental credentials,” says Carla Hoorweg, Ancap’s chief executive officer. 

“The well-rounded Polestar 2 ticks these boxes. It adds to the suite of five-star rated EVs now available to Australasian consumers.

“Ancap safety ratings are designed to encourage vehicles to provide good protection to occupants and other road users, and the Polestar 2 has performed well across all areas of assessment.”