Compare the2023 Chevrolet BoltVS 2023 Polestar 2

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Bolt are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Polestar 2 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Chevrolet Bolt has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Polestar 2 doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Both the Bolt and the Polestar 2 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

Chevrolet’s powertrain warranty covers the Bolt 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Polestar covers the 2. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Polestar 2 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 112 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Polestar dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Bolt’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Polestar vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 181 more problems per 100 vehicles, Polestar is ranked 35th, below the industry average.

The Bolt’s electric motor produces 23 lbs.-ft. more torque (266 vs. 243) than the Polestar 2 Single Motor’s standard electric motor.

On the EPA test cycle the Bolt gets better mileage than the Polestar 2:

The Bolt has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Polestar 2 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Having a flat tire is dangerous, inconvenient and expensive. The self-sealing tires standard on the Bolt can automatically seal most punctures up to 3/16 of an inch, effectively preventing most flat tires. The Polestar 2 doesn’t offer self-sealing tires.

For better maneuverability, the Bolt’s turning circle is 2.9 feet tighter than the Polestar 2’s (34.8 feet vs. 37.7 feet).

The Chevrolet Bolt may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 800 to 1100 pounds less than the Polestar 2.

The Bolt is 1 foot, 6.1 inches shorter than the Polestar 2, making the Bolt easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Bolt has .5 inches more front headroom, 2.1 inches more front legroom, .1 inches more front shoulder room, .9 inches more rear headroom, 2.1 inches more rear legroom and .2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Polestar 2.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Bolt has a standard rear wiper. The Polestar 2 doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Bolt has standard extendable sun visors. The Polestar 2 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Bolt was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2017. The Polestar 2 has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Bolt as the 2017 North American Car of the Year. The Polestar 2 has never been chosen.

The Chevrolet Bolt outsold the Polestar 2 by almost five to one during 2022.