CleanTechnica readers may remember this article from our visit to Polestar two years ago. At our recent Coffee, Cake, and EVs meeting here in Brisbane, Neil Warner introduced himself to me as the Model Y owner who did the deed, trading in his Tesla Model Y for a Polestar 4. Of course, I had to ask for his story. Here it is in his own words, complete with photos of both vehicles.
Neil’s former EV, a Model Y Performance. Photo courtesy Neil Warner.
As interesting twist to my review: David Waterworth wrote an article for CleanTechnica (30/01/2025) titled “Can the Polestar 4 Save Polestar?” For the article, David went to the Brisbane Polestar dealership, and in his article, he quoted the sales representative saying “A plethora of cars” have been traded in on the Polestar. “One customer recently traded in a Tesla Model Y Performance for a Polestar 4 dual motor.” The customer who traded in the Tesla Model Y Performance was me, as I took delivery of our Polestar 4 Long Range Dual Motor (P4LRDM) on 07/02/2025.
I have been driving EVs for five and a bit years. Our first EV was a Tesla Model 3 dual motor acquired in June 2021. The Model 3 was followed by a Tesla Model Y Performance (purchased as easier for my in-laws to enter/exit), which was then traded for our P4 LRDN in February 2025. I enjoy the instant torque, quietness, and overall refinement of driving an EV so was not going to go back to an ICE vehicle.
Neil’s Polestar 4 LRDM. Photo courtesy Neil Warner.
We wanted a change from Tesla with something a bit more unique and not as minimalist as the Tesla MYP. We looked at a Porsche Macan 4S. However, it did not have one-pedal driving mode (I find OPD great in stop-start traffic), the interior did not grab me, most things were options, no over-the-air software updates, the final on-road price was crazy, and the warranty was only three years on the car (battery was eight). However, it did drive well. I read a lot of reviews on EVs, and the Polestar 4 looked interesting, having good reviews. So, we took a trip in to the Polestar showroom in Brisbane for a look and test drive.
Needless to say, we liked it a lot and purchased our Polestar 4 LRDM in storm, nappa leather (zinc colour/charcoal deco) interior with performance, plus, and pilot packages. In comparison to the Tesla MYP, the Polestar 4 is very quiet and smooth (with no motor whine, which was evident from the front motor in the Tesla MYP when accelerating enthusiastically), and the interior is very nicely finished. Ride is refined; power is very strong — although, the front wheels have a tendency to scrabble from a start under hard acceleration. (Tesla MYP never had an issue getting power down.) And it does have one-pedal driving mode.
Polestar 4 dash. Photo courtesy Neil Warner.
The P4 LRDM uses Andriod Automotive OS with native Google Maps and Google Assistant and an app for your phone. Overall, it’s good. However, it is not as polished as the Tesla OS, and the app does not have anywhere near the same functionality as Tesla’s. Two examples being: you cannot precondition the car’s battery from the app (climate yes) and no sentry mode. The OS software had a few glitches when we first had the P4 LRDM, but Polestar has released over-the-air updates and the system is now stable.
We have had our P4 LRDM for eighteen months. The purchase price of our model/specification P4 LRDM was around 35% more than a Tesla MYP. However, I feel it was worth the extra money. I much prefer the look of our P4 LRDM and the difference in refinement is well and truly noticeable. The P4 LRDM feels like a grand tourer to drive. People’s comments on the look of the P4 LRDM are always positive, as it is a sleek looking vehicle.
Polestar 4 interior. Photo courtesy Neil Warner.
As one can see, the P4 LRDM does not have a rear window. The view out the back is streamed to a screen in the rear-view mirror. I wear glasses, so it took my eyes a little while to adjust to focusing on the screen. However, the view is clear and wide. I much prefer this to the Tesla (both M3 and MYP), where the view in the rear-view mirror was like looking through a letterbox. If you had passengers in the rear, the view out the back was even further limited by their heads. The camera feed to the mirror stays clear in the rain and is good at night. However, the vehicles look closer than they actually are.
The P4 LRDM is not as efficient as the Tesla MYP, but the larger battery (100 kWh verses 84 kWh) compensates for the inefficiency. On average, I can achieve a range of 480 to 525 kilometres on 100% charge. However, for day-to-day driving, I charge to 80%, which gives a range of 384 to 420 kilometres. I charge at home (solar and battery) and use Tesla Superchargers, Evie chargers, and Chargefox chargers when going on trips. I have not had an issue at any of these chargers. The Tesla MYP could DC charge at up to 250 kW, the P4 LRDM at up to 200 kW. Our P4 LRDM has a 22 kW AC charger, and the Tesla MYP has an 11 kW AC charger. The 22 kW onboard charger works well for me, as I have three-phase power at home and most AC chargers are 22 kW.
The storage on the Tesla MYP was superior to our P4 LRDM, particularly the front trunk and rear underfloor storage areas. However, passenger room in the rear of the P4 LRDM is far superior to the Tesla MYP. My in-laws find it very comfortable in the back of our P4 LRDM, with plenty of leg and head room. The glass roof on our P4 LRDM is far better than the Tesla MYP and Model 3 at keeping heat out. It has some form of metallic film/coating in the glass which the Teslas did not.
Overall, we are very happy with our Polestar 4 LRDM. It is a unique looking, very refined, quiet, comfortable, and powerful car. It suits our lifestyle very well.
PS4 LRDM heading off. Photo courtesy Neil Warner
Thank you, Neil, for answering my questions, and thank you to your wife for providing the added comment that the Polestar feels more luxurious than the Teslas. No regrets is wonderful.