Polestar’s radical all-electric approach will be matched by an equally radical method of selling its cars. The new 1 coupe, along with all future Polestar models, will be available on a subscription-only basis, with the car’s ‘owner’ never actually owning the vehicle.
This subscription-only method differs from the PCP schemes that are now the most popular method of acquiring a new car, where the driver has the option to buy the car at the end of the PCP contract, swap the car for a new model, or simply hand the car back and walk away. The Polestar 1 will be acquired via zero-deposit deal over two or three years, with everything incorporated into one monthly payment. This will include pick-up and delivery servicing and the ability to swap cars for alternatives – taking a larger Volvo XC90, for example, for the family holiday trips to the Dordogne.
Polestar models will be serviced at selected Volvo dealers, although their drivers won’t need to visit the workshop, as all issues will be dealt with online. There will be no Polestar dealers – and no Polestar cars in the corner of a Volvo showroom – but there will be Polestar retail ‘spaces’. This comes just days after Porsche announced the trial of a similar monthly subscription package, initially being tested out in Atlanta, Georgia. Dubbed Porsche Passport, this scheme will grant fans of the Stuttgart marque unlimited access to a wide fleet of Porsche vehicles for a set fee.
Polestar’s pioneering global monthly subscription initiative is the latest in a long line of alternative new car buying options, stretching back decades. Here are a handful of some of our favourite alternatives…