So, what’s a Polestar, and why does it look like a Volvo? Well, that’s a good question – Polestar used to be Volvo’s performance tuning arm, but now it has been created as its own brand with hybrid (Polestar 1) or full EV vehicles (Polestar 2 and more) in its lineup.

This is the second car they’ve released – the Polestar 2 and is a medium-sized SUV-Crossover designed from the ground-up as an EV. So as with all Polestars, there are clear Volvo styling links all over the car, but they are always a little less conventional – for example, this is a fastback design with a hatchback but raised up with SUV-style ground clearance and visibility. For 2023 we now have a blanked-off front grille to move it in line with the bigger Polestar 3, but the style remains the same.

Inside is an absolute dream with a clean Scandinavian style to it and all the tech you could want, while under the skin sits a 469bhp AWD motor setup with an 82Wh battery. This means 0-62mph in 4.0 seconds and 369 miles of range on the WLTP cycle – more than enough for most people's driving habits!

This is the Performance model, too, so you get larger unique 20-inch alloy wheels, gold Brembo brakes, incredibly cool Ohlins dampers which lower the suspension and have 22 manually adjustable settings and, for that extra touch, gold seatbelts to match the brakes.

These ground-up EVs are all starting to come to market now, and this Polestar 2 is a fantastic example of how it can be done with cool, Scandi style and still get all the range and performance you want.

And all you need to do is play in the BOTB Competition, and you could win one!