The current Polestar line-up. Photo: Polestar Australia.
Swedish EV brand Polestar will be well-positioned to ride a wave of renewed interest in EVs as it opens its first Canberra dealership.
EV sales have set a new record over the last quarter, according to the Australian Automobile Association (AAA), representing 9.31 per cent (29,244) of all new vehicle sales – a big jump on their 6.2 per cent market share (17,901 cars) in quarter one of this year.
Internal-combustion cars still dominate, but even their market share fell very slightly (72.37 to 72.03 per cent), with similar declines for hybrids and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).
Of the 4559 new cars sold in the ACT in quarter two, 21 per cent were EVs – up from 13.9 per cent in quarter one.
Similar to the national story, PHEVs fell from 11 per cent market share to 6 per cent, and hybrids from 21 per cent to 17 per cent. Internal-combustion figures remained largely steady, increasing slightly from 53 per cent to 54 per cent.
The Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) attributes “current federal policies and incentives” for the growth, combined with the effect of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard.
“Australian drivers are discovering what early adopters already knew: electric vehicles are better for the family budget. They’re great to drive, better for the environment, and cheaper to run,” EVC CEO Julie Delvecchio says.
“It’s encouraging to see EV sales climb, but we’re still in the early stages of the transition, and numbers remain well short of what’s needed for a self-sustaining market.”
Polestar, an offshoot of Volvo and owned by China’s Geely, now wants to capitalise on the ACT market with a new showroom and service centre in Phillip.
Polestar currently sells three models in Australia, with prices starting from $62,400 for the Polestar 2 sedan, $118,420 for the Polestar 3 large SUV, and $78,500 for the Polestar 4 coupe SUV.
All come in single motor or “Long range Dual motor” variants.
The Polestar 3 recently broke the Guinness World Record for longest journey travelled by an electric SUV on a single charge, achieving 935.44 km over 22 hours and 57 minutes in “mixed weather conditions” in the UK.
The car reportedly reached its factory-tested claimed range of 706 km with 20 per cent of the battery still remaining, and continued for another 12.8 km even when it read 0 per cent.
The Polestar 3 has broken the Guinness World Record for the longest journey travelled by an electric SUV on a single charge. Photo: Polestar.
Similar to Tesla, Polestar operates under an agency model and retails almost entirely through factory-owned spaces in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane – rather than using the traditional franchise arrangement.
But under new plans, it’s now signing up independent dealers across the world to grow the number of its retail spaces by 75 per cent before the end of 2026.
Since January 2025 alone, it’s opened five new stores in South Australia, regional Victoria and western Sydney.
But it couldn’t overlook the ACT any longer.
“This year has already been a strong one for Polestar Australia, and we intend to keep that momentum rolling through the second half of 2025,” Polestar Australia managing director Scott Maynard says.
“With strong government support for EVs and a robust public charge network, the ACT is a market with huge potential for Polestar.”
Polestar sold 49 cars in the ACT in the first six months of this year, and 363 in NSW.
Up to now, ACT handovers have been managed largely by one local consultant, with the cars trucked to and from Sydney for servicing or repairs.
Polestar says its new test drive and handover centre, located at 152 Melrose Drive in Phillip and run by Eagers Automotive, will “make it easier for buyers in one of Australia’s most important electric vehicle markets to experience and buy cars online and in-store”.
“This is to primarily support the after-sales requirements of our loyal customers, and meet growing demand in the region,” a spokesperson told Region.
“The ACT is an important part of Polestar’s expansion due to the strength of electric vehicle interest, which has been buoyed by the ACT Government incentives, its commitment to improving infrastructure, and its commitment to phase out the sale of internal combustion engine (ICE) passenger vehicles by 2035.”
Tesla store, Tuggeranong. Photo: Dale Tomes, Electric Vehicles for Australia, Facebook.
Other brands to have recently come to Canberra include Zeekr, Deepal and Geely, all located along the same so-called ‘Car Yard Alley’ in Phillip.
Meanwhile Tesla has recently opened Canberra’s first shopping-mall-based car dealership with a new store in South.Point in Tuggeranong (on the ground floor, opposite JB Hi-Fi).
