THE Polestar brand is making steady progress after being launched five years ago by Volvo and parent Chinese company Geely.

Currently three models of the Polestar 2 are available - all well priced and with more than decent ranges.

Two are front-wheel drive single motor variants; a 224 bhp, 165kW standard range model and a 231bhp, 170kW long range version I sampled.

Both are relatively quick and share the same 0-62 miles per hour acceleration time of just 7.4 seconds.

The flagship is the 408bhp, 300kW all-wheel-drive, twin-motor version with its 0-62mph time of just 4.7 seconds.

The Polestar 2 is a handsome five-seater hatchback which looks more like a saloon. It has sleek front, swept back headlights incorporating Thor's hammer shaped daylight running lights - a nod to its parent company - and rear lights which span the entire width of the car.

As a result it gets admiring looks even although most people don't know what it is.

This is not surprising as there are no name badges on the car just the Polestar symbol which features on the the boot and the bonnet.

Climb into the cabin and you will be impressed by the build quality and materials. Everything feels good to the touch and the electricallyadjustable seats are comfortable if a bit on the firm side.

They also double as the start button as a sensor detects you are in place and ready to go. No key to turn, no button to push.

The interior is dominated by a large I-Pad style screen which operates the Google Maps satellite navigation system as well as most other onboard features.

In addition a digital screen behind the wheel houses the speedometer as well as lots of other information, including the battery charge and expected range.

Four adults can travel in comfort and five for shorter journeys and there is also a useful boot that can take 405 litres of luggage and this increases to 1,095 litres if you collapse the rear seats.

The rear screen is too small for my taste and along with the sloping roofline it limits vision but the rear camera does a good job of solving the problem.

As you would expect from an electric vehicle the acceleration is quick and silent and the Polestar 2 handles very well thanks to its fairly firm suspension.

It cruises nicely as motorway speeds but you can see the range dropping quite quickly if you really push on.

I set the car for single pedal driving and as soon as you lift off the accelerator the car brakes itself and puts charge back into the battery pack. If your careful you don't need to use the footbrake at all unless you have to stop really quickly.

The Polestar 2 is packed with clever features and it offers enough range for most people but as always if you are thinking of going electric make sure it will fit into your lifestyle before you make the move.