The Biggest Discount Can Be a Warning: Polestar Slashes Prices as It Leaves America

© A. Krivonosov

Polestar has launched a US sale that looks like a buyer's dream and a warning at once. After US authorities refused to let the brand sell its 2027 model-year cars, the company is cutting prices on the Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 — the discount reaches up to $25,000.

According to InsideEVs, the Polestar 3 is $23,000 cheaper when you pay cash or take financing at 4.99% APR: the base single-motor version with 350 miles of EPA range now starts at $44,500. The dual-motor variant, with almost 500 hp and 315 miles of range, has slipped to just above $50,000.

With the Polestar 4 the discount is even sharper: cash buyers save $25,000, and at 0% APR it is $18,000 off. The EV started at $56,400, yet in California inventory it already turns up in the mid-$30,000 range. That is Chevrolet Equinox EV, Toyota bZ and base Tesla territory — only with premium positioning, an unusual body with no rear window and a 544 hp version.

But the low price here is no ordinary promo. Polestar is leaving the US because of the Connected Vehicle Rule: from the 2027 model year, the restrictions target cars with software and communication ties to China or Russia. Polestar is owned by Geely, just like Volvo, but Volvo won permission to keep selling — and Polestar did not.

For the buyer, the key question is not acceleration or range, but what happens to the car in three to five years. Polestar promises customer support and a service network, including locations at Volvo dealers, yet resale value could still sag: a used EV from a little-known brand with no new sales in the country is harder to move than a Tesla Model Y, a Hyundai Ioniq 5 or a mainstream Chevrolet Equinox EV.

Sometimes the biggest discount is not a gift — it is the price of a risk the maker has already passed on to the next owner.