The British government's mixed messaging on EV incentives and taxes is damaging to buyer confidence, Polestar's UK Managing Director, Matt Galvin, has told Electrifying.com. "The messages coming out of government are confusing at best," says Galvin. "The grant was great, then it was confused by the pence-per-mile tax, and this makes the decision for buyers considering transitioning to an EV very difficult."

Galvin's comments come off the back of a successful year for the Swedish brand. Polestar is a sister brand to Volvo and has seen UK sales nearly double over the last twelve months thanks to the introduction of its new Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 models, which helped the manufacturer to sell 16,959 cars in 2025. 

Galvin was also quick to mention that rumours of a cut to the 20% VED tax currently applied to public EV charging would be a good move from the UK government, but "what people want is certainty. I'd also love to see [the government introduce] a used EV incentive. We've got to give people a lower entry price, and having an incentive on a used EV would go a long way to helping with that."​

Ginny Buckley, CEO for Electrifying.com, echoed Galvin's comments regards the UK government's EV policies. “The government’s approach to the EV transition is muddled and confusing: offering grants to encourage uptake with one hand, then piling new taxes on those who switched to an EV expecting lower running costs with the other. With one foot on the brake and the other on the accelerator, the government won’t move the country forward - it will create uncertainty and risks stalling the shift to cleaner cars.”

The Polestar 3 is due to get an 800V charging upgrade in early 2026