I hate subscription plans, and I’ve never understood them. Why do I have to keep paying for something I’ve already bought? So when I found out Polestar was introducing its own plan for charging, I was shocked.

Polestar has announced two new subscription tiers, promising up to 30% off at Ionity and other rapid chargers, but it just feels like another charge on top of an already pricey EV.

The basic tier, which is free for all new Polestar customers and for cars from its pre-owned programme, is sticking around. It gives you one account, one app and one card to use across Europe. That’s all well and good, but its standard price for fast charging now feels like a basic option that leaves a lot to be desired.

The Plus tier costs £6.99 a month and cuts charging costs by 15% at five select networks in each market. The Pro tier costs £12.99 a month for 30% off at seven different networks, including Ionity. That adds up to £156 a year before you’ve even plugged your car in once.

Across the UK, Plus users now get access to more than 11,000 discounted charging points (up 35%), while Pro users get more than 12,000 (up 48%). Subscribers to either tier get the same access to the 1.25 million-strong network, Tesla Superchargers included, so you’re only paying for cheaper charging, not for more places to charge.

Polestar also points out that summer usage hit a record 161,000 sessions, and CEO Michael Lohscheller highlights EVs passing 20% of new car sales in the EU in the first half of 2026.

But when EVs already cost more upfront than most petrol and diesel rivals, asking owners to pay extra to avoid hefty and rising rapid-charging prices feels like a hard sell. That’s especially true with the UK’s plans for pay-per-mile tax on EVs.

“bixusas-wheel-5721459” by bixusas

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automotive, boland, cars, charging, charging points, cheaper, dan, dan boland, europe, ev, fast, michael loscheller, news, pay-per-mile, polestar, subscription, subscription plan, tax, technology, tier, travel