Polestar registered 292 vehicles in Germany in May, a 22% increase from 240 in the same month a year earlier and a rebound from 250 units in April.
The result pulls its year-to-date total in Europe’s largest auto market to approximately 1,826 units, roughly 31% above the comparable period in 2025.
April had broken a run of year-over-year gains that began with a 50.2% surge in the first quarter to 1,284 units.
Registrations fell 17% year over year that month. May’s 22% increase suggests the slip was temporary rather than the start of a downward trend.
Polestar registrations vary depending on the timing of vehicle shipments. The brand’s production is divided among China, the US, and, as of late last year, South Korea.
Federal Subsidies Drive EV Market
The timing coincides with the opening of Germany’s new EV purchase incentive scheme.
The federal government’s online application portal went live in May, allowing private buyers to apply for subsidies of €3,000 to €6,000 depending on household income and number of children.
The programme, administered by BAFA, is retroactive to January 1, 2026, meaning roughly 50,000 privately owned electric vehicles already delivered this year became eligible as soon as the portal opened.
Eligible households must have a taxable annual income of up to €80,000, with the threshold rising by €5,000 per child to a maximum of €90,000.
The maximum €6,000 grant applies to households earning up to €45,000 with at least two minor children.
Vehicles must remain registered to the buyer for a minimum of 36 months.
The programme is funded with approximately €3 billion through 2029 and targets support for up to 800,000 vehicles.
The subsidy applies to all battery-electric vehicles regardless of list price or country of manufacture, a detail that benefits premium brands like Polestar.
Last month, a total of 239,448 vehicles were sold in Germany, with 59,959 of them being fully electric.
Battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales jumped 39.3% year over year, pushing the electric share to 25.0% — one in each car sold last month in Germany was fully electric.
Polestar Incentive Stack
Polestar is running a parallel promotion in Germany that compounds the federal benefit.
Buyers of the Polestar 4 who order by June 30 receive a €2,000 Vorteilsprämie — a brand-funded discount applied automatically at checkout — on top of any federal subsidy they qualify for.
For an eligible lower-income household with two children, the combined saving reaches €8,000, bringing the entry-level Polestar 4 Long Range Single Motor from its €61,900 list price to an effective €53,900.
The brand is also offering 0% financing on the Polestar 4 and leasing from €483 per month with no down payment.
The Polestar 3 SUV is available on lease from €789 per month, also with no down payment, while the Polestar 2 sedan starts at €393 per month on a 48-month lease.
Revamped Lineup
Polestar has recently opened orders for refreshed versions of the Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 across Europe and Canada.
The updated Polestar 3 gains 800-volt architecture, narrowing the technology gap with rivals such as the Porsche Macan Electric and Hyundai Ioniq 5.
In Germany, the Polestar 3 Long Range Dual Motor starts from €88,600, while the Long Range Single Motor is priced from €78,900.
The Polestar 4, positioned as a coupé-SUV without a conventional rear window, starts from €61,900 for the Long Range Single Motor and €69,900 for the Dual Motor.
Optional packages include the Plus pack at €5,500, Pro pack at €2,000, Pilot pack at €1,500, and a Performance pack exclusive to the Dual Motor at €4,500.
Broader European Expansion
Earlier this week, Polestar announced that it is entering Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, raising its European presence to 31 markets through a partnership with Volvax Baltic.
A dedicated Polestar Space is set to open in Tallinn this month, with locations in Riga and Vilnius to follow in the second half of the year.
Europe accounted for 78% of Polestar‘s total retail sales in the first quarter of 2026.
The company operated 230 retail locations globally at the end of the first quarter, up roughly 50% from a year earlier, and is targeting 250 by year-end.
Chief Commercial Officer Scott Dicken framed the Baltic entry as part of a retail strategy built around test-drive-focused showrooms rather than high-volume discounting.
The brand delivered approximately 60,119 vehicles in 2025, with more than 46,000 registered in Europe.
Polestar is guiding for low double-digit volume growth in 2026, implying roughly 66,000 to 69,000 global deliveries, down from the 30%–35% compound annual growth target set a year earlier.
