Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
Fuel economy
26 mpgcombined; city 22, highway 31; every version of this model year; plug-in hybrid versions on gasoline, 58 MPGe on electricity
Five years of fuel
$15,750EPA's own estimate for plug-in hybrids: its national gasoline and electricity prices and the share of miles it expects on electricity; not priced for any state; every version of this model year; fuel only, 15,000 miles a year
NHTSA overall safety rating
Not ratedNHTSA has no overall rating for this year
Owners have filed 0 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 1. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2021 1 over its history, 1 replaced by a later one. A replaced campaign is listed at the end as history, not as a separate repair. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
Polestar Automotive USA, Inc. (Polestar) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Polestar 1 vehicles. Defective high-voltage battery cells may cause the battery to overheat when fully charged.
Risk: The high-voltage battery overheating increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the high-voltage battery pack and restore the electric driving range as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 66, 2023 (as written in NHTSA's record). Owners may contact Polestar customer service at 1-800-806-2504. Polestar's number for this recall is R102316. Note: This recall supersedes Recall 22V-926 (R10216). Any vehicle that received the interim repair under Recall 22V-926 (R10202) will still need to have the remedy for 23V-361 (R10216) performed.
Polestar Automotive USA, Inc. (Polestar) is recalling certain 2021 Polestar PS1 vehicles. The seat belt automatic locking retractors may deactivate early, which can prevent the child restraint system from securing properly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the seat belt assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 22, 2021. Owners may contact Polestar customer service at 1-800-806-2504. Polestar's number for this recall is R10112.
Replaced by campaign 23V361000, as NHTSA's record says: history, not a separate repair.
Polestar Automotive USA, Inc. (Polestar) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Polestar 1 vehicles. Defective high-voltage battery cells may cause the battery to overheat when fully charged.
Risk: The high-voltage battery overheating increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the high-voltage battery cells, free of charge. Remedy parts are expected to become ready by June 2023. As an interim repair, owners will need to take their vehicle to a dealership for a software update. Interim notices were mailed January 31, 2023. Owners may contact Polestar customer service at 1-800-806-2504. Polestar's number for this recall is R10202. Note: This recall has been superseded by Recall 23V361 (R102316). Any vehicle that received the interim repair under Recall 22V926 (R10202) will still need to have the remedy for 23V361 (R102316) performed.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 61 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2021 1, the latest on Mar 6, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: equipment (32), electrical system (22), unknown or other (8), engine and engine cooling (3), structure (2).
NHTSA defect investigations
Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.
Investigation
Part
Opened
Status
Defect petition DP22005 Pedestrian alert sounds · covers 43 makes
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2021 1.
EPA class: minicompact cars. EPA greenhouse gas score: 10 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
1 All-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turbo, supercharged
Automatic (S8)
Premium Gasoline or Electricity 52 miles on electricity, 470 miles in all
22 / 31 / 26 on gasoline 58 MPGe on electricity
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data