Polestar adds a referral program, but it’s not like Tesla

Last week, Polestar announced it was launching its own referral program to encourage owners to promote the EV brand to others.

The customer referral program has been very popular for Tesla, but times have changed and you won’t find anything more lucrative like the $ 1,000 incentives and free cars for the leading referees that Tesla once offered.

The program, which was launched in the United States, Europe and South Korea, allows both referrals to customers and those to whom they apply to receive rewards based on referral codes in customer accounts.

Existing customers can generate one of these codes in their account, which can then be linked to a new customer’s account when ordering a car. After the purchase, new customers in Europe and South Korea will receive payment loans. US customers will receive a Google Bundle, including the Nest Hub and Nest Mini devices.

Invited customers will also be eligible for these awards, as well as a Houdini Power Houdi jacket and a unique sketch from one of Polestar’s designers, depending on their “reward level” for Polestar.

This means a return to an idea that served Tesla well in earlier days.

As we reported back in 2016-to model 3 – Tesla’s referral program really worked in gaining market turnover with the first users. This brought buyers a $ 1,000 discount when referring plus a $ 1,000 loan to the referrer. And Tesla usually invites its best referrals to its events, and in some cases gives them the first – or first chance to buy – new models.

2023 Polestar 2

However, this too created problems with some states– like Virginia. Just as Tesla came under fire from franchise dealers for its direct sales business model, the company also ran into problems with the referral program because it violated Virginia law that prohibits compensation to people who are not licensed to sell cars.

In addition to possible regulatory barriers, the EV market today is very different than it was five years ago. Although EVs are still just a drop in the bucket of the new car market in the US, the concept has gained more recognition. Even Tesla stopped its referral program in 2021, except for the solar roof for homes.

Polestar also differs slightly in its retail strategy, as it is somewhat in line with Volvo’s existing service network, but has its own retail directly to the consumer.