The Mille Miglia is often called "the most beautiful race in the world," and it often serves as a perfect showcase for vintage cars. So that's why I tackled the 2025 Mille Miglia in a Polestar 2. Wait, what?
It makes more sense than you might think. The 1,000-kilometer (621-mile) race is the perfect open-air laboratory to evaluate the fundamental principle behind an electric car: the use of energy.
And we did even more than that. Over the more than 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles) we covered in five days from Brescia to Rome and back, cutting across much of the Italian Peninsula from north to south, east to west and vice versa, we collected valuable and interesting data.
How much energy is needed to complete the Mille Miglia in a rear-wheel-drive Polestar 2 with the 82 kilowatt-hour battery? Let's find out.
(Full Disclosure: This article was created in partnership between Motor1 Italia and Polestar.)
The Big Picture
To understand what we faced from June 17 to 21, 2025, and before analyzing each stage in depth, here are the numbers that tell the story.
Overall test parameters:
- Total distance covered: 2,072.5 km (including transfers)/1,287.7 miles
- Overall average consumption: 15.8 kWh per 100 km/3.93 miles per kWh
- Total driving time: 49 hours
- Average speed: 42.3 kilometers per hour/26 mph
- Type of charging: Exclusively HPC
These figures are interesting because the average consumption of 15.8 kWh/100 km (3.93 miles per kWh) is quote good. It should be noted that the official WLTP rating of the Polestar 2 RWD is 17.5 kWh/100 km (3.5 miles per kWh) and that we got our rating after driving in a variety of conditions, including highways, slow city crossings, suburban roads under police escorts, and various precision speed tests.
The Mille Miglia is all about consistency. The winner is the most precise, not the fastest. Time is a friendly factor, not a series of numbers on a stopwatch to face and beat. Sometimes, though, when we needed to get the car going or when traveling on routes like Futa or Cisa, the pleasure of driving naturally took precedence over more "efficient" driving. This is precisely why the values were interesting.
Stage-by-stage analysis
Stage 1: Brescia-Ferrara-Bologna
| Parameter | Value |
| Departure from Brescia | 99% -> 93% |
| Verona | 76% |
| Bovolone | 72% |
|
Ferrara |
52% |
| Arrival in San Lazzaro | 47% -> 89% (Post-stage charging) |
| Average Consumption | 14.1 kWh/100 km (4.4 miles per kWh) |
The first stage takes us through the Po Valley, an ideal area for electric vehicles. Consumption of 14.1 kWh/100 km (4.4 miles per kWh) represents the highest value of the entire competition, demonstrating how the flat terrain benefited energy efficiency. The absence of significant elevation changes allowed the electric motor to operate in its maximum efficiency zone.
Stage 2: Bologna-Siena-Rome through the Apennines
| Parameter | Value |
| Departure from San Lazzaro | 88% |
| End of Passo della Futa | 74% |
| Consumption on Ascent | 16 kWh/100 km (3.9 miles per kWh) |
|
Post-descent Consumption |
14.9 kWh/100 km (4.1 miles per kWh) |
| Arrival in Siena | 45% --> 87% (Post-stage charging) |
| Average Consumption | 14.9 kWh/100 km (4.1 miles per kWh) |
Crossing the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines represents the first significant test. The Passo della Futa, with its 903 meters (3,000 feet) in altitude, required additional work from the propulsion system, resulting in an increase in consumption during the ascent.
However, the descent phase towards Siena allowed for a partial energy recovery thanks to regenerative braking, bringing consumption back to 14.9 kWh. From Siena to Rome, via Veneto, it was a long transfer that led us to recharge in advance on the highway at a high-power Free to X station for 20 minutes. Once we reached the capital, the hotel provided free chargers that took our Polestar 2 from 45% to 87%.
Stage 3: Rome-Arezzo-Cervia
| Parameter | Value |
| Departure from Rome | 87% |
| Amelia Special Stage | 54% |
| Progressive Average Consumption | 17.1 kWh/100 km (3.6 miles per kWh) |
|
Second Special Stage |
32% (120 km/74 miles of remaining range) |
| Final Stage Consumption in Arezzo | 15.9 kWh/100 km (3.9 miles per kWh) |
| Transfer Arezzo - Cervia | 15% -> 80% (Charging) |
The third stage took us into the heart of the central Apennines, where the more complex terrain challenged energy efficiency. The progressive consumption of 17.1 kWh/100 km (3.65 miles per kWh) represented the peak of the entire competition, highlighting the impact of the continuous ups and downs typical of the Umbrian-Tuscan region.
The special stage in Amelia, however, demonstrated how attentive driving can exploit downhill stretches for energy recovery.
Stage 4: Cervia-Pontedera-Parma
| Parameter | Value |
| Departure from Cervia | 83% |
| After 20 km ascent + 14 km descent | 52% |
| Pontedera | 30% |
|
Post-Pontedera Charging |
27% -> 80% |
| Post-Parma Charging | 45% -> 90% |
| Average Consumption | 14.7 kWh/100 km (4.2 miles per kWh) |
This stage perfectly exemplifies the influence of topography on consumption. The first 20 kilometers (12 miles) uphill quickly consumed 31% of the battery, but the subsequent 14 kilometers (nine miles) downhill allowed for significant recovery. The final consumption of 14.7 kWh/100 km (4.2 miles per kWh) demonstrated the effectiveness of the energy recovery system during braking. In this case, we kept the energy recovery at its maximum value.
Stage 5: Parma-Brescia
| Parameter | Value |
| Departure from Parma | 89% |
| Arrival in Brescia | 49% |
The final stage, predominantly flat through Lombardy, confirmed the trend already observed on the first day, with contained consumption thanks also to favorable topography.
Energy in numbers: how much is needed?
Analyzing the overall data reveals interesting considerations from an energy perspective:
- Total energy consumed: About 327 kWh (15.8 kWh/100 km × 20.725 = 327.5 kWh)
Breakdown by type of route:
- Flat routes (60% of the journey): 14.1-14.7 kWh/100 km (4.4 miles per kWh - 4.22 miles per kWh)
- Hilly/mountainous routes (40% of the journey): 15.9-17.1 kWh/100 km (3.9 miles per kWh - 3.63 miles per kWh)
It is therefore evident how the topography of the territory was one of the key elements (although not the only one), especially since physics came to our aid. Every meter of positive elevation requires potential energy equal to mgh (mass × gravity acceleration × height). For a vehicle weighing about two tons like the Polestar 2, every 100 meters of ascent (about 330 feet) theoretically requires 0.61 kWh of additional energy, part of which is recovered during descent through regenerative braking.
And on stretches like Futa or Cisa, regeneration allowed a recovery of up to 2-3%.
Of course, topography was not the only intervening variable: driving style—as always—is very influential, as are highway transfers with higher speeds. It should be noted that the Mille Miglia Green, for years now, has followed the traditional route, except for the last transfer—usually about two hours out of 9-10 hours of driving—to allow taking the highway and recharging in time for the evening parade and morning departure.
Beyond the race: How much energy?
But what do the 327.5 kWh consumed during the Mille Miglia really mean? To fully understand the energy magnitude of this test, it's necessary to provide units of measure related to everyday life.
Here in Italy, the average family consumes about 2,700 kWh a year for domestic needs. The 327.5 kWh consumed represents 12% of the annual energy requirement of a typical household. In other words, the energy needed to complete the Mille Miglia is equivalent to:
Energy in perspective
- 3.99 "full charges" from 82 kWh net
- Energy consumption equivalent to ~328 complete cycles of a 1 kWh water heater
- An A+++ washing machine for 1,000 cycles with about 300 kWh
- Estimated cost (with an average flat rate of €0.13/kWh): about €42 (around $50)
- Equivalent emissions (average EU mix): ~55-70 g CO₂/km
Energy production: Where does the energy come from?
In the Italian context of 2025, the 327.5 kWh needed for our feat are produced through an energy mix conceptually divided as follows:
| Parameter | Value |
| Renewable Sources (Hydroelectric, photovoltaic, wind) | 45% |
| Natural Gas | 42% |
| Coal | 8% |
|
Other Sources |
5% |
This means that about 147 kWh (45%) of our energy theoretically came from clean sources, while the remaining 180 kWh still came from fossil fuels. A 6 kW peak domestic photovoltaic panel, in average Italian conditions, produces about 8,000 kWh a year. Our 327.5 kWh would therefore represent 15 days of production from a residential solar installation.
It should be noted, however, that during our journey, we used Ewiwa charging stations—a joint venture between Volkswagen and Enel X—that use 100% renewable energy.
How does this compare to diesel and gasoline?
Making comparisons in such cases is always complicated. However, one can estimate—to get an idea—the use of energy by conceptualizing it in kWh relative to the efficiency of diesel and gasoline.
If we had traveled the same 2,072.5 km with an internal combustion car with an average consumption of 6 liters/100 km (about 40 miles per gallon) we would have consumed about 124 liters of fuel (33 gallons), equivalent to more than 1,100 kWh of primary energy. The gasoline engine, with its 35% efficiency, would have converted only ~400 kWh into motion, "wasting" the remaining ~800 kWh as heat.
With a diesel engine consuming 5 liters/100 km (47 MPG)—again, sticking to estimates—we would have consumed 104 liters (27 gallons) of diesel, equivalent to ~1,100 kWh of primary energy (10.7 kWh per liter of diesel). Even with the higher efficiency of the diesel cycle (42% versus 35% for gasoline), more than 600 kWh of energy would be lost to heat here.
In both cases, the Polestar 2's 327.5 kWh energy consumption uses 73% and 70% less primary energy, respectively.
It is also true that, as of today, considering the cost of energy and charging in Italy, the total cost of charging remains higher. This is because, not considering possible subscriptions, the cost of an HPC charge is €0.89/kWh while current fossil fuel prices in Italy are €1.75/liter for gasoline and €1.68/liter for diesel. Consequently, considering even previously estimated consumption, we would have a cost per 100 km of €14.06 for electric, €10.50 for gasoline and €8.40 for diesel.
Still, the Polestar 2 proved itself at the Mille Miglia—and the math says a lot about how much better at energy consumption EVs really are.
