Cold starting is the biggest challenge for mechanical equipment in polar environments. Selecting suitable friction pair materials and exploring the wear mechanism are keys to improving the reliability in a low-temperature environment. This study analyzed the tribological properties of the two typical materials of hydraulic motor's rotor at different ambient temperatures, especially at low temperature. Finally, it explored the wear process and mechanism of two sets of friction pairs. The results showed that the low temperature environment not only affects the viscosity of the hydraulic medium in the hydraulic system and changes the lubrication state between the friction pairs, but also enhances the cold brittleness of metal materials and affects the wear characteristics between the friction pairs. There is a maximum difference of around -20 degrees C. The wear volume of material QT500-7 sharply increases and reaches a maximum of 0.107 mm(3) when the normal force is 20 N, which is 3.65 times as much as the wear volume of the LC2-1. When the normal force is 30 N, the wear volume of materials QT500-7 and LC2-1 are 0.125 and 0.036 mm(3), respectively. The wear volume of the former is 3.4 times that of the latter. In addition, it indicates that the impact energy of the material affects its tribological properties since the impact energy of the material QT500-7 decreases sharply, including two consecutive subintervals of sharp decreases from 97.3 J to 42.2 J and then to 18.0 J at the temperature of -10 to -30 degrees C. The material LC2-1 with stable wear performance is more applicable for being processed and manufactured into parts for low-temperature environmental conditions, as there is no serious fluctuation in the temperature range from -40 degrees C to room temperature. The research findings are expected to provide a theoretical support for hydraulic motors design, material selection and the maintenance of polar deck machinery. They are of great significance for improving the operational reliability of hydraulic motors for polar ships.