When we drove the Polestar 3 we were immediately impressed, with it eventually winning our 2025 Premium Car of the Year Award. Up against the mostly German competition & JLR, it’s decidedly different take on a premium SUV won the day.
As we move into 2026 the brand has added a single motor version so more bases are covered. We refreshed ourselves with a week in the 3 & here’s what you need to know.
What is it ?
Polestar 3 is a 5-door SUV & it features the design language inspired by Polestar Precept.
Outside
Designed as a Polestar from the start the 3 features dual blade headlights, a front aero wing integrated into the bonnet, an aero wing integrated into the rear spoiler & rear aero blades. It also comes with a much lower roofline than your average SUV.
Inside
You’ll find bio-attributed MicroTech, animal welfare-certified leather & fully traceable wool upholsteries. The infotainment system is powered by a next-generation Snapdragon Cockpit Platform, delivering high-definition displays, premium quality surround sound & seamless connectivity.
The dashboard itself is sparse with almost everything controlled via the 14.5″ portrait touchscreen which sits in the centre. Beneath this are a wireless phone charger, twin cup holder, 2 x USB’s & in front of the driver, a 9″ LCD display. Even the steering wheel controls are deliberately cool with no signage. You push these up down left or right to for example, adjust the seat positions on the touchscreen. The door opening catch is neatly tucked way in front of the electric window switches & overall it’s premium but understated.
Model choice & performance
The Long range Dual motor or Long range Dual motor with Performance Pack. The former comes with 360Kw/483hp & 840NM’s of torque thats good for a top speed of 130mph & 0-62mph in 5 seconds. The Performance Pack adds 20kW producing 510bhp, 910Nm’s of torque & a 0-62mph shift of 4.7 seconds. Top speed is also 130mph. A Long range single motor version has also been launched.
Efficiency & company car credentials
UK company car drivers have already taken to the Polestar 2 & the 4 is also doing well. With 3% BIK on the Polestar 3 this looks set to continue.
Range
Long range Dual motor comes with a driving range of 390 miles, the Performance Pack version 349 miles. The new Long Range Single Motor version is cheaper at just under £70,000 with the Long Range Dual Motor adding £6,000 to that with the more powerful Performance model costing an additional £6,000. Range increases to 438 miles With the single motor model.
Battery & charging
All versions are power by a 400V lithium-ion battery with a useable 107kWh. There’s an onboard 11kW charger so if you plug in at home on a 7.4kWh set-up, 0-100% charged will take 11 hours. If you have an EV electricity tariff you will be able to charge overnight for up to 5 hours which will deliver 37 kWh of charge for just £3.30. https://www.rolecserv.com/ev-products/evoAway from home theres’s now up to 350kW charging capacity, so 10-80% on public fast charger takes just 22 minutes.
Practicality
The boot offers 484 litres with the rear seats in place, 597 litres to the inner roof including 90 litres under the boot floor. There’s also a frunk under the bonnet offering 32 litres, a good place for the charging cable. Fold the rear seats down & the SUV space is revealed, all 1,411 litres of it. To reduce the load height, via a button in the boot you can lower the rear by 50mm which is clever.The Polestar 3 will also tow up to 2500kg & you can put up to 100kg on the roof.
The cabin features a 32-litre compartment in the centre console, large door bins & a glove box. Rear passengers get a fold out armrest with cup holders & two USB’s. Plus there’s a frunk where you can store your charging cables.
Safety
Volvo invented the seat belt so is it any surprise that the Polestar 3 carries next-generation advanced active & passive safety technology from Volvo Cars as part of its DNA. This includes interior radar sensors that can detect movements in the interior of the car, which helps protect against accidentally leaving children or pets inside. It’s also linked to the climate control system to avoid heat stroke or hypothermia. Furthermore, Polestar 3’s ADAS system features five radar modules, five external cameras & twelve external ultrasonic sensors which support the cars safety features, including the SmartZone below the front aero wing.
Inside, two closed-loop driver monitoring cameras offer eye tracking technology that monitor the driver’s eyes & can trigger warning messages, sounds & even an emergency stop function when detecting a distracted, drowsy or disconnected driver. Nine airbags are fitted as standard.
Infotainment
Android Automotive OS is the in-car operating system, co-developed with Google and fronted by a 14.5″ centre display. Over-the-air (OTA) updates are included to allow for continuous software improvement. The first time you get into the car the portrait screen’s a touch overwhelming, particularly as all of the cars functions run through it. It’s big enough to see icons clearly & these are easy to understand. The screen is bright & clear & the speed of response time is impressive.
Polestar have simplified the screen options with a clear home screen, so there’s easy access to maps, widgets & the most popular functions such as climate, meaning no scrolling is required. As an Apple iPhone user when I connected wirelessly everything worked. However, simple functions such as steering wheel & wing mirror adjustment are trying as both are controlled via the touchscreen.
Prices & specs
The Long range Dual motor costs from £75,900 & Long range Dual motor with Performance Pack from £81,500. Both versions are very well equipped with Bluetooth, DAB, 5G, Apple CarPlay Android Auto, a panoramic roof, 3-zone climate, a heat pump, adaptive cruise control, parking assistance & a rear view camera as standard. Adding the Pilot Pack which consists of pilot assist, a 360 degree camera & lane change assist adds £2000. The Plus Pack £5000 & adds a Bowers & Wilkins system with 25 speakers, active road noise cancellation, headrest speakers, HUP, an acoustic lower rear window, a foldable load floor, heated front & rear seats,a heated steering wheel & wiper blades, an air quality system, a power operated steering column & soft close doors.
Driving
The 3 may be an SUV, but both in looks & in the way it drives, it doesn’t feel like an SUV. By lowering the roof line Polestar have created a more aerodynamic profile for the 3, in effect losing headroom that isn’t used so that on the road the 3 drives & handles much closer to a saloon car than an SUV. Plainly the technical know-how involved in the cars design underneath – adaptive air-suspension, 50:50 weight distribution etc.. help, but the sleek outline definitely adds something.
Driving
We spent a week in the 3 & here’s how we got on. For a start it’s easy to drive in town as well as quiet. On faster roads there’s performance & on the motorway it will cruise along in near silence at 70mph. You can set the dampers to Standard, Nimble or Firm, but the difference was minimal with perhaps Nimble & Firm being a touch more forgiving over poorer road surfaces. The standard suspension set-up’s more French than German so you do notice that cars weight in town & the steering can be set-up in Standard, Firm & Light too, with us opting for light which worked best for us. The 111kW battery adds weight, but at around 2,600kg, it’s not as heavy as other large battery electric vehicles. It’s rapid in a straight line that’s for sure but, all in all it offers a functional drive rather than a thrilling one.
Driving range
Last time out we couldn’t really comment on this but after a trip to High Wycombe & back, a distance of 350 miles, with all but 10 miles on the motorway we have a pretty good idea now. Fully charged in December in sub 5 degree temperatures the 3 indicated a range of 330 miles. Driving at a constant 60-70mph we arrived in Wycombe without stopping with 150 miles of range left so 1 mile driven to 1 mile of range used is a distinct possibility. Charging was fast & easy as well, with us adding 100kW for £40 making our return journey hassle free.
Brake regeneration
Polestar 3 features a one-pedal mode called ‘High’, which we selected for our drive. Below this there’s Low, or you can switch off brake regeneration in ‘Off’ & just coast. The car drives better in Off mode as it should but High will eke out a few extra miles as you drive around.
Equipment
Once we got to grips with the touchscreen which is more intuitive & less complicated than the one found on a Volvo EX30 for example, it generally required only a couple of touches to select an option. As mentioned, adjusting the steering wheel via the screen amongst others is over complicated. Better news is fat wireless CarPlay connection & on screen the clarity of image is excellent & the Bowers & Wilkins hi-fi with 25 speakers was superb. One new gripe is the wireless charging pad is too shallow & on a couple of sharp turns our iPhone disappeared inertia the possenger footwell.
Comfort
All around visibility is good, driver seat adjustment simple – you can use a button on the side of the seat I discovered – & front passengers get great head & legroom. What of the rear though. Does the lower roofline steal the all important SUV space ? To a certain extent yes, it does feel smaller but in reality it will only be those over 6ft 2″ who might notice this. The flat floor & flat rear seat row, means that an adult can sit in the centre rear seat with some dignity & you get decent legroom as well. So kudos to Polestar for that.
Pros
Beautifully designed & seriously well equipped. Arguably, the safest car you can buy. Rapid in a straight line. Quiet, practical, comfortable & decidedly different.
Cons
Not as exciting to drive as we expected. The Google infotainment set-up & touchscreen controls can be frustrating. With the lower roof line, some customers may need convincing that it’s an SUV. Wireless charging pads too small & shallow.
Verdict
This is performance car that actually offers SUV practicality, that’s been cleverly packaged within a sleeker body, producing a unique take on the ubiquitous SUV. Add in cool design, top-notch build quality, amazing attention to detail, incredible levels of safety, fast charging with a decent range & it’s a compelling choice.
It drives & handles admirably, but it wasn’t quite as exciting to be in as we expected & although the infotainment & control functions are classy, accessing some of these is definitely over complicated.
If you’re looking for a decidedly different electric SUV that will stand out from the crowd, then the Polestar 3 offers that in spades 4.25/5
