Polestar 3 review

Pythagoras believed the number 3 stood for good fortune, but it’s more than ancient beliefs that suggest the Polestar 3 will be a big deal for the proudly Swedish brand. 

You see, the 3 gives Polestar a foothold in the highly competitive luxury electric SUV segment. It’s also Polestar’s third ever model, having been revealed between the Polestar 2 and Polestar 4 (the Polestar 1 was a very fast plug-in hybrid).

A superficial glance at the Polestar 3 might place it in the family SUV category. However, with its sleek profile, low nose, and massive wheels reminiscent of a concept car, Polestar's designers have minimised the appearance of its substantial dimensions. It's hard to believe it's closely related to the seven-seat Volvo EX90.

Polestar is adamant that the 3 is not merely a five-seat EX90, and it's been designed to stand out as the discerning driver's choice, with handling-enhancing technology like a mechanical torque-vectoring rear axle akin to that of the Porsche Macan Turbo Electric.

An intriguing car, then. But can the Polestar 3 challenge the best electric SUVs and prove a better choice than the Audi Q8 e-tron, BMW iX, Lotus Eletre and Mercedes EQE SUV? Let’s find out...

What’s new?

- June 2025 - Over-the-air update provides new audio modes for Bowers & Wilkins audio system
- February 2025 - Software updates mean car can now be locked, unlocked and started via an iPhone or Apple Watch
- September 2024 - New Plug & Charge function to allow the car to communicate with public chargers, making it easier to charge and pay

The entry-level Polestar 3 is the Long Range Single Motor. It has 295bhp, rear-wheel drive and can accelerate from 0-60mph in 7.5 seconds. It feels quick enough but is nowhere near as punchy as the Dual Motor version.

The Polestar 3 Dual Motor – unsurprisingly – adds a second motor, for four-wheel drive and a big boost in power. With 483bhp, its 0-60mph time is 4.8 seconds – that’s pretty rapid, although the BMW iX xDrive60 (4.6 seconds) is slightly quicker.  

Power is then upped to 510bhp – shaving 0.3 seconds off the 0-60mph sprint – with the Dual Motor Performance Pack. Behind the wheel, the Performance Pack version feels slightly more responsive off the line but most of the time it's hard to distinguish it from the regular Dual Motor version.

Mind you, where the Polestar 3 really impresses is in its ability to confidently tackle a twisty road, and that goes for every version.

The Single Motor is a neat, tidy and confidence-inspiring handler. It’s only as you really begin to push the car that its 2.4-tonne weight starts to temper your faith in its abilities. The Dual Motor is 176kg heavier, but its four-wheel drive and adjustable air suspension help to keep everything in check, especially with the suspension in its Firm setting.

A torque-vectoring device fitted to the Dual Motor's rear axle (similar to the system in the Porsche Macan Turbo Electric) can send anything from 0% to 100% of the motor’s power to either rear wheel. That improves agility in tight bends by sending power to the outside rear wheel to give you a gentle push around the corner, helping set you up for a better exit.

As for the ride, the Single Motor proves comfortable and composed, even over larger bumps. The Dual Motor’s air suspension makes it even better. With the suspension set to Standard, it wafts down a motorway with the relaxed gait of a luxury car yet around town has the control to round off harsh abrasions.

The Dual Motor Performance Pack version, with its stiffer set-up, is slightly less forgiving and tends to patter more over broken up sections of road.

Every Polestar 3 is exceptionally quiet: wind noise is almost non-existent, and while there is some road noise, it's acceptable for a heavy car on big wheels.

In other words, it shouldn’t be tiring on a long drive, which is a relief considering it has the official range to support such journeys. The Single Motor officially manages 438 miles on a charge, the Dual Motor 395 miles and the Dual Motor Performance Pack 352 miles.

Those are better figures than equivalent versions of the BMW iX. In fact, the Polestar 3 outperforms all of its main electric SUV rivals for range.

“Even the Performance Pack somewhat fed the power in, rather than giving me a big thump in the back, when I planted my right foot.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

Slide behind the wheel of the Polestar 3 and you’re met with an interior that's crisp, clean and contemporary.

It looks, dare we say it, very similar to the interior of the Volvo EX90. That might come as a disappointment if you're hoping for a more bespoke environment but there’s no arguing with the eclectic mix of materials and textures on display. 

You can choose between a traditional selection of materials, such as Bridge of Weir leather and black ash wood trim, or a more modern blend of "animal welfare wool" with repurposed aluminium trim. If it wasn’t for the odd bit of hard plastic located lower down in the interior, we reckon it would have the measure of a BMW iX when it comes to build quality.

However, unlike in the iX, physical controls are notable by their absence in the Polestar 3. You get a pause-play-volume button on the centre console but almost every other function is controlled through the portrait-oriented 14.5in infotainment touchscreen.

It’s a similar set-up to the Volvo EX30 but Polestar has done a much better job with its digital interface. Unlike the EX30’s system, the user interface has big, obvious tiles. The menus are not too deep and it’s possible to save a number of shortcuts to the main screen (with an off button for the speed-limit warning and lane-keep assist).

We also love that the Polestar 3's touchscreen is augmented by both a head-up display and a 9in digital driver's display. The driver's display is fixed to the steering column so it's always visible and can display important information including battery status, power usage, speed and maps.

Like in Tesla car models, you have to use a combination of the touchscreen and buttons to adjust the position of the steering wheel and wing mirrors, which is a bit of a faff. Each family member can save their own driving position so, in theory, you should only need to make the adjustments once.

Once you’re comfortable you’ll find that the seats are wonderfully supportive and all-round visibility is decent. Front and rear parking sensors come as standard, as does a 360-degree surround-view camera. While some might complain that the driving position is too high for a sporty SUV, the same criticism can be levelled at the BMW iX and Mercedes AMG EQE 53.

As part of the optional Plus pack, you get a 25-speaker, 1610W Bowers & Wilkins sound system with Dolby Atmos. If you use the Tidal music app (which caters for Dolby Atmos) the experience is wonderfully immersive, with sounds placed precisely round the interior to give you a real studio atmosphere.

“I was blown away upon experiencing Dolby Atmos at the cinema, and it’s just as awesome here.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

There’s plenty of space up front in the Polestar 3 but it’s in the back that it really impresses. While it's based on the same platform as the seven-seat Volvo EX90, it's a five-seater so the rear seats can be moved much further back, creating limo-like levels of leg room.

We’ve yet to get our measuring stick out, but leg and head room feels comparable to a BMW iX and greater than you get in an Audi Q8 e-tron. The side windows are relatively shallow due to the Polestar 3’s coupé style roofline, but the standard-fit panoramic sunroof floods the interior with light, creating an airy feel.

The boot space is less impressive, at 484 litres below the parcel shelf (less than in the Audi Q8 e-tron, BMW iX, Lotus Eletre, Mercedes EQE SUV and Volvo EX90). That said, there is still more than enough space for a family holiday, and if you lift the boot floor you’ll find a well big enough for ski boots and wet gear.

The rear seats can be dropped in a 40/20/40 configuration and you get the added benefit of a ski hatch. We also like that Polestar has incorporated a 32-litre "frunk" under the bonnet, with space for the charging cable and a soft bag. The iX doesn't get a front boot.

“I rarely use a frunk, but I think it’s good that the Polestar 3 has one just in case the boot starts overflowing with luggage.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

The Polestar 3 is not cheap but it is competitively priced, significantly undercutting equivalent versions of the Audi Q8 e-tron, BMW iX and Mercedes EQE. Polestar is offering competitive PCP deals and it's worth checking the latest prices on our New Car Deals pages.

If you’re lucky enough to have the Polestar 3 on your company car list it’s even better news. All electric cars attract very low BIK tax at the moment so it will set you back a tiny amount monthly compared with a petrol or diesel SUV.

As well as the choice of Single Motor, Dual Motor and Dual Motor Performance Pack variants, you have a few upgrade packs to consider (there aren’t trims). 

There’s the Pilot pack, which adds a 360-degree camera and lane-change assist. The Plus pack gets you the great, 25-speaker sound system, as well as soft-closing doors and a head-up display. It’s quite pricey but well worth considering. 

You also have the Pro pack, which is the cheapest upgrade pack but makes the least sense in our view. It includes gold accents and a set of 21in wheels (we’d stick to smaller 20in wheels if you can, for a better ride).

Every Polestar 3 has a panoramic glass roof, electrically adjustable heated front seats, a powered tailgate and three-zone climate control.

As well as mechanical upgrades, Dual Motor Performance Pack cars have unique 22in forged alloy wheels, and Swedish Gold brake calipers and seatbelts.

Every Polestar 3 has a big 107kWh battery pack that can be charged at speeds up to 250kW. That’s a quicker charging rate than an Audi SQ8 e-tron (170kW), iX xDrive50 (195kW) and EQE 500 (170kW), but a touch slower than the smaller Porsche Macan Electric (270kW) and more expensive Lotus Eletre (350kW). In theory, its charging rate allows for a 10-80% charge in around half an hour but you'll need to find a fast charging station to do so.

The list of standard safety technology includes automatic emergency braking (AEB), traffic-sign recognition, a post-impact braking system, a blind-spot warning system, lane-keeping assistance and more.

The Polestar 3 was awarded a five-star safety rating by Euro NCAP in 2025. Its scores included 93% for child occupant protection – the highest ever awarded.

As part of the Pilot pack, you get a LiDAR camera that adds three cameras, four ultrasonic sensors and cleaning for the front and rear-view cameras. It enables enhanced 3D scanning of the car’s surroundings in greater detail and is apparently Level 4 autonomy capable – although there’s no legal framework for it to operate as such just yet.

The Polestar 3 has yet to appear in the What Car? Reliability Survey but Polestar came a somewhat underwhelming 23rd out of 31 brands in our 2024 survey. Every Polestar comes with a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty, which is a common duration but not as long as warranties offered by Hyundai (five years), Kia (seven years) or Toyota (up to 10 years).

“If I was buying a Polestar 3 I'd be happy with the Single Motor, but I can see some people craving the extra performance and cushy air suspension of the Dual Motor.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

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