Polestar 3 Review & Prices

The Polestar 3 is a large SUV with ultra-cool styling, a modern, minimalist interior and packed full of technology. It’s an electric car you might consider alongside alternatives such as the Audi Q8 e-tron, Mercedes-EQE SUV and BMW iX.

It shares much of its mechanical makeup with another EV, the Volvo EX90. However, while that car is a practical, seven-seat family car with safety and comfort at the forefront, the Polestar 3 intends to be the sporty foil to the Volvo’s sensible nature. It’s like a Nike store and a John Lewis occupying the same retail space.

Like the EX90, the Polestar 3 is a handsome thing. It has a distinctive front end with a cool-looking vent across the base of the bonnet. Despite having loads of driver assistance technology the sensors are integrated neatly into the bodywork, rather than looking like an awkward afterthought as with some BMWs.

Polestar 3: electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 348-403 miles
Efficiency: 2.7-3.3 miles per kWh
Battery size: 111kWh
Max charge speed: 250kW
Charge time AC: 17h 38mins, 0-100%, 7kW
Charge time DC: 30mins, 10-80%, 250kW
Charge port location: Left side rear
Power outputs: 295hp / 483hp / 510hp

Inside you get a lovely minimalist design. Though you do get a dedicated driver display for your speed and other essential information, everything else is routed through a large, portrait-oriented touchscreen in the centre console. This runs a slick Google operating system, so it’s responsive and easy to use, though it’s annoying that many functions, such as the climate controls and even the glovebox opening and closing, require you to use the touchscreen.

There are premium-feeling materials abound inside. Everything feels really high-quality and well put together, so it should stand up to the rough and tumble of family life really well.

Space is excellent up front in particular. You might get a bit more space for three in the back seats of a Kia EV9, but there’s not much in it, and the Polestar 3 will be roomy enough for most. The seat bases are quite close to the floor though, so under-thigh support isn’t fantastic. Unlike the Volvo EX90, the Polestar 3 is strictly a five-seater.

At 484 litres the boot is smaller than you get in the BMW iX and Audi Q8 e-tron, but you do get a small front boot, which is useful for storing charging cables.

Beneath the cabin floor sits one of the biggest electric car batteries currently on sale in the UK, and it contributes to a maximum official range of 403 miles, and incredibly fast charging means that with a suitably powerful DC charger you’ll be able to top up from 10-80% in as little as half an hour, despite the mammoth battery.

There are single- and dual-motor versions, with the latter getting more power and less range. Dual-motor models get air suspension, which makes the Polestar 3 absolutely lovely to drive around town, because it soaks up bumps with zero fuss. It’s quiet and refined to drive, even at motorway speeds.

That is perhaps unsurprising for a big, luxurious electric SUV. What is surprising is the fact the Polestar 3 is also incredibly capable on a twisty road. This is a heavy car, but it doesn’t feel it in corners – it’s as good, if not a little better, than the BMW iX here.

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The Polestar 3 is competitively priced, with single-motor versions starting at around the same as the BMW iX and Audi Q8 e-tron, while the Mercedes-EQE SUV starts at over £5,000 more.

It’s easy to make the Polestar 3’s price jump, though. Dual-motor models are about £6,000 more than the base car, and it’s another £6,000 on top for the Performance version, which bring more power, better tyres and other upgrades to make the car better to drive. Our test car was a Performance model and, with a few optional extras, had a retail price of more than £85,000.

Comfortable at any speed and a refined, relaxing driving experience, but avoid the sporty suspension setting because it’s too firm for British roads

In town

This might be a big car, but the Polestar 3 is really easy to drive around town. You can set it to one-pedal mode so you don’t need to touch the brakes, you can just cruise around using the accelerator.

Even the worst potholes are soaked up beautifully by the suspension so you never get more than a subtle thud in the cabin. However, our test car was a dual-motor model on air suspension, so we need to test the standard single-motor setup, which goes without, to see how much difference there is.

Visibility is really good looking forward because you sit quite high and have a low dashboard. The rear window is a good size, but your over-the-shoulder view isn’t great because of chunky rear pillars, but at least the wing mirrors are big to reduce the blind spot a bit.

On the motorway

Again, comfort and refinement are the order of the day. The cabin is almost silent, because there’s next to no noise allowed in from outside, other than a hint of wind noise around the mirrors. The suspension deals with bumps really well, too, so coupled with the comfortable seats, the Polestar 3 is a great place to do big miles.

Acceleration in the dual-motor model is brisk – motorway slip roads and overtakes take little thought because of all the power on offer.

Standard assistance kit is extensive, with adaptive cruise control maintaining your speed and distance to the car in front, and a lane assistant can nudge the wheel if it senses you’re drifting over the white lines.

On a twisty road

Typically you might expect a big, heavy, luxurious cruiser of an electric SUV to be uninspiring on a twisty road, but the Polestar 3 impresses here, too. It weighs just under 2.5 tonnes, which is a lot, but you would never notice it in corners because there’s loads of grip and not too much body roll.

The BMW iX is usually the class-leader here, but the Polestar 3 is at least as good as that car, if not slightly better because the way the suspension soaks up bumps is so good it feels more sure-footed on the road.

Loads of space inside, but only a five-seater and more comfy for four

The Polestar 3 has large, comfortable front seats with a multitude of electrical adjustments. One multifunctional controller on the side of each seat takes care of all the various movements, and drivers of all shapes and sizes should be able to get very comfortable.

In storage terms, the door bins are large but not massive, and you get two big cupholders in the centre console behind a wireless phone charging pad. There’s a big storage area under the centre armrest and an even larger one on the floor between the front seats, perfect for slinging a handbag or backpack for quick access.

Space in the back seats

The floor in the rear is set a little high, but there’s so much legroom available that rear seat passengers can really stretch their legs out - even very tall people should find themselves with ample room in the palatial surroundings. The full-length sunroof doesn’t impact headroom, and there’s plenty of that to spare, too.

The only real negative is that there’s a trade-off - Polestar’s chosen to make the outer two rear seats very sculpted and comfortable, which leaves the middle seat to be a little narrower. It’s still not too bad, as there is no transmission tunnel or hump in the floor to contend with, but it’ll be much more comfortable with two back here. A Kia EV9 is a better bet if you need to fit three in the back regularly.

Both outer rear seats have very easily-accessible ISOFIX points to fit a child seat, and there is ample space for even a large rear-facing unit to fit easily.

Boot space

With 484 litres of space, the Polestar 3’s boot is smaller than the BMW iX (500 litres) and Mercedes EQE SUV (520 litres). It’s a clever space, though, with lots of tricks to maximise what’s available.

There’s a deep underfloor storage compartment, and a clever movable floor that folds in half to split the boot in two - ideal if you don’t want smaller objects rolling around. Prop the floor into its upright position and it creates three hooks for shopping bags, a really smart touch and a boon if you’re shorter and struggle to reach right into the back of the boot.

There’s a 12V socket and some retaining straps, while the rear seats fold in a 60:40 split, with a ski hatch available through the centre seat.

Stylish and beautifully built, but competitors are easier to use

There’s plenty of Scandinavian minimalism in evidence inside the Polestar 3. In fact, apart from the column stalks and steering wheel, there’s only one button on the dash - a volume dial next to the cupholders.

Everything else is controlled through the 14.5-inch infotainment touchscreen in the centre, which like a Tesla not only deals with sat-nav and media but all the safety functions, climate controls and even door mirror adjustment. It’s a very slick system, but you might become frustrated having to resort to navigating menus multiple times every time you drive.

Materials and build quality are excellent. All the plastics feel great to the touch, and Polestar’s using sustainable and welfare-certified Nappa leather for the seats which is soft and superbly comfortable to sit in. The light finishes suit the cabin’s ambience better than dark, but they’ll be less durable. 

There’s a fantastic Bowers & Wilkins sound system on all models, plus three-zone climate control as standard. There are four USB-C charging ports available and the front seats are both heated and ventilated. All to be expected from a premium electric SUV.

Polestar says the 3 will manage up to 403 miles from a single charge on the base single-motor version, while dual-motor models can go up to 392 miles. However, versions equipped with the Performance pack offer 348 miles. This is an impressive range, more than the Mercedes EQE SUV can manage and on par with the BMW iX. 

That’s perhaps to be expected given the enormous battery. At 111kWh in capacity, it’s one of the largest on sale. This means that home charging from a standard 7.4kW wallbox will take a long time - over 15 hours from totally empty to completely full.

Polestar’s equipped the 3 with 250kW fast charging, enabling you to top up really quickly from a suitably powerful public charger. If you do, you’ll be able to go from 10-80% in around 30 minutes, though chargers this fast are still rare in the UK and tend to be rather expensive.

The Polestar 3 won’t pay any road tax until 2025 and company car benefit-in-kind rates will be lower than equivalent combustion-engined cars.

Polestar has strong links to Volvo, and the Polestar 3 is very heavily based on the Volvo EX90. Those are both great things for its safety credentials, as Volvo makes some of the safest cars on sale.

The 3 hasn’t yet been tested by Euro NCAP but we’d expect it to achieve a full five-star rating when it is. There are nine airbags to protect driver and passengers, a full radar array for the sensors and automated emergency braking, and two infrared eye-tracking cameras making sure the driver is concentrating on the road at all times.

In the real world, there’s no denying that the all-touchscreen interior does require you to take your eyes off the road more than, say, BMW’s iDrive dial. You can at least turn most of the intrusive safety systems off with just two presses from the homescreen.

The Polestar 3 has only just gone on sale, so it’s too early to say whether it’s a reliable car. There haven’t been many problems reported with the Polestar 2, though, or the electric Volvos to which the 3 is related. Electric cars have fewer moving parts than petrol or diesel cars and therefore there is less maintenance required.

However, the 3 does have an awful lot of software and electronics. There’s no indication that these will prove problematic, but it does mean more to go wrong. Polestar’s standard warranty cover three years or 60,000 miles, which is similar to most of its premium competitors.