Polestar 5 Review & Prices

Polestar has been rapidly expanding its range recently, and it is now putting down a serious marker in the ground with the remarkable Polestar 5.

Unlike the Polestar 3 and 4, which are SUVs, the Polestar 5 is a properly ground-hugging sports saloon, designed to combat the likes of the Porsche Taycan and the Audi e-tron GT, as well as bigger stuff such as the Mercedes EQS and BMW i7.

As with all other Polestars (save for the unique plug-in hybrid Polestar 1 coupe) the Polestar 5 is all-electric, and has both exceptionally long range and a ludicrous power output.

It looks very Polestar-y though. If you’ve seen the Polestar 4, you kind of know what to expect, with the low, shovel-like nose, the split headlight elements, and the total lack of any rear window. Like the 4, the Polestar 5’s rear glass is a victim of a focus on making the car as aerodynamically slick as possible, so your view out the back is replaced with a rear-facing camera that feeds a digital mirror. It’s not an ideal solution to be honest, but you kind of get used to it.

Polestar 5: electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 351 miles / 416 miles
Efficiency: 3.0-3.4 miles per kWh
Battery size: 106kWh
Max charge speed: 350kW
Charge time AC: 14hrs 20mins, 0-100%, 7.4kW
Charge time DC: 22min, 10-80%, 350kW
Charge port location: Left front
Power output: 737hp / 871hp

What is ideal is the sheer handsomeness of the Polestar 5. It’s not breaking any new stylistic ground for the brand, but it’s low, muscular, and very clean.

That goes for the inside too, where you get the same sense of minimalist Scandinavian luxury that you’ll find in the Polestar 3 and 4. Unsurprisingly, the cabin is dominated by the big 14.5-inch touchscreen, which is actually pretty good to use, but as with so many similar setups, you’ll become annoyed by the lack of physical buttons, especially for doing small things like adjusting the door mirrors or the steering wheel.

Most of the interior surfaces and fabrics are made from recycled material, which is a nice touch, and they all look and feel really high quality. You can have actual proper leather if you want, but you have to pay quite a bit extra for it as Polestar wants to encourage people to stick with the eco-friendly stuff.

The odd thing about the Polestar 5 is the boot. At just 364 litres, up to the luggage cover, it’s absolutely tiny. True, there’s a 62-litre space in the nose, but that’s not as convenient as just having a decent big boot in the back. A Volkswagen Golf hatchback has more space than this…

Of course, a Golf — even the Golf R — wouldn’t see which way the Polestar 5 went. For now there will only be a choice of two four-wheel drive versions; a standard model and the Performance. The standard Dual Motor Polestar 5 is daft enough — 737hp, and 0-62mph in just 3.9 seconds, but the Performance ramps that up to 871hp, and hits 62mph in just 3.2 seconds. That’s supercar performance, and then some.

Range? Up to 416 miles for the Dual Motor, 350 miles for the Performance, from a massive 106kWh battery. There’s also ultra-fast 350kW public charging for when you’re out and about.

Once we’ve got some seat time we’ll update this review with our impressions. Until then, you can get a great price through Carwow’s Polestar 5 lease deals. You can also browse used Polestars from our network of trusted dealers, and when it’s time to sell your car, Carwow can help with that, too.

The Polestar 5 is certainly not cheap, but even in its basic Dual Motor form, it’s more affordable than a BMW i5 M60, and has 137hp extra compared to the hot electric Beemer. Likewise, it’s far more affordable than any of the i7 range, which in some ways it competes with. It’s also considerably cheaper than even the lowest-tier AMG version of the Mercedes EQE or EQS. A basic Porsche Taycan costs about the same as a Dual Motor Polestar 5, but has much less power.