First impressions: the new Polestar 5 is stylish and luxurious but can it beat the Porsche Taycan?

Having gone for years with only one model on offer, new Polestars are now coming thick and fast. The Polestar 3 and 4 were both released last year, and now we have the Polestar 5.

It’s a new flagship model which is built using an all-new collection of parts, some of which were developed right here in the UK. The battery and motors are unique to the 5, you won’t find them on any other Polestar or Volvo.

This big four-door EV will go on sale in 2026, with prices starting from £89,500. That puts it right in the firing line of the Porsche Taycan and BMW i5, despite being larger than both of those cars.

I was given the chance to have a look around the new Polestar 5, and on first impressions it’s a pretty impressive bit of kit.

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New Polestar 5 design

The Polestar 5 has an all-new bonded aluminium structure under the skin, with a battery pack which is bespoke for this car. You might not think that this would affect the design, but it does.

The problem with a lot of electric saloons and fastbacks is they share platforms with high-riding SUVs. This makes what is meant to be a sleek and sporty-looking car appear slightly jacked-up and bloated. Look at the Volkswagen ID7 for example.

The Polestar’s chassis has been designed from the ground-up to allow for a low roofline, and it just makes the car look more aggressive and purposeful. The nose is super-low and pointy, with the four slim LED lights framing its face. The sensors for the driver assistance systems are also neatly integrated into the front facia.

Then you come to the side, and you start to get a sense of how long this car is. It’s longer than a Toyota Land Cruiser, but the sloping roofline makes it look elegant. The optional 22-inch wheels fill the arches nicely as well.

Moving to the rear, the Polestar 5 has no rear window. We first saw this on the Polestar 4, and it lends the car a unique look. The wraparound taillights are like nothing we’ve seen before, and there’s an aggressive-looking diffuser in the lower bumper.

New Polestar 5 interior and practicality

Step inside the Polestar 5 and it feels like you’ve entered a swanky Scandinavian apartment. It’s a minimalist look, without feeling completely unfurnished like a Tesla.

You get some open-pore wood on the dashboard which comes from sustainable sources, and there’s also plenty of solid metal trim. Bits of the interior are also made from a special recycled plastic which comes from old water bottles, and you can see it exposed in the door pockets and under the boot lid.

A lot of sporty cars use carbon fibre everywhere, but making it is very carbon heavy. Polestar uses something called Amplitex, which is made from woven flax fibres, for things like the seat backs. It looks cool, it’s lightweight and it’s better for the planet.

The Polestar 5’s driving position is nice and low, and there’s plenty of adjustment in the seats and the steering wheel. Adjusting the mirrors through the screen is a faff, but this is something you’ll only do once.

Having no rear window will also take some getting used to. I’ve driven a Polestar 4, which uses the same camera system for the rear-view mirror, and I found it made my eyes hurt at first because you’re constantly refocussing as you look from the road to the screen. You do adjust to it after a while though.

And that lack of rear window has a benefit for rear passengers, because it allows the glass roof to span all the way back past their heads. This makes it feel light and airy in the rear, but you also feel cocooned like you’re travelling in a private limo.

That theme continues with the individual rear bucket seats, which can slide and recline to allow you to get comfy for a long trip. And there’s plenty of space to stretch out, because legroom is generous and headroom is surprisingly good considering the car’s low roofline.

A lot of EVs suffer with a high floor thanks to all the batteries underneath, which means people in the back end up with their knees around their ears. The Polestar 5 has a solution for this, because the battery has cutouts around the rear footwells to give you space.

New Polestar 5 motors, batteries and range

There are two versions of the Polestar 5 to choose from: the Dual Motor and the Performance.

The standard Dual Motor version has 748hp and will do 0-60mph in 3.8 seconds, which seems like plenty. It’s already quicker than a Porsche Taycan 4S. But the Performance version is even more bonkers.

It has 884hp and can do 0-60mph in 3.2 seconds, making it quicker than a Taycan GTS and a BMW i5 M60.

That added shove does have an impact on range. Both models use a 106kWh battery, and the Performance version can do up to 351 miles on a charge. The standard dual-motor version has 416 miles of range.

New Polestar 5 verdict: is it a match for the Porsche Taycan?

We won’t know that for sure until we can drive this car, but Polestar seems to reckon it’ll give the Porsche a run for its money. The new 5 has double wishbone suspension front and rear, as well as magnetic dampers which should make the car feel agile and sporty.

From a design perspective, the Polestar wins for me hands-down. It’s a stunning-looking EV, and the interior feels bright and airy. I can’t wait to get behind the wheel.

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