Polestar 3 Review & Prices

When Polestar launched the Polestar 2 electric car in 2020, there were plenty who thought the brand would become a Tesla-killer - but we’ve waited a full four years for its second model. The new Polestar 3 SUV will launch in the summer of 2024 and will go up against the likes of the Audi Q8 e-tron, Mercedes EQE SUV and BMW iX. 

Polestar retains strong links with Volvo, the brand it was originally spun off from, and as such the Polestar 3 has a lot in common with the upcoming Volvo EX90. But while that car will be 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.

Being related to the EX90 does mean that the Polestar 3 has some impressive electric credentials. It’ll come with a colossal 111kWh battery pack - that’s just about the biggest battery you can buy in the UK, beaten only by some Mercedes models.

That equates to a maximum range of 379 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. Home charging will be a slow affair, though.

Unlike the seven-seat EX90, Polestar’s only building the 3 as a five-seater with sleeker proportions. This means that all passengers get absolutely masses of room, with ample space for six-footers to stretch out in the rear and an expansive feeling to the minimalist cabin.

Light and space is the name of the game, and so Polestar’s fitted a very minimalist dashboard. 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. Like a smartphone, this runs a Google operating system, so it’s responsive and easy to use. It also has access to the Google app store, allowing you to download your choice of mapping app, music streaming service or other useful features.

Premium-feeling materials abound inside. Polestar has previously been a real proponent of vegan interiors, but the 3 can be had with buttery-soft Nappa leather if you want. Though it’s not vegan, it’s very sustainable, being a by-product of the beef industry, so if lowering your carbon footprint is important you could select this option.

Other options are limited, but you will be able to have your Polestar 3 as a standard model or with a ‘Performance Pack’. This reduces usable electric range by around 30 miles, but makes the 3 faster and more sporting with a firmer suspension setup and bigger alloy wheels.

You’ll also be able to specify a ‘Pilot Pack’ from 2025, which includes a LiDar sensor on the roof to aid with automated driving. 

As soon as we get behind the wheel we’ll publish a full review. In the meantime, if you like the sound of the Polestar 3, you can take a look at the latest Polestar 3 deals or browse used Polestar stock. You can also sell your current car through Carwow, too.

Polestar’s announced pricing for the 3, though this could change before launch. The Performance Pack adds £5,600 to the starting price, while you’ll pay an additional £4,300 for the Pilot Pack, though this won’t be available until 2025. 

That’s strong money, sitting almost exactly between base models of the BMW iX and the Mercedes EQE SUV. It’s also similar to conventionally-fuelled luxury SUVs, such as the Range Rover Sport.

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, so there’s some trial and error involved in getting yourself set up - but 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.

Both outer rear seats have very easily-accessible ISOFIX points to fit a child seat, and there should be 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) or 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 379 miles from a single charge, although versions equipped with the Performance pack offer only 347 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 hasn’t been released yet, 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.