Polestar promised to deliver buyers a strong dose of EV performance when it chose to focus all of its attention on EVs several years ago. The Polestar 1 and 2 were interesting previews of what it had to offer but the brand also had a rough start both in sales and finances. The 2026 Polestar 3 is the brand’s first SUV but does it finally give Polestar a viable bridge to long-term profits and sustainability?
Polestar 3 has bold styling
The exterior styling of the Polestar 3 is the first thing that many buyers will notice and it’s a very handsome presentation. The front end works nicely with the sporty roofline and we’ll admit that we became fond of the look after long term exposure. This is partly due to the aggressively honed headlights as well as the lower bumper. The side profile is also handsome and the rear of the SUV even gets a tasteful design which is very rare in the EV utility vehicle segment these days (ask Hyundai.)
Our tester arrived with the Performance trim which gave it sleek 22-inch wheels and summer tires. The trim also brings several other upgrades to the SUV but we’ll get more in depth on that later. When compared to rivals, the Polestar is attempting to cement itself as a viable alternative in the premium utility space and while it does stand out against Tesla models, there are other rivals like the Lucid Gravity that have better styling chops. Buyers looking for such style can go for the Polestar 4 which loses the rear window but is meant ot be the more expressive one in the family.
Tech-filled Polestar 3 interior raises more questions than answers
Slip insid the Polestar 3 and you’ll find a minimalist space that comes loaded with technology. All models get a panoramic sunroof with an illuminated Polestar logo and other godies including tri-zone climate control, heated power front seats, and a power liftgate. The interior itself also gets high quality materials but the sloping roofline does cut into rear cargo storage and the itty bitty frunk doesn’t help improve matters much.
The Polestar 3 also comes with a large 14.5-inch infotainment system and while it runs the latest version of the brand’s Google software interface, it’s here where we begin to raise some questions about the electronics. The screen still had occassions where it had slow responses and in a rather odd move, the steering wheel controls do not light up at night. Yes, you heard that correctly, they don’t light up and they are also not marked either with adjustments being initiated first through the screen (after going through some menus.) As a result, some practice and a few trips to the owners manual are needed to fully master this strange setup.
At least the 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins premium audio system is a welcome respite and the speakers deliver crisp clear notes and harmonis to the listener’s ear.
Too much performance for its own good?
The muscle for Performance models like our tester comes from upgraded dual-electric motors that work together to produce a combined system output of 510 horsepower. This extra power helped give our tester snappy acceleration off th eline but getting it to launch properly does take some practice since the beefed-up torque figure can sometimes be too much for the tires. If they can’t get the optimal amount of grip, the Polestar puts you in digital timeout with a turtle icon indicating that it’s in a reduced power mode and will stay there until its computers sort everything out.
Get it right and the 3 can make the sprint to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds. Dual-motor models get adpative air suspension but the Performance trim ups the ante a bit by giving it upgrades to improve high-speed handling. Thankfully, the firmer tune is not too harsh and the stering wheel does a good job delivering crisp amounts of feedback.
All models come with a 107 kWh battery pack that can charge at up to 250 kW when hooked up to a fast-charging station. The pack also gives the Polestar 3 up to 315 miles of range on a single charge though Performance models like our example see this figure dip to 279 miles.
How much?
Pricing for the 2026 Polestar 3 starts at $57,500 for the single motor Long Range model but look for most buyers to upgrade to the dual-motor lineup with a base Dual-Motor starting at $63,400. Adding the Performance Package raises the MSRP to $69,400 (Polestar is running a limited discont offer at the moment) but that’s before you add-in some of the options our tester arrived with. As a reuslt of these options (as well as our tester missing the offer window,) our example had a final as-tested price of just over $93,000.
This eyewatering price may seem expensive but it’s actually on par with others in its segment. However, it also exposes the biggest problem the Polestar has and that’s due to it not shipping with its promised LiDar autonomus driving system. It was supposed to be included in its launch, but software problems forced the brand to backtrack and ship the first wave of them without the feature. It’s still coming but not until the first half of 2026.
In the meantime, the Polestar 3 is expected to continue its role as Polestar’s spearhead SUV model and while some of its eccentric electronics will certainly befuddle new owners, the impressive amount of performance and sleek styling on hand does make up for this to a degree.
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