Review: Polestar 3

Despite its space-age looks and the striking Brembo brake callipers peeking out from behind its 22in alloys, the Polestar 3 still feels like something of a sleeper.

Polestar’s four-pointed star logo likely remains unfamiliar to many in a car market now being flooded with new brands and their associated badges.

But eight years after Volvo launched the striking Polestar 1, later ramping up its UK presence with the super successful Polestar 2, the Volvo-Geely-owned operation is now well-established.

Its combination of Volvo’s premium build quality and a focus on electrification makes for a heady mix.

Step into the spacious cabin and you immediately identify Volvo’s minimalist style, its Google-powered infotainment screen, tastefully applied rough grain wood veneer and leather sourced from renowned Scottish supplier Bridge of Weir.

Overhead, a vast panoramic sunroof fills the spacious cabin with light.

Other details include the sculptural dashtop tweeter of a 1,610W Bowers & Wilkins sound system and the seatbelt clips, which bear the inscription ‘Since 1959’, a nod to one of Volvo’s much-lauded safety innovations.

But while the quality feels familiar to a modern breed of Volvo, this electrified SUV is very much performance focused.

Prices start at a little over £75,000 for the 379bhp single motor version but, as tested here in £92,040 dual motor Performance guise, the Polestar 3 packs a 680bhp punch.

That is enough to push some rather surprised passengers down the road at an eye-widening lick.

Polestar claims 62mph will arrive in just 3.8 seconds.

What is more, that power keeps coming. While many modern EVs will jump off the line impressively before quickly losing enthusiasm, the 3 keeps on pulling as it aims for a 140mph top speed.

Also, unlike some modern SUVs trading on impressive urge, the Polestar 3 feels honed to deliver such pace safely and with a surprising amount of engagement.

Despite its size – at 4.9m long, just 2cm short of a Mercedes GLE – it steers with precision and impressive poise through corners, and those four piston callipers and 400mm brake discs can haul off speed at a reassuring rate.

New batteries and electric motors were a key part of Polestar’s comprehensive raft of updates for 2026.

Although power is up significantly in our range-topping Performance grade test car, faster charging is a key bonus.

Charging speeds of up to 350kW make a 10 to 80 per cent top-up possible in just 22 minutes.

That is not the feature that stays with you after stepping out of the Polestar 3 Performance, though.

It might not even be its outright pace.

Most impressive of all is that this is one large, fully electrified SUV that combines the quality of an established premium brand with genuinely engaging dynamics.

Polestar 3 Performance

Price: £97,540

Engine: 106kWh battery

Power: 680bhp

Torque: 870Nm

Transmission: single-speed automatic

Top Speed: 140mph

0-62mph: 3.8 seconds

Range: 368 miles (WLTP combined)

CO2 emissions: 0g/km