Polestar 3: This speedy Swede will make you think twice about going electric

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Sometimes in life, certain things don’t make obvious sense. For example, why does it hail more often in the summer in the winter? Why does the coastline get longer the more accurately you measure it? Why is Bruno Fernandes still playing football for Manchester United? And so on.

We can add a new thing to the list, which is: why is the Polestar 3, a car that is quite clearly an SUV/estate car, so bloody quick? How is it that this car, which weighs north of 2,400kg, moves with such poise and lightness? In the words of Benoit Blanc, ‘it makes no god damn sense’. And it compels me so.

But it’s an electric car, and all electric cars are quick

That is true, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they feel quick. For many of them, the numbers are there and we understand what a 0-62mph time of under 5 seconds means, but you would not describe them as ‘quick’ cars. Most of them are just heavy, and full of batteries and turn like yachts. It is their curse, as planet-saving vessels, to be mostly dull and practical, like broccoli on wheels.

Many, but not all. The Polestar 3 is a quick car, it is nimble, it is electric and it has a big old boot.

Is that what people want? A speedy compact SUV/estate?

Another thing that doesn’t make obvious sense, but is certainly true. BMW has made M Touring models for years, and Audi’s RS4 and RS6 Avant models are no slouches. If anything, those cars are a bit too speedy, with the ground clearance on the BMW M5 in particular making one wonder whether it’s safe to put any luggage in it. The Polestar 3 is styled in an aerodynamic and aesthetically pleasing way, but it is not as aggressive as its German cousins.

So yes, people do want that. They want to do the weekly shop, or pick up the kids from school, or fill the boot full of kayaks or whatever it is that people do with their weekends, and then they want to go somewhere at 150mph. You might be one of those people. I can confirm that it is great fun.

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What makes this Polestar so special then?

In a single word — balance. It is perfectly balanced in all things. It feels balanced to drive, it is balanced in how it looks, it is balanced in how it feels, it is balanced in how it impacts the environment. It treads the line between practicality and speed with aplomb, shouting about neither, but doing both brilliantly.

The original Polestar 3 launched in 2024, but the version I have been driving is the updated 2026 version, which features, among other things, much faster charging due to 800-volt architecture, an all-new permanent magnet synchronous rear motor, stiffened anti-roll bars, re-programmed steering and a new computer system. The interior and exterior remain roughly the same.

What this translates to is a car that is significantly more engaging to drive than most other EVs I have had the good fortune to test. Indeed, the only examples I can think of that compare would be Lotus’s Emeya and Eletre, and both brands are subsidiaries of Geely, who seem to know what they are doing.

Much like Lotus, Polestar is a brand with a rich heritage of racing. The business began by modifying Volvos for the Swedish Touring Car Championship in the late 2000s, before going on its own as an electric brand in 2017. As such, even though they make cars built for normal people, they are also cars for nerds who like to drive fast. Some of those nerds, remarkably, also have families and need space to put their luggage.

Anyway! There is so much to love here, but most of all is how it moves. The Dual Motor, which I tested, puts down about 536bhp and can reach 62mph in about 4.5 seconds. None of that really matters though, if the car can’t go around corners, but that is where the 3 excels. It is so confident attacking every bend, and the steering is exceptionally sharp and responsive. Despite its size, it feels deliciously small and compact and easy to fling around, and the grip seems to go on for miles. The torque from the twin motors is voluptuous and it stops on a dime, and I have rarely enjoyed a drive in Northumberland as much as I did in the 3.

It's a symphony of many things working together, such as very subtle aerodynamics, tremendous power, and lots of very clever computers keeping you on the road.

Naturally, you don’t have the spit and snarl of a combustion engine like you would get in an RS6 or M5, but you do get similar levels of performance and feel, combined with practical ground clearance and subtlety. What’s not to love.

Is it sensible outside of the hands of Country Life’s tallest car reviewer?

Very much so. On the motorway, or in town, it cruises effortlessly and silently, which is of course the great skill of many electric cars. When not using full power, the 3 relies mostly on the rear motor, and steering and suspension settings can be manipulated to turn the 3 into effectively a moving mattress. There are more comfortable long-distance cruisers out there, but at this price point, it is absolutely top of its class. A Bowers & Wilkins sound system also makes it a very nice place to sit and mop up the miles — of which it can travel over 300 in a single charge.

How is the interior?

As Scandinavian as they come. Sleek, professional, comfortable, uncomplicated and functional. It all looks a bit like an art museum, one of those ones you find in the middle of the woods in Sweden. Lots of brushed metals, charcoal-y woods, and moody blacks and greys. It swaddles you, but it is still in essence all quite sporty.

There are some buttons, but not loads, and I still find the idea of having to ask permission from the main screen to open the glovebox, or adjust the wingmirrors, to be a restriction on my personal freedoms, but otherwise everything is relatively simple to use. Wireless AppleCarPlay, Android Auto and the essential systems on the car are easy enough to navigate.

The space is light-filled, thanks to a panoramic roof that can be turned into an electrochromic one via an upgrade, and visibility is excellent. There is also a rear-window, which is a nice difference from the windowless 4. Space is plentiful, with room for five fully grown adults, while the boot offers 597 litres of space with all the seats up, and a further 90 available under the floor and 24 in the bonnet.

It is a premium-but-pared-back space. Much like the rest of the car, the sporty side of things are hinted at but never fully revealed: a flash of gold here and there, a stripe of orange somewhere else. It also comes with an air-filter, which is good, because I have hayfever.

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Any other interesting bits and pieces?

Plenty. Many car makers are quick to extol their ‘eco’ credentials, but Polestar are probably as close to perfect as you can get. The cars are made in a factory powered by renewable energy, sustainably sourced materials are used both inside and outside the car, and the firm intends to be fully carbon neutral across its entire value chain by 2040. No doubt it is costing them a great deal of money to do so, but someone has to be first, and that should be applauded.

So you like this car, it is a good car, you would not laugh if your friends bought this car?

It is a great car, verging on the exceptional. EVs are notoriously dull things, but while the Polestar 3 is dull in all the right places, it is extremely fun everywhere else.

It looks fantastic, it drives even better and it is eminently comfortable and practical. It is as Scandinavian as they come, which should always be considered a bonus, and it delivers the kind of driving performance that would crack a smile on even the most electro-phobic petrol heads.

It’s a car the defies the logic that surrounds it, but it's best not to think about all that. What's best is to load it up with all that shopping, all those kayaks, and go for a really good drive. Soon you'll be thinking about nothing else at all.