To many, Polestar is still an enigma, perhaps that is part of its appeal but questions are often asked about its history, badge and whether or not it’s a Volvo. While Polestar has done the groundwork to distinguish the brand from its Swedish relative, the 3 reviewed here blurs the lines a little bit because it shares the same inherent platform as the Volvo EX90 but as you will come to see, it takes a very different approach to both design and delivery of performance when compared to its larger sibling.
Regular readers and viewers will know that I love a history lesson so I’ll take you back to Polestar’s origins, before it was even called Polestar! Jan ‘Flash’ Nilsson, a Swedish racing driver founded Flash Engineering in 1996, a company that basically tuned Volvos for racing, a company that he sold to Volvo in 2005. Technically still a racing team until now, the newly acquired and rebranded Polestar Engineering firm continued to fettle with fast Volvos.
As New Zealanders, our closest brush with this more sinister side of Volvo came most recently when the famous Rebel Blue painted S60 racecar competed in V8 Supercars from 2014 to 2016. Who can forget when Scotty McLaughlin “gave it the jandal.” Anyway, that shade of blue or cyan has been was associated with Polestar previously and I’ve even been asked whether my V40 T5 wears the ‘Polestar Blue’ shade. Anyway, to cut a long story short, Polestar was fully acquired by Volvo in 2015 and turned into a pure electric automotive brand in 2017.
First came the 1, a roadmap of sorts for the brand, then the 2 which proved to be a popular choice of electric vehicle for many. Then came the 3 and 4 almost simultaneously, the former being an all-important SUV offering while the latter was a sportier coupe style sedan but is now also available with an SUV body, fascinating.
Polestar’s journey to get to its current position has been anything but straightforward then and the lines continue to be blurred as I mentioned earlier! Take the 3’s headlights for example which bear a striking resemblance to the ‘Thor Hammer’ units seen on a Volvo, except that this time they’re called ‘Blade’ headlights. The design otherwise is striking yes but somehow reserved, a balance that only the Swedes could master.
In fact, I’d go further and say that the Polestar 3 is a vehicle that doesn’t really seem to have a bad angle which is high praise given that it’s technically an SUV, a category of car that is notorious for lacking design ingenuity. A lot of work has been done on its aerodynamic prowess in particular with the 3 featuring a sporty yet fluid design. Rather than calling it a spoiler, Polestar calls it an “aero wing” and the 3 actually has two of them, one on the nose and one on the tail. This coupled with the side “aeroblades” provides a real world reward in increased downforce and reduced “turbulence.” Turbulence of course being a word typically reserved for aircraft, that itself should probably hint at how quick this thing can be!
When viewed from the side, the 3’s silhouette is particularly eye catching and as far as SUVs go, it has to be one of the sleekest ones around, probably better likened to a lifted wagon. The dimensions certainly reinforce this to a certain extent, length is 4.9m, width is 1.968m and height is 1.61m. Its width is what can catch you particularly off guard though, I had a rather close shave with a multi-storey carpark’s ramp but thankfully, both the wheels and my dignity came out unscathed. With the mirrors folded out, the width extends to 2.12m which makes parking a literal squeeze. Width is really the name of the game here as the front tyres are 265mm wide while the rear ones are 295mm! That’s some properly wide rubber and does make me quiver a bit for those footing the bill when it’s time to change those Pirelli P Zeros.
Going back to the design of this 3 Performance in particular, it’s been designed in such a way that it doesn’t need to shout and tell people it’s both a premium vehicle as well as a performer. Instead, it whispers this through intricate but well integrated details. Take the aero wings for one, I’ve pointed them out previously but if I had to describe the concept of two on each end of the car, most people would picture something rather outrageous looking.
The 3 isn’t that but when you peer closely at those meaty ‘Swedish Gold’ Brembo branded calipers, you can’t help but speculate on its performance credentials. Big brakes like these have to hide behind large wheels and that’s exactly the case here with the 3 Performance sporting 22inch wheels that are only available on this model, the other two (Single Motor & Dual Motor) have to make do with 20 inch units.
Thankfully though, the palette of six colours is available across all three Polestar 3 variants, this review model was painted in the ‘Storm’ shade but either ‘Krypton’ (dark green) or ‘Midnight’ (dark blue) would be my pick. Lest I forget, there’s ‘Swedish Gold’ valve caps which are specific to this Performance model as are some of the interior details which also feature the same shade.
Straight off the bat, I have to say that I enjoyed the little ‘Swedish Gold’ details in and around the 3 Performance, particularly the seatbelts which are generally a very underused area of personality in most cars but not in this one! They contrast nicely against the dark upholstery that was selected on our review car. Three material options exist, all are equally eco-friendly. The natural based choices are ‘Animal welfare-certified wool’, ‘Bridge of Weir Nappa leather’ or the ‘Bio-attributed MicroTech’ pictured below, essentially a form of PVC but free of any fossil fuels.
While the ‘MicroTech’ and wool options can only be had in the darker shade of ‘Charcoal’ which is featured on this particular car, lighter shades like ‘Dune’ and ‘Zinc’ are available with the nappa leather option. On the more gloomy days, the cabin did have a tendency to feel quite dark so it may be worth considering a lighter shade if you are in two minds about specifying the interior upholstery. Positively though, there is a large ‘electrochromic’ glass roof which is 99.5% UV resistant and also features the Polestar logo! Electrochromic simply means that the roof can turn murky/shaded with the press of an icon on the touchscreen, it’s an optional extra that can be had as part of the ‘Plus Pack’. Worth noting that the glasswork on the windows is also acoustic which makes the 3’s cabin a rather quiet place to be, that is until you discover the audio system!
Yes, I could rattle off the figures here and say that the 3 Performance has a 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system with an output of 1,610 watts but that would be doing the system an injustice. If that wasn’t impressive enough, it comes with Dolby Atmos, 3D Surround Sound, Abbey Road Studios Mode and a Gothenburg Concert Hall mode as well. On paper itself, that sounds astonishingly good but this system really needs to be heard to be believed. Or maybe I should say felt because it features speakers in the front headrests.
Try as I might, no genre of my music could seem to unsettle the system, even at the top end where it excelled. Abbey Road Studios is also excellent as I could easily tune the system to deliver its best whether I was listening to Pink Floyd or Olivia Dean! The Bowers & Wilkins unit is an optional upgrade that can be had either on its own or as part of the wider ‘Plus Pack’ and it’s one that should be selected regardless in my opinion.
Side note, I’m not sure the 10-speaker 300W factory unit will be up to the task anyway because the interior of the 3 is rather quite spacious. It may be based on the EX90’s platform but this one is solely a five seater meaning that there’s plenty of room in the second row for adult occupants and a 484L boot to go with that, see what I mean about space!
When Performance is in the name of the vehicle, you expect it to be fast but oh boy, was I caught off-guard when I got behind the wheel of this 3! Now, I’m not one to swear normally, foul language is solely reserved for major inconveniences and times of real exclamation, the latter of which were aplenty during my first few moments with the 3 Performance. In fact, I pulled up alongside another performance EV while on a motorway onramp, promptly leaving the other vehicle in the dust once the lights turned green. Shortly after, the other driver pulled up alongside me with a rather surprised look on his face as well!
To answer the question then, yes, the Polestar 3 Performance lives up to its name! Sitting underneath the vehicle is a 106kWhr battery that delivers its power to two motors, one on each axle. Together, the combined power output is 500kW (680hp) with torque rated at 870Nm, wow! It’ll run the 0-100 sprint in 3.9s but Polestar has famously been conservative when it comes to this figure, I’m not surprised if it’s quicker in real life, it’ll keep going too, topping out at 230kph. Range is rated at 601km WLTP, although I received an indicated 450km when I picked up the fully charged car. During my week with the 3, I covered 533km with a brief charge in between, averaging 21.1kWhr/100km overall which falls within the manufacturer rated efficiency figures for the vehicle. Not terrible though for something with a kerb weight north of 2,500kgs and permanent all wheel drive.
While the Polestar 3 was only launched in 2023, this technically is an early mid-cycle facelift for the electric SUV and rather than focusing on its design, which is ageing well, Polestar turned its attention to its underpinnings, moving the vehicle from a 400V platform to an 800V one. The result is a charging capacity of 350kW and time of 22 minutes to DC rapid charge from 10% to 80% at 350kW!
Okay, by this point, you’ve probably read up on the 3 Performance’s stats already and if you’ve visited the Polestar website, you would have seen the bold claim that the 3 “drives like a sports car.” Honestly, they couldn’t be more right! Yes, the thing is a bona fide rocket in a straight line but its prowess really comes to light when it’s faced with a corner at speed, that’s when you realize that this thing moves in a way that something weighing two and a half tonnes shouldn’t be able to. If you’re not careful, the 3 Performance will land you in some pretty hot water almost immediately, either with the law or in someone’s pool because your driving abilities were briskly outpaced by the car.
It really is that quick and whist I enjoyed its performance, it also makes me fear for those who are not short on cash (it is $194,500 after all!) but perhaps a little light on driving skill shall we say. Then again, if you’re not acting like a complete hooligan, the 3 Performance can be perfectly civil, transporting its occupants from traffic light to traffic light in comfort, thanks to its dual chamber air suspension. Of course, you still have to unleash the odd burst of speed from time to time because why not!
The Verdict
Polestar’s philosophy thrives on minimalism and while that makes for a pleasing looking exterior, the interior was overly reliant on the central touchscreen for everything from opening the glovebox to adjusting the mirrors. This was even the first time I had to set up the car’s key on my phone! You faff around for a bit to get properly set up but once done, you are ready to unleash its power and my goodness is it rewarding. The 3 Performance is exhilarating in a way that few EVs are, it can shock you and your passengers with how quick it can be. But if you lay off the throttle, some of that Swedish sensibility begins to shine through.
Aside from the initial unfamiliarity with the technology, there’s very little that one can criticize about the Polestar 3 Performance. During my week with the car, I constantly found excuses to get behind the wheel, even if it was just to listen to some music via the Bowers & Wilkins audio system. Yes, it’s $194,500, yes it’s made in China but ah, it had an x-factor about it and for that, it deserves full marks!
2026 Polestar 3 Performance: 5/5
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Car courtesy of Polestar NZ & NordEast. Pictures and words by Matthew D’Souza.
