When choosing a premium/luxury electric SUV, do you know what you’re looking for?
Does style play a part in the vehicle you want? What about performance? Range? Charging time? Space? Utility and practicality?
If these are our criteria, then you have plenty of choices to make.
One such choice is the 2025 Polestar 3. It is the first SUV offered by the sister brand to Volvo – both controlled by the Chinese automaker Geely. You are probably wondering whether it is worth looking at. Let’s dive into it.
The exterior design has only a few hints of Volvo up front. Just the “Thor’s Hammer” LED headlamps are the only sign of its relation to that brand. The rest is all Poletsar. A grille-less front end has deployable grille shutters below. The roofline is sleek, leading to an upright rear end. There are some black trim at the lower sides that show some “protection.” A rear wing sits on top of the liftgate, while the rear end shows a horizontal LED lightning signature across it.
Our Performance Pack tester came with a set of 22-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels mounted with performance tires.
Inside is a modern and minimalist cabin. To enter and exit, you swipe the card against the driver’s door handle. That card also enables the vehicle to operate. Just put it on the wireless charging pad. You will notice that there is no ignition button to operate the vehicle. Then, you flick the transmission lever on the steering column into drive or reverse – and go.
A nine-inch digital driver display is clear to view with great graphics. This is in tandem with a large head-up display. However, most of the vehicle is operated from the 14.5-inch center touchscreen display. They can enable the buttons on the steering wheel. The knob on the center console operates the audio system. There is also a large stowage area underneath the console – perfect for small-to-medium sized bags.
The available Nappa Leather front seats offer a mix of support and comfort. Rear seat room is generous, as well. Cargo space is plentiful with up to 21.1 cubic feet behind the rear seats. Woth the rear seats down, that space expands to 49.8 cubic feet. There is also extra storage underneath the cargo floor and under the front hood.
This Polestar 3 has two 180-kilowatt permanent magnetic motors – one mounted at each axle. Together, they put out a combined 517 horsepower and 671 pound-feet of torque with power going to all four wheels. A software upgrade enhances the Performance Pack driveline to achieve these numbers.
This system is fed by a 17 module, 111-kilowatt-hour battery pack. Polestar claims it can recharge from 10-80% in just 30 minutes at a 250-kilowatt DC Fast Charge. This configuration offers an estimated range of 279 miles, yet we observed a maximum range of 300 miles on a full state of charge. You can get other configurations that can return up to 350 miles.
Overall performance of this Performance Pack driveline was exceptional. The power take-off was smooth and rapid. Cruising was done effortlessly. Once you enable Pilot Assist, your feet can relax for a bit. You can also press the Performance button on the screen for quicker acceleration that will truly throw you back into your seat.
The ride was also smooth and solid. The suspension system simply manages rougher pieces of road with ease. It also handles very well. We experienced nominal lean and roll at the limits. Curves were done nicely. Do not expect the Polestar 3 to carve any canyons, however.
We found the steering system to be precise with solid action from the wheel. On-center feel was fine, but it is enhanced when the Pilot Assist is on. As for the brakes, we found the pedal feel to be fine. Response to the wheels were quite good. Normal stops were accomplished just fine, but a little care should be taken when panic braking.
The 2025 Polestar 3 comes in three different configurations with a choice of a single or dual motor set-up. Pricing starts from $67,500. Our Dual Motor Performance model with the Pilot and Plus Pack came with a sticker price of $93,100.
Premium electric SUVs offer a combination of luxury, performance, and quality. The Polestar 3 competes against with other premium/luxury two-row EV SUVs, such as the Cadillac Optiq and Lyriq, BMW iX, Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV, Audi Q6 e-tron, Porsche Macan Electric, Genesis Electrified GV70, Lexus RZ, Tesla Model Y, and the upcoming Rivian R2.
There is now a wider choice of electric vehicles than before. That number continues to grow. What makes the Polestar 3 different is how it stands out in the crowd – even among premium/luxury electric SUVs. Not just in the way it looks, but how it performs on a daily basis.
