Polestar 3 - Electric motors, performance & drive

The Polestar 3 range kicks off with the Long Range Single Motor, which sends 295bhp and 490Nm to the rear wheels. Given the 3’s significant size and weight, those numbers are enough for reasonable, if not especially rapid responses. 

A twin-motor arrangement lifts the output further. This places one motor on each axle to deliver four-wheel drive, with outputs of 483bhp/840Nm for the Long Range Dual Motor and 510bhp/910Nm for the Performance. With a heavy right foot, there’s enough power on tap to break traction on the front axle – albeit briefly – in Performance mode. Range mode softens things up, but by too much; the throttle becomes so unresponsive that there’s a long pause between squeezing the pedal and getting any action at all.

While some EVs use an electronic torque-vectoring system, which brakes the inside wheel to improve agility, the Polestar uses a pair of physical clutches to distribute torque from one side of the axle to the other. This set-up accelerates the outer wheel to give a sense of the rear wheels pushing through corners, which feels more akin to a traditional internal combustion car. It’s also able to disconnect the rear drive of dual-motor models when cruising, reducing energy usage.

What is the Polestar 3 like to drive?

THE Polestar 3 feels a little too remote to be considered genuinely fun, but it is well controlled and delivers strong performance. 

In town

Compared with some EV rivals, the Polestar has limited scope for adjusting its brake regeneration. The choices come down to one-pedal driving, gentle recuperation and full coasting. You can’t make any adjustments on the fly, however, because the settings are adjusted via the touchscreen – we’d much prefer steering wheel paddles to tweak the levels easily. We also found that in one-pedal mode, the deceleration could become sudden and tricky to modulate. The switch between mechanical and regenerative braking isn’t as smooth as in an Audi Q6 e-tron, for example. 

The Polestar 3’s air-suspension system can be raised at low speeds, and while it doesn’t transform the car into an off-roader, it comes in handy when dealing with rougher roads. At 11.8 metres, the Polestar’s turning circle is reasonable for a long car, but the likes of the Mercedes EQE SUV and BMW iX are better, courtesy of their four-wheel steering systems.

On A- and B-roads

For a car of this size, the Polestar 3’s body control is impressive. While it can’t quite contain side-to-side movements at speed on bumpy roads, the ride is composed for the most part and body roll is well contained. The three suspension settings adjust the levels of stiffness; the Firm setting lives up to its name by producing a bit of jiggle, so we preferred to leave the car in Standard or Nimble, which weren’t vastly different from each other in terms of comfort or handling. The steering is light and quick if not loaded with feel, but feels well matched to the chassis.

On the motorway 

High-speed refinement is impressive, with a touch less road noise from the tyres than you’ll find in an Audi Q6 e-tron, but slightly more than you’ll get from the refined BMW iX. Ride comfort and stability are impressive at speed.

Electric motors, 0-62mph acceleration and top speed

The Polestar 3 Long Range Single Motor can sprint from 0-62mph in 7.5 seconds, which will be fast enough for most uses. Choosing the Dual Motor model with its extra power sees the 0-62mph time drop to a rapid 4.8 seconds, while the slightly more powerful Performance edition has a time of 4.5 seconds. As with every model in the line-up, the Polestar 3 has an electronically limited top speed of 112mph.