Polestar 3: hands-on with the new electric SUV targeting Porsche's Cayenne

► Polestar 3 SUV: the CAR debrief
► 379-mile range, optional Performance Pack
► Priced from £79k for long-range model

The fully electric Polestar 3 launches in summer 2024, priced from £79,900 in the UK, or £1009 a month if you prefer to lease it. That’s the for the Launch edition of the SUV with Pilot and Plus pack bundled in, but cheaper, more accessible versions will arrive in due course.

The Polestar 3 is, as the name suggests, the third in Polestar’s burgeoning family and can’t arrive soon enough. The 1 was a rare-groove plug-in hybrid coupe and the company has had to make do with the 2 electric saloon since launch in 2020, going on to sell 24,000 in the UK.

Now the Swedish EV specialist is about to launch a barrage of new bodystyles, with two new electric crossovers due in 2024 to broaden its range signficantly.

The new electric SUV claims a pretty sizable range and potent performance figures, and first models are expected to arrive at the end of the second quarter in 2024. Expect a UK launch in May/June. ‘The Polestar 3 is a powerful electric SUV that appeals to the senses with a distinct, Scandinavian design and excellent driving dynamics,’ says Polestar boss (and mustard-coloured blazer enthusiast) Thomas Ingenlath.

The Polestar 3 takes a lot of design inspiration from the Precept concept car, including the angular double-blade headlights (likely in an effort to differentiate Polestar more from Volvo’s Thor’s Hammer light signature) and aerodynamic wing blades at both the front and rear of the car.

CAR has pored all over the first 3 in the UK and the aero addenda really stands out. Crouch down at the front of the car and you’ll see slats on the leading edge of the bonnet, channeling airflow – and the same at the rear by the integrated roof spoiler (see below).

It’s an unusual shape and its scale is hard to judge from photos. It’s big at 4.9m long, yet much lower than you might expect. For a car positioned roughly against the Porsche Cayenne SUV, it’s significantly lower-riding and more coupe-like.

As well as offering a crucial SUV to the world markets, Polestar says the new 3 will ‘take our manufacturing footprint to the next level,’ according to