Polestar 3 from Polestar Automotive Holding UK PLC - long range, clean design and US market setback

Reviewed: ad hoc news B2B & Pro desk. Edited and checked on 2026-06-27, 19:16. Details in the imprint.

The Polestar 3 sits low, wide and quietly confident on the driveway, its light bar flickering once as you press the flush door handle and slide into a cabin that smells of textile and leather rather than hard plastic. For many EV-focused families, this is the first Polestar that feels genuinely like a practical main car. And yet, just as the SUV hits its stride in Europe, it faces a harsh regulatory wall in the United States.

What Polestar 3 offers

Polestar 3 is the Swedish EV brand’s first electric SUV, positioned above the Polestar 2 sedan with more space, more power and a higher ride height. The long-range dual-motor version is rated up to around 610 km on the WLTP cycle, helped by a battery pack of about 111 kWh usable capacity.Official Polestar 3 product page

Under the clean bodywork sits a dual-motor powertrain delivering up to roughly 360 kW, or around 490 hp, plus an optional Performance Pack that sharpens response and bumps output further. Inside, the driver faces a 14.5-inch portrait touchscreen running Android Automotive, with over-the-air updates baked into the platform.The Verge feature on Polestar 3

How it feels on the road

On a damp Scandinavian test route, Polestar engineer Mikael Persson describes the 3 as “a long-distance car first, a performance car second”, and the chassis tuning reflects that. The air suspension filters out broken asphalt with a smooth, almost floating motion, while still keeping the tall body tidy in quicker corners.PCMag initial driving impression

Grip from the wide tires is strong, but what sticks in your mind is the quiet: at 110 km/h, you mainly hear a soft rush of wind around the mirrors and the muted thump of occasional expansion joints. The steering is on the lighter side yet consistent, which makes threading the SUV through narrow city streets less stressful than its footprint suggests.

Pricing, equipment and target buyers

In core European markets, Polestar 3 launches in the upper price band of premium EV SUVs, with list prices frequently quoted around 85,000 to 90,000 euros depending on specification. The long-range dual-motor version comes generously equipped, including Pilot Pack with lidar-ready hardware for future driver-assistance upgrades.

The cabin shows how Polestar wants to be read: tidy lines, tactile fabrics, and a mix of aluminum and backlit trim instead of showy chrome. Families with two children will appreciate the flat floor and wide rear bench, while the 500-litre boot plus a small front trunk cover everyday luggage with room to spare.

The US ban and its impact

Just as Polestar 3 begins deliveries, US regulators have moved to block future sales of Polestar models over concerns about Chinese-connected vehicle systems. A rule finalized in early 2025 restricts VCS hardware and software from entities linked to China and Russia, catching Polestar through its Geely ownership structure.PCMag report on the US ban

According to several business reports, the US Department of Commerce has now denied Polestar authorization to sell future connected vehicles in America. Analysts estimate a revenue risk of around 250 million dollars per year if Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 are fully pulled from the US after existing inventory is cleared.GuruFocus analysis via Yahoo Finance

How Polestar 3 fits into the line-up

CEO Thomas Ingenlath has long described Polestar 3 as the brand’s “electric performance SUV for the era of software-defined cars”, sitting above Polestar 2 and ahead of the coupe-like Polestar 4. That positioning matters, because the SUV segment remains one of the most profitable corners of the global passenger-car market.

With its size and pricing, Polestar 3 targets buyers who might otherwise consider a BMW iX, Mercedes EQE SUV or Tesla Model X. For Germany-based customers, early availability is mainly through online orders and selected Polestar Spaces, with deliveries ramping up in phases rather than a single big-bang roll-out.

Bottom line for the brand and the stock

All told, Polestar 3 is the car that can push Polestar from design-conscious niche brand into the mainstream premium SUV conversation, at least in Europe and other open markets. The setback in the US adds risk and dampens volume ambitions, but it does not change the basic appeal of a quiet, cleanly styled long-range EV family car. Polestar Automotive Holding UK PLC shares (ISIN US7311052010) trade as American depositary receipts on Nasdaq in US dollars, where the regulatory news around connected vehicles now forms a key part of the investment story.

This article was AI-assisted and editorially reviewed. Product information without guarantee; prices and availability may change at short notice. No investment advice, no buy or sell recommendation. Stock-market transactions involve risks up to total loss.