Luxury EVs touting mighty power figures aren’t really remarkable anymore, but when you actually stop and think about the sort of cars that had figures like 670bhp even 20 years ago, the fact that you can now get that much shove in the range-topping version of a fairly sensible SUV like the Polestar 3 is still a little impressive. Seriously, it’s 19bhp more than a Ferrari Enzo.
That headline figure comes as part of a 2026 model year update for the car, bringing a new, more powerful rear motor. It’s a massive 160bhp leap from the previous, 510bhp Performance Pack-equipped car, and will now see the car hit 62mph in 3.9 seconds.
2026 Polestar 3 – side
There’s more shove for the rest of the range, too. The regular Dual Motor version jumps from 483 to 536bhp, while the single-motor rear-wheel drive car goes from 295 to 329bhp. Top speed is up across the board, too – both all-wheel drive versions top out at 140mph, and the single-motor will hit 130mph.
We’re also promised that the 3 will be more engaging to drive than before. That’s thanks to tweaked anti-roll bars, retuned steering software and, in the dual-motor cars, a more rear-biased power distribution.
2026 Polestar 3 – interior
Arguably, a change more relevant in the real world is the introduction of an 800V electrical architecture, replacing the old 400V one. This allows it to charge faster, with the usual 10 to 80 per cent juice-up now taking as little as 22 minutes on a 350kW charger, according to Polestar. The new system is backed up by upgraded lithium-ion battery packs, with the single-motor car getting a 92kWh unit and the dual-motor one gaining new 106kWh packs.
Finally, the 3 has had a brain transplant. There’s a new Nvidia processor, which is capable of 254 trillion operations per second. That’s officially quite a lot, and Polestar says it allows for better management of things like safety systems and battery performance. From early next year, this will also be offered as an upgrade to existing 3 owners.
2026 Polestar 3 – rear
On sale now, pricing for the update 3 kicks off at £69,990 for the RWD car, jumping to £77,990 for the Dual-Motor and £91,990 for the Performance.
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