Polestar 3 vs. Mercedes EQE SUV: Two New Sneaky-Good Family EVs, But Which Is Better?

Whose fault is it that Polestar kicked off its electric revolution with the 2 or that various French car brands went ahead and built electric superminis before doing crossovers? It’s Tesla’s fault. For whatever reason, Elon Musk decided to build the Model S before the Model X, and the Model 3 before the Model Y. In turn, the whole industry had to respond accordingly, and here we are.

The tides are turning, though, and everybody who’s anybody is going to have an extensive portfolio of electric SUVs of the compact variety. People will, of course, buy them in the millions worldwide, and executives from companies such as Polestar and Mercedes-Benz will go out to celebrate like Patrick Bateman and his investment banker friends from American Psycho.

Naturally, the best-selling ones won’t be wearing premium badges. Just wait until the likes of the Toyota RAV4 or Honda CR-V become fully electric – nobody's going to touch that volume, not even Tesla with its Model Y. Same goes for the Ford Escape or the Hyundai Tucson/Kia Sportage duo. It’s all about making electrification ultra-affordable and not exclusively part of some new model range that costs way more than your run-of-the-mill reasonably priced, ICE-powered compact crossover.

The Polestar 3 and Mercedes EQE SUV don’t fall in that category, though, and they certainly won’t be selling like hot bread. However, they should do well within their own segment/price range.

How do they compare?

It’s hard to say right now, seeing as how neither has been properly reviewed just yet, but on paper, the specs can be matched up, depending on what you want. There will be more variety within the EQE SUV range, with Mercedes having already announced several drivetrain specifications in the 350+, 350 4Matic, 500, AMG 43 4Matic, and AMG 53 4Matic+ (only three so far confirmed for the U.S.).

The Polestar 3, meanwhile, is available as a Long Range Dual Motor variant, with and without a Performance Pack, the latter adding a little more horsepower and torque.

If you want to get technical, you could say that the Polestar 3 is somewhat of a “tweener”, capable of rivaling both the EQE SUV and the EQS SUV. However, it’s closer in size to the EQE SUV, not to mention price. The latter costs just over $76,000, whereas the Polestar 3 can be had for roughly $85,000. Meanwhile, the EQS SUV is a $100k+ affair, so don’t even attempt a comparison.

As far as straight-line acceleration, you should be happy with any specification pertaining to these two electric SUVs, however, the EQE SUV is quicker on paper – at least the flagship AMG 53 4Matic+ variant is. When it finally hits dealerships, it will put down a total of 677 horsepower to go with 738 lb-ft (1,000 Nm) of torque, for a zero to 62 mph time of just 3.5 seconds. Meanwhile, the Polestar 3 Long Range Dual Motor with the Performance Pack is good for 517 horsepower and 671 lb-ft (910 Nm) of torque. This will get you to 60 mph (97 kph) in an estimated 4.6 seconds – roughly the same as the EQE SUV 500 middle spec variant.

Basically, any EQE SUV with an AMG moniker is going to be a little quicker off the line than the Polestar 3, but of course, not everyone is going to care about this sort of thing. Instead, most people will likely focus on range, but you’ll be covered either way. The Polestar 3 will help you travel roughly 300 miles (482 km) on a single charge, with the EQE SUV offering slightly more, depending on specification.

How do I decide?

The first thing you should be doing is waiting for the right opportunity to place an order. Don’t just buy one off the Internet because you think it looks pretty. Wait until you can test drive it at your local dealership. If you don’t have a so-called Polestar Space nearby, take a trip to a neighboring city or state (if you must). Make a fun little adventure of it. It’ll be worth it, in the end, to make the most informed decision possible.

Eventually, keep in mind that these are two premium products, which is why they cost as much as they do. You can buy a Nissan Ariya (random example) for literally half of what you’d spend on a Polestar 3. The Nissan is smaller, to be fair, but you won’t get $40,000’s worth of extra passenger room in that Polestar, believe that.

You do get more performance, a better interior, and a better driving experience, sure, but remember, we’re still getting used to the idea of EVs becoming the new norm, which means that people are still mostly focused on making practical choices when it comes to purchasing one.

Who’s the winner?

Between these two? Tough to say. Whichever one ticks more boxes on your shortlist. The Mercedes might be a little more fun to drive, but looking at these two models side by side, there’s no way we can call this in favor of the EQE SUV with regard to styling.

I dislike both, what are my alternatives?

There are several. The 2023 Audi e-tron, for example, should rival both the EQE SUV and the Polestar 3, and it starts from $70,800. The all-electric BMW iX xDrive50 is another fine choice, but it costs north of $87,100. As for something more “out of left field”, try the 2024 Cadillac Lyriq, which has a starting MSRP of just $58,590.