The Best Polestar 3 Costs Over $105,000. But Is It Worth It?

The fact that Polestar is owned by Volvo, which is fully controlled by China’s Geely, might sound controversial to some EV enthusiasts out there who are also mindful of certain geopolitical implications. But that only means Polestar can access the group’s vast resources to put out one great vehicle after another. One of these new cars that are part of the EV maker’s offensive is the Polestar 3 – a crossover SUV that looks incredibly good and borrows some design cues from coupes without betraying the high-riding hatchback look.

So, as Polestar continues to subtly act as Volvo’s own version of Lexus, what can prospective owners expect from the most expensive Polestar 3 money can buy? Let’s dive in.

First off, the starting price for the midsize luxury crossover is $83,900 without taxes and fees. That automatically takes it off the EV tax credit eligible vehicles list. The cap for sedans or hatchbacks is set at $55,000, while SUVs, pickups, and vans are subject to a limit of $80,000. It’ll be interesting to see if Polestar will adjust the MSRP going forward, considering that production is set to begin in autumn with deliveries being scheduled for the fourth quarter of the current year or earlier.

The stylish two-row crossover SUV is available in two drivetrain versions, but the only thing that’s truly different is the power output.

Let's look at the numbers

The Performance Pack for the Polestar 3 Long Range Dual Motor unlocks 28 hp (28 ps) and 51 lb-ft (69 Nm) of torque. This shaves off 0.3 seconds of the zero to 60 mph (97 kph) time of 4.9 seconds and 30 mi (48 km) of the total 300-mi (483 km) EPA-rated range. The 130 mph (209 kph) top speed and the 3,500 lb (1,588 kg) towing capacity remain similar to the Long Range Dual Motor without the Performance Pack. These small improvements and the 22-inch forged wheels come with a $5,000 price tag.

This isn’t out of place. In fact, it’s slowly becoming an industry standard. Rivian recently announced that it’s going to lock around 100 hp behind a paywall, BMW wants more money to unlock the top speed of its M cars, and Mercedes-Benz takes it a notch further by asking for a yearly subscription to allow EV owners to enjoy the full capabilities of their cars.

The next chapter in building our expensive and good-looking Polestar 3 is picking a color. Magnesium (a gray tone) is the only no-cost option. All the other five colors cost $1,300, so we went with Midnight (a blue shade). It complements the vehicle very well, even though the shy rose gold Jupiter would have looked pretty cool too.

Inside, we get two free options and two paid ones. Since this is already an expensive EV, it only seems logical to pick the perforated Nappa leather upholstery, which adds the ventilated and massaging front seats for $5,500.

The only thing left is to decide if the LiDAR pack is necessary. Thanks to Tesla’s decision to rely solely on cameras by removing even the simple ultrasonic sensors and to owners who shared their experience with Tesla Vision online, one can think that adding extra safety measures to an expensive and heavy car is a good idea. So, we did just that.

The LiDAR pack made by Luminar comes with Nvidia computing power, long-range and invisible laser beams, and more cameras and costs $5,000. Unfortunately, Polestar cannot guarantee that this price will be valid until the last quarter of 2024 when deliveries of units with this option are scheduled to happen.

On top of these selections, we also added the two load carriers, the optional mesh sunshade for the panoramic roof, the towbar hitch, the waterproof mats with raised edges, and the mudflaps. That’s how we ended up with a vehicle that has an MSRP of $105,770.

As is the case with other up-and-coming automakers, Polestar won’t allow you to buy this crossover SUV outright. We can place a refundable reservation for $1,000 and then pick the dealership we would like to deal with for the rest of the process. The individualization process begins once the automaker has found a production spot.

Taking a look around

When equipped with everything available, Polestar 3 becomes an expensive crossover SUV. Unfortunately, the range and the power figures do not help its case very much. It’s unfair to compare it to something like the $54,990 Tesla Model Y Long Range because the Swedish company offers a much more comprehensive and luxury-oriented approach, but people will inevitably refer to the Tesla when thinking about getting a Polestar 3. This will most likely happen because of the Swedish vehicle's uncommon shape.

It might be tricky to put the Polestar in the right light, especially as the Model Y can be had with three-row seating. The brand must come up with some nifty marketing tricks. You and I are here and understand these vehicles, but someone who just wants to buy a car might need a jolt to start looking in Polestar's direction.

However, the right rival is the Tesla Model X Dual Motor, whose price starts from $109,990. The Tesla Model Y is suited to compete with the Polestar 2. But even the Model X can be bought with three-row seating. You can even pick captain seats for the second row.

Another competitor is BMW's iX eDrive50. It can safely be compared with the Polestar 3. The Bavarians give you 516 hp (523 ps) and a range of around 310 mi (499 km) for an MSRP of $84,100. This one doesn't have three rows of seats but comes from a well-known, established manufacturer that happens to have a wide network of dealers with service centers.

But a much grimmer picture is painted by Rivian’s R1S full-size SUV which also has space for seven passengers and an MSRP of $78,000. It's pretty tough out there.

Now, despite Polestar being Volvo's much-improved offspring and a promising manufacturer, the abovementioned three direct rivals are being sold today and exist on the road or at dealerships/showrooms. The Polestar 3 is still nowhere to be found - for now.

However, if you're going to have some patience, there are a couple of cool features on this promising Swedish vehicle. For example, you get:

• a brake-by-wire system with Brembo brakes;
• dual chamber active air suspension;
• heated, automatically folding and dimming, frameless, and curb view capable mirrors;
• laminated windshield;
• heated front and rear windshield wipers;
• Android automotive operating system;
• three-zone climate control with CleanZone air filtering;
• 9-inch gauge cluster LCD, 14.5-inch infotainment LCD touchscreen, and a head-up display (HUD);
• 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system;
• a plethora of advanced driver assistance systems that include 360-degree camera view, collision avoidance with vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians, and trailer stability assist, but no self-driving capabilities as of right now;
• great safety features like the auto unlock in case of a collision, the 10 airbags, the whiplash injury protection system, or the seat belt tensioners.

Besides all this, Polestar has made sustainable raw materials sourcing its mission. So, it traces cobalt, lithium, nickel, leather, and wool via blockchain.

The only question that needs an answer right now is - would you buy the Polestar 3 over the Tesla Model X or BMW iX, or even the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV?