Polestar 3 New MY2026 Update Could Be a Bit Too Good
Polestar has revealed new details for the MY2026 Polestar 3, and the updates are so extensive, it’s been hailed as “like an entirely new car.” This new model, due by 2025, appears to be the electric SUV Polestar “should’ve released from the very beginning,” bringing significant enhancements in efficacy and power. While fantastic news for prospective buyers, these sweeping improvements might leave early adopters of the 2023/2024 model feeling a bit shortchanged.
What’s New? A Major Architectural Shift and Performance Boost
The headline change for the MY2026 Polestar 3 is a crucial move to a new 800-volt electrical architecture, aligning it with its EX90 sibling. This shift unlocks substantial benefits across the board:
- Faster Charging: Peak charging rate increases to 350kW, allowing the battery to charge from 10% to 80% in just 22 minutes—a remarkable 25% faster than before.
- Increased Range: The overall range is up by 6%.
- New Battery Packs: The architecture supports new lithium-ion battery packs from CATL: a 92kWh unit for the rear-motor version and a larger 106kWh unit for dual-motor and Performance trims.
- Enhanced Driving Dynamics: The rear motor has been upgraded, giving the car a more pronounced rear bias for improved driving engagement.
- Higher Power Output: In the top-tier Performance trim, power is boosted to an impressive 670bhp.
Michael Lohscheller, Polestar CEO, stated, “The upgrades to Polestar 3 are so extensive, it’s like an entirely new car. With this upgrade, we continue to deliver on our commitment to add value for our customers through over-the-air software and hardware updates. The already amazing Polestar 3 is now better than ever.”
Existing Owners Can’t Be Happy… But There Are Some Compensations
While a complimentary upgrade to a new 800-volt system isn’t on the cards for existing owners, Polestar is offering a significant processing power bump. The new car will feature Nvidia’s Orin processors, replacing the existing Xavier units. This upgrade dramatically increases computing power from 30 to 254 trillion operations per second (TOPS), an eight-fold improvement. This software upgrade will be complimentary for current owners, a nice gesture, though it pales in comparison to the benefits of the new electrical architecture.
Simplified Model Range and New Pricing
The entire Polestar 3 model range has been simplified for MY2026 into three distinct variants:
- Rear motor: Starts at £69,990.
- Dual motor: Starts at £77,990.
- Performance: Starts at £91,990.
Key differences include:
- The rear-motor version gets the new 92kWh battery pack.
- The dual-motor and Performance trims receive the 106kWh unit and standard air suspension.
- Visual Cues: You can tell the trims apart by their seatbelts: solid black for the rear motor, a yellow stripe for the dual motor, and full gold for the Performance trim.
- New Color: A new Storm dark grey metallic has been added to the palette.
Here’s a quick look at the updated specs:
| Model | Price (on the road) | Power (hp/bhp) | Torque | 0-100 km/h | 0-60 mph | Top speed (mph) | Range, WLTP (mi) | Battery Capacity (gross) |
| Polestar 3 Rear motor | £69,990 | 245 kW (333/329) | 480 Nm | 6.5 sec | 6.3 sec | 130 | 375 | 92 kWh |
| Polestar 3 Dual motor | £77,990 | 400 kW (544/536) | 740 Nm | 4.7 sec | 4.5 sec | 140 | 394 | 106 kWh |
| Polestar 3 Performance | £91,990 | 500 kW (680/670) | 870 Nm | 3.9 sec | 3.8 sec | 140 | 368 | 106 kWh |
What’s the Polestar 3 BST? Potentially a Beastly Future
The “BST” (Beast) package, originally a one-off for Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath’s Polestar 2, proved surprisingly popular, leading to two series of BST-spec Polestar 2s (270 and 230 sales, respectively). Now, Polestar is reportedly weighing up a similarly “bonkers” version for the more practical Polestar 3.
The success of incredibly quick yet practical electric SUVs like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N suggests a strong market for a Polestar 3 BST. While unconfirmed, a Polestar 3 BST could follow the Polestar 2 BST’s formula, which involved:
- Handling Tweaks: Öhlins two-way adjustable dampers.
- Structural Enhancements: An aluminum strut bar.
- Software Upgrades: Performance-focused software improvements.
While these high-performance variants generate significant buzz, it’s likely that the more accessible, less powerful models will ultimately drive greater sales volume for the brand.
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