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Polestar 3 joins 800v club
Richard Bosselman
July 14, 2026
Major updates for largest model from Sino-Swede.
A MAJOR update to Polestar’s latest car that puts it on a new 800 volt architecture and delivers other new features will avail from next month.
The MY26 Polestar 3’s improvement schedule also brings more power across the range, which spans a $149,900 rear-drive, a $159,900 all-wheel-drive badged Dual Motor and a $174,900 Performance.
The Polestar’s new architecture has seen peak charging speeds rise to 350kW for the dual motor variants, from the previous peak of 250kW.
This upgrade means that it’s now faster to charge, with the benchmark 10 to 80 percent charge taking as little as 22 minutes, or 25 percent faster than before.
The new architecture also brings efficiency improvements of six percent, according to Polestar, and it’s teamed with new lithium-ion battery packs.
The rear motor has a 92kWh type while the dual motors have 106kWh supply.
The claimed WLTP range for the upgraded Polestar 3 is 604km for the entry, 635km for the Dual Motor and 593km for the Performance.
Away from the charging and battery improvements, the upgraded Polestar 3 is also more powerful than the outgoing model.
With 500kW of power and 870Nm of torque, the Performance gains 120kW and 40Nm, for a 0-100kmh sprint of just 3.9 seconds, 0.8 seconds faster.
The Dual Motor has 400kW/700Nm, which is up 40kW/140Nm and the entry Rear Motor 245kW/480Nm (up 25kW/10Nm).
In Dual Motor variants, the front motor can now disconnect for greater efficiency and the new rear motor also means the power balance has shifted to a greater rear bias than before.
Combined with updated anti-roll bars and extensive software refinement for the steering, Polestar says that the 3 is now “even more direct and engaging driving experience across all model variants.”
Inside, the upgraded Polestar 3 has also received a significant computing upgrade, with its onboard processing power boosted from 30 to 254 trillion operations per second. Basically, that upgrade enables faster management of active safety systems, battery performance, and sensor data.
The current local configuration allows for Pilot pack and Plus pack options alongside a panoramic roof that can take An electrochromic application as a cost extra. other cost extras are megapixel HD LED headlights, active air suspension (option on Dual motor and standard on Performance), towbar, and a choice of curated interior and exterior finishes.
The new technology is shared with the Volvo EX90 which comes into dual motor formats with price advantage over their Polestar equivalents. It came on sale earlier this year,
“The upgraded Polestar 3 is a major stepforward for our brand in New Zealand,” national brand manager Bruce Fowler said in shared comment.
“It combines the design, performance and technology expected of a flagship SUV with meaningful improvements in charging speed, computing power, and day-to-day usability.”
Orders have opened and the first shipment is due next month.