Just over a year after its launch and more than three years after its initial presentation, the Polestar 3 is receiving an extensive update. For the 2026 model year, the electric SUV has become faster in every aspect, from acceleration to charging, and even in terms of processing power.
The Polestar 3’s launch, like its Volvo EX90 sibling, was troubled, to say the least. Software issues delayed the start of production by over a year, rendering the model effectively outdated by the time it reached customers. That’s why, just over a year after its launch, Polestar’s flagship electric SUV has already undergone a significant revision.
800V battery for faster charging
The 2026 Polestar 3 does not evolve in terms of design. Some aesthetic details have been changed, like a new body color (Storm) and a seat belt design that reflects the trim level. But the real changes have been made underneath, where the battery pack has been upgraded from 400V to 800V.
The main benefit of the higher-voltage batteries is the charging speed: with up to 350 kW of DC charging capacity, the Polestar 3 now takes just 22 minutes to charge from 10 to 80 percent. This brings it more in line with rivals like the BMW iX3 and Mercedes GLC EQ.
Smaller capacity, but more power and efficiency
However, there is a slight drawback as well: the new 800V battery packs are smaller than the previous ones. The Polestar 3 model range has been renamed and now consists of the Rear Motor, Dual Motor, and Performance variants.
The Polestar 3 Rear Motor features a 333 hp power unit (up from 299 hp), while the battery is now 92 kWh (down from 111 kWh). WLTP range is now 604 km, down from 650 km in the old ‘Long Range Single Motor’. However, thanks to the more powerful motor and a nearly 100 kg lower weight, the 0-100 km/h acceleration time is reduced to just 6.5 seconds, 0.8 seconds faster than before.
Dual Motor versions don’t sacrifice range
The Polestar 3 Dual Motor features a 106 kWh battery, which is still smaller than the old model’s, but thanks to its lower weight and higher overall efficiency, the range is nearly identical, at 635 km WLTP. With 544 hp on tap (an increase of 54 hp), the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h now takes 4.7 seconds (0.3 seconds faster).
And finally, the Polestar 3 Performance boasts a massive 680 hp thanks to new motors. That makes it not only faster (0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds, 0.7 seconds faster than before), but also more efficient than the old model, with a 593 km WLTP range figure.
8 times more powerful processor on board
Along with the boost in driving performance, the Polestar 3 also gets a faster processor on board. The new Nvidia Drive AGX Orin processor replaces the old Xavier unit and boasts over 8 times the processing power. This helps the safety systems, battery performance, and sensor data. Customers of existing Polestar 3 models can benefit from a free upgrade to the new computer hardware, starting at the beginning of 2026.
The 2026 Polestar 3 is not yet available to order. The model will go on sale first in the UK, where the old model year is already sold out. Other markets “will follow at a later date”.
