Electric Car News - the Polestar 3 EV Lease gets a BIG update for 2026

The Polestar 3 EV Lease gets a BIG update for 2026 - Electric Car News

The push to become a dominant EV manufacturer is very much underway in the UK’s automotive market. Contrary to popular belief, this still remains a key part of the British motoring culture and with the lofty ambitions of the ZEV Mandate looming over concerned parties, there is a consistent pressure to keep improving.

With a host of new Chinese products arriving into the UK market - BYD, Chery, Geely, Skywell, XEV and Xpeng - some of our mainstay brands need to remain at the top of their game to secure the hearts and minds of the consumers, businesses and salary sacrifice schemes procuring their new and used options. So it is not surprising when brands, like Polestar, announce a mid-term revision to an already successful option in the product line-up - the Polestar 3 SUV.

However, before we detail these revisions, it’s a nice juncture to reference the SMMT September 2025 figures to understand how the UK’s car market is progressing. The key takeaways include:

• 312,891 car registrations in September 2025 (a 13.7% improvement on last year);
•  72,779 BEV options were registered (a 29.1% increase on last year);
•  1.5m vehicles have been registered so far in 2025; and
•  349,00 BEV options have been registered so far in 2025 (a 29.4% increase on 2024).

With EVs having a 22.1% market share so far in 2025, we are seeing a vast improvement on the 17.8% of last year. However, it does raise a question if we can meet the obligations under the ZEV Mandate (which expects 28% for 2025).

While some manufacturers are either EV-only, or almost EV-only, those brands with a mix of cars and vans using a range of combustion and electrified solutions, do need to consider to what extent they can satisfy the Governmental ambitions.

At the close of 2025, it will be most interesting if the political powers choose to pursue these manufacturers under the fines / penalties or whether flexibilities are offered to help progress this more harmoniously.

The move by Polestar, who registered 2,758 vehicles in September 2025, to upgrade their 3 SUV is not a surprise in light of some recent launches by BMW and Mercedes with their iX3 and GLC EQ Technology.

The Swedish performance brand, which is backed by Geely, has elected to make some significant hardware updates to this SUV for the 2026 model year, including the 800 Volt electrical architecture. This means more robust DC rapid charging faculties with up to 350kW peak charging as well as an increase in power for most versions. The updated components and software are expected to improve battery efficiency by 6%, which will be necessary to keep up with the new iX3 and its immensely substantial quoted range.

Polestar have also taken the opportunity to amend the products by splitting them into a Rear Motor, Dual Motor and Performance option. Options and packs have been revised too, with the new “Prime Pack” bundling the Pilot, Plus and Climate packs plus the privacy glass. A new colour Storm (dark grey metallic) will feature too.

The good news is that the new Polestar 3 will go on sale in the UK first, as we have the most successful market for this product. For more info check out the latest news on the Polestar website.  

So what specifications / prices will the Polestar team be employing on their revised EV?

As per below:

•  Rear Motor - from £69,990 this includes 20” alloys, passive chassis, anodised brake callipers, Brembo brakes, active LED headlights, rain sensing wipers, panoramic sunroof, 3-zone climate control, parking climate, heat pump, 15W wireless charging, 9” driver display, 14.5” centre display, high-performance audio, OTA updates, rear view camera, 12 ultrasonic sensors, adaptive cruise control, ADAS, ln keeping aid, road sign information and a host of preventative safety features;

•  Dual Motor - from £77,990 this adds air suspension, Swedish gold strip seatbelts and anodised brake callipers; and
• Performance - from £91,990 this adds 22” performance alloys, Swedish gold accents, dual chamber air suspension, Swedish gold seatbelts and performance brakes 

Key colours include the Magnesium, Snow, Storm, Midnight and Space. The Pack choices include the Pilot (for pilot assist, lane change assist and 360 degree camera), Climate Pack (heated rear seats and heated steering wheel) and Plus Pack (HUD, Bowers and Wilkins sound and acoustic windows). Or elect to go for the Prime pack to include all packs plus the privacy glass. The other key option is the fully-electric towbar. Create your perfect bespoke  Polestar  option. 

How does the Polestar 3 perform?

•  Rear Motor – this RWD has an 88 kWh lithium battery which offers 245 kW (or 329 hp) for 0 – 62 times of 6.5 seconds and top speeds of 130mph. In terms of charging times, the 11 kW AC max enables 0 - 100% in around 9 hours and 30 minutes and the 310 kW DC maximum will allow 10 – 80% in 23 minutes. Real-world ranges suggest a combined 230 miles in colder weather with warmer temperatures to allow for 310 miles (on a full charge) - 275 miles combined .This SUV has confirmed Bidirectional charging with the V2L, V2G and V2H. It has a 484L cargo volume, 126 mpg fuel equivalent and offers towing capacity of 750kg (Unbraked) and 1500kg (Braked). The heat pump is standard;

•  Dual Motor – this AWD has a 102 kWh lithium battery which offers 330kW (or 443 hp) for 0 – 62 times of 4.7 seconds and top speeds of 143mph. In terms of charging times, the 11 kW AC max enables 0 - 100% in around 11 hours and the 350 kW DC maximum will allow 10 – 80% in 23 minutes. Real-world ranges suggest a combined 260 miles in colder weather with warmer temperatures to allow for 350 miles (on a full charge) - 310 miles combined .This SUV has confirmed Bidirectional charging with the V2L, V2G and V2H. It has a 484L cargo volume, 123 mpg fuel equivalent and offers towing capacity of 750kg (Unbraked) and 2200kg (Braked). The heat pump is standard; and
•  Performance – this AWD has a 102 kWh lithium battery which offers 500kW (or 671 hp) for 0 – 62 times of 3.9 seconds and top speeds of 143mph. In terms of charging times, the 11 kW AC max enables 0 - 100% in around 11 hours and the 350 kW DC maximum will allow 10 – 80% in 23 minutes. Real-world ranges suggest a combined 245 miles in colder weather with warmer temperatures to allow for 320 miles (on a full charge) - 285miles combined .This SUV has confirmed Bidirectional charging with the V2L, V2G and V2H. It has a 484L cargo volume, 113 mpg fuel equivalent and offers towing capacity of 750kg (Unbraked) and 2200kg (Braked). The heat pump is standard.

Need more help and advice on your new Polestar 3 for 2025 / 2026?

Head to the Polestar brand website to build your perfect option or just get in touch with our expert team on 01942 910 001 or by emailing us at [email protected]

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