Polestar 5 review: Shooting for the stars with Sweden’s Taycan killer

Towards the end of our Polestar 5 test drive around Northumberland, my driving companion turned to me and said: “Matt, I’m calling it. I’d have this over the Taycan”. Big words, especially from a man as clued-up as him.

But that’s exactly what Polestar is aiming for with the Polestar 5. This is the brand’s flagship. The peak of more than seven years of work to position itself as a premium, purely electric performance brand.

Everything else, impressive as it is, has been building to this – a four-seat, 872bhp grand tourer with continent-crossing range and, Polestar hopes, the performance and poise to take on some of the most experienced names in the business.

Polestar wants to beat the Porsche Taycan at its own game. Not just with supercar-baiting speed, but with the balance of driver engagement and everyday usability that scored Stuttgart’s first EV almost unanimous praise.

And with alternative high-power, driver-focused fayre coming from Germany and elsewhere over the coming 12 months, Polestar needs to get it right.

So for the last six years, its designers and engineers have been developing the 5 from the ground up. Unlike other Polestar models, there’s no platform sharing here. The Polestar 5 is based on the bespoke Polestar Performance Architecture (PPA), developed to accommodate huge motors and batteries and deliver high-end space and comfort without compromising on the low, sleek lines of the Precept concept car.

Design and interior

The world got its first clues to the Polestar 5’s looks in 2020 when the Swedish brand revealed the Precept concept, looking like something that had just landed from outer space.

Jaws dropped and then everyone spent ages telling each other the final car wouldn’t look anything like it. Yet here we are and, rear-hinged doors apart, the Polestar 5 stays remarkably true to the Precept’s space-age design. And it’s stunning.

Lots of engineering — from suspension components to battery design — has gone into allowing the all-aluminium Polestar 5 to be as low to the ground as possible. At just 142cm tall it’s 14cm lower than a Volkswagen ID.3. And thanks to its plunging shark-nose front end, massive 22-inch alloy wheels and razor-sharp shoulder line, it looks glued to the road even when stationary.

From every angle its crisp lines and well-gauged proportions deliver on the idea of an elegant grand tourer for the electric age. And they help with efficiency too. That slippery shape gives a great profile for cutting through the air, aided by active air shutters at the front, air vents at the rear and the Kamm-style tail which as well as housing some super-cool thin taillights helps optimise airflow.

Inside, the sharp lines are softened slightly but there’s still a clarity and simplicity that borrows from Scandinavian design and manages to feel soothing rather than sterile.

The driver and passenger are held in place by wonderfully shaped Recaro seats that provide just the right grip and support when pressing on without becoming tiresomely tight on long drives. Opt for the sustainably sourced Bridge of Weir leather and they offer cooling and massage along with the regular heating option.

Behind them the Polestar 5 delivers a luxurious user-focused rear cabin. With the centre armrest covering the largely pointless middle seat, it feels every bit the grand tourer with heating, cooling, massaging and reclining seats, plus multi-zone climate control.

Space in the rear is also better than I expected. Passengers well over six feet will still have plenty of room behind similarly tall drivers. However, the very tall will struggle for headroom beneath the two-metre-long panoramic roof. Like the Polestar 4, there’s no rear window. Like the Polestar 4, you barely notice its absence once you’re moving.

Along with performance, sustainability is a big part of Polestar’s identity, so there are carpet and headliners made from recycled fishing nets and plastic bottles, plus a MicroTech fabric upholstery or that sustainable leather. There’s also B Comp – a new material designed to deliver the light weight and strength of carbon fibre with a fraction of the environmental impact. You’ll find it on the seat backs and door cards.

In the 365-litre boot (451l including the under-floor area) and 62-litre frunk you’ll also find “UltraSilent” material, which is 5kg lighter than regular plastic and is a mono material, making end-of-life recycling easier.

Technology and equipment

At the heart of the Polestar 5’s pared-back interior look are two screens. A nine-inch unit covers the key instrument duties, while a 14.5-inch portrait unit handles everything else.

Polestar says this Android Automotive-based system with Google built in improves on those of the Polestar 3 and 4, but it still has many of the same irritants. The unit is crisp and responsive, and there are more shortcut keys and quicker access to some functions. But it still isn’t as user-friendly as it should be.

Owners will get used to some of its idiosyncrasies but there are too many menus, and too many important functions are hidden two or three screen presses deep.

Like the 4, the steering wheel features two panels of unmarked haptic buttons whose functions are only revealed on the instrument cluster when you hover a finger over them. Again, owners will eventually get to grips with this, but it’s a problem that doesn’t need to exist.

Genuinely, those interface problems are the only things standing between this car and a full five stars.

Away from the screen, Polestar’s flagship comes packed with technology. It features the very latest in adaptive cruise control and lane management, with 11 external cameras and sensors, plus internal monitors that know the number and position of passengers and can deploy the right safety measures in the event of a crash.

Range, battery and charging

The Polestar 5 offers two motor options, both powered by the same 106kWh LFP battery. Polestar says this will give its grand tourer a range of 421 miles and efficiency of up to 3.49m/kWh in dual-motor form and 346 miles and 2.93m/kWh in the Performance which I tested.

On real roads and driven with some (but not too much) enthusiasm, I saw bang on the WLTP energy consumption, and a predicted real-world range of 310 miles. That’s pretty good for a 2.4-tonne car with as much power and pace as a Lamborghini.

The Polestar 5’s platform is bespoke but uses the same 800V technology as the updated Polestar 4, meaning peak DC charging of 350kW and a 10-80% top-up in just 22 minutes.

Performance and driving

Everything we heard from Polestar about this car is that it’s a true grand tourer — a car that can eat up massive miles with ease and comfort while delivering sports car pace and precision.

And it fully delivers. Every input and response has a balance, precision and control that’s set up to deliver both blinding performance and easygoing long-distance cruising.

Straight-line performance is truly breathtaking. In a “hippo sitting on your chest” way. Even the “basic” dual-motor version can cover the 0-62mph sprint in 3.8 seconds, while the 872bhp/749lb ft Performance version, will hit the benchmark run in a mere 3.1 seconds. And it does so with no squirrelling from the bespoke Michelin tyres or unpredictable torque steer.

But what’s great is that the throttle is sweetly balanced to allow calm responses when you want them. This is a GT after all, not a twitchy track toy, so you can waft gently across Europe or nip to the shops with ease.

The same goes for the brakes. The 400mm Brembo units are powerful and progressive and deliver massive but predictable stopping power.

Even under extreme acceleration or braking, the Polestar 5’s body control is impeccable. There’s none of the squatting or diving that often comes with such brutal pace. This is carried into corners, where the road-hugging centre of gravity and ultra-stiff bonded aluminium body mean there isn’t a hint of roll.

And you have the confidence to test that thanks to the balanced steering. It’s consistent, communicative and weighted just right to reflect the car’s size and mass while allowing it to nip quickly between turns.

There are a few steering modes accessed through that blooming screen, where you’ll also find three suspension settings for the MangeRide adaptive dampers – soft, nimble and firm. Polestar extensively tested the 5 on UK roads, on the theory that if it can cope here, it’ll cope anywhere.

On the relatively decent Tarmac of north-east England, it managed well, with Nimble offering a good balance of control and comfort that makes soaking up big miles easy.

Fundamentally, the Polestar 5 is a pleasure to drive, whether you’re exploiting the 872bhp or just pootling along in a queue of traffic.

Price, trim and rivals

As mentioned, Polestar offers two versions of the Polestar 5 – the “regular” dual-motor model and the Performance model.

Prices for the Polestar 5 dual motor start at £89,500, with the Polestar 5 Performance coming it at £104,950.

Every car gets the kind of specification you’d expect of a premium GT, from a powered tailgate and soft-close doors to adaptive LED headlights and that huge sunroof. Although a heated steering wheel is an optional extra – disappointing for a Scandinavian brand.

The Performance adds the extra power, cosmetic upgrades such as Swedish Gold brake callipers and seatbelts, along with a 21-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system, a head-up display and the Pilot Assist pack.

In terms of rivals, Polestar will have the production version of the 1,300bhp Mercedes-AMG GT XX to worry about in 2027 but for now the Polestar 5’s most obvious rival is the Porsche Taycan. That offers similar space, comfort and performance, albeit for a lot more money. To get a Taycan that can match the Polestar 5 Performance for power and pace, you’ll need a Turbo, which will set you back an extra £30,000.

There’s also the 905bhp Lotus Emeya 900, which starts at £130,000 and the Denza Z9 GT, which packs more than 1,1400bhp and costs from £105,000.

Verdict – 4.5/5

So was my colleague right? Is the Polestar 5 better than a Porsche Taycan?

It might just be. Even without the £30k price difference, the Polestar 5 is a compelling package.

It epitomises the grand tourer for the electric age – delivering supercar-humbling performance, stunning poise and remarkable comfort and refinement.

And it looks every bit as good as it drives, while delivering the kind of long-range ability customers demand.

In fact, were it not for its questionable user interface, the Polestar 5 would be a nailed-on five-star car.

Better than a Taycan? Even with that lousy screen, I reckon so.

The rivals

Alternatives worth a test drive

Porsche Taycan★★★★★4

Lotus Emeya

Denza Z9GT