2026 Polestar 3 gets electrifying upgrade with 800 volt electrical architecture and 670bhp
The Polestar 3 has received a series of updates for 2026, including new 800 volt electrical architecture, more power, and new batteries.
Like its sibling, the recently-updated Volvo EX90, the Swedish performance EV brand’s flagship SUV previously ran on 400V architecture delivering DC charging up to 250kW and allowing for a 30-minute 10-80% charge.
The new 800V architecture means that dual-motor 2026 Polestar 3 models can now be charged from 10-80% in just 22 minutes thanks to a peak charging rate of 350kW. The refreshed ‘P3’ comes with two new batteries sourced from China’s CATL.
The entry-level version of the 2026 Polestar 3 has been renamed from ‘Long range Single Motor’ to ‘Single motor’ and comes with a 92kWh battery. The ‘Long range Dual motor’ has been re-named the ‘Dual motor’, while the ‘Long range Dual motor with Performance pack’ now goes under the ‘Performance’ moniker.
Both dual-motor versions of the 2026 Polestar 3 get a 106kWh battery with a peak charging speed of 350kW – 100kW more than its predecessor – meaning they can be charged from 10-80% in 22 minutes.
The 2026 Polestar 3 also gets a power boost over the previous car courtesy of a new in-house developed permanent magnet synchronous rear motor, which is paired with an asynchronous front motor on some cars.
The entry-level Single motor Polestar 3 produces 329bhp and 354lb ft, a significant upgrade over its previous 303bhp. The mid-tier Dual motor’s power output has been boosted to 536bhp. Meanwhile, the flagship Performance now produces 670bhp and can manage the 0-62mph run in 3.8 seconds on its way to a top speed of 140mph.
The changes in performance mean, the Polestar 3 Single motor’s range is now reduced by 63 miles to 375 miles, as is the Dual motor’s by 0.6 miles. However, the Polestar 3 Performance’s range is improved to 368 miles, 16 miles more than before.
Polestar has also fitted the 2026 Model 3 with a new Nvidia Drive AGX Orin omputer, which is said to be faster and more reliable than the Xavier unit on the outgoing model. For comparison, the existing Xavier processor was capable of 30 trillion operations per second (TOPS), while the new one can manage 254 trillion TOPS.
Just as Volvo has done with its troubled EX90, Polestar is offering pre-2026 model year car owners a free processor upgrade.
Inside and out, Polestar has made a handful of changes to the ‘P3’ – air suspension is standard on the Performance, but is an option on the Dual motor. Across the board, a new ‘Climate’ pack includes heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel, and heated front wiper blades. The ‘Prime’ pack clubs together Polestar’s Pilot, Plus, and Climate packs. A Bowers & Wilkins with integrated headrest speakers and active road noise cancellation can be selected as a single option or as part of the Plus pack.
Polestar has dropped the dark grey ‘Thunder’ option in favour of a similar ‘Storm’ hue, and the ‘Polestar’ graphics on the lower section on the front door have been slightly tidied up.
To differentiate the trim levels, solid black seatbelts are fitted to the entry-level Single motor, the mid-range Dual motor gets a black seatbelt with a ‘Swedish Racing Gold’ stripe running down the middle, while the Performance gets the full Swedish Racing Gold’ seatbelt treatment.
Polestar has yet to announce the launch date for the 2026 Polestar 3, but it is expected that it will be released by the end of this year. Pricing is also yet to be made public.
