POLESTAR 3

Categorisation-defying electric luxury estate-SUV joins the fleet

- MARK TISSHAW

WHY WE'RE RUNNING IT To see if the third all-new EV from this nascent luxury brand is as compelling as its spec sheet and unique look suggest

We've long been promised cars of quite different shapes and sizes thanks to the advent of EVs and the skateboard-style architectures on which they're based. But instead we seem to have been treated to a series of slightly taller and visually uninspiring hatchbacks.

The Polestar 3, though, really is something different. In its profile and proportions, I'm struggling to pick a direct rival or even say what it reminds me of. It's a taller estate car but with a sleek body, raised but definitely still sporty. It looks great. In an office discussion, we once counted more than 50 different categories of car; the Polestar 3 would add another to the list.

The 3 is so called because it's the third model Polestar has launched as a standalone brand. When I've told people I'm getting a 3, they've asked: “Is that the one without the rear window?” No, that’s the 4.

The 3 was launched at the same time as the 4. Given that the 4 is smaller than the 3 and the 2 is smaller than the both, it would make more sense if the 3 were called the 4 and the 4 the 3. But Polestar's naming convention for now is sequential, in the order of launch.

The 3 was planned first, and rather than being the one without the rear window, it’s the one that's both a sibling to the Volvo EX90 and Polestar's new range-topper. This relationship with the EX90 means the 3 has been launched at the same time as the 4, and with that comes the naming confusion.