POLESTAR 3

At the risk of starting an argument with our testers, who prefer a different edition, the editor welcomes long-range SUV to our fleet

- Paul Barker [e-mail]

WE'VE kind of gone against our own advice when picking which Polestar 3 to run. But we're playing the long game with the Long Range Single Motor edition that joined the SUV's lineup last year, dropping the entry point to below £70,000 and pushing the official range out to a heady 438 miles.

That makes this the longest-range electric car we've ever run on the Auto Express test fleet, and it's going to be interesting to see if over 400 miles of range is enough to silence the EV sceptics over the next six months.

I’m lucky because I can charge at home, and I’m expecting my clever Ohme chargepoint will soon come into its own, taking advantage of cheaper rates of supply where possible, while still making sure the car is ready to go at the time I’ve set. Without home charging, the argument for electric cars falls apart, I reckon.

Given that the latest EVs are edging out to 500 miles of range and beyond, my suspicion is that we're reaching numbers that might be more than most drivers actually need. I’m also fascinated to see if the Polestar’s range is enough to minimise pricey public charging stops on longer trips. Previous EVs I've run have hovered below the 250-mile mark at best in the real world, and sometimes that meant a rapid charge to make sure I got home.