Polestar has officially launched the upgraded Polestar 3 in Australia, introducing a comprehensive overhaul of its flagship electric SUV. While the styling remains largely unchanged, beneath the skin sits a new 800-volt electrical architecture, significantly more performance, dramatically faster charging, and a far more powerful onboard computer.
Available to order now from $116,700 before on-road costs, the revised Polestar 3 Rear Motor also undercuts its predecessor by $1,720. Additionally, the Swedish marque has added the previously $9,000 Plus Pack as a complimentary inclusion across the entire range.
"The upgrades to Polestar 3 are so extensive, it's like an entirely new car," said Polestar CEO Michael Lohscheller.
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"With this upgrade, we continue to deliver on our commitment to add value for our customers through over-the-air software and hardware updates. The already amazing Polestar 3 is now better than ever."
The headline upgrade is the move to an 800-volt electrical architecture, bringing the Polestar 3 into line with the latest generation of premium EVs. DC fast charging now peaks at 350kW, allowing a 10-80% recharge in as little as 22 minutes – more than 25% quicker than before.
Beyond charging capability, performance has also taken a meaningful step forward.
Every Polestar 3 now features a newly developed permanent magnet synchronous rear motor. Dual Motor variants pair it with an asynchronous front motor, producing a staggering 500kW in the range-topping Performance model. That front motor can also disconnect on the move when it isn't needed, saving energy and stretching range.
Just as significant are the updates made to the Polestar 3's brain that is powering the onboard computer.
The Polestar 3 now adopts NVIDIA's latest DRIVE AGX Orin processor, replacing the previous Xavier chipset. Computing power jumps from 30 to 254 trillion operations per second, giving the SUV more than eight times the processing capability, which translates to faster management of active safety systems, battery optimisation, and sensor data.
Existing owners won't miss out either, with Polestar having already begun contacting customers to arrange a complimentary hardware upgrade at authorised service centres.
The model lineup has also been simplified, with buyers now choosing between Rear Motor, Dual Motor, and Performance variants, each distinguished by its own seatbelt design – solid black for Rear Motor, a Swedish gold stripe for Dual Motor, and full Swedish gold for the Performance.
The Plus Pack is now standard across the Australian range, bringing a Bowers & Wilkins sound system with active road noise cancellation, a head-up display, soft-close doors, an acoustic rear windscreen and a powered steering column.
Buyers can also option a new Climate Pack – heated steering wheel, rear seats, and front wiper blades – while an electrochromic glass roof, capable of switching between transparent and opaque at the touch of a button, joins the options list for the first time.
Polestar has also introduced two new exterior finishes: Storm, a dark grey metallic that replaces Thunder, and Krypton, a new green metallic. Inside, there are two new interior options – a soft green Bio-attributed MicroTech in Nebula and a sandy Nappa leather in Dune.
Australian pricing (before on-road costs) is as follows:
- Polestar 3 Rear Motor: $116,700
- Polestar 3 Dual Motor: $131,100
- Polestar 3 Performance: $146,700
The updated Polestar 3 represents more than a typical model year refresh. With an 800-volt platform, significantly faster charging, substantially more computing power, and sharper driving dynamics, it's a meaningful evolution of the brand's flagship SUV that keeps it firmly in the conversation as the premium EV segment continues to heat up.