This is how the Polestar 3 2026 responds to the BMW iX3, faster, more technological... although with an unexpected weak point

Two years have passed since the Polestar 3 was launched on the market. The Swedish brand surprised with a striking coupe SUV that set a significant goal, to make life difficult for the heir of the Porsche Macan, which has also become an electric car. However, a series of technical problems derailed much of these plans, delaying its market arrival.

But now, those at Polestar, who know that competition in the D segment is on the verge of becoming a war by raising the autonomy bar to 800 kilometers, have decided to implement major improvements so that the Polestar 3 does not fall behind against newcomers like the BMW iX3 or the electric Mercedes GLC.

The updates in the exterior and interior of the Polestar 3 2026

The exterior has not received major updates, beyond a new paint for the body. The same one you can see in the attached photo gallery, a sleek dark metallic gray, while there are some more in the interior. For example, the air suspension, which was standard (as in the Performance) in the mid-range trim, is now an option.

From the standard trim, the Polestar 3 2026 already features decorative aluminum details, which until now were only available as an option, and the equipment is still distinguished by the color of the seatbelt, black for the single motor versions, black with a yellow stripe for the two motor versions, and solid yellows in the Performance.

The network that governs the active safety systems, battery performance, and sensor data multiplies its power thanks to a new NVIDIA processor that increases processing eight times, going from 30 to 254 trillion operations per second. An update that will also reach the units already in circulation of this electric SUV, starting in early 2026, and completely free of charge.

The Polestar 3 sacrifices one of its key features

So far, nothing really significant like the fact that this Polestar 3 2026 now features a 800 V electric network, so the DC charging power now reaches 350 W. This means that the Swedish SUV can now charge the battery from 10 to 80 % in 22 minutes, reducing times by 25 %.

But it is not the only major novelty, because this Polestar is the first to use new lithium-ion batteries supplied by CATL, which are said to have reduced energy consumption by 6 %. The single electric motor versions adopt an energy accumulator with a capacity of 92 kWh, increasing to 106 kWh in the two electric motor versions.

The performance of the new Polestar 3 increases

If you are minimally familiar with the Polestar 3, you will see that these capabilities are slightly lower than the current one, which stands at 111 kWh, so it actually loses some autonomy in the single motor version, decreasing from 650 kilometers to 604. The opposite happens in the Dual Motor and Performance, which have gone from 631 kilometers to 635, and from 561 to 593 kilometers, respectively.

	Long Range Single Motor	Long Range Dual Motor	Performance
Maximum power	333 hp	544 hp	680 hp
Maximum torque	480 Nm	740 Nm	870 Nm
0-100 Km/h	6.5 s	4.7 s	3.9 s
Max. speed	210 km/h	230 km/h	230 km/h
Consumption	17.6 - 21.6 kWh	19.1 - 23.4 kWh	20.6 - 23.4 kWh
Autonomy	604 km	635 km	593 km
Transmission	Auto 1v	Auto 1v	Auto 1v
Traction	Rear	Total	Total

Performance homologated according to the WLTP cycle in the Polestar 3 2026

These improvements have been possible not only thanks to the new batteries but also to the new rear electric motor that all versions of the Polestar 3 2026 have, which offers greater power and which, in the dual motor options, remains operational while the front one disconnects when all-wheel drive is not needed.

The new range of the Polestar 3 2026 does not yet have prices, but they will soon be announced, being available for orders before the end of the year. The competition is tightening, and those in Gothenburg are well-positioned to get ahead.