Polestar 5 Review: Dual Motor vs Performance, Driven in the UK

Polestar 5 review: the short answer

The Polestar 5 is a four-door electric grand tourer that costs from £89,500 for the Dual Motor and £104,900 for the Performance. It is the production version of the 2020 Precept concept, and almost nothing has been watered down. I had the absolute pleasure of driving both versions back to back at the UK press launch in Northumberland. It is undoubtedly one of the most enjoyable electric cars I have ever driven, and the back seat is nearly as good as the driver’s seat. The Dual Motor offers more range for less money, while the Performance adds serious extra power at a £15,400 premium.

£105,000 for a Polestar. Have they lost the plot?

Buying a car is usually a sensible, considered decision. You work out what you can afford, check the boot will swallow the weekly shop, and make sure the kids’ seats go in without a fight.

Don’t get me wrong. All of that matters. But it isn’t the whole story.

There’s another question nobody puts on a spreadsheet. When it’s just you and nobody’s watching, how does this car make you feel? Does it make you want to leave ten minutes early and take the long way home?

That was the question rattling around my head on our exclusive drive of the new Polestar 5. Polestar invited me to the UK press launch, which made me one of the first people in the country to drive it, and I got to try both versions back to back. I was beyond excited. One day, two cars, and epic roads in Northumberland to really test the performance.

What is the Polestar 5?

So what exactly am I looking at? The Polestar 5 is a big four-door electric grand tourer, and the production version of the Precept concept Polestar first showed in 2020. It made its public debut at the Munich motor show in September 2025, and obvious rivals include the Porsche Taycan, Audi e-tron GT, Tesla Model S Plaid and Lucid Air.

When I first saw the Precept, it gave me a feeling that’s hard to describe. Excitement thrown in with a touch of nostalgia. It reminded me of staring at a supercar poster on my bedroom wall as a kid. You know, the one you dream about and promised yourself you’d own one day. Everyone assumed the production car would be watered down long before it reached the road.

It wasn’t.

The risks Polestar took

Getting here meant some brave decisions. Rather than borrowing a platform from the wider Geely family, Polestar built a bespoke bonded aluminium chassis, engineered and developed here in the UK. It also developed its own rear electric motor, called PX2, instead of buying one in. At the launch, Polestar told me that was because it couldn’t find an existing motor that was good enough.

Then there’s the back of the car, which brings us neatly to the design.

Design: does the Polestar 5 have a rear window?

No, and it was the first thing I noticed when I walked round it. The Polestar 5 has no rear window. Instead, two HD cameras on the roof feed a digital rear-view mirror. Losing the glass let Polestar move the rear strengthening beam further back, which frees up rear headroom and makes room for a huge 2 x 1.25 metre glass roof.

My first reaction was the same as everyone’s: how on earth do you see out of it? Thankfully, Polestar has thought it through properly. It even shifts views when you indicate, so you can see more of what’s alongside you.

The rest of the design speaks for itself. It’s over five metres long and around two metres wide, with dual blade headlights, flush door handles that fold away when you lock it, staggered wheels with wider tyres at the back, and a full-width rear light bar that makes it instantly recognisable at night. Whoever designed this deserves a medal. I struggled to pick a favourite angle, and I’d love to know if there’s a car on UK roads with more kerb appeal right now.

What is the Polestar 5 like to drive?

In a word, exhilarating. Polestar took me to Northumberland to experience one of the best driving routes in the UK, and the car never once let me down.

When they sat me down for the technical briefing, I took the promises with a healthy pinch of salt. Then I drove it. The big 112kWh battery sits low in the chassis, which gives it a low centre of gravity and a level of grip I haven’t experienced in many cars. Through tight, twisty sections it feels like it’s on rails. It’s fast, but also smooth and composed, which is exactly what you want from a grand tourer.

Henry, who was with us on the drive, summed it up well: “There’s nothing that I’ve driven on the road like it. It just grips.”

Abby Dewhurst, who joined me for the day, put it even more simply. “You can’t not smile when you drive a car like this.”

I’ve been driving EVs for the past six or seven years, and I’d never go back to petrol. If anyone still tells you electric cars are boring, hand them the keys to one of these.

Polestar 5 Dual Motor vs Performance: which should you buy?

Having driven both, I’d say the Dual Motor is the better value choice – the Performance is for drivers who want the fastest Polestar ever made and don’t mind paying for it. Here’s how they compare on paper.

The Performance costs £15,400 more, and you give up 75 miles of official range to get it.

What surprised me was how little I felt short-changed in the Dual Motor. On paper it’s seven tenths slower to 60, but on the road it felt every bit as quick as I’d ever need. If you mostly want a fast, beautiful, long-legged GT for real roads, the Dual Motor makes a strong case for itself. If you want the ultimate version and the sharpest response, the Performance delivers that, but you’re paying a premium for the last bit of speed.

What’s the Polestar 5 like in the back?

The back seat might be the best seat in the car. Somewhere along the way, Polestar stopped thinking only about how the 5 drives and started thinking about how it makes everyone feel, not just the person behind the wheel.

The rear seats on my test car were heated, ventilated and had a massage function. A cut-out in the battery pack, which Polestar calls a foot garage, lowers the floor so rear passengers can sit properly rather than with their knees up by their chin. Add that enormous glass panoramic roof and it feels more like a private lounge than the back of a car.

Abby tried it and was sold within seconds. “I would go as far as to say it’s perhaps nicer as a passenger princess than it is as a driver,” she told me. “I’m being chauffeured to an event. I’m about to hit the red carpet.” The reality was a pub car park in Northumberland … but you get the idea!

Even cameraman Lewis, who spent the day being thrown around in the passenger seat, gave it a big thumbs up. A driving experience? This is a life experience!

Tech, range and charging

Charging was one of the first things I wanted to dig into. The Polestar 5 is the first Polestar with an 800V electrical system, so it can charge at up to 350kW on a fast enough DC charger, and at 11kW on a home wallbox. Both versions use the same 112kWh battery.

On range, the Dual Motor is rated at up to 421 miles WLTP. Unless you’ve got a very heavy right foot, range anxiety shouldn’t cause any worry here. A neat touch is the small charging indicator behind each rear side window, which lights up to show the charging status, so you can check progress from across the car park.

Inside, I absolutely loved how simple Polestar has kept things. The central screen is clean and easy to use, without endless menus to dig through. There’s a driver display in front of you and a head-up display that shows your speed, the speed limit, directions and even the radio station, so your eyes stay on the road.

The boot is decent rather than huge, with some extra storage under the floor and a cute little hook for my handbag or a takeaway for Mrs B! There are also some mighty handy cameras all around the car for parking and driver assistance.

Verdict: Is the Polestar 5 worth it?

Yes, if you want an electric GT that makes you feel something every time you get in it. They say never meet your heroes. I’n telling you, that rule doesn’t apply here!

The Polestar 5 is the most ambitious car Polestar has ever made. It takes on Porsche and Audi at their own game, and it’s every bit as special from the back seat as it is from behind the wheel. Realistically there are compromises, like the boot not being the biggest in the class and the Performance version giving up range for its extra speed, but none of them spoiled the day.

I was staying in Alnwick, home of the castle where Harry Potter was filmed, and there was a serious bit of magic in the air. As we dropped down into the Northumberland mist at the end of the day, I knew I’d look back on it for years. I felt like a kid in a sweet shop, having spent the day in what is essentially an electric rocket.

So, back to that question nobody puts on a spreadsheet. Does the Polestar 5 make you want to take the long way home? Absolutely. No question about it!

Watch the full Polestar 5 review on The Sustainable Dad YouTube channel, and subscribe, because I review every new electric car hitting UK roads.

Polestar 5 FAQs

How much does the Polestar 5 cost in the UK?

The Polestar 5 starts at £89,500 for the Dual Motor and £104,900 for the Performance, before options.

What is the Polestar 5’s range?

The Dual Motor has an official WLTP range of up to 421 miles. The Performance is rated at up to 346 miles.

How fast is the Polestar 5?

The Performance does 0 to 60mph in 3.1 seconds and the Dual Motor does it in 3.8 seconds.

Does the Polestar 5 have a rear window?

No. It uses two HD roof-mounted cameras and a digital rear-view mirror instead. This frees up rear headroom and allows for a larger glass roof.

How fast can the Polestar 5 charge?

It uses an 800V system that supports DC charging at up to 350kW, meaning a 10-80% charge of the Dual Motor takes just 22 minutes, and AC home charging at up to 11kW.

Is the Polestar 5 a rival to the Porsche Taycan?

Yes. It’s a four-door electric GT aimed squarely at the Taycan, along with the Audi e-tron GT, Tesla Model S Plaid and Lucid Air.

Where was the Polestar 5 developed?

The Polestar 5’s chassis was engineered and developed in the UK, and its PX2 rear motor was developed in-house by Polestar.