Polestar Polestar 4

This Polestar 4 might not be that much bigger than a Polestar 2 but it's very differently engineered.

Under the skin lies the Geely 'SEA' (or 'Sustainable Experience Architecture') platform that we've seen used in an extraordinarily wide cross-section of cars - everything from a compact smart #1 to a large luxury Lotus Emeya.

And the only battery available bolted to it is much larger than you'd get in a '2', 100kWh in size, 94kWh of which is actually usable.

In short, it isn't only the looks of this car that make it a more ambitious thing than other mid-sized EV crossover models. The drivetrain choice on offer feels more familiar.

Either the rear-driven Long range Single motor version we tried; or, if there's more in the budget, a punchy Long range Dual motor variant that feels quite different and is for those after some serious speed.

As you'd expect, it's the rear-driven version that most customers choose, which offers 268bhp, 0-62mph in 7.1s and a range of 385 miles.

It's all you really need, unless you're set on taking on faster rivals like the Tesla Model Y Performance or the Porsche Macan Electric 4S, in which case you'll need the Long range Dual motor variant's extra thrust.

With that top model, adding an extra identical motor to the front axle boosts total output to 536bhp and nearly doubles pulling power from 343Nm to 686Nm, lowering the 62mph sprint time to just 3.8s, without too much cost to EV range - a still-respectable 367 miles.

Maximum speed on all models is limited to a quite un-EV-like 124mph. As for drive impressions, well we'll start with this Polestar's party piece first; you might wonder how you're going to adjust to manoeuvring about a car without a rear window.

It actually doesn't take long at all.

Two screen-selectable 'One Pedal Drive' brake regen options are offered, 'low' and stronger 'standard', which are all you really need.

There are three steering weight options too but Polestar doesn't think you need any fake drivetrain sound effects.

On this rear-driven version, rather curiously, there are no drive modes - though you do get them on the Dual motor variant - 'Range' and 'Performance' settings, plus Launch Control too. As the 12 o'clock marker on the steering wheel suggests, this Sino-Swedish maker wants its products to feel 'sporty', which inevitably means a somewhat firm standard of ride.

Adaptive suspension is restricted to the Dual motor model - and then enhanced with 'Polestar Engineered chassis tuning' if you pay even more on that top variant for the optional 'Performance Pack' (which also includes bigger Brembo brakes).

Even without all this embellishment though, you could live with the standard passive set-up perfectly easily and it certainly promotes impressive body control through the bends.

The Polestar 4 is a swept-back Coupe-SUV.

Yet one with really impressive rear seat headroom.

The reason why is also the reason for most of the headlines surrounding this car; the fact that it has no rear window.

This is due to a repositioning of the header rail from its usual siting at the back of the roof to a position behind the rear passengers' heads - where the rear window would normally be.

A roof-mounted camera that projects in the rear view mirror takes its place.

Pressing a button turns that mirror into a regular one if you merely want to look at the back seat. Interestingly, there are conventional door mirrors, suggesting that Polestar's priority with this 4,839mm-long design wasn't to make this '4' class-leading slippery.

It isn't: the drag coefficient is 0.269Cd, some way behind a rival Tesla Model 3's 0.208Cd figure.

Finishing touches include a low nose, flush glazing, slim lights and retractable door handles. You might fear that the lack of a rear screen would turn interior of this car into a coal hole, but no.

A huge standard-fit glass panoramic roof lights up the cabin with spectacular upward views and there's a smart back-lit panel stretching behind the seats.

Rear headroom and kneeroom are excellent too.

Polestar says a couple of 6-foot 2-inch adults will comfortably fit here and the back seats recline via buttons in the armrest, plus there's a rear seat touchscreen.

It feels vastly more spacious than a Polestar 2, even though this '4' is only around 200mm longer. Up-front, this is the first Polestar with a landscape-format centre screen, an Android Automotive 15.4-inch display layout that's supposed to give the cockpit a wider, sportier feel.

That's complemented by a 10.2-inch digital driver's instrument display and a 14.7-inch head-up display (which in a typically Swedish touch displays in yellow when it's snowing).

The dash is typically minimalist and thoughtful use of textures and lighting gives an up-market feel.

Out back, there's a 526-litre boot, extendable to 1,536-litres.

Plus there's a 15-litre under-bonnet 'frunk' for the charging leads.

At the time of our test in Summer 2025, the line-up started with the 'Long range Single motor' model at around £60,000.

You'll need around £67,000 for the alternative 'Long range Dual motor' version.

The Polestar website has regular so-called 'Seasonal Offers' which can reduce these figures by £2,000-£3,000.

Most customers, as usual with EVs, will acquire ownership under leasing or PCP schemes.

To give you some idea when it comes to that, at the time of this test, this 'Long range Single motor' model was quoted at £417.76 a month.

There's nothing quite like a Polestar 4 and if you agree, then you're going to need to know about standard spec.

Standard equipment also includes 20-inch 'Aero' wheels, LED headlights with Active High Beam, power-folding frameless mirrors, deployable e-latch powered door handles, UV and noise-reducing laminated glass, rain-sensing wipers, an alarm and a big panoramic glass roof.

Drive stuff includes Adaptive Cruise Control, multi-mode steering, Hill Descent Control and a 'One Pedal Drive' brake regen system.

Polestar also includes a Digital key so you can effect entry via a 'phone app; and a heat pump to maintain EV range in colder months.

And there are all the usual benefits of the 'Polestar Connect' 'phone app so that you can interact remotely with your car, locking and unlocking it from wherever you are and pre-conditioning the cabin's climate system before you get to it. Inside, there's powered, heated front seats, a wireless charging mat, a 10.2-inch driver's display and a 360-degree camera system, plus the digital rear view mirror that of course you have to have because there's no rear screen..

Media connectivity's taken care of by a 15.4-inch centre display which has WiFi and 5G 'phone-tethering, plus the usual over-the-air updates, Bluetooth and 'Apple CarPlay' 'phone-mirroring.

This monitor also comes with 12 months free use of the brand's 'Connected services plus' package. Standard safety kit includes Advanced Collision Avoidance, along with Forward Collision Warning, with specific Collision avoidance not only for other vehicles but also for cyclists and pedestrians.

You also get a Lane Keeping Aid, Lane Departure Warning and Rear Collision Warning and Mitigation.

Plus there's Cross-Traffic Alert with brake support, Blind Spot Information with steer assist, Oncoming Lane Mitigation and a Post-impact braking system.

Both '4' models can DC charge at up to 200kW.

True, that's still some way off the 270kW speed of an 800V model in this class like an Audi Q6 e-tron or a Porsche Macan Electric, but it does allow this Polestar to top up using a rapid public charger from 10 to 80% in half an hour.

What about AC charging at home? Well, if you've only a conventional 7.4kW wallbox, you'll need 13 hours and 47 minutes for a full charge (though in most cases, overnight charging will still be possible because only 8 hours and 16 minutes will be needed if the charge is only from 20-80%).

With a three-phase 11kW AC supply, the full charge time is 11 hours - which you can reduce to five hours 30 minutes if you can three-phase AC charge using the upgraded 22kW AC charging system that was standard on the car at the time of this test.

What else? Well at the time of this review in the 2025/2026 tax year, EVs were Benefit-in-Kind tax-rated at 3%.

But incur a VED road tax first year charge of £10 (with a £195 charge annually thereafter).

The insurance group for this Long range Single motor version is 45 - for the Long range Dual motor it's group 48.

Expected depreciation is predicted at 55% after three years and 36,000 miles - a strong showing.

Servicing on a Polestar 4 is every two years or 18,750 miles, whichever comes first, and as we filmed, the company was offering a free three year / 31,250 mile servicing package at point of purchase.

At the time of this review, there were 93 Polestar service points in the UK.

The brand provides a disappointingly mediocre three year / 60,000 mile warranty and the usual 8-year / 100,000 mile battery warranty to 70% of battery capacity.

Plus a 12-year anti-corrosion warranty.

There's 3 years of 24/7 roadside assistance.

This '4' encapsulates Polestar's gradual repositioning away from its former Volvo parent.

Not least in the fact that it's the first car from this EV brand to be built on a Geely platform rather than a largely Volvo one.

And the design here feels far more uniquely Polestar, not least in the polarising decision to do without a rear screen.

The company says it doesn't use customer clinics as part of the development process, which is just as well because that feature wouldn't have survived that process. But you might like it.

And you might well very much like this car.

The competition it faces is formidable, but we think this '4' has enough about it to stand apart.

Whether its premium pricing will allow it to sell in the kind of numbers the brand is hoping for is another question.

Rarity though, might well be another draw of the '4'.

It has plenty.