Polestar 5 UK review roundup: £89,500 electric GT takes on the Porsche Taycan

The Polestar 5 has arrived in the UK as the Swedish brand’s flagship, a low, four-door electric grand tourer priced from £89,500. It has up to 884PS, up to 421 miles of WLTP range and 350kW charging, and it is aimed squarely at the Porsche Taycan, Audi e-tron GT and Lotus Emeya. UK first drives, including Fleet News and a launch drive in Northumberland reported by the Wakefield Express, are broadly glowing.

Polestar has sold 60,000 cars in the UK in its six years here, mostly the Polestar 2. The 5 will not sell in those numbers, but it shows what the brand can do. Here is what it costs, what you get and what the reviewers make of it.

How much is the Polestar 5?

The Polestar 5 Dual Motor starts at £89,500. The Performance version is listed at £102,900 in the UK launch coverage and £104,950 by Fleet News, so it is worth checking the current price with Polestar. For now, only the Launch Edition trim is available, which includes most equipment as standard.

Polestar 5	Dual Motor	Performance
UK price	£89,500	£102,900 to £104,950 (sources differ)
Power	748PS (737bhp)	884PS (871bhp)
Torque	812Nm	1,015Nm
0-62mph	3.8 to 3.9 seconds	3.1 to 3.2 seconds
Battery	112kWh	112kWh
WLTP range	Up to 421 miles	Up to 346 miles
Peak charging	350kW	350kW
Suspension	Standard	MagneRide adaptive dampers

The small differences in 0-62mph times reflect different figures quoted by different outlets.

At £89,500, the Polestar 5 is well above the Electric Car Grant’s price cap, so it does not qualify. As a company car, though, its benefit-in-kind rate is the same low electric rate as any EV, which is why Fleet News describes its company car running costs as “reasonable”. Our company car tax guide explains how that works.

What do the reviewers say about the drive?

The verdicts are strongly positive. On Northumberland’s rural roads, the Wakefield Express reviewer said the 5 “never felt like running out of grip or accelerative urge”, with bespoke Michelin tyres delivering “seemingly limitless traction” and four-piston Brembo brakes giving huge stopping power.

Fleet News called it “Polestar’s best yet”. It singled out the accelerator pedal, which it said is “beautifully calibrated” for smooth control, and the mid-range performance, where the 5 “really shines”. It added: “Usually we’d say the Dual Motor is all you’d ever need, because it is. But there’s one major difference that Performance models bring: the suspension.”

That suspension is MagneRide, with dampers that adjust 1,000 times a second. Fleet News said it makes the Performance “one of the best-riding and most predictable cars on the road. Simply, the car eats miles like no other.” evo summed it up in its headline: cheaper and faster than a Porsche Taycan, but not quite as sharp.

What is the interior like?

The cabin follows Polestar’s Scandinavian style: understated, well built and focused on long-distance comfort rather than flash. Fleet News warns not to expect “Bentley levels of finish”, but the Wakefield Express praised its “exceptional build quality”.

Key features include:

• Heated, cooled and massaging front seats with electric adjustment. The UK launch car had Recaro sports seats.
• Two heated and massaging rear seats, with their own climate controls.
• A two-metre panoramic glass roof and no rear window, which Fleet News says creates a “strange sensation” but plenty of light.
• A portrait 14.5-inch touchscreen running Polestar’s own interface, with Google Maps and Google Gemini voice control.
• A 20-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system.
• Bridge of Weir Nappa leather as a £5,300 option. Standard upholstery uses bio-attributed vinyl and recycled polyester.

Any downsides?

A few. Fleet News found the touchscreen “a little sluggish” at times and criticised the fact that steering column and mirror adjustments are buried in the screen. It also found the driver fatigue monitor “a little over-eager”.

The rear has a catch too. Polestar calls it a 4+1: the centre armrest folds up to free a fifth seat, but it is narrow and lacks support and headroom. The Wakefield Express noted that the underfloor battery leaves little room for rear passengers’ feet under the front seats, which compromises what looks like generous legroom. Taller drivers may also find the small doors make getting in and out awkward.

How practical is it?

The boot holds 365 litres, which Fleet News calls “not-very-remarkable”, rising to 1,128 litres with the rear seats folded. The opening is large, though, the opposite of the Audi e-tron GT, which has a bigger boot but a small aperture.

On the road, the 421-mile range of the Dual Motor and 350kW charging make it a genuine long-distance car. On an ultra-rapid charger that can deliver the full rate, a 112kWh 800-volt battery should add a large amount of range in a short stop, although Polestar’s exact 10-80% time is not in our sources. Our Ionity and Tesla Supercharger comparison covers where to find the fastest chargers.

How is it built?

The Polestar 5 sits on a bespoke platform with bonded aluminium construction. Polestar says 13% of the body uses recycled material, according to Fleet News, while the UK launch coverage says 18% of the bonded aluminium is recycled; the figures refer to slightly different measures. Door cards and seat frames use BComp, a natural-fibre alternative to carbon fibre.

Each car comes with a lifecycle assessment detailing the environmental impact of its production, and the factory runs purely on renewable energy, according to Fleet News. The design is almost unchanged from the 2020 Precept concept that first previewed it.

How does it compare with its rivals?

The 5 enters a small but important class of electric grand tourers. Its main strengths are value, range and comfort.

• Porsche Taycan. evo says the Polestar is cheaper and faster but not as sharp to drive. The Taycan remains the benchmark for handling.
• Audi e-tron GT. Shares the Taycan’s underpinnings. Bigger boot, smaller opening.
• Lotus Emeya. Another fast, luxurious four-door EV from a Geely-group brand.

There is a broader context: high-end electric sports cars have had a tough time, as we cover in our report on electric sports cars stalling. The 5 is Polestar’s bet that comfort and long range sell better than outright track performance.

What is it like as a long-distance car?

This is where the Polestar 5 is designed to shine. A grand tourer’s job is to cover big distances quickly and comfortably, and several features help:

• Range. Up to 421 miles WLTP in the Dual Motor means long motorway runs without a stop for many drivers, though real-world range will be lower at sustained motorway speeds and in winter.
• Charging. An 800-volt system and 350kW peak charging mean short stops on ultra-rapid chargers when you do need one.
• Comfort. Heated, cooled and massaging front seats, heated and massaging rear seats and, on the Performance, MagneRide dampers that Fleet News says help the car “eat miles like no other”.
• Refinement. Reviewers describe a calm cabin and Bowers & Wilkins sound system suited to long journeys.

Google Maps is built in and can plan charging stops and predict your battery level on arrival, which takes much of the guesswork out of long trips in an EV.

How does Polestar’s sustainability approach work?

Polestar has made sustainability part of its brand. Each Polestar 5 comes with a lifecycle assessment detailing the environmental impact of its production. The factory runs on renewable energy, according to Fleet News, and the car uses recycled aluminium in its bonded structure, with BComp, a flax-based natural fibre, for parts such as door cards and seat frames. Standard upholstery uses bio-attributed vinyl and recycled polyester, while leather is a by-product of the meat industry.

These details will not change how the car drives, but they matter to some buyers, particularly company car fleets with sustainability targets.

What about company car tax?

As an EV, the Polestar 5 pays the lowest benefit-in-kind rate, 4% in 2026-27, rising to 9% by 2029-30. On an £89,500 car, that is still a significant monthly bill for a higher-rate taxpayer, but far less than a petrol or diesel car of similar value, which could pay a rate of up to 37%. Our company car tax guide explains the calculation.

How has Polestar done in the UK?

Polestar says its cars have reached 60,000 UK sales in six years, most of them the Polestar 2, which has been popular with company car drivers. The Polestar 3 and 4 SUVs broadened the range, and the 5 is the brand’s flagship.

The brand has faced a tough market for expensive EVs. High-end electric sports cars and GTs have sold more slowly than makers hoped, and some competitors have cut back plans. That makes the 5 a statement of intent from Polestar, aimed more at raising the brand’s profile than at volume.

Our view

The Polestar 5 looks like the most complete car Polestar has made. The Dual Motor has more than enough performance for anyone, the longest range and the lowest price, which makes it the obvious pick. The Performance adds a ride and handling quality that UK reviewers rate very highly, and if you cover big miles on British roads, that may be worth the extra.

The caveats are the ones you would expect: a narrow fifth seat, a modest boot and some controls hidden in the touchscreen. But as a long-distance electric GT at under £90,000, it sets a strong benchmark.