2025 Polestar 3 Long Range Single Motor Review: Can it really travel further than any other EV between charges?
So you want an EV that can go the distance? The Polestar 3 Long Range Single Motor could be just the ticket.
The latest addition to the large SUV family has a full 706km of WLTP EV range, more than any other electric car currently available in Australia.
But will it really go that far between top-ups?
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That was our mission with this review of the latest addition to Polestar’s biggest, most luxurious car.
2025 Polestar 3 Long Range Single Motor price and equipment
The Long Range Single Motor is the most affordable of the Polestar 3s (remembering that the 3 is bigger than the Polestar 4, which is a mid-sized SUV).
Affordability is a relative term, though, because at $118,420 plus on-road costs it’s plenty of coin for an electric SUV.
Sure, it’s big (we’ll get to that) but there are also only five seats, limiting its usefulness for some, especially families.
As the name suggests the Single Motor only gets one motor driving the rear wheels and it misses out on the tricky torque vectoring differential of all-wheel drive models. There are also no adaptative dampers.
But elsewhere the P3 LRSM mostly matches the AWD variants for kit.
There’s a beautifully crisp 14.5-inch central infotainment screen arranged in a portrait configuration as well as a nine-inch digital instrument cluster.
There are also 20-inch wheels, a powered tailgate, a vast sunroof, tri-zone ventilation, heated front seats and power adjustable front seats.
Ours also had a $9000 Plus Pack that adds a head-up display, heated rear seats, heated steering wheel and doors that suck themselves closed. There’s also a 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system (one of those speakers peers at you from the centre of the dash) with Dolby Atmos spatial sound reproduction.
As with the AWD it gets a 111kWh battery (107kWh of it is useable).
But because it’s lighter and has less thrust it manages to eke more range from the battery, which is where the impressive 706km claim comes in.
So, is it achievable?
2025 Polestar 3 Long Range Single Motor: What we think
We didn’t get out on a road trip, which is where the looooong range would really come in handy.
Our driving instead remained in town and around the suburbs.
There was lots of stop-start and plenty of zipping around.
There was never an effort to conserve energy, instead enjoying the easy, effortless thrust an EV does so well and generally trying to minimise the time we were stuck in traffic.
With 220kW and 490Nm the entry-level Polestar 3 isn’t lacking in grunt, but at more than 2.4 tonnes there’s also a lot of weight to lug around (blame it largely on that big battery pack).
The journey to 100km/h is claimed to take 7.8 seconds, which is nothing special. But, equally, it’s absolutely fine for everyday duties. There’s torque when you need it and terrific responsiveness means it jumps when you tell it to.
It’s also confident on the road with a surefooted stance aided by nicely weighted steering.
The 3 deals admirably with mid-corner bumps and is quiet and comfortable.
It doesn’t quite have the athleticism of AWD models – the torque vectoring diff effectively helps point the car brilliantly – but it’s still a great car to drive.
As for the all-important real-world range… unsurprisingly it didn’t cover 706km between charges.
We expected that.
I covered almost 500km and still had around 60km of range left. But the closer I got to an empty battery the more range is was adding, suggesting close to 600km would be easily achievable.
That’s impressive stuff and something that would make a road trip that much easier.
It’s slick on charging, too. Fast charging can be done at up to 250kW for a 10-80 percent charge – about 400km of real-world range – in half an hour.
Home charging can be done at up to 11kW, but the more common 7.4kW chargers will take about 15 hours for a full charge.
Inside, the Polestar 3 oozes style.
Yes, it’s made in China (most EVs are) but there’s Swedish design influence throughout, reflective of the heritage of the brand (it was launched as the EV offshoot of Volvo). The matte wood trim and contrasting silver streaks are indicative of the attention to detail.
From the seat trims to the nicely grained plastics adorning the cabin there’s an upmarket flavour throughout.
Even the ambient lighting glows nicely to highlight the angles and finishes.
A large dial controls the sound system, allowing easy adjustment of the volume (hoorah!) and the ability to jump between tracks.
Less useful are the undefined buttons on the steering wheel. Some are for the cruise control and some don’t seem to do anything. You can’t adjust the volume using those steering wheel buttons, although that apparently could come as part of a software update.
So it’s back to that terrific dial for that, one of the rare physical controllers inside, with Polestar reverting to the central screen for so much of the functionality.
In a Tesla-esque way you’re adjusting the mirrors and steering wheel through the screen, although the menus don’t seem as logical as they are with that controversial T brand. At least you can set profiles and link them to your phone, making it easy for multiple people to share a car.
But adjusting the ventilation through the screen is another function that seems a push (or two) more involved than it needs to be.
There’s no shortage of space for five with excellent legroom in the rear and the cabin openness that comes with a panoramic roof.
The centre console incorporates a wireless phone charger and cupholders as well as small covered binnacle, but most of the room is below the floating centre section. It’s ready to swallow small bags and has some USB-C ports for added power.
2025 Polestar 3 Long Range Single Motor: Verdict
The single motor version of the Polestar 3 has all the class and quality of the faster dual motor versions but brings the promise of being able to go further.
And while it may not match its 706km range claim in everyday driving, you should get 600km or more without much trouble.
And while it doesn’t have seven seats, it does have lashings of space and style, making it a thoroughly enjoyable electric SUV that’s also comfy and engaging to drive.
Score: 4/5
2025 Polestar 3 Long Range Single Motor price and specifications
Price: $118,420
Basics: EV, 5 seats, 5 doors, large SUV, RWD
Range: 706km (WLTP)
Battery capacity: 111kWh (107kWh useable)
Battery warranty: 8 years/160,000km
Energy consumption: 17.6-20.3kWh/100km
Motors: 1 rear 220kW/490Nm
AC charging: 250kW, CCS combo plug
DC charging: 11kW, Type 2 plug
0-100km/h: 7.8 seconds
