2025 Polestar 3 Single Motor Is A Great SUV Overshadowed By Its More Powerful Sibling

In a funny moment of stars aligning, in the morning briefing at the first-drive event for the Polestar 3's new single-motor variant, the Polestar PR team proudly talked about how every 3 is now built in South Carolina just hours before President Trump announced his 25% tariffs on all imported cars. They also happily reported how successful the brand's Tesla conquest deal had been, amid vast swaths of people ditching their Musk-mobiles in favor of rival EVs.

Following the dual-motor Polestar 3 launching last fall, the first couple thousand of which were built in China before U.S. production started, a "Long range Single motor" (that's how Polestar writes it) version of the Polestar 3 is now available, with a lower price and longer range sure to entice even more buyers. On its own, the entry-level 3 is a great SUV that's sporty enough for most people. It's just too bad the much more powerful dual-motor car exists and isn't that much more expensive, as it's an easily justifiable upgrade for any enthusiast or your typical luxury car buyer.

Full disclosure: Polestar invited me out to Thousand Oaks for a day of driving in the 3, and bought me lunch and a coffee.

The sole motor sends 299 horsepower and 361 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels, which is a far cry from the 489 hp and 620 lb-ft of the dual-motor 3 (and the 517 hp and 671 lb-ft you get in the Performance package). Now, the rear-wheel-drive 3 isn't slow, per se. Polestar says it will do 0 to 60 mph in 7.5 seconds, and that feels a bit conservative. Floor it from a stop and the 3 takes off quickly but without your typical EV gut punch of torque; floor it at freeway speeds and it's more a steady stream of power than a big wave of it. It's plenty for daily driving and keeping a brisk pace on a back road, if not particularly exciting.

Problem is the AWD 3 will hit 60 mph in 4.5 seconds according to Polestar, and the force of its acceleration is much stronger both from a light or at higher speeds. Entry-level versions of the Porsche Macan EV and gas-powered Cayenne are each a couple seconds quicker to 60 than the RWD 3, and the same goes for other electric competitors like the Audi Q6 E-Tron and BMW iX.

I still find the single-motor 3 to be enjoyable on the tight canyon passes connecting Thousand Oaks to Malibu, though. Without the front motor the 3 sees a weight savings of around 350 pounds, which is enough to be noticeable even in a 5,300-ish-pound SUV, and it turns in eagerly and sharply. I strongly prefer the heaviest of the steering weight settings, but in all three there's a good amount of feedback and small adjustments are easy to make without throwing off the car's balance. It does feel rear-wheel drive too, especially in the ESP Sport mode that allows for more slip and playfulness.

While every dual-motor 3 comes standard with an adaptive air suspension setup, the single-motor car has steel springs and passive dampers. Polestar's engineers say the ride and handling experience of the steel setup should be identical, but it's not exactly. The base 3 still rides quite nicely, but the air suspension does a better job of smoothing out bumps, plus you get the added benefit of adjustable ride height and multiple stiffness settings. More importantly, the all-wheel-drive 3 has a great dual-clutch torque-vectoring system that definitely increases agility and further aids in how well it can power out of corners. If driving enjoyment is what you're after, you definitely want the dual-motor car.

The rear-wheel-drive 3 is the one you want if range is your top priority, but again, it's not a huge improvement over the all-wheel-drive model. The single-motor 3 has an EPA-rated range of up to 350 miles, versus the dual motor's best figure of 315 miles (or 279 for the Performance model). A nice improvement, but not a game-changing difference. You do get the best range with the 21s, which is nice as the 20s look far too dinky. The 3's 111-kWh battery pack and 250-kW DC fast-charging capability remain the same regardless of powertrain, too. Polestars recently adopted Tesla Supercharging capability, but the 3 still uses a CCS connector, so you'd have to get an adapter. A heat pump is standard, too.

It's also good that the base 3 looks exactly the same as the dual-motor model, as the Polestar 3 is one of my favorite new car designs. The minimalist interior is identical as well, and I remain a fan of its Android Automotive–based infotainment system and buttonless setup, though the steering wheel controls are still mostly useless. One of the cars I drive has the $1,100 "animal welfare wool" upholstery option that, while not as luxe as the wool you can get in Volvos, feels appropriately nice and better than typical leatherette or the scuba suit–like WeaveTech that comes as standard.

Including destination but before any incentives the single-motor 3 starts at $68,900, a savings of $5,900 compared to the dual-motor car and cheaper than any of its German competition save for the base Q6 E-Tron. You can use that chunk of change to add on the $5,500 Plus package, which includes a 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins surround sound system with headrest speakers, active road noise cancelation and an acoustic rear window, an air filtration system, a foldable cargo floor, a head-up display, an infrared windshield, a power-adjustable steering column, soft-close doors, and heating for the rear seats, steering wheel and wiper blades.

A $2,100 Pro package gets you different 21-inch wheels and some Swedish Gold accents; as good as the gold bits are, you can skip that one. Definitely go for the $5,500 Nappa leather upgrade, though, because it adds ventilation and massage functions along with more adjustability to the 3's fantastic front seats. Any color aside from gray will set you back $1,300, or $1,600 if you go for white. The Pilot pack comes standard, giving you the Pilot Assist system (adaptive cruise with lane centering), automatic lane changes, and a 360-degree camera. Other standard features include LED headlights, heated front seats, a panoramic sunroof, heated frameless side mirrors, a powered tailgate, and three-zone climate control.

If you want an electric SUV with a sporty character but don't care about it actually being super quick, or if range and styling are your priorities, the single-motor Polestar 3 is a solid entrant into the segment. It's also a great deal right now, and not just because it's built in the U.S. and thus will avoid those import tariffs — Polestar is currently applying a $15,000 "clean vehicle incentive" to new leases, and the $5,000 Tesla conquest is back for the whole month of April as well. You can get those bonuses on any version of the 3, and therein lies the rub. The dual-motor version of the 3 is worth the relatively small premium it commands, especially if you're the sort of person an SUV like this appeals to in the first place.