Polestar 3 SUV pricing confirmed for Australia ahead of the BMW iX, Tesla Model X electric car rival's 2024 launch

Australian pricing for the Polestar 3 large SUV has been confirmed as the order books open ahead of the first deliveries expected to land around the electric car’s launch in early 2024.

The Polestar 3, which was revealed in October 2022, will start from a base price of $132,900 before on-road costs in Australia, with the dual-motor, long range version the only main specification for the electric car set to be available locally.

The all-wheel-drive large SUV takes aim at sporty rivals thanks to rear-wheel bias and impressive outputs of 360kW and 840Nm. Its pricing puts other large electric SUVs - like the BMW iX, which starts at $135,000, or the Audi e-Tron - right in its firing line.

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Additionally, an extra specification is available for buyers who spend an extra $9000 to gain the Performance Pack variant, which brings with it outputs 380kW and 910Nm and drops the claimed 0-100km/h time from 5.0 seconds to 4.7 seconds.

As the 100km/h time drops, so does the claimed electric driving range. The Polestar 3 has a WLTP range of up to 610km for its regular dual-motor long range version, but that drops to 560km with the Performance Pack added. The equivalent BMW iX xDrive40 only has a range of 420km at about the same price.

Its 111kwh battery pack is the same for both models, and its 400V electric architecture allows the battery to be charged at a maximum rate of 250kW on a DC charger, meaning it can be juiced from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in about 30 minutes according to Polestar.

The Polestar 3 will start from a base price of 2,900 before on-road costs in Australia.

It’s not quite as quick as some rivals like the E-GMP platform from Hyundai and Kia, which allows 350kW charging via its 800V architecture, but the Polestar is still quicker than plenty of rivals like BMW and Mercedes, and is on par with Tesla’s system.

In terms of features, the Polestar’s tech will be able to be updated over-the-air, and some initially unavailable features will be able to be added later - for example, wireless Apple CarPlay will be available to all owners via an update in Q4 2024, Polestar Australia says.

The only other main option pack is the addition of LiDAR for $6000 to increase the capability of the Polestar’s Pilot Pack assisted driving, which comes standard in its basic version for the first model year.

The Polestar’s tech will be able to be updated over-the-air.

One-pedal driving is possible with adjustability for preferences in the Polestar 3, while the rear motor is able to decouple in driving situations where all-wheel drive or the extra power and torque is not needed to save energy.

The suspension in the Polestar 3 is comprised of dual-chamber air suspension, which can adjust every “two milliseconds” to “adapt between comfort and dynamic suspension characteristics”.

As standard on the 3 is a full panoramic glass roof, LED ambient lighting, retractable exterior door handles, and 21-inch alloy wheels. A Plus Pack series of extras is also standard for the car’s first model year, with a 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system, soft-closing doors, and a head-up display.

The Polestar 3 is available to order now with deliveries to commence in quarter one, 2024.