Polestar 5 2026 review: Australian first drive | Porsche Taycan rival tested

Price and features – Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with?

8 / 10

For the first year of production, two Launch Edition versions of the Polestar 5 are being offered. Pricing is as follows:

• Polestar 5 Dual motor Launch Edition: $171,000
• Polestar 5 Performance Launch Edition: $193,100

All prices are before on-road costs

While it’s safe to say the Polestar 5 isn’t an affordable offering, it’s still considerably less than a Porsche Taycan, for example. For a similar 0-100km/h sprint time as the Performance, you’ll need to dish out at least $65,000 more.

As a flagship offering, it’s expected that all versions of the Polestar 5 come fully loaded. The following is standard across the line-up:

• 4+1 seating configuration
• Matrix LED headlights
• Brembo brakes
• Panoramic glass sunroof
• 9.0-inch digital instrument cluster
• 14.5-inch touchscreen multimedia system
• Google Built-in and Google Gemini
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Head-up display
• 10-speaker sound system
• Digital rear-view mirror
• 'MicroTech' upholstery made from recycled materials
• 12-way power-adjustable front seats
• Heated front seats
• Heated rear seats
• Heated steering wheel

While this is already a fair bit, the additional standard features the Performance receives are alluring. They include:

• Gold exterior and interior highlights
• 21-inch forged alloy wheels
• MagneRide adaptive dampers
• 21-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system
• Microsuede headliner

Even though this is a lot of standard equipment, if you want Nappa leather, you’ll need to fork out an additional $12,000. Like many luxury cars, there are a series of other cosmetic optional extras which further inflate the price.

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Design – Is there anything interesting about its design?

8 / 10

There’s no way around it. The exterior of this car is exquisite. It truly is a concept car that has come to life.

The front end is particularly fascinating as the split LED headlight set-up emphasises just how low-slung and wide this grand-tourer is.

Something surprising about the Polestar 5 is while it’s less than 1.5-metres tall, it’s more than five metres long, which makes it longer than a Toyota LandCruiser, for example.

While the tail-light set-up is stunning and angular, the rear section of the Polestar 5 is its most awkward.

Like the Polestar 4 Coupe, this car doesn’t have a rear window and that means there is a big slab of body coloured panel instead. It makes the overall silhouette rather back-heavy, especially when finished in lighter colours.

Inside, the design is virtually identical to a series of other existing Polestar models. It’s intentionally minimal with a major focus put on the large central touchscreen.

While the interior looks and feels premium, like other Polestars, it doesn’t make this flagship offering feel as special.

It doesn’t help that there are large sections of glossy piano black on the steering wheel, centre console and rear-seat armrest section. These are all areas that get used a lot, meaning fingerprints and grime will show quickly.

Practicality – How practical is its space and tech inside?

6 / 10

The Polestar 5’s front seats are supremely comfortable and almost limitlessly adjustable, meaning they’re perfect for long-distance driving. Even if you do get a sore back, there’s a great massage function.

While the steering wheel is a lovely unit to hold and twirl, the buttons on it just aren’t intuitive, unless you’re shown what they do. They are touch-sensitive pads that are blank and don’t have any iconography on them.

Instead, the button's purpose is shown on the digital instrument cluster when you hover on them. There’s a considerable amount that can be adjusted from the steering wheel, but failing this you’re forced to use the touchscreen as physical switchgear is few and far between.

Sure the prominent, portrait-oriented 14.5-inch touchscreen multimedia system runs Google Built-in and has Google Gemini, but clicking through menus, especially while driving, for key functions isn’t intuitive. I’d love more physical buttons.

In terms of storage up front, there isn’t as much as you’d expect. There are two cupholders, a small centre console slot with a wireless charger, as well as a tiny centre armrest storage slot. There’s no glovebox.

As standard the Polestar 5 comes with a 4+1 seating configuration, meaning that while there is a small centre rear seat, the emphasis is put on the two outer seats. They’re almost like separate bucket seats and offer electric adjustment.

At a leggy 182cm tall, there’s adequate legroom for a car that’s more than five metres long. Headroom isn’t bad either, especially given there’s a panoramic glass sunroof and the fact the car is only 1.5-metres tall.

Many of the second-row controls are on the fold-down centre armrest. They’re touch-sensitive and rather finicky to operate.

Despite this car’s length, there’s only 365 litres of boot space, which is tiny for a car of this size. Thankfully there’s a sizeable underfloor section in lieu of a spare wheel.

At the front there’s a 62-litre storage compartment that’s big enough for charging cables among other odds and ends.

Under the bonnet – What are the key stats for its motor?

9 / 10

All Launch Edition versions of the Polestar 5 come with a dual-motor all-wheel-drive set-up.

The entry-level Dual motor has total system outputs of 550kW and 812Nm, which aren’t small numbers. It’s enough to send this car from 0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds.

However, stepping up to the Performance boosts the total system outputs to an outlandish 650kW and 1015Nm. The 0-100km/h sprint is claimed to take just 3.2 seconds.

If you’re after raw speed though, the Porsche Taycan is quicker again, but it’s considerably pricier.

Efficiency – What is its driving range? What is its charging time?

7 / 10

Every Polestar 5 Launch Edition comes with a sizeable 112kWh lithium-ion battery pack.

Thanks to this, the Dual motor is claimed to offer up to 670km of WLTP range, whereas the Performance offers up to 565km. Real-world range will likely be much less, especially if you lean into this car's performance potential.

An 800V electrical architecture allows the Polestar 5 to DC fast charge at rates up to 350kW. A 10-80 per cent charge is claimed to take 22 minutes.

AC charging, however, is capped at 11kW, which is surprisingly low given more an more cars are capable of 22kW. A 0-100 per cent charge is claimed to take 11 hours.

Driving – What's it like to drive?

8 / 10

During the Australian media launch of the Polestar 5 we only got to experience the flagship Performance grade. We’ll have to wait for another time to sample the entry-level Dual motor.

In terms of electric-motor power, there’s plenty of it. In fact, there’s probably too much. I only went full throttle once while driving and it was enough to terrify my passenger.

The amount of power on offer is the kind you’d tap into every now and then when you have new passengers onboard.

Unlike many EVs, the acceleration in the Polestar 5 Performance is linear and builds, rather than snapping your neck backwards.

There are three regenerative braking modes to select from, including two that are versions of one-pedal driving. My preference is the standard mode as it feels more natural to use both the accelerator and brake pedals in a GT.

The suspension set-up in the Performance trim is unique as there’s MagneRide adaptive dampers. The Dual motor, on the other hand, has a passive damper set-up.

There are a series of modes to select from and in practice the adaptive dampers help keep this 2.5-tonne beast in check. It’s surprising how comfortable this car can feel with the large 21-inch alloy wheels.

Adding to this, the steering wheel, even its firmest setting, is surprisingly easy to twirl. As a result, this makes the Polestar 5 a great balance of sportiness and comfort, just as a GT should.

While many of this car’s driving attributes defy its weight and heft, its turning circle does not. There’s no rear-axle steering and the fact it’s more than five metres long doesn't do it any favours. Prepare for many three-point turns.

In terms of noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), the Polestar 5 is naturally a quiet car given it’s an EV. However, with the Bowers & Wilkins sound system, there’s noise cancelling which makes the car even quieter, especially on the move.

Safety – What safety equipment is fitted? What is its safety rating?

7 / 10

The Polestar 5 hasn’t been crash tested by ANCAP or EuroNCAP yet and is therefore unrated.

However, a full suite of safety kit comes as standard across the line-up. This includes the following:

• Eight airbags
• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Lane-keep assist
• Lane change assist
• Adaptive cruise control
• Driver attention monitoring
• Intelligent speed limit assist
• Front, side and rear parking sensors
• Surround-view camera

While it’s great to have all the above safety features, some of them are annoying in practice. The lane-keep assist, for example, struggles on narrower roads with faded lane markings and can tug on the wheel.

Then there’s the intelligent speed limit assist which chimes when you go above the posted speed limit. This is usually fine, but it can read the signs incorrectly and you need to turn this off using the touchscreen every single time you drive.

Ownership – What warranty is offered? What are its service intervals? What are its running costs?

7 / 10

The Polestar 5 is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, whereas the high-voltage battery is covered for eight years or 160,00km. This is fairly standard for premium brands.

Every Polestar 5 comes with five years of roadside assistance and logbook servicing is required every 24 months or 30,000km.

At this stage Polestar hasn’t announced service pricing for the Polestar 5.

Verdict