New Polestar 5 2026 review: extravagant GT ticks all the right boxes

The passive suspension feels supple and comfortable even through a busy city centre, the steering is pleasingly direct without being hyperactive and the brake pedal feel – so long as you choose the lowest level of brake energy regeneration – is well judged. 

This serenity and composure remain as speeds increase, and yet, when you point the low nose at an interesting road, the Polestar 5 seems to up its game. There’s very little lean in the corners, no matter how fast you drive, the steering is a real highlight in terms of its linearity and smoothness and though the car weighs 2.5 tonnes, it is a cinch to perfectly place, whether you’re braking to the apex of a corner from high speed or threading it through a series of sinuous s-bends.

There’s rock-solid stability and yet also an inherent agility and playfulness to the chassis. The way Polestar has managed this with a passive system is remarkable. Indeed, driving the Performance model illustrates how good the base car is, as while the more expensive suspension does keep a keener eye on unwanted body movements, it’s also slightly less comfortable.

Price difference aside, the extra range of the Dual Motor is likely to persuade more buyers to go for it. Either way, the Polestar 5 has an 800-volt architecture so can charge at up to 350kW, meaning a 10-80 per cent charge in as little as 22 minutes, so you’ll never be waiting around too long to get back behind the wheel. Again with the big, impressive numbers, but those aren’t what you’ll remember most about the Polestar 5, and you’ll certainly want to get back in and drive again as soon as you can.

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