Polestar plays it straight with the new 4 SUV, but has it created the brand’s best model in the process?
Words by: Autotrader
Published on 27 October 2026 | 0 min read
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The Autotrader expert verdict:
4
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Available new from £54,750
Polestar has thus far been seen as something of a niche brand by most people, an image built on sometimes quirky models like the low-slung Polestar 4 with no rear window to the Taycan-rivalling Polestar 5. The Polestar 4 SUV might only be fractionally physically different to its ‘coupé’ sibling, but it’s the Swedish brand’s most polished and best all-round vehicle yet, proving to be handsome, roomy, good to drive, long-ranged and relatively affordable. A hard combination to beat.
Polestar takes its environmental responsibility very seriously. Not only is it the only European electric-only brand right now (albeit with Chinese ownership), it’s also one of the few manufacturers publishing the whole-life carbon cost of its vehicles, which for the Polestar 4 SUV stands at 20.2 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. That’s actually slightly lower than that for the smaller (and mechanically-related) Volvo EX30. Polestar goes further. It is replacing carbon-fibre panels with a material called B-Comp, which uses flax fibres from European sourced crops. The alloy wheels use a 32 per cent mix of recycled aluminium and the balance of the metal comes from low-carbon smelting operations. The base Polestar 4 SUV uses a ‘bio-attributed’ 3D fabric knitted from fully recycled plastics, and even the leather upholstery option – which uses Scottish leather – is made from hides taken from herds of cattle specifically monitored for their welfare and wellbeing. Because the vehicle is made in Polestar’s factory in South Korea, the company got local tyre brand Hankook to design a set of rubber specifically for it, not only boosting its efficiency with low rolling resistance, but also saving on the shipping of tyres to the factory from overseas.
Running costs for a Polestar Polestar 4
“The two-year, 20,000-mile service intervals will help keep the Polestar 4 SUV surprisingly affordable to run”
Range is a factor in running costs and it’s interesting the Polestar 4 SUV isn’t in the conversation on this with others – mainly from German brands – selling on the same promise, while still offering truly impressive distances between charges. To put numbers to that in the Single Motor Long Range model, you should pretty easily be able to extract 378 miles from a full charge, while the Dual Motor Long Range (both with the same 94kWh net battery pack) won’t be far behind on around 350 miles. Considering the car’s premium positioning and its performance this range and things like the two-year, 20,000-mile service intervals will help keep the Polestar 4 SUV surprisingly affordable to run, as long as you can charge at home or work swerving more expensive public charging. The long range makes that more viable.
Expert rating: 5/5
Reliability of a Polestar Polestar 4
“The car’s exceptionally high quality should mean that it’ll be solid and reliable”
Polestar is a brand that – like its cousin over at Volvo – has had its issues with software and touch-screens and with some batteries, which have led to problems for owners. However, the 4 SUV uses the latest Google-based infotainment setup, which should help, and the car’s exceptionally high quality – the cabin in particular feels really sturdy and well built – should mean that it’ll be solid and reliable in the longer term.
Expert rating: 4/5
Safety for a Polestar Polestar 4
“There’s a full list of standard safety aids, from lane keeping to active cruise control”
Euro NCAP hasn’t tested the Polestar 4 SUV yet, but it’s based on the same box of bits as the existing Polestar 4, which received a full five-star mark from the independent crash test experts, scoring a massive 95 per cent for adult occupant protection. There’s a full list of standard safety aids, from lane keeping to active cruise control to blind-spot monitoring, and the relationship with Volvo means that this car will have been crash tested to far more savage standards than those used by Euro NCAP.
Expert rating: 5/5
How comfortable is the Polestar Polestar 4
“Comfort in a Polestar starts with its front seats, and those of the 4 SUV are almost ridiculously comfortable”
As we’ve previously discovered, comfort in a Polestar starts with its front seats, and those of the 4 SUV are almost ridiculously comfortable and supportive. The fabric seats have more grip if you’re driving with enthusiasm, but the (expensive) leather option really lifts the cabin ambience. The ride comfort is also very good, even on the basic model’s standard suspension. The Polestar 4 SUV can be a touch stiff at low speeds, but very easy going the rest of the time, aside from a bit too much vertical movement over big bumps when the battery’s weight makes itself felt. It’s very quiet at speed, though.
Expert rating: 5/5
Features of the Polestar Polestar 4
“We do love the ‘planets of the solar system’ based function for changing the ambient lighting”
The 4 SUV’s cabin is dominated by its 15.4-inch touch-screen, which mostly works well, but you do notice the lack of physical buttons when you need to just do something like adjust the fan speed quickly, or worse, try and adjust the steering wheel or door mirrors on the move. We do love the ‘planets of the solar system’ based function for changing the ambient lighting, though. There’s a big glass roof as standard, and optionally that comes with electronic dimming, while in the back the seats electrically recline on all but the most basic versions. The feature you’ll enjoy the most, though, is the sheer quality of the cabin.
Expert rating: 4/5
Power for a Polestar Polestar 4
Choose between a single 272-horsepower motor driving the rear wheels, or a two-motor setup for all-wheel drive and double the power, at 544 horsepower. Needless to say, the Dual Motor model is wickedly quick, but the Single Motor is hardly disgraced and will be fast enough for most. Actually, the Single Motor car is the sweeter of the two to drive, with uncorrupted steering and a greater feeling of agility, although it’s not the biggest gap between the two cars. There’s a Performance Pack adding high-performance Pirelli P-Zero tyres, bigger Brembo brakes and electronically-adjustable suspension, but it’s an expensive upgrade, and the standard ‘passive’ setup gets the job done just about as well. You could have some fun embarrassing sports cars on a track day with the Performance Pack model, though. Overall, though, the Polestar 4 SUV might just be the best car in its class to drive – it’s more comfortable than the BMW iX3, more agile than the Mercedes GLC and more engaging than the Audi Q6 e-tron or Porsche Macan. Bravo, Polestar.
