EV Innovation Meets Inclusivity: How the 2025 Polestar 3 Caters to All Drivers
EV lovers have been begging for the Polestar 3, and after a week behind the wheel, I’m delighted to say that it has some great, accessible features.
Polestar is a relatively new EV maker, but it quickly gained traction after producing the very Volvo-esque 2 sedan. After hearing its audience’s demands, Polestar finally gave them what they wanted: a luxurious and incredibly unique SUV in the form of the Polestar 3.
Starting at $67,500 MSRP and going up to over $93,100 depending on the add-ons and trim level, it puts itself directly in the middle of the boxing match between other luxury EVs like the Rivian R1S, Genesis GV70, Porsche Macan EV, Audi SQ6 e-tron, and the BMW iX.
However, one thing sets the Polestar 3 apart from the competition, and that’s thoughtfulness. I was particularly excited to get behind the wheel and see how it feels to me as a disabled driver.
Disabilities run the gamut, and there’s no way to address them all, but there are certainly some features that can be more or less inclusive, and I think it’s really important to highlight them. The Polestar 3 checks a lot of boxes, and I can’t wait to share them with you.
This story is 100% human-researched and written based on actual first-person knowledge, extensive experience, and expertise on the subject of cars and trucks.
The 2025 Polestar 3 Sure is A Looker
Gleaming in Thunder, a cool-toned dark grey Polestar 3 slid into my driveway, a striking SUV with a commanding presence and a simplicity in form that belies the advanced tech it holds within.
On the exterior, sleek design cues are punctuated by angular accents like the stand-out Thor’s Hammer headlights and piano black trim. The hood might look flat… But it’s not.
Upon closer inspection, you’ll discover a well-concealed gap that helps air sluice over the vehicle as it moves and carries it in a streamlined arc over the roof and through a gap in the rear, improving aerodynamics.
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The Polestar 3 is Oh So Customizable
The Polestar 3 has a bunch of other options to customize your driving style. Like steering feel, suspension feel, and prioritizing Range or Performance. It also has dual-chamber air suspension with active dampers that respond every two milliseconds, so the ride is really smooth and responsive.
Plus, it allows you to raise the suspension in specific situations requiring more ground clearance. You can also engage Sport Mode in certain conditions for a more dynamic and playful experience because, yes, the Polestar 3 is quite sporty!
It packs a hefty punch with 489 hp and 620 lb-ft or 517 hp and 671 lb-ft of torque if you add on the Performance Pack, which I was lucky enough to test out. With the Performance addon, you can expect a 0-60 of 4.5 seconds. To snag a top trim Polestar 3 like this, you can expect to spend $93,000+. The starting price is around $67,500.
What all this means is that the Polestar 3 feels extremely capable in every situation. You have the power to overtake someone on the highway with ease, you can nimbly navigate city streets, and you can conquer terrain with the adjustable suspension.
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The Interior Was Simple, Sweet, and Easy to Access
Hopping into the Polestar 3, I’m greeted by my first favorite feature: 8.3 inches of ground clearance. There’s a sweet spot in vehicle height – too high and it’s difficult to swing up into the seat, too low – and it’s hard to drop into (and hoist out of).
The Polestar 3 is just right. High enough to make it easy for me and my 5’5” form to easily slip into. I also love the extra clearance for handling low obstacles in the road.
Reach to pull the door shut, and you’ll find my next favorite feature. Carved smoothly into the arm of the door, a plush, firmly-padded recess beckons your hand. It’s a simplistic door handle, and it’s easy to use even if you have limited dexterity in your fingers.
Similarly, the action to open the door is an ergonomic trigger movement that you can activate with just one digit. Ease like this is an important consideration in such a frequently used feature. Oddly, though, as awesome as the door handles are, there are no grab handles to help you get in and out, which is something I miss.
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Polestar’s Aesthetic Never Misses
Inside, the minimalist interior greets you with mindful design and materials at the forefront, like responsibly sourced Nappa leather with Black Ash inlay. The front seats are perfectly bolstered, hinting at the performance aspects of this ride.
Though if you’re familiar with the Polestar line, then their trademark performance gold seat belts and brake calipers are enough. While nestled comfortably against the firm, cushioned seats, you can easily reach beside you to utilize my next favorite feature.
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Finding the Right Seating Position Was Easy and… Relaxing?
The seat adjuster.
Instead of a mash of buttons, it’s just one rounded square joystick that you can wiggle intuitively to adjust your seating in every direction you might wish.
Press the center of the square to activate more options like massaging seats, which is a decadent delight that I indulge in every occasion possible. Traffic is suddenly so much less stressful when you’re getting a rubdown while you’re stuck in it.
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The Polestar 3’s Spacious Driver’s Footwell Made Driving Easy
My disability makes for a slightly unusual driving situation. I lost my right leg, so I drive with my left leg crossed over. In some vehicles, this can be really uncomfortable if not downright impossible.
That’s not the case with the Polestar 3. The driver’s footwell is open and spacious. The center console encroaches slightly, but it still feels so comfortable for me to drive. The Polestar 3 is a joy to drive, and it has some useful ways for you to customize the drive style to your liking. I always drive with one-pedal mode turned off.
If you don’t know, all electric vehicles have the ability for you to use the accelerator both to speed up and slow down. Push down and it will speed up, pull off and it slows down. Due to injuries, I have a drop foot, and that makes one pedal driving extra difficult, so I turn it off.
The Polestar 3 lets you choose between standard and low one-pedal drive, or turning it off completely.
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For Those on the Fence, This EV Makes Transitioning a Breeze
I also like to turn on creep. All electric cars have the ability that, when you pull your foot off the brake, the car can auto-hold you stationary, or it can creep forward. Some Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles have this feature, too.
I find creep to be so useful since the car is providing the movement at low speeds, instead of requiring me to provide pressure. This allows me to comfortably rest my left foot on the brake and just pull my foot off slightly to allow the vehicle to roll forward.
This is so useful in places like traffic or parking lots where you’re slowly rolling behind other vehicles. To me, creep can make it feel like you’re almost driving an ICE vehicle, so if you want that old familiarity, this can be a useful feature to use.
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However, There are Some Notes for the Next Model Year
There are just a few features that I find could be improved to become more ergonomic in the future. The cup holders are hidden by a pull-out panel that takes a pinch of a small handle and a good bit of force to open and close.
It can be quite difficult if you have any dexterity difficulties. The ability to press the panel backwards to engage a power-closing feature would be a very welcome addition in future updates. Additionally, both the seat back storage and the small storage slip below the front cabin USB-C ports are flat and quite hard to open.
The addition of a finger loop would alter the simplicity of the aesthetics, but would provide a much easier way to open those areas. And finally, if you want to open the glove box, you have to do so on the screen. I believe that accessing the glove box by a simple button or trigger is the most accessible way to do it.
Despite Some Flaws, It’s Still a Worthy Contender
Ultimately, the Polestar 3 packs a whole lotta goodness into its sleek SUV form. It’s a performance SUV with tons of space, luxurious comfort features, lots of legroom for the driver, and all the tech you could dream of.
It’s accessible to me, as a disabled driver, and even has a couple of features that are extra accommodating. Polestar has finally given us the SUV we’ve been waiting for.
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