Five years after the Precept emerged, Polestar’s sleek new sedan has arrived in production form.
Even as it copes with widening losses, electric automaker Polestar is charging ahead with its planned range of vehicles, including this new Polestar 5 sedan. Effectively, this car is the brand’s new flagship, as the Polestar 1 has been discontinued for years and this sits above its smaller model which has been on sale for a few years now. This latest debut also builds on five years of development from 2020’s Precept concept, actually bringing a sleeker four-door sedan to life to take on the likes of the Tesla Model S and Lucid Air, among the heavyweight European competition from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
The side profile is really the best way to take in the Polestar 5, as it really lays out that long, low and angular fastback styling best. To flesh out the more aggressive look (at least compared to, say, a Polestar 2), this dual-motor, all-wheel drive EV packs up to 872 horsepower and 749 lb-ft of torque. Okay, in EV Land, that still doesn’t put it on the same level as the Lucid Air Sapphire or Tesla Model S Plaid, because on-paper performance figures for electric cars are ludicrous this days. Nevertheless, don’t count the Polestar 5 out, because that sort of grunt makes this a wickedly quick contender, as well as a sharp-looking one.
The 2026 Polestar 5 isn’t just about power, though.
At its core, Polestar’s fifth mainline entry into the lineup is a grand tourer that just happens to have the requisite Performance version. Even if you don’t go to that length, the standard Dual Motor model makes 738 horsepower and 599 lb-ft of torque on its own, since its rear motor isn’t quite as beefy. Against the Performance’s 3.1-second 0-60 time (per Polestar’s statement), the Dual Motor can still manage it in 3.8 seconds. Whichever one you choose, you are limited to a top speed of 155 mph.
On the battery front, the 2026 Polestar 5 gets a 112-kWh (gross capacity) unit from SK On, that integrates into the floor as part of the car’s overall aluminum-based architecture. Unlike the Polestar 3, this car uses an upgraded 800-volt electrical architecture, allowing for DC fast-charging rates up to 350 kW. If you’re on a charging station that can pump out that kind of juice, Polestar says you can charge up from 10 to 80% state-of-charge in around 22 minutes. The automaker claims up to 416 miles of range for the Dual Motor or 351 miles for the Performance, but keep in mind those are based on European WLTP figures.
When EPA estimates emerge, it’s more likely we’ll see those figures drop to around 350-ish miles and 300 miles, respectively. That is, if it comes to the US — more on that below.
Inside, the 2026 Polestar 5 looks fairly similar against the brand’s existing models. That is, you get a minimalist layout with a 9-inch driver display and a 14.5-inch portrait-oriented infotainment screen. That screen houses more of the nuanced controls, while the gear selector, turn signals and high-level media controls are the main physical controls you’ll have, either on the steering column or center console.
How much will the Polestar 5 cost?
While Polestar made a big deal about the upcoming 5 when it first debuted the Precept, the world’s changed, to put it mildly. While the automaker still plans to launch the car in most markets it competes in, the United States is not currently in the game plan. That’s largely down to this Chinese-built car facing steep tariffs over 100%, which makes it virtually impossible for Polestar (owned by Chinese automaker Geely) to sell this car at anything approximating a profit.
Now, things could change in the future. Polestar does have manufacturing capacity in the US, though it’s currently building the Polestar 3 SUV. The company also has plans to build the Polestar 7 (the seventh model it will launch, as a small SUV) in Slovakia around 2028. Even for those who can buy it, this new Polestar 5 will be among the company’s most expensive models to date, with the German configurator showing a starting price of 118,600 Euros (or around $139,000). Prices from there rise to about $166,000 for the Performance-based Launch Edition. Slap hefty import duties onto that, and…well, that would make the Polestar 5 at least a quarter-million dollars in the American market. Again, we’ll see if production plans change to the point that Polestar could feasibly sell it here, but for now, it seems to be a non-starter.
