Five-and-a-half years after it was foreshadowed by the Precept concept, the Polestar 5 super-sedan was revealed overnight on the sidelines of the 2025 IAA Munich motor show – and it’s on the way to Australia next year.
The fifth Polestar model is its most expensive car yet, sitting both above the $116K-$154K Polestar 3 large SUV (our reigning Luxury Vehicle of the Year), and alone on its own bespoke aluminium platform.
The slick sedan was described by senior executives as the truest model yet to Polestar’s pillars of high performance, sustainability and clean design.
But Australians that see the light will pay for the privilege with the more affordable of the two specifications from launch—a dual-motor AWD variant with 550kW/812Nm—priced at $171,100 plus on-road costs. Customer orders can be placed from today.
That’s plenty of coin for a new EV, but it’s all relative given the ‘cheapest’ Porsche Taycan sedan, which utilises a 300kW single-motor rear-wheel drive powertrain, is $10,100 more expensive with the equivalent 4S grade costing Aussies $222K before on-roads.
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Measuring 5087mm in length (on a long 3054mm wheelbase), 1425mm in height and 2062mm wide (including mirrors), the Polestar 5 is a long, low saloon car. It’s also a very heavy one, weighing in at 2500kg.
Polestar chief executive officer Michael Lohscheller openly invited comparisons between the ‘5’ and the Taycan. A virtue shared by the two super-sedans is that both are based on bespoke platforms, with the Polestar’s ultra-rigid bonded chassis incorporating recycled aluminum.
“The Polestar 5 is our brand on wheels,” said Lohscheller. “We want to ensure it competes with the likes of Porsche. It is a really important car for us.”
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Now dubbed the Polestar Performance Architecture (PPA), the 5’s platform was set to be utilised almost immediately by the Polestar 6 convertible, but that halo model has been deferred as Polestar diverts resources to a much more affordable compact SUV set to launch in 2028.
An even more powerful version of the Polestar 5, dubbed the Performance, costs $22,000 more but considerably higher outputs (650kW/1015Nm) that slash the 0-100km/h time to 3.2 seconds (from 3.8sec). Both variants have a 250 km/h top speed.
The Performance retains the regular variant’s double wishbone suspension but swaps its twin-tube dampers for a semi-active MagneRide setup with electromagnetic control. Wheel size is upgraded from 20s (on Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres) to 21s for the Performance.
Polestar will consider less opulent versions of the ‘5’ in the future but for the foreseeable period after launch the only options will be the dual-motor versions, which use a SK Innovation 112kWh, 800-volt nickel manganese cobalt battery with 192 cells split across eight modules.
In either grade the powertrain is considerably rear biased with the aft motor, a Polestar-developed PX2 permanent magnet synchronous unit, contributing up to 450kW/660Nm depending on specification. The less powerful front motor is built by ZF.
Charging capability is 350kW (DC) and 11kW (AC) while WLTP range is a solid 670km for the standard grade and 565km for the Performance, which has larger wheels. Brake discs measure 400mm on the front wheels.
Inside, the Polestar 5 utilises a 14.5-inch centre display and nine-inch digital instrument cluster with extensive integration with the Google system. Integrated connectivity takes care of over-the-air update.
Boot space measures 365 litres supplemented by a 62-litre frunk.
Options include super-lush Bridge of Weir animal welfare leather in charcoal or zinc ($11,800-$13,000), Bowers & Wilkins with noise cancellation ($8000), matte paint ($10,000), and 21- to 22-inch wheels ($3000-$7000).
