Polestar 4: six‑month check

CAR magazine’s six-month verdict on the Polestar 4 is blunt: the electric fastback looks sharp and goes hard, but buggy software kept it from matching the best electric sport utility vehicles on sale. (carmagazine.co.uk) Curtis Moldrich wrote that after half a year with CAR’s long-term car, the Polestar 4 still felt “alien,” with repeated problems unlocking the doors, unreliable cruise control and driver-assistance systems that braked or warned too aggressively on narrow roads. (carmagazine.co.uk) The test car was a dual-motor version rated at 536 brake horsepower, 3.7 seconds from 0 to 62 miles per hour and 367 miles of official range in the United Kingdom; CAR said it saw 3.1 miles per kilowatt-hour and 382 miles in its own testing. (carmagazine.co.uk) That gap between hardware and software sits at the center of the Polestar 4 story. CAR’s review page says the car has “class-leading design” and impressive handling, but still carries too many bugs to recommend without reservation. (carmagazine.co.uk) The Polestar 4 is the brand’s most conspicuous break from Volvo-era design, and its signature feature is the missing rear window. Polestar says a rear-facing high-definition camera replaces the glass and frees up interior space while improving the rearward view. (polestar.com) CAR’s long-term test shows what that means in daily use: the rear-view screen is sharp, the cabin feels airy under the panoramic roof, and the boot and passenger space earned praise even as the touchscreen-heavy controls frustrated the driver. (carmagazine.co.uk ) (carmagazine.co.uk) The car also lands in a crowded part of the market. CAR positions it against the Porsche Macan Electric, Audi Q6 e-tron and Tesla Model Y, and says Polestar is asking premium-car money while relying on a 400-volt charging system capped at 200 kilowatts. (carmagazine.co.uk) In the United Kingdom, Polestar lists the 4 from £55,750, with up to 385 miles of claimed range and up to 536 brake horsepower. In the United States, Polestar lists the 2026 model from $56,400, with up to 310 miles of Environmental Protection Agency range for the single-motor car and 280 miles for the dual-motor version. (polestar.com 1) (polestar.com 2) That leaves the six-month check with a mixed verdict rather than a teardown. CAR says the Polestar 4 delivers the design, speed and presence promised on the brochure, but not yet the polish expected from a car in this price bracket. (carmagazine.co.uk)