By: Uday Mohan
June 5, 2026
The 2026 Polestar 4 is one of those rare cars that refuses to be defined. It looks like a sedan… until it doesn’t. It sits higher, stretches wider, and offers more space than any sedan has the right to, yet from certain angles you’d swear it’s just a particularly confident four-door. It’s a shape that keeps you guessing, and honestly, that’s part of the charm. Every time you walk around it, the silhouette shifts: coupe-ish here, SUV-ish there, futuristic everywhere. And in Performance trim, especially in that superb matte gold paint, the whole thing just works. The lighting signatures, the aero-slick bodywork, the wheels. It’s a rolling concept car that somehow made it to production.
Polestar has always enjoyed doing things differently, but the 4 feels like the brand is finally leaning into its own weirdness. Take the side mirrors: where every other manufacturer adjusts the mirror inside a fixed housing, Polestar said, “Nah,” and made the entire housing pivot. It’s bizarre at first, then brilliant. The range of adjustment is huge, and it feels engineered rather than gimmicky. Even the side-camera and indicator pods look like they’ve been shaped in a wind tunnel, which makes sense given Polestar’s focus on aerodynamic efficiency.
Cargo space? Plenty. The rear storage is generous enough for road trips, Costco runs, and the usual family chaos. The front storage, however, exists. That’s the nicest way to put it. It’s there out of obligation, like Polestar felt morally required to include a frunk because it’s an EV, but didn’t actually want to. You’ll use it once or twice, but it never feels particularly useful, and having a manual release lever in the cabin makes it even less likely.
Inside, the Polestar 4 is a masterclass in quiet luxury. No chrome, no flash, no “look at me” materials, just soft, smooth, premium textures that feel expensive without constantly drawing attention to themselves. Once you notice them, you simply know they’re there. It’s Scandinavian restraint done right. The only misstep? The steering-wheel buttons. They look and feel like they were borrowed from a much cheaper car, and they stand out in an otherwise beautifully curated cabin.
Ambient lighting is a delight, themed around the solar system, complete with planetary colour palettes and tiny astronomical details. It’s whimsical in a car that otherwise takes itself very seriously.
Driving the Performance version is simple: there are two modes, fast and faster. Officially, the dual-motor setup delivers far more power than any daily driver realistically needs, good for a 0–100km/h sprint that would have been considered supercar territory just a few years ago. Even in its calmer settings, the car never feels held back. Steering and suspension in their lightest modes are a bit too soft for my taste, but the middle setting strikes a perfect balance: enough feedback to feel connected and enough compliance to keep things civilized.
The HVAC system is where Polestar’s quirkiness becomes genius. Everything is screen-controlled, yes, but the airflow trickery is next-level. You can direct air around your face, toward your face, or away entirely, and the system automatically adjusts based on what it “sees.” Combine that with air-quality monitoring and the Clean Cabin function, and the climate control feels almost sentient.
Range is where things get complicated. Official figures list 451 kilometres for the dual-motor long-range version, but real-world results told a different story. Even with light driving, I saw around 365 kilometres, a noticeable drop, especially given the 100kWh battery. Why? Hard to say. Weight, aerodynamics, tuning, something isn’t adding up here, and I think Polestar needs to address it if the 4 is going to remain competitive in an increasingly crowded EV market.
And then there’s the missing rear windshield. Polestar claims removing it allows for more rear legroom and power-reclining seats, which aligns with both the company’s explanation and my admittedly brief time in the back seat. But does that justify eliminating something cars have had for over a century? The digital rear camera works well in daylight, less so at night, and winter will be the real test. We all know what happens to exterior cameras during a Canadian slush season.
Still, the Polestar 4 Performance is a bold, beautiful, slightly odd machine, and that’s exactly why it’s compelling. It’s not trying to be a Model Y competitor or another coupe-SUV clone. It’s trying to be a Polestar. And in that mission, it succeeds spectacularly.
Vehicle Specs:
Segment: Electric Luxury Crossover
Powertrain: Dual-Motor All-Wheel Drive
Horsepower: 544 horsepower
Torque: 506 lb-ft. of torque
Transmission: Single-Speed Direct Drive
Fuel Economy (city/highway/combined): 20.5kWh/100km city, 24.0kWh/100km highway, 22.3kWh/100km combined
Fuel Economy Observed: 24.4kWh/100km
Price as tested: $93,400 plus taxes and fees