Polestar 5 lands in Australia: all pre-orders have gone to the $193,100 Performance

Launch and the all-Performance pre-order picture

The Polestar 5 has arrived in Australia as the brand's halo model, a large electric five-door grand tourer offered here in two Launch Edition grades: the Dual Motor from $171,100 before on-road costs and the Performance from $193,100 before on-roads. According to Polestar Australia managing director Scott Maynard, speaking to CarExpert's Ben Zachariah, every pre-order placed so far has been for the Performance. "We often find that when a brand new model is launched, the first take up of that model goes to the higher end, and that's certainly been the case with this car," Mr Maynard said, adding that he expects interest to broaden "once the car gets out on the road and once it gets seen a little bit more." ¹

Mr Maynard was also unequivocal when asked whether Polestar would cut the Dual Motor's price or add a cheaper variant below it: "No. We won't see any changes to the range, and we won't see [the price of] the Dual Motor reduced," he told CarExpert. Chasing Cars reports the importer has declined to disclose pre-order numbers, and that the four Performance Launch Edition event cars it sampled at the local drive program were, at time of writing, the only four in Australia. ¹⁵

Powertrains, battery and charging, with a range discrepancy to note

Both Australian grades use the same 112kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery produced by SK On, of which 106kWh is usable, in an 800-volt architecture enabling up to 350kW DC charging. Chasing Cars reports Polestar claims a 10-80 per cent DC top-up in 22 minutes, an average rate of about 213kW across the session, while AC charging peaks at 11kW. The Dual Motor produces 550kW/812Nm with a claimed 0-100km/h time of 3.9 seconds; the Performance lifts outputs to 650kW/1015Nm and 3.2 seconds. Both weigh a claimed 2500kg, and both use Polestar's in-house rear motor capable of up to 450kW on its own, negating any need for a two-speed gearbox. ¹²⁴

Range and consumption figures differ between outlets and should be read side by side. CarExpert lists claimed WLTP range of 678km for the Dual Motor (consumption 17.8-18.3kWh/100km depending on wheels) and 558km for the Performance (21.2kWh/100km). Chasing Cars quotes 670km and 565km respectively, on claimed consumption of 15.8 and 18.7kWh/100km, explaining that Polestar certified the Performance in its sportier drive setting while the Dual Motor returns to Range Mode each drive. Chasing Cars' own French launch-drive consumption ranged from 20-25kWh/100km, equating to real-world range of roughly 430-530km; in its later local Performance drive it measured about 20kWh/100km and found demonstrable range appeared well short of the 558km claim. ²⁴⁵

Launch Edition specification

Both Australian debut grades are Launch Editions, and Chasing Cars reports the Launch Edition adds the Pilot Pack (Pilot Assist and lane change assist) and the Climate Pack (heated steering wheel, heated rear seats and heated wipers) at no cost for the first year of production. Beyond the packs, the Performance grade brings larger 21-inch wheels, the MagneRide adaptive suspension, Swedish Gold detailing and the Bowers & Wilkins surround sound system, with Chasing Cars also noting options such as matte paint ($10,000) and Bridge of Weir leather trim (from $11,800) can add up quickly on the bottom line. ⁵

Bespoke architecture and chassis trade-offs

The Polestar 5 does not use a shared Geely Group platform like earlier models. Chasing Cars reports it is built on a one-off bonded aluminium architecture developed by Polestar's former UK engineering base, which drew in engineers from Aston Martin, McLaren and Lotus, and it is Polestar's first fully in-house-developed platform according to Electric Cars Australia. The exceptionally stiff structure underpins a passive double-wishbone set-up on the Dual Motor using what Polestar calls high-capacity dampers with hydraulic rebound stops and a bypass channel for high-frequency bumps, which CarExpert found delivered a blend of comfort and control that made the optional-feeling upgrades hard to justify. ²³⁴

The Performance substitutes three-mode BWI MagneRide adaptive dampers, sits 6.0mm lower, and adds 21-inch wheels, gold calipers and Swedish Gold detailing plus a 1680W, 21-speaker Bowers & Wilkins system with road noise cancellation. CarExpert's drive in France concluded the MagneRide car rides fractionally firmer and does not clearly result in a better drive, while Chasing Cars noted the stiffer, lower set-up can feel choppy over rough surfaces but praised the Performance's rolling acceleration and body control across Tasmania-style backroads. On the international launch, Chasing Cars found steering feel trails the Porsche Taycan and noted the absence of a limited-slip differential or true torque vectoring on the rear axle. ²⁴⁵

Cabin, packaging and software status

The interior shares much with the Polestar 3 and runs a 14.5-inch portrait touchscreen with Android Automotive OS and Google built-in, augmented by a 9.0-inch driver display. Front seats are Recaro units with 12-way adjustment, with ventilation, massage and Bridge of Weir nappa leather grouped in an $11,800 package, while the Bowers & Wilkins audio is an $8800 option on the Dual Motor. The 3054mm wheelbase is barely longer than a Hyundai Ioniq 5 despite the five-metre body, and a 'foot garage' cut-out in the underfloor battery frees space for rear passengers' feet, which Chasing Cars says makes this a rare EV in which adults sit comfortably in the back. ²⁴⁵

Packaging compromises flow from the low, 1419-1429mm roofline: the boot is just 365 litres with a small aperture, supplemented by a 62-litre frunk, and there is no rear window, with a camera-based digital mirror instead. CarExpert notes Polestar refined the mirror's zoom after feedback on the Polestar 4. On the international launch, Chasing Cars experienced pre-production software bugs and missing wireless CarPlay and digital key functionality, which Polestar said would be fixed via an update before customer deliveries; in its later local Performance drive, Chasing Cars reported those bugs as fixed, though it still criticised elements of the user interface such as fiddly seat adjustment and capacitive wheel switches. ²⁴⁵

Pricing, ownership and safety status

List pricing before on-road costs is $171,100 for the Dual Motor Launch Edition and $193,100 for the Performance Launch Edition. CarExpert cites a $186,249 drive-away figure for the Dual Motor Launch Edition in Victoria, a location-specific drive-away number that should not be compared directly with the national before-on-roads list prices. Chasing Cars estimates a cleanskin Performance Launch Edition lands at around $210,000 on the road before options such as $10,000 matte paint, and notes options can add up quickly. ¹²⁵

Ownership terms include a five-year unlimited-kilometre vehicle warranty, an eight-year/160,000km battery warranty and five years of roadside assistance. CarExpert lists service intervals of 12 months or 20,000km, whereas Chasing Cars describes nominal intervals of 24 months and 30,000km; capped-price servicing remains listed by CarExpert as to-be-confirmed, and Chasing Cars reports service pricing is to be announced closer to launch. Electric Cars Australia notes order books opened with the September 2025 launch with deliveries scheduled from 2026, and advises confirming current delivery timing with Polestar. ²³⁴⁵

Safety rating status remains open: ANCAP has not yet crash-tested the Polestar 5, which CarExpert therefore lists as unrated, despite a standard suite including eight airbags, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, adaptive cruise control and blind-spot assist. The 1800kg braked towing capacity is cited by Electric Cars Australia. Australian delivery timing for the Dual Motor remains to be fully seen, with Chasing Cars reporting both grades arrive in showrooms by year's end. ²³⁵

Positioning against the Taycan and e-tron GT

The obvious rivals are the Porsche Taycan and its Audi e-tron GT platform-sharing cousin, with the BMW i5 M60 also nearby on price, as Chasing Cars frames them. Both CarExpert and Electric Cars Australia position the Polestar as offering more power for less money against the German pair; CarExpert notes the Dual Motor Launch Edition's drive-away price undercuts even the entry-level Taycan while being far more powerful, though Chasing Cars' international review still scored the Taycan ahead on steering feel, practicality and software polish. Electric Cars Australia also cautions that Polestar's Australian dealer network remains thin compared with Porsche's or Audi's established local presence, worth confirming by region before committing at this price point. ²³⁴