Polestar 3 vs Tesla Model X

The Tesla Model X costs £5,510 more than the Polestar 3. For that premium it adds 261 litres more boot space, 38 kW more power and a 1.2s quicker 0-62mph time. The Polestar 3 is not just cheaper - it also offers 137 miles more WLTP range, 190 kW faster peak rapid charging and lower energy use, 176 versus 220 Wh/km. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Polestar 3 comes out ahead overall.

The Polestar 3 is £5,510 cheaper to buy. The Polestar 3 is cheaper to charge, roughly £192 a year versus £240 for the Tesla Model X, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Polestar 3 comes out roughly £5,750 cheaper overall. These figures cover list price and home charging only - insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation will move the real total.

EVcarsguide estimates a real-world motorway range of about 257 miles for the Polestar 3 and 171 miles for the Tesla Model X - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Polestar 3 goes roughly 86 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 22 minutes in the Polestar 3 and 40 in the Tesla Model X, so the Polestar 3 loses less time at each stop. That makes the Polestar 3 the stronger long-distance car.

The Polestar 3 is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 31 mm narrower than the Tesla Model X. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 432 mm of total clearance for the Polestar 3 and about 401 mm of total clearance for the Tesla Model X. The Polestar 3 also turns in a 0.6 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 84% battery health for the Polestar 3 and 84% for the Tesla Model X. That is close enough that capacity loss should not decide between them. Both use NMC-type cells, so for daily use keep the charge limit near 80% to slow degradation. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.