Coming into our first anniversary since taking delivery of our 2025 Polestar 3! We love how this car drives, whether cruising on the highway or tearing up canyon roads like nearby Angeles Crest. Its interior is a pleasant place, with generous room forr everyone. However, that comes at a cost. The Polestar 3 may be large, but it comes with compromises beyond its exterior footprint.
Automakers often highlight the interiors of their vehicles, particularly SUVs like the 2025 Polestar 3. Unfortunately, all of that marketing lingo hides the reality of how that space is used. That’s the case with cars like our Polestar 3, the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, Genesis GV60, Honda Prologue, and more. All of these vehicles highlight certain aspects like rear seat room or total capacity, but totally ignore cargo capacity. Why? Because it’s not that usable. The specs may say otherwise, but once you see everything in person, you’ll immediately realize it’s a different story.
2025 Polestar 3: Usable To a Point
As I noted above, our Polestar 3 offers great passenger space. Three fit comfortably across, even for long drives. Both headroom and legroom are exceptional in both rows. However, that comes at the cost of cargo space, especially when combined with the 3’s low-slung roofline and sleek form factor. That alone makes it less practical than vehicles like Subaru’s Outback and Trailseeker, Volvo’s Cross Country wagons, traditional SUVs like the Rivian R2, and more.
Kick under the rear bumper to open the power liftgate, and you’ll find limited capacity. With the rear seats up, around 21 cubic feet up to the ceiling without including the underfloor storage area. That’s enough to fit two large check-in bags lying flat horizontally. Unfortunately, stacking another two is out of the question. Due to the Polestar 3’s roofline, which slopes down towards the rear, vertical space is limited. Additionally, the cargo floor does not have a lower position.
Those roomy rear seats also hurt cargo capacity. By prioritizing that, the 3’s cargo area is quite small for a vehicle of its size and exterior footprint. Polestar would’ve made it better rounded if it moved the rear seats forward a few inches. Even after doing that, it’d still have plenty of room for five, only this time it won’t come at the cost of cargo capacity. What about the frunk, you ask? It’s small. Enough room only for takeout food, charging adapters, and the dual-voltage charging cable.
People or Cargo, Not Both
The moral of the story? The Polestar 3 is not as versatile as its size suggests. Yes, it’s a midsize SUV, but its emphasis on passenger space limits its flexibility. Want to carry a lot of bulky items? You’ll need to fold at least half of the rear seats. Provided you can get it through the opening. Although the two-piece hatch has the width, it still lacks height thanks to the swoop roofline. So, no, you’re not getting big things in there. The odd glass portion just before the rear spoiler and the odd hatch hinge positioning don’t help things either.
With that said, if you need to haul stuff, especially bulky items, the Polestar 3 may not be the right choice. That’s what its cousin, the Volvo EX90, is for. However, if you don’t tend to overpack and know how to improvise when needed, then the 3 will be fine. For us, it works. For others, it may not be the case, especially for families.
