This 2026 Polestar 4 reminds me of a scene from the 1976 movie The Gumball Rally, loosely based on a real-life street race from New York City to Los Angeles. In the film, one of the entrants hires a very stereotypically Italian hotshoe to pilot his Ferrari, and he proudly exclaims “what’s-a-behind me, is not important” before ripping the rearview mirror off the windshield and pitching it out of the car.
This old quip is called to mind because the Polestar 4 famously (or infamously) does not have a rear window at all. I spent a week with it to see if it’s as weird as people seem to think it is. Spoiler alert: It’s not.
No rear window at all? Is that even legal?
I was asked this a few times so I’ll make it clear: it is perfectly legal to not have a rear window at all. Think of all the panel vans and cargo trucks running around with no back glass, they were getting around just fine long before back-up cameras were a thing.
Having said that, the Polestar 4 is a smidge nicer than a cargo van, and they don’t expect you to forego that visibility. It would kind of go against the whole safety thing the Swedes take so deadly seriously.
The reason for not having a back window is actually quite sensible, as you might expect from this crowd. It was explained to me while I was at an ‘Arctic Circle’ ice driving event for this car over the winter. The short-form explanation goes something like this:
- Polestar wanted an aggressive, raked silhouette for this car.
- Any modern car/crossover/SUV needs to have a reinforcement bar towards the rear of the roof for rollover protection; in a traditional shaped SUV, this would be placed right behind the rear passenger’s heads.
- In a fastback shaped crossover, that bar either needs to move forward, compromising headroom, or rearward, compromising the size of the rear window and/or the shape of the car.
- As the rear window in most vehicles like this is functionally useless, thus it makes sense to eliminate it altogether and leave the crash bar where it works best.
- The use of cameras grants (significantly) greater visibility than the small rear window would, anyway. And, the car looks great, has excellent rear seat room, and lots of cargo space.
I appreciate thoughtful solutions like this that defy normalcy with sound reasoning, and make a better final result. You can’t complain it's an added complication; any new car is mandated to have a back-up camera anyway, and more and more are getting digital rearview mirrors specifically because they are objectively better than having to peer through the back of a car.
Isn’t it weird not having a rear window?
I will admit there was more than one occasion where I found myself turning around while reversing or changing lanes, only to be staring straight into the back seat for no reason. For whatever it’s worth, I also change cars more often than most people change shoes, so I’m routinely a little lost in cars anyway. Other than that, I didn’t find it weird at all.
The digital rearview mirror is excellent in all lighting conditions, has a wider field-of-view than what we would see, but is by no means an awkward, unnatural fisheye or otherwise distorted display. The camera can’t be blinded by anyone else’s poorly aimed or otherwise freakishly bright headlights, either.
The camera that feeds the rearview mirror is carefully placed in an aerodynamic pocket that naturally stays clean, so you don’t need to be worried about that, either. I spent a whole day drifting these cars in the snow, and while the backs of the cars were all white at the end of the day, the cameras remained clear.
If you insist on being a luddite in the Polestar 4, you can turn off the camera feed, and use your mirror to gaze longingly into the rear seat, which is quite lovely.
Interior accomodation
I can’t stress enough how pretty the rear seating area becomes without having to accommodate for a window. Bright ‘Zinc’ textile trim starts on the doors and wraps around the rear seats to create a cozy, ensconced feel.
Sitting back there and looking forward is just as nice, as there is an abundance of leg, shoulder, and head room, and a standard panoramic glass roof adds light and levity to the space. It’s about the farthest thing from claustrophobic, contrary to what you might think.
A neat trick on our tester is an optional electrochromic layer to the roof, which can turn almost opaque at the touch of a button - but it glows faintly with sunlight, to preserve airiness. To borrow from another movie: if you have the means ($1,900), I highly recommend it.
Things are lovely up front as well. In typical Polestar/Volvo/Swedish fashion, the overall theme is one of thoughtful minimalism, with a clean, futuristic aesthetic that avoids being too much of a good thing. Touch points all feel of quality, are ethically sourced and/or made from sustainable materials, and look great.
There’s plenty of space for storage in the doors and under the floating center console, the standard wireless phone charger is neatly tucked away but not out of reach, and there are just enough physical controls for essentials to avoid being too minimalist, as we’ve seen on some newer Volvos. It’s beautiful for sure, but not at the cost of functionality or sustainability.
Infotainment and technology
The center screen bucks trends, being neither ultra-wide or Tesla-style tall. It’s a 16:10 landscape display spanning 15.4-inches, very much like a nice laptop display. The homescreen sees the return of the 4-window homescreen layout that I liked so much in the Polestar 2, with the added width used to display a square map screen, as well. It’s easy to read and easy to use, with fixed shortcut buttons for climate control, vehicle settings, and exterior cameras - which can stitch together a 3D display around the car for tight maneuverability.
It’s powered by Android Automotive, and naturally has Google software baked into it, which means native Google Maps and Google voice recognition. Even the absolute best infotainment software in the business can’t hold a candle to the tech giant that is Google’s capability of making an innocuous request like “navigate to Steve’s Music” so seamless. Just say it and it’s got it. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are also baked in as well, but you’d be losing the native’s maps ability to integrate estimated charge levels to and from your destination.
A small, ultra-wide 10.2-inch screen directly in front of the driver makes up the gauge cluster, and can be configured to show data from other surrounding traffic via the slew of driver assistance tech, or a map display - specifically a more zoomed-in, driver-POV 3D map display, different from the (default) zoomed out, 2D overhead map on the homescreen, which is a nice touch to reduce redundancy.
While adaptive cruise control, 3D parking cameras, and parking assistant are standard equipment, our tester’s Pilot Pack adds steering assistance and automatic lane changes to that software suite as well; they all work seamlessly and put the Polestar 4 into the category of vehicles that can mostly drive itself, and do so quite well, for the large part. The lane keeping system is a maybe a touch too on-rails for it’s own good, and can feel unnatural if you want to issue a minor course correction.
Among the toys on our tester’s Plus Pack is a Harmon Kardon Premium audio system, which is, notably, not a Bowers & Wilkins system like we’ve gotten spoiled with on almost every other Polestar and Volvo presser. However, with 12-speakers delivering 1,320 watts of power and clever EQ software, it still delivers the goods admirably, and they’ve gone to some length to pretty it up like us snobby journalists are used to seeing.
Power - Range - Charging
All Polestar 4s in Canada are “Long Range” models with a 400-volt, 100 kW battery. They support up to 200 kW peak charging speed, able to jump from 10-80% charge level in 30 minutes, and can take a charge from a more typical Level 2 charger fairly quickly, too. Charging is handled by a CCS2 port, but Polestar does have access to Tesla’s Supercharger network with a NACS adapter.
By default, that battery feeds a single 272 horsepower motor, or for an extra five grand, you can add that same motor again on the front axle as well, combining for a total of 544 horsepower and 506 foot-pounds of torque - as is the case on this tester.
The EPA estimated range of this dual-motor model is 451 kilometers, and my time with it slightly exceeded that (466km indicated on-screen at full charge), even with a slight chill in the air. I didn’t run this down to zero, but it does seem to drain pretty linearly without falling off, which tracks with other Polestar cars.
Driving impressions
If you are an existing Volvo or Polestar driver, this Polestar 4 will instantly feel familiar. A great deal of care goes into making sure Polestar cars all drive and handle in a very specific way, leveraging proper chassis balance, powertrain calibration, and the intangible art of tactile communication to holistically create a driving experience that is safe, sporting, and satisfying, all at once.
It is especially nice in that (like any other Polestar) it can be tailored to suit your preferences, with adjustments for suspension feel, steering weight, power delivery, regenerative braking, and creep. There’s enough differentiation for the settings to feel meaningful, but not so much that you could “do it wrong,” and it’s easy to understand and dial it into your wants quickly; you won’t be lost fiddling with settings forever.
If driven normally, the Polestar 4 is exceptionally comfortable, quiet, and it feels natural to drive with good linear calibration of the electric motors and chassis. Wind noise is almost nil and harsh roads, even on our tester’s 21-inch wheels, are well insulated from the cabin. It drives and feels every bit like the premium product it is, and I’d have no problem doing long hauls in it.
If driven enthusiastically, the Polestar wakes right up and flies. With more than 500 horsepower on tap and instantaneous electrified shove, it is proper quick, and it doesn’t run out of steam at higher speeds, as we’ve seen with some EVs. Turn-in is sharp and precise, with good mid-corner balance and excellent composure over mid-corner bumps.
It does have a slight predilection for safe understeer - especially noticeable if you’re too eager with the throttle on a fast exit - but overall it’s well set up and fun to flick around. The traction control cannot be fully defeated, but it will allow a surprising amount of slip angle before gently reigning you back in.
I would be very curious to try a Polestar 4 equipped with the Performance Pack and/or a more basic single motor car to see how much better it can be, but it’s pretty excellent as-is and much more satisfying than most EVs.
Money
The Polestar 4 starts at $64,900. Our tester has every option short of the Performance Pack, which includes the Plus Pack ($6,800), 21-inch sport wheels ($2,300), color matched body mouldings ($1,300; not for me), dimming glass roof ($1,900), a whole second drive motor ($5,000) and the Pilot Pack (standard with dual motor), which brings the total up to $86,600.
It’s not a trivial amount, but you’d be hard pressed to find this much style, space, comfort, performance, and overall cohesive quality in anything else for that money, regardless of what’s powering it.
The ability to “refuel” at home is just an added bonus. That conversation may change when the BMW iX3 rolls into town, but for now the Polestar 4 is a sweet proposition for what it is.
Wrap it up
It is not easy to build a car that does everything as well as this 2026 Polestar 4 does, and looks this good while doing it. I like that it looks futuristic without feeling too smart for its own good, I like that it drives wonderfully at any speed, I like that the tech works well as it does, and perhaps most of all, I like how their decision to defy convention has paid off so well, as it is incredibly practical, and no worse off for having no back glass.
