Polestar 3: The Five-Star Fortress on Wheels

The Polestar 3 has completed its Euro NCAP safety tests—and emerged not with a polite pat on the back or a "well done, almost there," but with a thunderous, unapologetic five-star rating. Not four and a half. Not "almost perfect." This was perfection with purpose, wrapped in Scandinavian design and armed to the teeth with safety tech.

In the Child Occupant Protection category, the Polestar 3 scored a jaw-dropping 93%—the highest score of any standard passenger car tested in the last nine years. So yes, if you place your offspring in the rear seat of this electric SUV, you can confidently pour yourself an espresso, knowing your child is statistically safer than if they were swaddled in pillows on the living room couch.

Adult occupant safety? A commanding 90%. Protection for vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists? 79%—which, translated, means that even if you're driving like a hungry polar bear on an icy road, the car will do its best to keep that old lady crossing the street alive and well. Safety Assist systems scored 83%, and it’s not just tech for tech’s sake. We’re talking about cameras that track your eyes and head, emergency braking that fires faster than your reflexes, and a Post Impact Braking system that keeps thinking even after you’ve stopped. Literally.

And yes, if you spot an e-scooter rider zipping where they shouldn’t be and think, “I could end this now”, Polestar 3’s advanced systems will say: “No, my friend, we are better than that.” Disappointing, perhaps. But profoundly civilised.