Polestar: Sub-4-sec acceleration times are a gimmick

Polestar has cautioned that emerging novelty EV features risk undermining safety and distracting drivers. It’s also questioned the industry’s obsession with acceleration times, saying sub-4-second figures “serve no practical purpose”.

As electric vehicles rapidly grow in popularity, many have turned into rolling technology showcases, with some brands leaning heavily into features designed to capture buyers’ attention.

Tesla has built notoriety around novelty functions such as in-car games, karaoke and light displays, while newer EV brands like Zeekr have introduced elaborate light and sound shows designed to entertain.

Polestar says that approach risks prioritising spectacle over substance.

Speaking at the reveal of its new flagship model – the Polestar 5 – the brand’s local boss said a lot of the development work behind its cars focuses on the fundamentals of driving rather than attention-grabbing technology.

“Some of the gimmicks in the industry, it’s relatively easy to get an amazing 0–100 time out of an electric car,” Polestar Australia managing director Scott Maynard said.

“Once you start getting into sub-four-second 0-100 times, it serves no practical purpose.”

The comments came during an event highlighting the Polestar 5’s own performance credentials, including a claimed 0-100km/h time of just 3.2 seconds.

When that contrast was put to the brand, Maynard argued that real-world driving engagement comes from a broader set of engineering priorities beyond straight-line acceleration.

“This car is designed to be exhilarating to drive every day,” he said.

“So much development has gone into making it a beautiful car in terms of ride, handling, dynamics, cornering and brake feel. It’s a fabulous car to drive beyond just the numbers.”

The brand also says its Swedish development process, alongside Volvo, includes a filter process designed to remove features that could distract drivers.

“There is a lot of work at our headquarters that goes into asking whether something might undermine the driver experience or distract the driver,” Maynard said.

“When you start thinking about flashing lights and things happening in the car that might be fun but not necessary, we ask whether it could detract from safety.

“That naturally steers you away from features that are fun or gimmicky if they are also a distraction.”

The brand is in the middle of its biggest product push yet, with several new and updated models forming the backbone of its next phase of growth - including the recently launched Polestar 5 flagship.

Alongside it, a wagon-style version of the Polestar 4 is due later this year, followed by a second-generation Polestar 2 in early 2027 and the all-new Polestar 7 compact SUV in 2028.

For Polestar, the challenge isn’t simply building fast electric cars, it’s ensuring those cars deliver the ride, handling and driver engagement to match their performance claims.

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