Polestar has upgraded its 3 electric SUV, adding more power and faster charging.

Coming as part of a model-year refresh, the updates are “so extensive it’s like an entirely new car”, claimed CEO Michael Lohscheller.

This comes after the closely related Volvo EX90 received similar upgrades last month.

The most notable change comes from a new 800V electrical architecture for its SPA2 platform – double the voltage in the current 3.

This increases the battery's maximum rapid charging speed from 250kW to 350kW (or 310kW in entry-level Rear Motor guise), meaning 10-80% of change can be topped up in just 22 minutes.

The increase in speed is also achieved because the new system reduces heat generation during charging, enabling faster speeds.

The updated 3 also gets a new permanent magnet synchronous rear motor. In the most potent Performance guise, it now puts out 671bhp. This also reconfigures the 3 to offer more of a rear bias than before.

What’s more, the front motor can now automatically disconnect when not needed, just as on dual-motor versions of the smaller Polestar 2, improving efficiency and range.

More stiffened anti-roll bars have also been added, alongside a more refined tune for the steering to increase driving directness and engagement, said Polestar.

Finally, the 3 has gained an Nvidia Drive AGX Orin processor (in place of an older Nvidia Xavier chip) to run its 'brain'.

This boost in power to 254 TOPS (trillion operations per second) means eight-times-faster, more intelligent management of active safety systems, battery performance and sensor data.

While part of the MY26 update, this processor upgrade will also be available to existing 3 owners via a free workshop upgrade.

The UK will get the MY26 3 first because of both “high demand” and the MY25 car having sold out here.

Pricing has yet to be announced, but it will likely rise on the current car’s £69,990.