New Polestar 7 SUV will take on Tesla with Swedish style

• New “premium compact SUV” from Polestar
• To rival Tesla Model Y and Audi Q4 e-tron
• Coming in 2026 or 2027

Sweden’s premium EV maker, Polestar, has confirmed that it’s working on an all-new small electric SUV called the Polestar 7, and it’s set to arrive within the next couple of years. The new model could play a pivotal role in the future of the brand as it applies its signature Scandinavian chic to a more affordable model, broadening its appeal to a wider car-buying audience.

Besides the new price point, the Polestar 7 will introduce a handful of firsts for the brand. It will be the first model to use a new single-platform architecture shared with future Polestar models, while it will also serve as its first compact SUV. That last point should pique the interest of car buyers in the UK, who seem to be enamored with small but high-riding SUVs at the moment – just look at the list of our best-selling cars.

What do we know so far about the Polestar 7?

Polestar recently revealed that it was working on a new “premium compact SUV” that would be called the 7. Polestar uses consecutive numbers to name its models, so despite sporting the largest number, the 7 won’t be its new flagship.

It also won’t be a replacement for the Polestar 2, even though the two cars will be similar in size and price. Polestar CEO Michael Lohscheller explained that the 2 will get a “like for like-ish replacement” at some stage, and will continue to rival cars like the BMW i4 and Tesla Model 3.

Instead, the Polestar 7 will be tasked with stealing sales from the Tesla Model Y. It won’t be quite as large as that car, however, with Lohscheller suggesting that the 7 will sit “between [Volvo] EX30 and EX40”, as he believes “this is where the heart of the market is”. With few premium brands offering a small electric SUV, Lohscheller sees this as the perfect opportunity to generate more profit, while also making the brand more accessible.

What will the Polestar 7 look like?

Polestar’s Head of Design, Philipp Römers, explained that the 7 will “be everything our customers expect from us, both in terms of design and performance”, while also “standing out and creating its own buzz”. Lohscheller followed up by explaining that the 7 needs to “highlight the performance element even more, because that’s where the Polestar brand is coming from. I want to also show it in a bit more confident way; I think [Polestar] sometimes is a bit too modest, and a bit too humble”.

But the Polestar 7 won’t stray too far from Polestar’s current design language, with the CEO warning us “not to expect a radical change”. In our exclusive image, we’ve previewed how Polestar could apply its current design language to a small SUV shape. We expect elements like the T-shaped headlights and rear light bar to be carried over from the Polestar 3, while we could also see a new interpretation of the Polestar 4’s coupe-like roofline. There’s a chance the 7 will forgo a rear window like that car, in an effort to boost rear-seat headroom.

What about technical details and specs?

The new single-platform architecture that will underpin the Polestar 7 remains a bit of a mystery at this stage. The move away from bespoke platforms for each of its models will reduce “complexity, costs, and investments”, but it will still feature the “latest technology” according to Lohscheller. That could mean anything from an 800V electric architecture like the Porsche Taycan, or charging speeds of up to 350kW like the latest EVs from Kia and Hyundai.

Polestar has also confirmed that the 7 will be built in Europe rather than one of its plants in China, South Korea or North America, perhaps in an effort to avoid any hefty tariffs in the future. Whether the Polestar 7 will be built at the brand’s own facility in Belgium or at Volvo’s plant in Sweden remains to be seen.

How much will the Polestar 7 cost?

While we don’t know specific pricing for the Polestar 7 yet, it will become the new entry-point to the brand, undercutting the Polestar 2.

“The 7 has a really important role for us in terms of the size, but also as an entry into the brand,” Lohscheller explained. “The [existing models] are exciting, but the starting price is also relatively high. I want to broaden that, and I think that’s where 7 could play a good role.”

Given that the Polestar 2 starts from around £45,000, the new 7 would need to cost around £40,000 if it’s to appeal to a wider audience. That would also place it neatly between the Volvo EX30 and EX40 – the two cars that the 7 will sit between in terms of size.

We don’t expect the Polestar 7 to hit the market until late 2026 or 2027. While that’s still some time away, it will still arrive before the Polestar 6, which is set to become that brand’s halo sports car. Lohscheller explained that production of the 6 has been pushed back to prioritise the 7, as it’s “really small volume”.

The next Polestar to arrive, however, will be the 5. An all-new electric saloon, the Polestar 5 will target the high-end executive car market, with an expected price tag well into six figure territory.

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