Polestar's Best Third Quarter Rests On U.S. Sales: Outside America, Retail Sales Fell 8%
Polestar estimated third-quarter retail sales at 14,371 cars, up about 1%, while the ex-U.S. figure dropped to 12,211 from 13,256.
Polestar estimated its third-quarter retail sales at 14,371 cars, about 1% above a year earlier and the best third quarter in the company's history, according to a release dated Thursday and furnished to the SEC. Strip out the U.S. business and the picture reverses: sales outside America fell 8%.
What the release says
The company put nine-month retail sales at an estimated 44,790 cars, up 0.6% from 44,511 in the same period of 2025. The release calls that a record, and also calls the quarter the best third quarter ever.
The third-quarter total compares with 14,222 cars in the third quarter of 2025.
Excluding the U.S. business, third-quarter sales were 12,211 cars, versus 13,256 a year earlier, a drop of 8%. Over nine months, the ex-U.S. figure slipped 0.5% to 40,773 cars from 40,968.
Polestar said it now shows the ex-U.S. numbers separately following the decision by U.S. authorities in respect of the Connected Vehicle Rule. It also said 2026 volumes are estimates subject to revision, while 2025 volumes are final.
What it changes
The headline growth depends on the U.S. business. Without it, both the quarter and the nine-month totals were lower than a year ago, and the quarterly decline was far steeper than the nine-month one.
CEO Michael Lohscheller said in the release: "We delivered our best third quarter despite increasingly challenging market conditions." He pointed to the start of Polestar 5 customer deliveries as "an important milestone" and said the new Polestar 4 SUV extends the company's reach into the D-SUV segment.
Polestar (Nasdaq: PSNY) shares closed at $5.58 on Wednesday, down 5.90% for that session, which ended before the release was furnished. The company's market value was $917 million (market data).
The next test is whether the Polestar 5 and Polestar 4 SUV can lift the ex-U.S. line, which fell 8% in the quarter even as the total marked the company's best third quarter.
Correction, October 9, 2026: An earlier version of this story said third-quarter sales set a record. Polestar called the quarter its best third quarter; the record it cites is for nine-month sales.
