The Chevrolet Silverado EV may share a name with the conventional line of light- and heavy-duty full-sized pickup trucks, but this all-electric model has little else in common with its internal-combustion-engined siblings. Chevrolet based the Silverado EV on a bespoke electric vehicle architecture, instead of modifying an existing pickup truck platform like Ford did when it created the F-150 Lightning. By taking this approach, Chevrolet was able to give its EV truck some impressive capabilities and features that would have otherwise been challenging to achieve, if not impossible, had it based the design on the body-on-frame Silverado 1500.
Similar to the Rivian R1T and Tesla Cybertruck, Chevrolet’s electric pickup truck has a unified bed/cab structure and independent rear suspension. It uses General Motors’ modular EV-specific Ultium design—the same one that underpins the Cadillac Escalade IQ and Lyriq, Chevrolet Blazer EV, GMC Hummer EV, and others.
The result is a massive pickup truck that weighs more than four tons, yet is incredibly quick, mostly silent, and has ride and handling capabilities that belie its size and weight. The driving range is impressive, too. The EPA rates our tested 2024 RST model at 450 miles. GM claims this increases to 460 miles for the 2025 version. We recorded an impressive 472 miles during our 70-mph highway range test. Further, the huge 205-kilowatt-hour battery should allow drivers to tow a hefty trailer without decimating the range. The cabin is roomy and comfortable, and the innovative Multi-Flex Midgate panel behind the rear seats extends the 6-foot truck bed to 9 feet.
However, abnormally long panic-brake stopping distances and the lack of Android Auto or Apple CarPlay compatibility are big demerits. Our truck’s massive, 24-inch tires are likely to be a major cost issue for owners, whether they are replaced because of a flat or eventual wear. We also aren’t fans of GM’s complicated infotainment system, or that the interior materials don’t match the truck’s lofty price.
With all that in mind, we’re not quite sure what to make of the Silverado EV. As one tester commented, “I’ll admit I was a bit of a hater before actually driving and spending time with this truck. Its battery is obscene, and the truck is gigantic and way too heavy. But the range is ridiculously good, and in theory, it makes towing with an EV possible. Still, I’m not sure it's a question that's being asked by enough people. Hopefully, within the next 10 years or so, battery technology will allow automakers to build a truck at half the weight and cost.”
Others came away with more positive feelings about the here and now. “Count me as a fan,” said one of our drivers. “This is a quick, quiet, and comfortable truck that doesn’t drive like the behemoth that it is. Its driving range is outstanding, and I’d be content with it as an everyday vehicle, in spite of its large footprint.”
We bought a 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV RST for $96,495—anonymously from an area dealer, as we do with every vehicle we test—for the purpose of this road test review. The Silverado EV is assembled in Detroit, Michigan.
Driving experience
Just like the Cybertruck, F-150 Lightning, and R1T, the Silverado EV is super quick, capable of zipping from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.4 seconds. That’s because although it weighs nearly 8,800 pounds, it’s also packing 754 horsepower from its dual electric motors. Horsepower for the RST trim increased to 760 for 2025. Owing to the nature of electric motors, the Silverado EV’s mammoth power is delivered in an effortless and nearly silent fashion. As with most EVs, the regenerative braking levels are driver-adjustable, although they aren’t as easy to customize on the fly as with some. That’s offset slightly by a paddle on the steering wheel that allows the driver to apply instant-on regen-braking anytime they’d like, with the ability to modulate the force similar to the brake lever on a bicycle.
The EPA rates the 2024 RST version we tested at 450 miles of driving range, thanks to the Silverado EV’s giant, 205-kWh battery. GM claims that the range increases to 460 miles for 2025. We recorded an impressive 472 miles during our 70-mph highway range test. This means you can go for days without recharging, and it minimizes the range anxiety that has long been associated with EVs. Home charging on a 240-volt Level 2 system is relatively quick, yielding about 30 miles of range gained per hour. DC fast charging in public places is helped by an impressive 350-kW maximum acceptance rate that can add 10 miles of range per minute.
Although the Silverado EV looks like a monstrous beast, it’s surprisingly responsive through corners. That’s in part because the heavy battery pack is mounted low, beneath the floor, which aids handling. Unlike most pickups, which utilize a body-on-frame design, the Silverado EV makes use of a unified cab and bed, and this design makes it feel more like one piece than most pickups. Unfortunately, vague steering provides little feedback to the driver, although that’s not uncommon among pickups. The four-wheel steering that comes on the RST reduces this big truck’s turning circle significantly, which helps with parking maneuvers.
That unified structure, along with an adaptive air suspension system, contributes to a steadier, smoother, and more comfortable ride than most pickups. That is, until the Silverado EV encounters broken pavement. Then, the truck’s giant 24-inch tires with short sidewalls cause some harshness to permeate the cabin. Speaking of the cabin, it’s very quiet, with hardly any electric motor whine, although wind noise gets pronounced at highway speeds.
Braking performance, however, was downright abysmal, with unusually long stopping distances on both dry and wet surfaces. The 150 feet that the Silverado EV needed to stop from 60 mph on our dry surface is one of the worst showings we’ve seen in recent years. Given the truck’s quick acceleration, we think the inability to slow down in a hurry is a major shortcoming.
Cabin comfort
It’s a relatively easy step up and into the Silverado EV’s tall cabin, thanks to the running boards, although the lack of a driver’s side grab handle to help pull yourself in is a shortcoming. Look around, and you’ll find a nicely finished interior…for a pickup truck. But the quality of the materials and overall fit and finish are nowhere close to that of most near-$100,000 vehicles. The upper dashboard is padded (rare among full-sized pickups), but the unlined glove box and bin underneath the center armrest, along with visible mold lines and rough edges on the door pockets, are unheard of at this price. Plus, the rattles stemming from the back-seat area, likely due to the Midgate contraption, are disappointing.
Subpar materials aside, the driving position suited most of our testers pretty well. There’s plenty of headroom, a well-placed and sized left footrest, and zero intrusion with the driver’s right knee from the center console. The armrests are also nicely placed, although the one on the door is woefully underpadded. The front seats are wide and flat, which should make them suitable for bodies of all sizes. We found them comfortable enough, but you feel like you’re sitting more “on” them than “in” them.
As with other full-sized trucks, there’s a lot of rear-seat space, including an enormous amount of knee room. It’s not as comfortable as you might think, though. The bottom cushion is rather low to the floor, so if you sit flat-footed, there isn’t much under-leg support. Luckily, there’s plenty of room to stretch your legs out and put your feet under the front seats. Headroom isn’t abundant, either, which points to why the bottom cushion is as low as it is. The seat’s padding, at least, is reasonably plush.
One neat feature on the Silverado EV is a partition that opens a pass-through between the cab and bed, which Chevy calls a “Multi-Flex Midgate.” Similar to the setup found in the Chevrolet Avalanche pickup from the early 2000s, it enables owners to carry extra-long items in the bed while still protecting them from the elements under the wrap-up tonneau cover.
Controls and usability
Like other recent GM vehicles we’ve tested, the Silverado EV’s controls require a learning curve because of unconventional placement or unusual operation. For example, the center infotainment touchscreen is crowded with apps, shortcuts, and buttons, which make it overwhelming to use. The right steering wheel stalk serves as the electronic gear selector, and its operation can take some getting used to. We also don’t like that the emergency flashers button is hidden high up on the overhead console. Not only is the button small, but its out-of-view location makes it difficult to find quickly in an emergency situation.
Glaringly, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are not available. Instead, the Silverado EV has a Google-based infotainment system that requires owners to log in to their Google account to access certain features.
Active safety & driver assistance
The Silverado EV comes standard with a host of active safety and driver assistance features, including automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, automatic emergency braking that operates at highway speeds, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic warning, reverse automatic emergency braking, lane centering assistance, lane departure warning, lane keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams. Some of the Silverado EV’s safety warnings are communicated via vibrations to the driver’s seat (called the “Safety Alert Seat”), a feature we’ve appreciated in numerous other General Motors products.
GM’s excellent Super Cruise active driving assistance system, which combines adaptive cruise control and lane centering assistance, is also standard on higher trims. The system allows for hands-free driving on pre-mapped highways and some two-lane roads, and we think it’s a good stress-reliever, particularly in congested traffic. The system is also capable of changing lanes on its own to get around slower vehicles when driving on the highway. Of note, Super Cruise requires an OnStar service plan and internet connectivity. GM includes three years of connectivity with every Super Cruise-equipped vehicle, after which owners must subscribe to a service plan to retain functionality.
We’re happy to see that both a rear occupant alert system and a belt minder come standard. The former is designed to remind the driver, based on rear-door logic, to check the rear seat at the end of a trip to help prevent children and pets from suffering heatstroke or hypothermia if unintentionally left behind in the vehicle. The rear belt minder alerts the driver if a rear passenger unbuckles their seat belt during the trip.