2026 Chevrolet Silverado EV: The pickup that goes whoosh
Truck makers keep fighting the engine wars and the truck size wars. But a quiet electric-powered version gives them a run for their money, at least on acceleration.
2026 Chevrolet Silverado EV Trail Boss vs. 2026 Ram 1500 Laramie Crew Cab 4x4: Gas vs. electric
This week: Chevrolet Silverado EV
Price: $93,940 as tested.
What others are saying: “Highs: Massive range, lightning-fast (ahem) charging, new Trail Boss trim expands lineup. Lows: Base trims are a little spartan for the price, no Apple CarPlay with the premium infotainment system, vague brake pedal, and unimpressive stopping performance,” says Car and Driver.
What Chevrolet is saying: “All truck, all electric, all Silverado.”
Reality: Worth a closer look.
What’s new: The Silverado EV has been with us since 2024, and remains with us even as EV models are canceled left and right. Trail Boss is added to the lineup for the first time this year.
Unlike the F-150 Lightning, the Silverado EV was developed from the ground up rather than retrofitted from the gasoline-powered Silverado.
Competition: In addition to the Ram 1500 we’ll test next week, EV truck competitors include the recently discontinued Ford F-150 Lightning, plus the Rivian R1T and Tesla Cybertruck. Gasoline-powered models can be competitors as well, if they believe in themselves.
Range: This seemed worth moving out of its usual place down below. In a world of EVs that go 250-350 miles on a charge, this monster can go 497 miles on a full battery. Wow.
Up to speed: You guys with your Hemis and your diesels and built-Ford-tough engines — hahaha. This 725-horsepower truck with its two electric motors gets to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds, according to Car and Driver. Yeah, that was me passing a slowpoke going 42 in a 50 zone on a two-lane U.S. Route 322 (yes, in a legal passing zone). What’s more cowboy than that?
Shiftless: The wiperish stalk to the right of the steering wheel pulls up for Reverse and down for Drive.
On the road: The Silverado EV handles nicely on sharp curves and feels solid on highways. With plenty of weight around the wheels, it feels like it wants to stay earthbound more than just about any other huge truck I’ve driven.
And trucks are huge nowadays. The belt line is pretty much just below eye level when I stand next to the Silverado. I managed to fit it into my garage but it looked like a T-Rex ready to devour all the debris surrounding it. Time to clean that garage.
My garage door is nothing special, 8 feet wide and 7 feet high minus the door panel hanging down, but I had to find a special parking garage in Center City to handle this beast.
The ride home from the Philly Auto Show up Kelly Drive with ice crusts narrowing the lanes was basically a mosh pit. I felt like I was just being carried along by the rest of cars around me. That speaks to how easy it is to keep the vehicle in lane. I think back to old Tundras and Ram 1500s with their floppy handling and shudder.
Super Cruise could do this for you as well; it’s one of the more user-friendly driver assist systems.
And at low speeds, Sidewinder, the four-wheel steering system, definitely helps with tight places.
Driver’s Seat: The Driver’s Seat is extra roomy and comfortable. We put a lot of miles on the Silverado EV, and it was always a pleasant ride. There’s not a lot of grip in something that’s not so snug, but I didn’t slide around.
The front seats move 12 ways, with heating and ventilation.
Friends and stuff: Tall people will be overjoyed in the Silverado. The legroom in the rear is astounding. The rear seat is just OK, though, feeling kind of cheap and straight-backed.
The bed is just shy of 6 feet long. The Silverado EV tows up to 12,500 pounds, 800 less than the gasoline-powered Silverado.
In and out: It’s a climb and a jump down if you don’t use the running boards.
Getting in the rear doors in tight spots is a challenge because the grab bar is in the front of the frame but the door is super long.
Play some tunes: Sound from the system is pretty good, about an A-.
The touchscreen is huge, at 17.7 inches. Everything is a snap to operate.
Keeping warm and cool: Icons at the bottom of the touchscreen let you control many of the HVAC functions. The blower dial is kinda useless though. It took me a fogged-up windshield and a lot of yelling to realize I’d found the icon that opens up the full HVAC controls, but that it was malfunctioning. Finally it worked and I could see again.
There is a row of buttons for defrost max and such, but I wanted to keep the air blowing on my feet as well, as it was super cold out. Dials also change the temperature.
Where it’s built: Detroit
How it’s built: Consumer Reports predicts the Silverado EV reliability to be a 2 out of 5.
Next week: Can the 2026 Ram 1500 Hemi keep up?
