2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV Reviews, Pricing & Specs

First and foremost, the Chevy Silverado EV looks like a truck. And a Chevy truck, at that. There’s no self-aggrandizing artificial futurism in this electric pickup. The DNA shines through. The EV is a bit more rounded at the front than its gas-powered counterpart, and the RST does have the fashionable light bar. The EV also distinguishes itself with squared off wheel arches and a distinct lightning signature. It also holds the distinction of offering the largest wheel option we’ve ever seen on any vehicle we’ve ever tested: 24-inch wheels are available on the RST First Edition. The truck in general doesn’t grab attention, though, and it doesn’t shout “look Ma, no grille!” the way many EVs do.

It’s a similar story inside: Obvious GM DNA, with a bit of a high-tech twist. The center touchscreen really dominates the dash, with vents and hard controls flowing around it like sand pouring around a seashell the tide has failed to grab. This changes the aesthetic of the dash, which is composed of largely rectangular elements in the gas Silverado. The EV also has its gear shifter mounted on the steering column rather than alongside the cupholders, making the center console appear more streamlined and spacious.

We set out from downtown Detroit with one-pedal drive turned on, taking advantage of the four-wheel steering to maneuver nimbly around double-parked vehicles. It took us a little time to get used to the level of braking regeneration, but no more so than in any other new-to-us vehicle. We must have subconsciously expected the experience to be different in a nearly 10,000-pound truck, but it really just felt like an EV. And after we turned off one-pedal drive, it just felt like a pickup truck. Better, in truth. Between the acceleration, steering, and braking, nothing felt at all rough around the edges. The ride on the RST trim’s automatic adaptive air suspension was quite comfortable, and we did not notice any of the bounciness that often plagues capable trucks when they aren’t sufficiently weighted down. The lack of engine noise contributed to the overall sense of refinement, though the artificial EV sound made itself obvious at stoplights. We did not find a control for that in the settings, and, according to Chevy reps, it’s federally mandated for the safety of pedestrians.

Under normal circumstances, the Silverado EV’s two electric motors produce 510 total horsepower and 615 lb-ft of torque. Wide Open Watts (WOW) mode boosts the powertrain's output to “up to” 754 horsepower and “more than” 785 lb-ft of torque, according to Chevrolet. This gets the nearly 10,000-lb vehicle from zero to 60 mph in under 4.5 seconds, rivaling the 3,600-lb Nissan Z Nismo. We got to try Wide Open Watts at a proving grounds outside Detroit and could feel the steering start to pull. A few of our colleagues overshot the area designated for testing; definitely do not try this at home unless you have a large private property.

The EPA estimates a 450-mile range for the Silverado EV 4WT. That organization has not yet evaluated the RST, but GM provided estimates of 440 miles for that trim. GM says the RST trim is capable of trailering up to 10,000 pounds and handling a payload of up to 15,000 pounds. We had the opportunity to try trailering, hauling a 5,800-lb trailer on a 25-minute loop that included public highways and back roads. The experience was so drama-free that we would have been disappointed if we weren’t so darn impressed. We certainly weren’t trying to lose control, but Chevrolet engineers assured us that they did during development, and from what we can tell, they have truly succeeded in making it as foolproof and user-friendly as possible. We even used Super Cruise, GM’s hands-free highway driving-assistance system, with the trailer tagging along. The only thing we didn’t like was that the camera feeding through to the digital rearview mirror was trained on the trailer itself: We would have preferred to monitor the trailer through our side mirrors and use the rearview to keep an eye on traffic behind us. This forced a level of zen–who cares if someone behind you is impatient, just drive your drive–that’s foreign to us. But in every other way, it left us solidly inside our comfort zone.

The Silverado EV is available only in the Crew Cab configuration. The RST trim has a 5-foot-11-inch bed with the Multi-Flex Midgate and Multi-Flex tailgate, which Chevy says combine to allow for just under 11 feet of load floor (10 feet and 10 inches, to be precise). We were truly surprised at how easy it was to fold and unfold the 60/40 split rear seats, to flip them up out of the way, and to open one or both portions of the midgate at a time. We were also surprised when the rear glass fell out in the process, but we probably should have seen that coming, and we certainly wouldn’t make that mistake twice if we were to buy the truck ourselves. Fortunately, it didn’t have far to fall, and as we were engaged in opening every latch we could find, we were right there to catch it. A tonneau cover is also available. We didn’t have the opportunity to put this to the test, but according to Chevy, it is waterproof in addition to being lockable.

The frunk, which Chevy calls the “eTrunk,” is also lockable and weatherproof. We liked that it sits lower than you might expect looking at the truck from the outside, making it easier for a shorter person to lift things into it. This shorter person can still speak to the legroom in the Silverado EV, thanks to the 6-foot-5-inch Chevrolet rep who rode along on our towing loop. He was able to sit comfortably behind his own driving position.

There are a few features we might tweak, given the opportunity. The Silverado EV has “hands-free start,” meaning that the responsibility of powering the vehicle on and off lies with the vehicle itself. We prefer to retain that level of control, personally. And while the fixed glass roof is elegant, there were times over the course of our sunny day with the truck that we wished for a good old-fashioned shade we could roll across it.

Our RST test truck was equipped with that trim’s standard 17-inch center infotainment touchscreen and 11-inch driver-information display. It also gets a Bose audio system and wireless charging for the money. The 4WT, meanwhile, comes with an 11-inch touchscreen and 7-inch digital gauge cluster. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, but so is Google Built-In, meaning we didn’t have to sync our phone to use Google Maps. It was easily accessible, and the voice-recognition component worked well.

A critical concern of any EV owner’s is, of course, charging. For public charging, Chevy estimates that the Silverado EV should be able to add roughly 100 miles of range in 10 minutes via DC fast charging. The automaker also notes that the MyChevrolet app gives owners access to more than 174,000 public chargers, according to Chevrolet. For charging at home, the company offers the GM Energy PowerShift charger. While this is convenient as a standalone accessory, it’s better when paired with the GM Energy V2H Enablement Kit’s bidirectional charging capability. The two products can work in tandem to automatically reverse the flow of energy and send it back from the truck into the house in the event of a power outage.

Seeing this in action was compelling. We watched as a Chevrolet product specialist cut the power to a 7,000-square-foot home and, less than a minute later, the Silverado EV stepped in to light the place back up and power it for the rest of the evening. The following day, the truck kept a full RV camping setup running for hours. We checked: Both the fridge and the freezer were cold.

The 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV we drove was, again, the First Edition RST. That bears repeating now as a preface to the price: $94,500, before destination. For reference, the ICE Silverado RST starts at $56,695, and that’s including destination. Full-size pickup trucks are expensive, but it’s clear electric power commands a premium at this moment in time. But should it cost an extra $40,000? True, EV battery packs must be expensive to produce: We’d hardly expect rare earth metals to be cheap, and cutting edge technology typically precedes efficiencies. But that’s the manufacturer’s business, not ours. From a consumer standpoint, all we can say is that even if electricity is cheap in your area, it’ll take years and years to break even compared to fueling the gas model.

There’s actually more we can say, and one thing we have a responsibility to touch on is how it measures up to the competition, which, in this brave new world, is still a relatively small field. Fully electric trucks are still few and far between, and those that have been out for some time of course have more available trims. It certainly wouldn’t be fair to compare the price of the Silverado EV First Edition RST to that of the Ford F-150 Lightning XLT ($62,995 before destination). But to the Ford’s Platinum trim, which clocks in at $84,995 before destination? That’s more comparable. It’s got a twin-panel moonroof, Blue Cruise, and DC fast charging. But Blue Cruise doesn’t work when towing, while Super Cruise does. The Silverado EV bests the F-150 Lightning on maximum towing capacity, too (10,000 pounds to 8,500) and on charging speeds (350 kW to 150). And the F-150 Lightning range is EPA-estimated at 300 miles. In other words, it can do a lot of what the Silverado EV can do, but over less distance (or with less time between charges). That combined with the agility of four-wheel steering will undoubtedly be worth the extra $10,000 to some shoppers. Others may prefer to wait for additional Silverado trims to come out before making the call.