That’s right! You’ve got the Chevrolet Silverado EV and its GMC Sierra EV cousin, along with Hummer EV pickups. And there’s also the Rivian R1T, the Ford F-150 Lightning and the Tesla Cybertruck.
We recently enjoyed a test drive of the upscale and high-tech Sierra EV.
Seemingly it can do just about anything! It can tow 10,500 pounds. And GMC’s CrabWalk feature turns the rear wheels the same direction as the front wheels to laterally move the truck sideways. Even more, it can act as an emergency power generator for your house for up to 21 days with GM’s PowerShift home charger!
And GM designers found a way to overcome the shortcoming of every other electric pickup on the market! Because all other EVs short-bed body styles, utility is limited. Sierra EV is also a short-bed truck, with 5 feet, 11 inches of length from bulkhead to tailgate. But it comes with a MultiPro MidGate, which lets you fold down the bulkhead to extend the load length. Folded down, the bed stretches to 9 feet, 1 inch, or nearly 11 feet if you lower the tailgate and use the built-in load-stop. Or you can only fold half of the bulkhead to retain a rear passenger seat. To carry taller loads, you can remove the rear glass as well.
It is powered by dual electric motors for full-time four-wheel drive
The Extended Range version of the 2025 Sierra EV has a tag of $91,995. It gets an EPA-estimated 390 miles of range while delivering 645 horsepower. And our Max Range tester had a six-figure tag. But it bests all other EV trucks with a 460 miles of range and 760 hp. Either choice gets you 784 lb-ft of torque. The Sierra EV is initially only available in luxed-up Denali trims. But a less expensive Elevation model is expected soon, along with a more off-road-ready AT4.
Regenerative braking maximizes the Sierra EV’s driving range. And when you do need to charge, the 800-volt battery uses a 350-kW charging station to add 100 miles of range in as little as 10 minutes under the right conditions.
Other than the regenerative breaking, Sierra EV’s drive is similar to the GMC’s gas-powerd pickups.
Adaptive air suspension adjusts ride height depending on the drive mode — Normal, Off-Road, Max Power, Tow/Haul or a customizable My Mode. And Sierra’s four-wheel steering helps tighten up the turning circle.
Denali features include open-pore wood grain on the dash, better sound insulation for a quieter highway ride, and leather seats. The steering wheel is heated, and front seat heaters integrate with the climate control system.
A large 16.8-inch touchscreen dominates the center of the dash. Google Maps and voice commands all work well. And you can drag and drop frequently used items to a dock at the top of the screen. The instrument panel is an 11-inch screen with multiple driver-selectable functions. There’s also a 14-inch head-up display. One drawback that most hope the GM decision-makers will change in the future, its that you can’t get Apple CarPlay in the Sierra EV.
The Sierra EV Denali comes with a wide array of driver assistance technologies such as a surround-view camera system, blind-spot warning. And move over Tesla–GM’s Super Cruise hands-free highway driving function is garnering much attention!
The Bottom Line:
Despite the high price, the Sierra EV Denali makes a good case for itself as a luxury electric truck.
