2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

The pickup truck wars have been raging for decades in the United States, and, despite selling more when you combine Chevrolet and GMC sales, GM’s trucks don’t quite match up to Ford’s or Ram’s in several key areas. Even so, the Chevrolet Silverado has been upgraded for the 2021 model year with the trick multifunction tailgate previously seen on the GMC Sierra and some awesome trailering tech. 

Though the Silverado and its sister, the GMC Sierra, were just redesigned for the 2019 model year, they’re both now facing off against an award-winning Ram and all-new Ford F-150 for 2021. That puts them behind the eight ball right out of the gate, as the Ram’s interior is all but luxury-level nice, and Ford offers several innovative features, as well as a fuel-sipping hybrid powertrain. 

The Silverado comes in a huge array of configurations, with eight trims ranging from the Work Truck (WT), which starts at $30,595, including destination charges, to the top-spec High Country at $55,495. There are regular cab, double cab, and crew cab configurations and four bed lengths, though the regular cab and eight-foot bed, once mainstream but endangered species in 2021, come only on the WT.

Similarly, Chevy offers an encyclopedia of options for the Silverado. That means that most models can be upgraded in various ways with larger infotainment screens, all-weather protection, driver assistance features and more. That high level of customization makes the truck ideal for buyers that want to home in on the perfect truck, but it can be confusing to decipher what you’re actually getting with some features and it can jack up the price.

The list of powertrains is large too, including everything from a 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, a 3.0-liter turbodiesel, a 4.3-liter V6 that’s WT-trim only and two different V8s. Depending on the engine, the truck gets one of three transmissions: A six-speed auto, an eight-speed auto or a ten-speed auto. Silverados are rear-wheel drive by default, but four-wheel drive is optional.

While it might seem counterintuitive to equip a full-size pickup with a four-cylinder engine, the four-banger under the Silverado’s hood can deliver up to 9,300 pounds of towing. Even the big V8s feature cylinder deactivation tech to help save fuel while also offering up to 13,300 pounds of towing brawn. Curiously, that’s down 100 pounds from 2020.

The Silverado’s gas engines return generally average or below average fuel economy, but the turbodiesel offers a combined 27 mpg in rear-wheel drive form. That’s more fuel-efficient than Ford’s hybrid F-150, though its max tow rating is slightly lower.

Though it tops the Ram on towing ability overall, the Silverado lags the F-150’s 14,000-pound maximum rating. It’s also a little more capable than its Sierra sister, which tops out at 11,800 pounds.

No matter what’s under the hood, the Silverado rides like a work truck. It does just fine on the highway and over smooth roads, but rough pavement can make it feel unsettled and jittery. That sensation also translates to noise, where more sounds from the tires and wind make their way into the Silverado’s cabin than in its competition. The top-spec High Country can add the adaptive magnetic suspension previously exclusive to GMC’s Sierra Denali, which smoothes things out.

That work truck feel continues inside, where the Silverado’s cabin is a mix of low-rent and upscale materials. This is especially pronounced in higher trims, where rich materials like leather intersect with hard plastics. Both Ford and Ram do a better job of concealing their trucks’ utilitarian underpinnings.

Despite that, top trims like the LTZ and High Country get soft leather upholstery and upscale-looking materials that do a better job of hiding what’s underneath. The cabin, in all its forms, is a comfortable place to spend time, and features generous head and leg room–even in the back seat. The Silverado’s quad and crew cabs compare well on rear-seat space with Ford and Ram. Small-item storage, and storage in general, are more than adequate, and should keep a family happy for the long haul.

Chevy also scores a big win with its infotainment system. Every model gets a touchscreen that runs Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (with wireless version now available), while most can be upgraded with an 8.0-inch unit and Bose sound system. Navigation is available, but most people will be happy with the included smartphone interfaces, and Chevrolet’s infotainment software is among the easiest to use in the business. Wireless phone charging is also available for 2021.

Trucks are hit-or-miss with safety scores, and Silverado is no exception. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety scored it Good in most categories, but Marginal for small overlap front passenger side crash tests. The truck also scored a Poor rating for its headlights.

In true American truck fashion, nearly everything on the Silverado is optional, including safety equipment. Out of the box, there’s not much.  The truck can be equipped with forward collision warnings, automatic emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alerts, lane departure warnings and lane keep assist, but you need to spring for the higher trims for some of these features, where they are still mostly added-cost extras.

Similarly, the Silverado sports an excellent trailer assistance suite with up to 15 camera views. For 2021, this comprehensive system gets a bed view enhancement for 5^th-wheel trailering, a jack-knife alert and a trailer length indicator. The system does make towing safer and easier, but like the best driver-assist gear, it’s an extra cost option confined to the higher trims.