Last year, Chevrolet debuted the Silverado EV, a massive pickup with the longest range of any electric truck on the market. But the Silverado EV’s RST First Edition for the launch only came in black or white, with massive 24-inch wheels, and the pricing nearly doubled up on GM’s original promises. Meanwhile, base-spec WT variants were initially available only to fleet buyers.
For 2025, Chevy has expanded the Silverado EV lineup to include the LT trim, which splits the gap between WT and RST in terms of both pricing and performance. I recently tested an LT equipped with the Extended Range package on the city streets and highways around Los Angeles to find out whether the claimed 390 miles of range holds up in real-world driving, and whether the ride quality improves from a set of smaller 22-inch wheels.
Silverado RST versus LT
The RST’s 205-kilowatt-hour battery pack allowed for 440 miles of claimed range, though I achieved a borderline unbelievable 480 miles on a full charge while driving at freeway speeds on a hot day. Meanwhile, later last year, Tesla opened up the nationwide Supercharger network to General Motors electric vehicles, which truly makes a huge difference in the lifestyle shift required to switch to an EV pickup.
The RST’s suspension struggled to deal with the weight of such a huge battery combined with features including a midgate, large front trunk and rear-wheel steering—all of which contributed to a curb weight of almost 8,800 pounds. Even with substantial airbag suspension to absorb rougher roads, the RST clunked around due to the 24-inch wheels and minimal sidewall flex from thin eco-friendly tires.
Originally a style choice, those wheels started out as the only available option, but to their credit, Chevrolet listened to the critics and eventually decided to sell the RST with 22-inch wheels, as well. Rather than revisit the same truck on different wheels and tires, however, I decided to try out an LT with a 170-kWh battery that allows for an EPA-estimated 390 miles of range.
The LT puts out up to 645 horsepower and 765 lb-ft of instantaneously available torque in Wide Open Watts mode, but real-world range probably matters more than acceleration to most truck buyers. Over the course of freeway and highway driving—while admittedly facing a stiff headwind most of the time—the LT performed well, though not nearly as impressively as the RST. I ran through 283 miles of claimed range, or 69% of the battery, to drive just 178 miles.
Charging at a Tesla Station
Luckily, I then found a Tesla Supercharger and added 112 miles of charge in 28 minutes. The Supercharger fell well short of the Silverado EV’s capacity for a 300-kilowatt charge rate, which I’ve only come anywhere close to at an Electrify America charger. And Tesla’s electrons also cost $34.12 for the 59.9 kilowatt-hours, or in internal-combustion terms, the equivalent of just 13 mpg assuming an average gasoline price of $4 per gallon.
Spending time with the Silverado EV LT once again reinforced my impression that America’s current infrastructure requires EV owners to use a home charger setup to top up their cars at the lowest rates. At least the Silverado EV LT kept me swaddled in comfort for the drive, with roomy seats, large screens, a cavernous center console and also GM’s impressive Super Cruise hands-free driving system.
Priced at $73,100 before options, the LT’s interior materials make somewhat more sense compared to an RST that can easily eclipse six figures. And the 22-inch wheels do significantly improve the ride quality, especially for the hard impacts over speed bumps and on graded gravel roads. Though still not quite pillowy, by any means, since Chevy can’t cheat the limits of sheer physics. At least rear-axle steering further contributes to easier city driving, where the 10.7-cubic-foot front trunk also provides more secure storage.
I’d still spec a Silverado EV with the WT’s 18-inch wheels and the Max Range package, which on a WT results in an industry-best 492 miles of range. Meanwhile, the LT should qualify for $7,500 tax rebates, though any certainty for that remains something of a mystery in the current political climate.
Even factoring in the government incentives, the electric Silverado LT represents a big step up in price versus the internal-combustion LT that starts at $48,100. There’s also the concern about the copious rare-earth minerals required to produce so much battery capacity. Still, the Silverado EV certainly represents an impressive engineering feat that establishes Chevrolet and General Motors at the forefront of the electric pickup truck market, for now.