The pickup market is rapidly evolving, and is now seeing historically dominant names in traditional pickups—Chevrolet, Ford, GMC, and Ram (Dodge)—taking the EV plunge among start-ups Rivian and Tesla, and bringing memories of familiar utility to the marketplace, but with a modern twist.
The thing about pickups is that they have historically worked hard to earn reputations, but relatively new electric vehicle rosters play by a set of rules that aren’t always sporting to certain vehicle segments, For example, heavy-duty performance tends to deplete batteries more quickly, which may tend to limit the time a pickup can put into the workday.
For pickup truck owners, range is often a necessity, as many rely on their trucks for daily commuting, job-site duties, hauling and towing, and sometimes, long-distance travel. Smaller EVs are often designed for city use, but electric pickups need to balance that urban efficiency with heavy-duty performance, and this one does it far better than the rest.
In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from various manufacturer websites and other authoritative sources, including the EPA, Edmunds, and Motor Trend.
The Max Range Chevrolet Silverado EV Work Truck stands atop the electric pickup range standings with an EPA-estimated 492 miles of range—making it the longest-range electric truck available today, though there are some interesting developments coming as early as 2025, but more on that later.
In a segment with only a handful of competitors, range becomes a critical selling point, and Chevrolet has pushed the limits of what an electric truck can achieve. The full-size electric pickup field is small, with just five other contenders at the moment: the Ford F-150 Lightning, GMC Sierra EV and Hummer EV pickup, Rivian R1T and Tesla Cybertruck.
While each of these trucks offers unique strengths, none match the Silverado EV’s ability to travel nearly 500 miles on a charge, although the coming Ram 1500 REV says it will.
For independent contractors, tradespeople, and local delivery services, a pickup’s ability to keep moving is highly important, and if those service providers want to save money in and around the urban landscape, it’s critical. So, an electric pickup helps lower the travel budget substantially, but it has to be able to keep moving all day without charging.
Then, there’s long-distance travel—driving between job sites across town, picking up rental equipment and supplies, or making deliveries dozens or scores of miles away. A truck with nearly 500 miles of range, such as the Chevrolet Silverado EV WT, ensures that the electric pickup can power through a busy schedule without recharging.
For those who use their pickups for long-distance pick-ups and deliveries, or for weekend adventures, the range is naturally important, but towing and loading up has a tendency to wear away at range like global warming on an Antarctic ice-shelf. So, a pickup like the Chevrolet Silverado EV, with its class-leading 492-mile range, insulates itself better.
Hauling around tools and parts, towing heavy equipment, even if it’s only from the rental depot to the job-site and back again, and even loading up the bed with recreational equipment can impact range by an estimated 30% to 50%, depending on load and conditions. Even a 50-percent dent in its range, though, leaves the Silverado with enough range to finish the work-day, or get it to the campsite.
The Chevrolet Silverado has long been a cornerstone of the full-size truck market, revered for its durability, capability, and strong work ethic. Over its history, the Silverado (and the C/K before it) has earned a reputation for powerful engines that return solid towing and payload numbers, in line with an all-encompassing approach to truck ownership.
And like its rivals at Ford, Ram, and Toyota, Silverado owners are a loyal bunch, valuing the truck’s reliability and practicality. So just like the Toyota Tundra and its hybrid powertrain, the Chevrolet Silverado can’t just be a good electric pickup; it has to be a good pickup … that just happens to be electric.
Using GM’s advanced Ultium skateboard-like electric platform means the Chevrolet Silverado EV lacks the traditional body-on-frame truck design that has historically symbolized ruggedness. However, the Silverado EV embraces modern automotive-market technology and innovative features, such as a practical midgate and high-tech features, for a new take on tough performance. The Silverado EV stays true to Chevy’s truck legacy by emphasizing capability while pushing the brand into the future of electrification, and each trim balances range, power, and price to meet different pickup-buyer needs.
Like their traditional ICE ancestors, the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra EVs use a shared platform—in this case, General Motors’ Ultium platform that was first used by the GMC Hummer EV, in SUV and pickup bodystyles, but it uses it to showcase off-road superiority, with 1,000s of lb-ft of torque but little more than 315 miles of range.
The 2025 Chevrolet Silverado EV currently leads the electric pickup segment with its 492-mile EPA-estimated range, but the upcoming Ram 1500 REV threatens to take the title. Ram claims its extended-range version will exceed 500 miles, which would set the two far ahead of what other electric pickups currently deliver.
Beyond the GMC Sierra mentioned earlier, the next best range belongs to the Rivian R1T Max and the three are the only choices that get better than 300 miles of range from their electric powertrain. Both the Tesla Cybertruck and the Ford F-150 Lightning are below 350, with the latter barely edging out the GMC Hummer and topping 300 miles.
The Rivian R1T balances range, efficiency, and performance to appeal to adventure-seekers. It makes oodles of power and excels in off-road capability, but its 420-mile range means adventures may have to stay closer to home. A quad-motor option is on the way, sometime in 2025, which will make the next R1T one of the most powerful EV trucks.
You would think the wedge profile of the Tesla Cybertruck would aid its energy efficiency and, as a result, expand its range between charges, but whatever gains it offers are minimal, and the boldly-designed Cybertruck falls well short of the electric pickup leaders. It does, however, outpower most of the others.
The Ford F-150 Lightning brings electrification to America’s best-selling truck, but barely surpasses the 300-mile range marker, even with the extended-range battery. However, it does have a price and the F-150 looks and cachet to fall back on, and that combination may be enough to sway Ford loyalists.
The Chevrolet Silverado EV currently leads the electric pickup market in range, offering an EPA-estimated 492 miles—far beyond that of its historically prime rival, the Ford F-150 (whose Lightning is estimated to manage just 320 miles). There aren’t many other electric pickup choices, with the GMC Sierra EV, Rivian R1T, Tesla Cybertruck, and GMC Hummer EV Pickup the only current players.
However, the electric pickup landscape is evolving, and the upcoming Ram 1500 REV may or may not exceed 500 miles of range (depending on who you listen to), which could relegate the Silverado EV to backup status, unless the latter responds with improved battery size or technology. It will also be interesting to see how smaller pickups respond to the challenge.
The other wildcard would be further development of the charging infrastructure, which would render the need to go farther between battery top-ups less meaningful. However, that future is uncertain under the current U.S. administration. For now, though, Chevrolet Silverado EV owners enjoy the longest single-charge capability, making it the best option for long-haul drivers, contractors, and adventurers who rely on a pickup’s ability to bypass “fueling” stops.
2025-03-11T04:11:32Z