2024 GMC Sierra EV review: a good electric truck that could be better

Stephen Edelstein / Digital Trends

Electric vehicles mightiness spell nan extremity for tailpipe emissions, but nan awesome United States automakers don’t want them to spell nan extremity for nan highly profitable full-size pickup trucks that are nan cornerstone of their business.

So it was inevitable that General Motors would motorboat a GMC Sierra EV to complement nan Chevrolet Silverado EV. Like its internal-combustion counterpart, nan Sierra EV is mechanically identical to its Chevy sibling, but features different styling a lineup that tilts much toward luxury and higher transaction prices. It besides makes GMC nan only U.S. marque pinch aggregate electrical pickups, arsenic nan Sierra EV shares showroom abstraction pinch nan GMC Hummer EV. Given GMC’s history arsenic one of nan first electrical truck-makers, it’s fitting that this sometimes-overlooked marque tin make that declare today.

The 2024 GMC Sierra EV arrives exclusively successful high-end Denali Edition 1 guise pinch a guidelines value of $99,945. That buys each characteristic connected nan menu, positive rarity, arsenic 2024-model-year accumulation is very limited. GMC plans to boost accumulation and capable retired nan lineup pinch different trim levels for 2025.

Design and interior

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GMC’s designers mixed futuristic styling pinch nan staggering bulk of modern full-size pickup trucks to create a conveyance that is proudly electrical while still catering to existing motortruck buyers, who are utilized to large vehicles. With its array of lights, including nan illuminated silhouette of a grille, glowing GMC logo, and fender lights, nan Sierra EV looks for illustration a life-size artifact truck. It besides looks much chopped from its internal-combustion counterpart than nan related Chevy Silverado EV.

Both nan Chevy and GMC trucks are clean-sheet designs based connected a wholly different architecture from internal-combustion trucks. While Ford repurposed existing bits to make nan F-150 Lightning, GM relied connected nan aforesaid constituent group arsenic its different EVs. So alternatively of a accepted ladder frame, nan Sierra EV has a unibody building much for illustration a rider car, pinch nan artillery battalion arsenic an integral portion of that structure.

This intends that, dissimilar nan internal-combustion Sierra, nan electrical exemplary is fundamentally locked into 1 assemblage style. But it’s nan astir celebrated 1 for pickups: a four-door unit cab. The Sierra EV’s 5.8-foot furniture besides matches nan shorter of nan 2 options for nan modular Sierra unit cab, pinch a mid-gate pass-through that allows nan bulkhead betwixt nan cab and furniture to beryllium lowered to make room for longer items. Introduced by GM successful nan early 2000s, this characteristic is awesome arsenic agelong arsenic you’re consenting to futz pinch movable panels and support an oculus connected your motortruck astatine each times, arsenic nan mid-gate leaves an unfastened abstraction betwixt nan cab and bed.

The Sierra EV looks for illustration a life-size artifact truck.

There’s not downside to nan Sierra EV’s frunk, arsenic covered retention abstraction is ever appreciated successful a pickup. The Sierra EV besides shares nan reconfigurable Multi-Pro tailgate pinch non-electric models. This tin beryllium opened partway to amended unafraid items that whitethorn bent retired past nan extremity of nan bed, aliases afloat for illustration a accepted tailgate.

Overall magnitude and wheelbase are akin to a comparably configured internal-combustion model, but our Denali Edition 1 trial motortruck was astir 2 inches wider. That still translates to little second-row headroom and legroom than a non-electric Sierra, however.

The interior itself is champion described arsenic austere luxury. GMC’s Denali trucks person mostly avoided nan cliché Western themes of different high-end trucks, giving their cabs a classier look. But, shorn of immoderate distinguishing features successful an effort astatine emblematic EV minimalism, nan Sierra EV Denali’s mostly-black interior didn’t person overmuch to make it consciousness special. And nan wide usage of integrative confirmed nan stereotype of chintzy GM interiors.

Tech, infotainment, and driver assist

Stephen Edelstein / Digital Trends

Interior materials whitethorn not rather unrecorded up to nan Denali billing, but this large motortruck astatine slightest gets a large surface to lucifer its sizeable size.

The 16.8-inch touchscreen fundamentally copies nan format of nan Ford F-150 Lightning, pinch image predisposition and a ample cardinal knob arsenic nan main analog touchpoint. GMC besides includes a statement of difficult buttons astatine nan bottommost arsenic well, which makes utilizing nan ambiance power a spot easier, and groups frequently-used icons for illustration navigation, audio, and nan location fastener astatine nan upper-left area of nan surface wherever it’s easy for nan driver to scope them. However, arsenic pinch different caller GM vehicles, nan headlight controls are only accessible via nan screen. You besides person to usage nan surface to move nan motortruck disconnected — and it’s easy to suffer way of some icons.

The wide usage of integrative confirmed nan stereotype of chintzy GM interiors.

An 11.0-inch integer instrumentality cluster and 14.0-inch heads-up show are besides standard, while nan infotainment strategy itself is Google-based. It includes built-in Google Maps, Google Assistant, and Google Play Store apps, overmuch for illustration nan systems that person been disposable successful Volvo and Polestar EVs for a fewer years now. But GM has opted not to see Apple CarPlay, aliases standalone Android Auto, pinch its systems. The Google services are besides subscription-based, though 2024 Sierra EVs travel pinch 8 years of connectivity.

For 2024, nan Sierra EV besides comes modular pinch expected driver immunodeficiency for illustration forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking (front and rear), and adaptive cruise control, positive nan hands-free Super Cruise highway-driving system. Super Cruise continues to impressment pinch its smoothness and reliability, though nan automated-lane alteration usability tin beryllium a spot over-eager. Super Cruise is besides a subscription-based item, pinch 3 years included successful this case.

Driving experience

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Like different electrical motortruck makers, GMC applied a large dollop of velocity and powerfulness to thief triumph complete skeptical customers. The Sierra EV Denali Edition 1’s dual-motor powertrain sends 754 horsepower and 785 pound-feet of torque to each 4 wheels. GMC estimates a zero to 60 mph clip of 4.5 seconds, astir nan aforesaid arsenic what Ford estimates for nan F-150 Lightning. But it’s good down nan 2.6-second clip Tesla claims for nan tri-motor Cyberbeast type of its Cybertruck, arsenic good arsenic astir versions of nan Rivian R1T.

None of these trucks request to beryllium that quick. Sports-car acceleration isn’t precisely a privilege for accepted motortruck buyers, aft all. And while it does get retired of its ain measurement nicely, nan Sierra EV’s immense size blunts nan subjective emotion of acceleration. It’ll still put a grin connected your face, but possibly a smaller 1 than nan spec expanse suggests.

In normal driving, speedy acceleration is besides nan Sierra EV’s only trick. When you’re not astonishing Porsche 911 drivers, nan driving acquisition is very overmuch for illustration immoderate different truck. The Sierra EV does not for illustration to alteration directions successful a hurry, and we noticed a astonishing magnitude of shuddering complete bumps considering that this isn’t a traditionally-built motortruck pinch a abstracted frame. The Denali Edition 1 version’s modular aerial suspension did astatine slightest supply comfortable thrust moreover pinch nan monolithic 24-inch wheels that are besides modular connected this model.

The driving acquisition is very overmuch for illustration immoderate different truck.

Four-wheel steering is besides modular connected nan Denali Edition 1, but while it makes parking-lot maneuvering a batch easier it doesn’t do overmuch astatine higher speeds. The four-wheel steering strategy besides enables nan CrabWalk characteristic from nan GMC Hummer EV, allowing nan Sierra EV to thrust diagonally astatine debased speeds. It’s decidedly fun, but we can’t deliberation of a practical, real-world exertion for this. You decidedly won’t beryllium CrabWalking done your regular commute.

Any concerns astir stopping a big, dense pickup pinch nan horsepower of a supercar were erased by nan Sierra EV’s regenerative braking system. GMC offers normal, strong, and disconnected settings, pinch nan normal mounting much than capable for regular use. We hardly had to touch nan brake pedal. Like different GM EVs, nan Sierra besides lets nan driver temporarily telephone up further regen pinch a steering-wheel paddle, a spot for illustration utilizing nan motor braking successful a combustion vehicle.

GMC estimates astir 10,000 pounds of towing capacity for 2024 Sierra EV models, matching nan Ford F-150 Lightning and exceeding nan 7,500 pounds of nan Sierra’s GMC Hummer EV stablemate. The Rivian R1T and Tesla Cybertruck tin some tow up to 11,000 pounds, but successful each cases, towing specified dense loads pinch an EV tin beryllium tricky fixed nan constricted number of charging stations that tin accommodate a motortruck and trailer.

Range and charging

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In Denali Edition 1 trim, nan Sierra EV offers a GM-estimated 440 miles of range. But that’s achieved pinch an tremendous 205-kilowatt-hour artillery pack, not done efficiency. We averaged astir 2.0 miles per kWh complete a week of driving.

A large artillery battalion and an inefficient conveyance adjacent troublesome charging logistics. The Sierra EV is tin of 350-kilowatt DC accelerated charging, which tin get nan battalion up to nan modular 80% complaint successful a comparable clip to different EVs nether perfect conditions. But that’s assuming you tin find 1 of nan much powerful 350kW stations. At a little powerful station, it’s going to return a batch longer to refill truthful overmuch artillery capacity. And while it whitethorn beryllium imaginable to usage nan Sierra EV without moving nan artillery down excessively acold astir of nan time, towing will deplete that scope a batch faster.

Keeping it topped up whitethorn beryllium a chore, but nan battalion does supply plentifulness of capacity for powering tools, electronics, aliases thing other you mightiness request astatine a occupation tract aliases campy tract pinch nan Onboard Power Station Pro system. This provides up to 10.2kW of offboard power, and GM is now trading home-energy systems that fto owners link EVs to a stationary backup artillery for usage during powerfulness outages.

How DT would configure this car

Stephen Edelstein / Digital Trends

The 2024 GMC Sierra EV is only disposable successful fully-loaded Denali Edition 1 form, but that’s astir to alteration for nan 2025 exemplary year. In summation to nan Denali, which starts astatine $91,995 for 2025 pinch a smaller artillery battalion that still affords 390 miles of range, GMC is adding AT4 off-road and entry-level Elevation models that will apt beryllium cheaper still.

These lower-priced models bring nan Sierra EV much successful statement pinch different electrical trucks, but customers will person to beryllium very committed to nan GMC marque to take a Sierra EV complete nan others. Like nan internal-combustion Sierra, nan Sierra EV has to contend pinch a mechanically-identical Chevy Silverado related offering each of nan aforesaid features, albeit pinch different styling that’s not arsenic interesting.

Buyers who want a accepted full-size pickup that conscionable happens to beryllium electrical should besides see nan Ford F-150 Lightning, arsenic nan Sierra’s EV-specific creation doesn’t abstracted it that overmuch from nan much old-school Ford. The Rivian R1T and Tesla Cybertruck connection much imaginative takes connected what an electrical pickup tin be, though nan Tesla’s compromised creation and myriad build-quality issues make it much of a showpiece than a regular driver.

The Sierra EV falls location successful betwixt those trucks. It has nan look and engineering of a dedicated EV, but nan consciousness of a accepted pickup. Despite nan effort that went into its design, it seems much focused connected keeping existing customers happy and keeping an existing marque applicable than doing thing genuinely caller aliases groundbreaking.