2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

A stalwart among full-size pickups, the Chevy Silverado entered its fourth generation in 2019, but the totally updated responses from Ram (also in 2019) and Ford (in 2020) offered more tech, better interiors and less controversial styling, stealing Chevy’s thunder. In 2022, the Bowtie brand responded with major improvements in tech and capability. Last year the Silverado gained a 13.4-inch touchscreen and available Super Cruise semi-autonomous highway driving assist, along with a beautifully updated available interior. This year adds the ZR2 Bison, adding heavier off-road armor to the last year’s trail-ready ZR2. 

The Silverado 1500 is one of the top three trucks in sales in this segment, where it trades paint with Ram 1500 for second place behind the Ford F-150—though if you were to lump the Silverado together with corporate platform-mate GMC Sierra 1500, the GM trucks outsell even the Ford by a wide margin. All of them are facing off against the recently-updated Toyota Tundra, while Nissan’s fading Titan is the odd man out. The Silverado is in line with its segment size-wise, ranging from 211 inches in length for the shorty regular cab work truck (WT) to a yacht-like 242 inches for the longest crew-cab model. 

Like all domestic trucks, the Silverado comes in a dizzying array of trims and configurations. A single-row “Regular Cab” can only be had as base WT trim, but can be combined with either the short (5.8-foot) or long (8.2-foot) pickup bed. The Double Cab (smaller four-door) and Crew Cab (larger four-door) can be variously configured with the long or “standard” (6.6-foot) bed, with availability delimited by trim—the ZR2, for example, only comes as a Crew Cab with a short bed; and the nicely-proportioned Double Cab can only be optioned on the four lowest trims.

Beyond the fleet-spec WT, the nine other trims include the Custom, Custom Trail Boss, LT, RST, LT Trail Boss, LTZ, High Country, ZR2 and ZR2 Bison. The High Country is a genuine luxury machine offering the same kind of appointments found on the Tahoe and Suburban High Country models, and it’s the version of the Silverado that offers the optional Super Cruise system. All trims are available in rear-wheel or four-wheel drive (4WD) except the ZR2s and the Trail Boss, which are 4WD only. 

Standard power is furnished by a 310-horsepower 2.7-liter high-output turbocharged four-cylinder, which last year received a bump to a stout 430 pound-feet of torque. A 5.3-liter V8 is the volume engine, making 355 hp and 383 lb-ft. This year it was the 3.0L inline-six turbodiesel’s turn for a power upgrade, so it now makes 305 hp and 495 lb-ft torque. Topping the range is a 6.2-liter V8 making 420 hp and 460 lb-ft that can be optioned in the RST and above. The 6.2 is standard on the ZR2 and ZR2 Bison. 

Within its highly-competitive segment, the Silverado has typically lagged in cabin quality and tech: interiors had a well-deserved reputation for cheap plastic. GM also hasn’t always been the quickest to market with popular features like adaptive cruise control, big touchscreens and standard active safety tech. Chevy has aimed to rectify all that in recent years, particularly with its 2022 refresh. The result is a well-rounded truck whose cabin feels like it’s caught up with the rest of the vehicle, along with the advanced tech to make it appeal to gadget-savvy shoppers as well as traditional truck fans.

Performance: 12/15

The Silverado’s quartet of powerplants provide impressive performance across the spectrum, and each engine has its specific charms. The torquey turbocharged 2.7-liter base engine is surprisingly quick for a four-cylinder in such a big rig. The intermediate 5.3-liter V8 provides the linear grunt of a traditional pushrod V8 without the considerable gas bill of the top-dog 6.2. 

The 3.0-liter turbodiesel six is a slow burn off the line, but its ultra-smooth operation and impressive towing capability make it an appealing choice. And finally, the 6.2-liter V8 takes about a second less to get to 60 mph than the smaller V8 and sounds great doing it. 

The Silverado boasts pleasant manners on the road, with quick, controlled steering that helps it handle like a much smaller vehicle. The regular Silverado suspension can yield a bit of a choppy ride compared to the smoother F-150 and Ram 1500—opt for the ZR2, however, and the Multimatic spool-valve dampers iron out road roughness and potholes without sacrificing handling control. Even the ZR2 version feels surprisingly civilized even moving in fast traffic.

That ZR2 also excels on the trail, and has the most serious off-road hardware of any Silverado. There are front and rear locking differentials, heavy-duty skid-plates, scads of suspension travel, 33-inch mud-terrain tires, a Terrain mode that enables one-pedal rock crawls, and the aforementioned Multimatics that turn the most rutted trails into a Sunday drive. The two Trail Boss trims, which get a 2-inch lift, Rancho off-road shocks, hill-descent control and terrain tires, are a less-costly off-road option.

Another area where the Silverado shines is towing, with a 13,300-pound maximum capacity (achieved by both the 6.2-liter V8 and the Diesel six) that’s right in between the F-150’s 14,000-pound max and the Ram 1500’s 12,750. Even the lesser engines are stout haulers: the 5.3 can lug up to 11,500 pounds, and the 2.7 up to 9,500. 

Fuel Economy: 10/15

Even with this year’s increased power, the Silverado’s diesel scores high on fuel economy, getting an EPA-estimated 26 mpg combined including up to 29 on the highway. That’s comparable to Ram’s EcoDiesel (26 combined) and Ford’s gas-electric hybrid F-150 (25). However, not having a hybrid is a liability for the Silverado: its all-gas base 2.7, with its 20 combined mpg, falls short of both the F-150 hybrid and Ram’s entry-level E-torque Pentastar V6 (22 combined). 

At the other end of the spectrum, Chevy’s 6.2L is just as thirsty as competitor’s top V8s, and performs worst in the ZR2 with its sticky mud-terrain tires, getting just 15 mpg combined. The stealth fuel-economy gem might actually be the 5.3L V8, which is rated for 18 mpg combined (17 with 4WD), but in real-world driving is often found to perform even better. 

Safety and Driver Assistance Tech: 9/15

The Silverado only earns four out of five stars in NHTSA’s crash-safety testing, with dings against passenger-side front impact and rollover resistance taking its score below the five stars earned by the F-150. IIHS results are similar, with a “Good” rating overall but a “Marginal” on the small front overlap test for the passenger side.

Standard active safety tech on the Silverado includes forward collision alerts, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keep assist and departure alert, a following-distance indicator, and auto highbeams. However, common assists like adaptive cruise control and parking-proximity warnings, along with much of Chevy’s impressive tow tech, can only be added at higher trims. GM’s Super Cruise semi-autonomous highway-driving assist is excellent, but can only be optioned on top High Country trim.

Though it isn’t strictly “safety equipment,” advanced trailer-towing tech abounds, including hitch guidance, a “transparent trailer” camera view that enables you to see the road behind you, and a trailering app that allows you to monitor crucial metrics on multiple trailer profiles.

Comfort and Room: 13/15

The spacious Silverado offers plenty of room to stretch out in both rows. Seats are massive yet well-bolstered, and at higher trims are up to 10-way power-adjustable. Heated front seats and steering wheel are standard on the mid-grade LT trim on up, though ventilation can be had on the three top trims only. Heated rear seats are standard on ZR2 and High Country, but ventilated rears aren’t available—you’d need to look to the Ram 1500 or Toyota Tundra for that. 

Dual-zone automatic climate control is standard only on LT trim and above, and the second row doesn’t get a dedicated bank of climate controls at any trim, but other than that the rear seating area is supremely comfortable, including for taller passengers. While there’s no panoramic sunroof option, a notch-out in the ceiling in its place allows even more headroom in this already spacious cabin. 

Infotainment: 13/15

A 12.3-inch all-digital gauge cluster is standard on LT and above, as is the beautiful 13.4-inch main infotainment touchscreen. The included Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are wireless, and Google Built-In is also onboard, enabling seamless access to features like Maps and Assistant. GM’s infotainment interface is unimpeachable, with its intuitive menus and quick responses. The Silverado’s camera system is just as good, and features a multitude of views at higher trims specifically aimed at making trailering and off-roading easier. 

All trims below LT get the analog gauges and the puny touchscreen out of the old Silverado, but even this standard 7-incher runs an earlier version of the same Chevrolet Infotainment 3 interface, and also gets (wired) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It’s not modern, but other than looking impossibly tiny within the truck’s massive dash it’s not a bad experience.

Cargo Space and Storage: 14/15

In every configuration, the Silverado has the biggest beds in the business. Even the 70-inch “short box,” feels gargantuan due to its yawning width and depth. Two bumper corner-steps and twelve tie-down loops come standard, and LED bed-lighting, 110v outlet and a power up-and-down tailgate can be optioned. But this bed’s coup de grace is of course GM’s six-way configurable tailgate, where a separately-hinged notch-out can be opened up to provide a bed extender, folded flat to use as a work surface, or unfurled downward to provide a bed step, among other things.

Storage is plentiful inside the cabin as well, with huge door pockets and a center console compartment that looks like it could swallow a small child. Hidden cubby storage is a Silverado strong point, and includes secret cupboards concealed within the rear seatbacks in crew-cab models, as well as a bonus second glovebox behind the dash. Also in the crew cab, the rear seat-bottoms fold up to reveal a small and non-locking but usable storage corral. 

Style and Design: 7/10

The Silverado retains the boxy, brawny looks that have always made it a winner, but with a handful of modernizing cues that keep it from appearing frumpy among the futuristic-looking rigs that are proliferating today. But other than a squintier front fascia and some tastefully-placed LED highlights on the higher trims, it’s instantly recognizable as a Silverado. 

Higher Silverado trims got a big interior redesign last year that vanquished the shrimpy touchscreen, throwback analog gauges, and tacky textiles of the old Silverado, and brought in more grown-up style and higher-end finishes—though astonishingly, trims below the LT still get the old truck’s interior. On higher trims, the slick new screens certainly help class up the joint, and do it without stealing space from the sensible physical knobs and buttons that are still in abundance. The only off-notes are the annoying electronic nub of a shifter and some slightly cheap-feeling materials.

Is the 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Worth It? Which Silverado is the best Value?

With its $37,345 starting price, the Silverado is competitive among its immediate peers. However, as base trims don’t reap any benefit from last year’s redesign, the Silverado doesn’t start being “worth it” until you move up to the $47,245 LT trim. At this price point, you get the new interior with the two beautiful screens, a 10-way powered driver seat, keyless ignition, LED bed lighting, a trailering package and camera-based hitch guidance. 

However, get the LT as a crew cab, with 4WD and anything other than the 2.7L engine and it becomes a $56K-plus truck.

At its $71,845 starting price, the Silverado ZR2 offers great value for its legitimate off-road capability, especially when compared with more hyperbolic off-roaders like the F-150 Raptor (starting at $78,570) and Ram 1500 TRX ($82,385). It also beats its GMC stablemate, the Sierra AT4X, which is basically the same truck as the ZR2 but with Super Cruise for $8,000 more. 

Those targeting milder outdoor adventures would be well satisfied with the LT Trail Boss, which combines the bennies of the LT trim with a more simplified four-wheeling package. Option one with the 2.7L and you have a decently-capable wilderness rig for $52,545, even if it’s hard to pass up the ZR2’s Multimatic shocks. 

Move up to the $62,845 High Country and you unlock features that aren’t available at lesser trims, like front and rear park assist and Super Cruise hands-free highway drive assistance. A lot of the best stuff has to be added via option packages, but doesn’t balloon the Silverado’s price unreasonably: optioned with 4WD, the 6.2L V8, a power sunroof, rear camera mirror, Super Cruise, heads-up display, power-retractable sidesteps, and a few bundled extras, you’re at $77,525, which is about $10K less than an F-150 Limited with nothing added. 

How Much Does it Cost to Insure the 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?

The Chevrolet Silverado is about average among its competitors in terms of insurance costs. According to our data, a typical 30-year-old female driver with a clean record can expect an average annual premium of $2,244, though this averages all 50 states. That compares to $2,190 for the Ram 1500, $2,274 for the GMC Sierra 1500, $2,206 for the Ford F-150 and $2,565 for the Nissan Titan. To get a more accurate picture of your potential insurance expenses, visit our car insurance calculator.