Deja Vu: The 2026 Chevrolet Silverado EV Trail Boss Max Range

Mike Hagerty
11 minutes ago
3 min read

If it seems like I just wrote about a big GM electric pickup truck in off-road trim, you're right.

Press fleet scheduling is a wondrous thing, and close on the heels of my review of the GMC Sierra EV AT4 Max Range we now have the Chevrolet Silverado EV Trail Boss Max Range.

2026 Chevrolet Silverado EV rear 3/4 view

Chevrolet and GMC have been selling (slightly) different versions of the same pickup trucks for 90-ish years, and the formula is the same for its electric trucks.

The Chevy Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV are basically the same machine, Trail Boss is Chevy's off-road trim while AT4 is GMC's, and Max Range is the powertrain offering the longest EPA-estimated range per charge (478 miles per charge for the GMC, 493 for the Chevrolet).

In Wide Open Watts (WOW) mode, the Silverado EV Trail Boss Max Range has 760 horsepower and 775 lb-ft of torque on tap, with that power and that range made possible the same way as the GMC---good old-fashioned American bigness. A 205 kWh battery pack that by itself weighs 3,000 pounds, contributing mightily to the curb weight of 8,464 pounds.

The Chevy's max towing capacity is 12,500 pounds, but Tim Esterdahl at Pickup Truck + SUV Talk used the GMC to tow his 7,000-pound camping trailer and found the range cut in half.

As with the GMC, the Chevy provides a comfy cabin with abundant space. The biggest differences are in interior design, with the GMC choosing a small-ish instrument screen and a large, portrait-oriented center touchscreen, while the Chevy goes for the seamless one-piece look (although it is technically still two separate screens).

GMC makes the panoramic glass roof standard, while Chevy offers it as a $1,500 option---money that my dermatologist would urge me to save by saying no.

The price difference between the GMC and the Chevy is $3,000, with the GMC starting at $89,600 and the Chevy at $86,600. But the actual difference is only $2,500, because Chevrolet inexplicably charges $500 more for destination ($2,595 vs $2,095).

And because destination charges, like death and taxes, are not optional, the Chevy really starts at $89,195.

That money buys a healthy list of standard equipment (see the window sticker at the end of this review).

Our test vehicle also had some extra-cost options---a hard-folding truck bed cover ($1,950), the panoramic glass roof ($1,500), an NACS adapter, allowing use of the Tesla Supercharger network ($275) and all-weather floor liners ($265).

That puts the bottom line on the window sticker at $93,185. The $3,000 price difference between the Chevy and the GMC ends up only being $1,530 because of the higher Chevy destination fee and the fact that GMC makes the bed cover and the glass roof standard.

What neither offer, not even as extra-cost options, are Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. GM continues with its decision to remove those popular interfaces from its vehicles and polls indicate that could cost them customers.

Let me sum up with a quote from the GMC Sierra EV AT4 Max Range review:

At this moment, at least in this country, electric vehicles in general (and trucks in particular) are facing some significant headwinds. In April, Automotive News reported that GM was indefinitely delaying refreshes for its large EV trucks that were expected in 2028. Is there a market for full-size battery-electric trucks with price tags between $65,000 and $100,000?

A solid question, given Ford's decision to discontinue the F-150 Lightning EV pickup. For now, the answer is murky at best.