2024 GMC Sierra EV Denali First Test Review: It Slays Our Road Trip Range Test

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Pros

Solid real-world range performanceFast Level 3 chargingCabin is a significant upgrade over Chevrolet sibling’s

Cons

Weight of battery drags down performanceSome torque steer under hard accelerationHigh price tag

422 miles. Four hundred and twenty-two. That’s not how far General Motors says the GMC Sierra EV will go on a single charge, it’s how far the luxe electric pickup actually went in the MotorTrend Road-Trip Range Test, driving a steady (and juice-sucking) 70 mph while using 95 percent of a full charge. (GMC’s range claim is 440 miles, which should be obtainable, but we stop at 5 percent to allow for the drive to a charger. And while we’re on the subject, GMC has already announced a 20-mile range boost for 2025.)

No Electric Truck—or SUV or Car—Goes Farther

The 422-mile figure makes the Sierra the longest-legged electric vehicle we’ve tested, beating its sibling, the Chevrolet Silverado EV RST, by 21 miles , the dual-motor Rivian R1T by 82 miles , and the dual-motor Tesla Cybertruck by 127 miles . To drive home the point, you’d need a fully-charged Fiat 500e to span the distance between the GMC and the Tesla (and even then, you might have to walk the last couple of miles). Towing remains the electric truck’s Achilles’ heel, as a trailer cuts range by roughly half, but even so, the Sierra EV should be able to top 200 miles while towing. That ain’t great, but given the state of the EV art, it ain’t bad either.

By the way, the Sierra EV’s range didn’t just top other trucks. It bested our top-performing SUV ( Mercedes EQS450+ ) by 60 miles and best-tested car ( Mercedes EQS580 ) by 68 miles, and as we piled on the miles, the Benzes weren’t far from our minds. If you’re going to spend six hours at the wheel of an EV, the Sierra’s cabin isn’t a bad place to be.

In the past, we’ve complained about GMCs being glorified Chevrolets, with interior “upgrades” that weren’t so much improvements as changes for change’s sake. The Sierra EV is notably nicer than the Chevrolet Silverado EV, with a uniquely styled cabin and tangibly higher-grade trim. This is one GMC that justifies its price premium over the corresponding Chevrolet. Good thing, too, since the … Read More