Not the best choice on the market, the Silverado 1500 is nonetheless one of the most easily configured to match a need.

The 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is a good pickup truck, but it’s worth looking at all options before buying one. Competitors offer a lot of options that the Silverado does not have and most have better warranty coverage. The Silverado, however, has a reasonable price tag and a lot of configuration options that aren’t confusing to figure out.

The Silverado drives well, fits most needs for full-sized truck buyers, and has plenty of interior room and towing/hauling capability. It’s well-mannered on the road and the square-shaped bodywork makes it easy to see the corners and maneuver in tight spaces.

Our advice is to shop around and find the truck that fits your needs best. Most of the Silverado’s intelligently-configured trim packages are a good fit for various use-case scenarios.

The F-150 is the best selling pickup truck in North America and there’s many good reasons for it. No other pickup on the market offers the kind of versatility in powertrain and options that the Ford does. Comparatively, however, the Silverado is less confusing to configure and has more engine choices overall.

A near-twin to the Silverado, the Sierra is a more upscale truck with a more comfortable road presence. The two are nearly identical in terms of powertrain, configuration, and other choices, but the Sierra does offer more technology and comfort. For a price.

The Ram 1500 is the most comfortable pickup truck on the road. It’s also one of the most capable. The Chevrolet Silverado has a less aggressive look, though, and a little more reasonableness to its price tag thanks to its more configurable nature.

The 2024 Silverado 1500 has a starting price of about $45,000 plus delivery. Most buyers, however, are going to be in the $55,000 to $60,000 price range when delivery and options are added.

The table below shows the most common trim levels and how much they will run you.

The current-generation Silverado was introduced in 2019 and has had no significant changes since then. This year, the 2024 Silverado 1500 adds the turbocharged diesel engine as an option for the off-road-oriented ZR2 package. This gives the ZR2 two engine choices: a V8 gasoline or a V6 diesel. These choices also apply to the upgraded Bison package for the Silverado ZR2.

In addition, Chevrolet has added a new Blackout Appearance package. This changes chrome trim and badging to black for a more sinister look. Most of the trim levels of the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 can have this package added as an option.

With four engine choices, how the Silverado drives will depend largely on configuration. The base models come with a turbocharged 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine that outputs 310 horsepower. The two-wheel drive models with this engine are a decent fit and relatively fuel efficient. Four-wheel drive models, however, lose their robustness when 4WD is engaged.

A 5.3-liter V8 engine is, for many buyers, the standard option for the Silverado 1500. This is a smaller-displacement eight-cylinder that outputs 355 horsepower. Its ten-speed automatic transmission and smoother V8 power delivery are a good fit for this truck. The next V8 is a 6.2-liter with a lot more power and far lower fuel economy. It’s a capable puller for trailers and hauling, though, and adds some grunt to the mechanical music of the Silverado’s presence.

Finally, a turbocharged V6 diesel engine that outputs 305 horsepower but almost 500 pound-feet of torque is our favorite option for the Silverado 1500. We drove this model this year after having the 6.2L gasoline last year. Despite its lack of grunt, the diesel engine outputs smooth power and the ten-speed automatic makes it very livable in most driving situations. And this engine offers the most powerful towing the Silverado 1500 can handle.

Most of the choice for which engine/transmission setup to have will depend on preference and need. All of the engine choices are a good match for the truck in various use case scenarios. The 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is a well-balanced, decent road goer most of the time. Other trucks have a smoother ride and better off-road options, but the Silverado fits in a nice median.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has given the 2024 Silverado 1500 five stars for crash safety testing. This was in only one configuration, however, and may not apply to all cab and bed sizes. The truck tested was a four-door (Crew) cab with a short bed and a 5.7L gasoline engine.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) returned much more mixed results with Silverado 1500 crash testing. The IIHS found that the truck only performed well on two of its crash tests, failing on its newly-updated moderate overlap front crash test and for headlight visibility.

For these reasons, we feel that the 2024 Silverado 1500 is below average for crash safety. We do note that its advanced safety technologies received top scores from both testing bodies.

This generation of the Silverado has been on the market for some time. Reliability ratings from outlets such as RepairPal and Consumer Reports put it at about average for the full-sized truck segment.

How reliable the Silverado 1500 will be depends largely on powertrain choice and use case. The diesel engine and the 5.7L gasoline engine have the highest expected reliability while the turbocharged four-cylinder and the 6.2L V8 have the lowest. Four-wheel drive models also report higher incidents of breakage, though that is true across the board in pickup trucks.

Our favorite trim levels for content inclusion and value are the Custom Trail Boss and LT trims, which fit right in the middle of the trim options for the Silverado 1500 in 2024. For off-road, of course, the ZR2 (which we drove this year) is the best of the bunch, but doesn’t quite match up to some rivals with better off-road gear.

We prefer the turbocharged diesel engine over the rest of the engine choices and it is available on most of the mid- and upper-tier trim points for the Silverado.

The 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 has a worse than average warranty. Coverage is shorter and includes fewer things when compared to most of the Silverado’s competitors. Extended warranties are, therefore, a very good idea with a Silverado purchase.

• Basic: 3 years / 36k miles
• PowerTrain: 5 years / 60k miles
• First maintenance visit is included
• If buying used look at our best extended warranties

The Silverado 1500 has been on the market in its current generation since 2019. Used models are plentiful and can mean a lot of savings compared to a new truck purchase. How much savings will depend on model trim chosen and how far out of warranty the used truck has become.

Most buyers should shop both new and used if the Silverado is their choice.

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