2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Hybrid MPG, Dimensions, Price   –   The first chefs to slice up a fugu – and met their swift and painful demise as a result – helped educate those who came after about which parts are tasty and which are treacherous. Monty Python’s King Arthur learned it was wiser to run away after the first of his knights was devoured by the killer bunny.

Similarly, Chevrolet has had time to see the missteps of its competitors before launching its all-electric half-ton truck. And while sentiment has soured somewhat on electrification as of late, the relatively late arrival of the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Hybrid lands as something of a segment leader in many important respects.

2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Hybrid Redesign and Update Plan

Exterior and Interior

The interior of the version we drove was finished in black with red accents in the vents, and boasted red and blue stitching throughout, but it’s the 17.7-inch infotainment touchscreen that dominates the dash no matter how the space is dressed up. First impressions were positive, but the appeal diminished somewhat after climbing in and spending a bit of time behind the wheel.

Where General Motors (GM) has decked out its top-spec trucks in decadent hides that make the interior look (and smell) fantastic, that’s not the case with the Silverado EV RST. The hard seats don’t feel overly special, and there are too many surfaces finished in hard, glossy plastic for a machine that costs six figures. Worse still, the snazzy red and blue accent stitching in a few of the trucks tested at this media drive event appeared to be applied by someone shivering from the cold, with inconsistent lines spanning their dashboards.

The new infotainment system has an enormous and bright display, plus the Google-based interface is quick and responsive. Audio volume plus temperature controls are handled by big, easy-to-use knobs, and the rest of the climate controls have proper buttons, but pretty much every other function is operated through the big screen.

2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Hybrid Specs

Chevrolet knew it was imperative its electric truck offered serious usability, and the interior is filled with plenty of cubbies and storage areas, including a huge console bin. There’s a generous frunk, too. The back seat provides all kinds of legroom and feels airy thanks to a roof that’s made primarily of glass. Unfortunately, it neither opens nor has a shade, with the sun beating into the cabin relentlessly, forcing the climate system to work harder than it should.

Flip the rear seat bottoms up and the seatbacks down and the Silverado EV reveals one of its best party tricks. The bulkhead behind the rear seat can split and fold forward, opening the space to the box. Want a bigger opening? The rear glass can be removed and nestled into a space in the back, effectively opening the entire back of the truck up. When combined with GM’s clever segmented tailgate, there’s nearly 11 feet of bed space. On its own, the box measures a competitive 5-foot-11, though its 680-kg (1,500-lb) payload capacity is less than its three main EV-truck competitors.

Engine and Performance

We were afforded a brief towing test with an enclosed dual-axle car hauler with a 680-kg (1,500-lb) ballast inside, and the Silverado EV pulled it so effortlessly it was easy to forget the trailer was even attached.We also got to sample the Wide Open Watts (WOW) mode that, with all systems set to sport, announces its initiation with a startlingly loud and bass-heavy sound effect before unleashing all 754 hp and 785 lb-ft of torque. It’s enough to launch the truck to 96 km/h in just under 4.5 seconds, and is the most power ever offered in a half-ton GM truck.

It’s a figure that also puts it ahead of the competitors in their long-range formats, and while Chevrolet’s spokespeople were coy about the RST’s power output when WOW mode isn’t engaged, the work truck version of the Silverado EV throws down 510 hp and 615 lb-ft of torque. Regardless of the numbers, the RST is properly quick whether launching from a standstill, or rocketing around slower traffic at highway speed.  2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Hybrid MPG

2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Hybrid Fuel Economy

The Silverado EV’s mechanical braking is strong when needed, which isn’t often thanks to one-pedal battery regeneration that can be set to a light, medium, or strong modes, the latter of which takes a bit of getting used to because it’s so aggressive. It’s worth utilizing since it helps the Silverado EV achieve its 708-km range for the RST with its heavy equipment wheels. The Work Truck (WT) version is rated to 724 km, but in either case, it’ll travel farther on a single charge than any of its competitors, with the exception of the Cybertruck which will possibly exceed that with its optional range extender.  2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Hybrid MPG

2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Hybrid Safety Features

For such a large and heavy beast, the RST puts its low centre of gravity and steamroller-like tires to good use, too, managing to handle on ramps and sweeping curves surprisingly well. It’s also more nimble than expected, especially when zipping around downtown Detroit and in parking lots, thanks to the truck’s four-wheel-steering that gives the big pickup a turning circle of a much smaller machine.

Even so, the steering requires a surprising amount of muscle to bend the big truck into a corner, and on anything but the smoothest of road surfaces those heavy wheels and tires tend to crash over irregularities. It would be easy to shrug and say the RST “rides like a truck,” but we expect the Silverado’s standard air suspension to provide the sort of compliance we’ve enjoyed from rival Ram’s air-suspended rigs. The lack of engine noise makes the considerable wind noise around the wide mirrors more noticeable, and the government-mandated sci-fi sound effect to notify pedestrians of the EV’s presence at parking lot speeds is loud enough to become tiresome even inside the truck with the windows up.  2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Hybrid MPG

2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Hybrid Price and Release Date

The 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Hybrid RST crests $120,000 with the mandatory delivery fees added. A comparably-equipped Ford F-150 Lightning has a lower MSRP. The Rivian R1T with the longest available range tops $150,000, while Tesla’s Canadian site still didn’t feature pricing at the time of this writing.

None of those other trucks offer the looks, modular functionality, nor the combination of performance and utility of this Chevy, suggesting it’s poised to be competitive within these early days of EV pickups. The Silverado EV is meant to be a bonafide pickup first and foremost, enabling all the usability and practicality buyers expect of their trucks. It just happens to be electric, too. Taking the time to learn from the earlier competitors should make the Silverado EV an attractive choice for those keen on an electric pickup.  2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Hybrid MPG