Americans looking for a brand-new electric pickup truck don't have a lot of options to choose from. There’s the adventure-oriented Rivian R1T, the “look at me!” Tesla Cybertruck, the Ford F-150 Lightning, and the Chevrolet Silverado EV. The GMC Sierra EV and outlandish GMC Hummer EV complete the picture.
From the rather short list of available options, the F-150 Lightning and Silverado EV are the most similar to each other–and when compared to a conventional gas-powered truck. They look just like any other pickup on the road–which may be good or bad, depending on what your expectations are–but there are big differences between them.
That’s why our own Tom Moloughney chose to compare his own 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Lariat with a brand-new 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV RST First Edition. You can watch the comparison video embedded below, but here are the main takeaways in written form.
For starters, the black F-150 Lightning you’ll see in the video already has about 27,000 miles on the clock, with Tom saying it’s probably his favorite EV of all the electric cars he’s owned in the past 14 years. And he’s owned almost a dozen EVs, so he knows a thing or two about them.
With the Silverado EV, General Motors is bringing its A-game. So much so, that owners of F-150 Lightnings might be tempted to switch their rides. Here’s why.
For starters, Chevy’s electric truck has a massive, 205-kilowatt-hour battery pack which results in an impressive driving range of over 400 miles on a full charge. Meanwhile, the F-150 Lightning has a maximum EPA range rating of 320 miles.
Then, there are the charging speeds. On a Level 2 home charger, both EVs are similar in performance, but when DC fast charging is the name of the game, the Silverado EV “wipes the floor” with the F-150 Lightning. GM’s electric pickup can draw up to 350 kilowatts from a compatible stall, while Ford’s electric F-150 can only go up to a theoretical maximum speed of 150 kW (although sometimes it can reach 190 kW but only for a couple of minutes).
The 2024 Silverado EV RST also packs a bigger bed and can be equipped with a folding midgate that increases the storage capacity even further compared to the Lightning. To top it off, it has adjustable air suspension, four-wheel steering and GM’s Super Cruise advanced driving assistance system (ADAS) which can do automatic lane changes.
Meanwhile, Ford’s BlueCruise ADAS doesn’t yet offer automatic lane changes on Tom's 2022 Lightning, although new 2024 Lightning and Mach-E drivers can use the functionality.
Gallery: 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning Flash
However, it’s not all good news with the Silverado EV. Price-wise, the 2025 Silverado EV is more expensive than the 2024 F-150 Lightning, but all trims offer more range and power than Ford’s truck.
Furthermore, almost all F-150 Lightning trims are eligible for the $7,500 tax credit because they’re cheaper than the $80,000 cap, whereas just one version of the Silverado EV is eligible for the federal tax credit.
*Edit: The Ford F-150 Lightning XLT, Flash and Lariat trims qualify for the Federal Tax credit, and the Silverado EV LT and LT Premium also qualify. Only the Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum, the Silverado RST, and the RST Max do not qualify.
According to Tom, the noise insulation is “exceptional” in the Lightning and better than the Silverado EV. The electric F-150 Lightning is also more comfortable, and provides a softer ride, whereas the Chevy's suspension is stiffer and a bit sportier.
Gallery: 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV
Depending on the trim level, both the F-150 Lightning and the Silverado EV can tow up to 10,000 pounds. However, Ford’s truck has the edge when it comes to payload, with a capacity of up to 2,000 lbs, whereas the 2024 Silverado EV tops out at 1,750 lbs. But, Chevy’s truck is capable of towing further, thanks to its bigger battery pack,
So which is better? As always, it depends on what you need. One is cheaper and has a smaller bed and shorter driving range, while the other has more goodies, more range and a higher price tag. Our man Tom Moloughney said it would be hard for him to decide which he would buy if he didn’t already own an F-150 Lightning–that’s how close the two electric pickups are. But what do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
