I Drove The GMC Sierra EV On A Road Designed For Miatas. It Went Well

Route 84, in Northern California, kicks off by the ocean at San Gregorio – just south of San Francisco – and slithers its way eastward through La Honda Creek. The road is a series of esses, tight corners and hairpins. If it weren’t for road signage, you’d swear this was a vintage European racetrack. Here, you frequently encounter convoys of Mazda Miatas, Subaru BRZs, old Ferraris, stripped out Porsches, or other forms of lightweight, agile, purpose-built machines.

Yet, here I was, entering corners at high velocity, standing on the brakes like there was no tomorrow, and catapulting myself out of corners like a slingshot. The power was relentless. The level of grip was phenomenal, and the chassis rigidity was spectacular. No, I wasn’t driving a sports car. I was behind the wheel of the 8,800-pound GMC Sierra EV.

2025 GMC Sierra EV First Impressions

Although the Sierra EV is the Chevrolet Silverado EV’s clone, and although its side profile is identical to its corporate cousin, I’ll come out and say that I much prefer the way the Sierra looks. I don’t often like white on a car, but in this case, it truly allows the Sierra EV to pop, revealing its intricate styling details. The front section looks meaner, more futuristic and more in tune with what this vehicle essentially is; a large smartphone dressed up as a truck. It all looks even better when the LED illumination is turned on through the We Are Professional Grade GMC logo.

The 24-inch wheels (yes, 24!) on this Denali model look arguably better than what Chevy fits the Silverado EV with these days. And the black accents around the wheel arches and on the bumpers give the truck a neat, almost Stormtrooper resemblance. In other words, the Sierra EV preserves the traditional American truck look, but it also puts out the future is now appearance GM needs to rival dystopian opponents like the Tesla Cybertruck.

Exterior Dimensions

2025 GMC Sierra EV: Differences Between The U.S. And Canadian Market

In both markets, GMC currently only sells the Sierra EV in Denali trim, saying it’ll eventually scale down to more available models down the line. Within the Denali trim, buyers can then choose between an Extended or a Max Range model. The lineup breakdown is identical in both countries, so are the technical specifications and available colors.

U.S. Versus Canada Lineup Breakdown (model tested in bold)

Driving Impressions And Performance

I’d be lying if I told you the Sierra EV drives like a sports car. It doesn’t. But the level of athleticism here will have you rethink how a full-sized truck should behave. Of course, I had the same revelation when driving the Silverado EV, as well as the Ford F-150 Lightning. And although I haven’t yet driven the Tesla Cybertruck or the Rivian R1T, I’m confident they can boogie just as hard, or harder than this Sierra. This is the truck era we now live in.

But in my case, it was the first time I drove a full-size truck in such conditions. After all, you don’t really get behind the wheel of one of these things thinking “hey, let’s hunt down Golf GTIs!” This is just one of the many game-changing feats the electric truck segment brings to the industry. Forget the old flexing, tire-slapping driving feel of a body-on-frame, leaf spring-wearing truck. Welcome to the era of the hyper-rigid, unibody pickup from the future.

But…it’s not entirely unibody. The Sierra EV’s structure, just like the Silverado and Hummer EV, is a hybrid between unibody and body-on-frame. GM engineered the BT1 platform as such that the body has an integral floor, like a unibody. But that body rests on the battery structure, which acts as a structural member, similar to a ladder frame.

Speaking of battery, the Sierra EV’s is humongous, rated at 205 kWh. In Max Range mode, it deploys a whopping 760 combined horsepower and 785 lb-ft of torque through two permanent electric motors. This allows this gargantuan beast to launch to 60 MPH in under 4.5 seconds, an unreal number given its size and weight.

Launch the Sierra EV using the Max Power feature – activated through a Thor’s Hammer icon on the infotainment screen – and it pulls relentlessly to highway speeds as if it has just lost half its weight. The entire truck shrinks underneath you as the rear-wheel steering system improves maneuverability, both at high and low speeds. The Sierra EV is also hyper sensitive to the slightest inputs, biting its enormous calipers on massive 14.5-inch rotors (13.6-inch rear). Changing directions with this full-sizer is executed with the same immediacy as a sports sedan. It’s all incredibly effortless.

But the Sierra EV also has clear dynamic flaws. GM’s engineers tried to throw everything they could at the thing to mitigate the excessive weight. The Sierra EV wears GM’s signature Air Ride suspension, but it refuses to ride softly. The suspension damping is always inherently stiff. That’s the inevitable outcome of something so heavy riding on 24-inch wheels. The truck also has a tendency to bounce around at high speed. It wiggles from side to side at full throttle. Finally, the steering is so over-assisted, that it feels like you’re at the helm of a school bus.

Performance Specifications

2025 GMC Sierra EV Energy Consumption, Range And Charging

The EPA still hasn’t published official range and energy consumption numbers for the Sierra EV, but Natural Resources Canada rates the Extended Range model at 64 MPGe, with 390 miles of range. GMC claims 460 miles for the Max Range model. Both versions can fast-charge at the rate of 350 kW on a compatible charger, while the onboard charger for level 2 home charging is rated at 19.2 kW.

This all translates – according to the carmaker – into 100 miles of range in approximately 10 minutes on a fast charger, or about 11 hours from 0 to 100% at home.

One of the charging letdowns with this truck is the location of its charge port in the rear. This could prove problematic when hooked up to a trailer while charging on a standard fast-charging unit. While pull-through stations are expanding as I write this, the lack of a front charge port – like on the Ford F-150 Lightning – could lead to headaches when pulling up to a conventional charger.

As for me, due to the controlled and short nature of the event, as well as the fact that I had to share my press unit with another journalist, I was unable to perform any form of real-world range or charging tests. I’ll need to live with the Sierra EV for a full week in my neck of the woods to properly evaluate it.

GMC And As Tested Energy Consumption

Interior Design And Comfort

Again, although the GMC Sierra EV is the Silverado EV’s twin, its interior somehow looks better thanks to the way things were designed and put together. For starters, the Denali dresses up this cabin with fine wood trim, thick leather and soft-touch materials. It all looks dashing, and it’s a clear improvement over the somewhat spartan Silverado EV’s interior.

I also appreciate the vertical infotainment screen (more on that later), with separate and smaller digital gauge cluster. It’s a refreshing departure from the traditional singular large table display we’ve become accustomed to in the industry.

There’s definitely no shortage of space in the Sierra EV’s cabin. Wherever you sit, you’re greeted with a generous amount of hip, leg and headroom. Even the tallest of passengers will find comfort in this interior. Seat comfort up front is also superb, a tad better even than in the Silverado EV RST. Rear seat support, however, isn’t as great.

Interior Dimensions

Technology And Ease Of Use

Althouh this is the exact same system as in the Silverado EV, it feels and operates like its own distinct interface thanks to its layout. I particularly appreciate the blend of physical and digital controls, proving once more that the combination of both constitutes the basics for an excellent user experience (UX).

The system is GM’s signature Google-based integrated system that does without Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Navigation through Google Maps is fluid, quick and easy to operate. Accessing drive modes does require tapping on an icon rather than flicking a switch, but the system is quick to react and presents itself through a clean graphical interface. The smaller instrument cluster allows you to cycle between different pre-configured layouts, but it never truly allows you to customize it to your liking.

Cargo And Storage Space

The benefits of a unibody configuration are immediately noticed through the Sierra EV’s level of practicality, which is also cleverly flexible and modular. The big showstopper is the MultiPro MidGate which, like on the Silverado EV (and the Chevrolet Avalanche), allows you to open the mid-section to extend the bed into the cabin. The procedure is completed after a series of relatively easy steps.

This allows the default 5.11-foot bed to extend to 9.11 feet. Pull up the MultiPro Tailgate’s load stop, and the bed extends again to 10.10 feet. That tailgate itself can also unfold into GMC’s iconic MultiPro Tailgate, while the eTrunk (frunk) adds almost as much cargo space as a Honda Accord’s trunk (16.7 cu-ft).

Cargo Space Specifications

One More Fighter In The Ring

The arrival of the 2025 GMC Sierra EV may feel like just another badge engineering job from GM, but it actually symbolizes how well established the electric pickup truck segment is now. With this new GMC in the ring ready to fight, consumers can choose from no less than six electric pickup trucks, three of which come from GM dealerships.

Like its brothers, the Silverado and Hummer EV pickup, the Sierra EV is all about big numbers. It offers big range, big charging performance, big towing, big acceleration, and it commands a big price. It may not yet be within everyone’s reach, but the Sierra EV is a testament to how serious GM is at taking the truck war into the electric age, but also just how capable its electric rigs are.