2026 Chevrolet Silverado EV Trail Boss First Drive Review: Niche Rig

SAN DIEGO, CA—When you’re out on the trail, the sense of scale goes out the window.

We’re part of convoy of a half-dozen 2026 Chevrolet Silverado EVs slowly making progress towards Rodriguez Canyon, about 90 minutes North-East of San Diego. These are the all Trail Boss models, a new addition to Chevy’s electric pickup linup that, thanks to some off-road-focused tweaks, makes an already big truck even bigger. Yet out here in the vast openness, the EV’s unique proportions are giving mid-sizer. All it needed was a change of perspective.

That is essentially what the Trail Boss is about: a change of perspective. A rugged full-size electric pickup won’t appeal to everyone, and even after a day of the Trail Boss proving itself capable, I’m left with the suspicion it might be too niche in today’s automotive climate.

Uh, the Trail Boss. The road-focused RST has hummed away into the distance, with the Trail Boss supplanting it as the new flagship. Available only with the Extended (170.0-kilowatt-hours) and Max (205.0-kWh) battery pack sizes, the Trail Boss takes a similar approach to off-roading as the existing Silverado and Colorado models. A two-inch suspension lift gives it more clearance, as does a unique, cut-away front bumper with integrated tow hooks. Wrapping the 18-inch alloy wheels are 35-inch all-terrain tires. There’s also a new Terrain drive mode.

Buyers getting the Extended battery pack can expect 625 horsepower and 775 pound-feet of torque, with 410 miles (660 kilometers) of range. The Max battery pack adds an extra 100 hp because why not—and range stretches to 478 miles (769 km).

The Silverado EV’s futuristic, Autobots-assemble look takes to the Trail Boss treatment well enough. The chunky sidewalls and rugged front bumper on accentuate the bluffness of the front-end. I like it more than the still-too-busy ICE equivalent, anyway.

The serious bed-side fairings are likely necessary to make the mid-gate a reality, but it still gives the impression of a bed that is shorter than it actually is. Drop that divider and you've got over 10 feet of storage.

On the road heading to the trail, the Silverado EV is exactly what you’d expect of a vehicle with more power than a Corvette Z06; effortlessly powerful, with wicked-sharp responses at any road speed. Chevy has calibrated the go-pedal well, ensuring there’s no jerkiness so long as drivers exercise a modicum of restraint.

This largely applies on the trail as well. In situations that required precise accelerator inputs, the Silverado could be a gentle giant. So long as the situation allowed for it…

There is an important distinction with the platform underpinning the Silverado EV (and the Sierra EV, Hummer EV, and Escalade iQ): it is a quasi-unibody setup, not quite a body-on-frame like ICE Silverados. Body-on-frame vehicles are so capable off-road because they allow for more flex than a unibody. The Silverado EV’s sheer size limits its abilities here.

That’s not to say it didn’t conquer each challenge thrown its way—admittedly, it’d be silly for Chevy to concoct a program where that could happen—but the EV muscled over obstacles with less grace than truck drivers may expect.

Through a twisty section meant to test the truck’s articulation, the Trail Boss was quick to lift a wheel in to the air, sometimes even a few feet. The remaining three could find purchase and get it moving forward, but the touchdown would hit with the thud of nearly 9,000 pounds.

On the plus side, Terrain mode really does make a difference on more serious challenges. In addition to more rear-axle steer to keep the big rig remarkably agile, this setting makes judicious use of the ABS-based differential locker. One particularly steep and slippery rock is simply insurmountable in Off-Road mode, but the switchover makes it easy.

Unfortunately, with the Silverado employing a single motor on the rear axle, Terrain mode is hard on the brakes if one side is regularly free-wheeling. As we make our way down the trail back to civilization, the smell of punished pads follows us.

We said it in a comparison earlier this year, and it still applies to the Trail Boss: the Silverado EV drives like a (very large) car. On the road, the only real change here is the added tire slap from the A/T rubber and the slight hesitation those thick sidewalls provide on turn-in.

Big, accommodating seats are super comfortable, and the view out front is typical truck. The sheer height of the front end does limit forward visibility, especially when cresting hills.

I briefly towed with another Trail Boss, an open trailer with a side-by-side strapped in. The play-thing was just a little loose and probably too forward, inducing some jerkiness on braking. The Silverado didn’t struggle however—and there’d be few signs if it did, since it simply hums along same as if it were towing nothing. That’s a blessing and a curse: no ICE working harder, but a quiet that highlights every single creak or rattle from a trailer.

The Silverado EV’s weak point continues to be a relatively plasticky interior for its Silverado EV-sized price tag. It’s fine for the Work Truck, but buyers are expected to cough up loaded ICE Silverado coin for this rig. That 205.0-kWh battery pack isn’t going to pay for itself.

While there’s a lot of plastic, I can’t fault the layout or design. It’s clean, logical, and still includes a healthy number of physical controls. Storage space is plentiful, and adults can easily get comfortable in the second row. Some color wouldn’t hurt, mind you.

Chevrolet’s big 17.7-inch touchscreen is easy to use with quick responses. Accessing drive modes and the different camera views, both necessary on the trails, proves simple. The side-view cameras that come up during signalling are grainy, especially as half of the image is “stretched” so the resolution is even more noticeable. On the flip side, SuperCruise is still the only hands-free automated highway drive system with trailering capability, and Chevy stuffs the Silverado EV with myriad cameras and assists to make even a newbie feel comfortable towing a few thousand pounds. The Extended battery pack will tow up to 12,500 pounds, but of course I wonder what that would do to the EV’s otherwise stellar range.

Here is my default sentence about how nixing Apple CarPlay and Android Auto continues to be a dumb move, too. Hey, consistency!

There is up to 10.2 kW of off-board power here, accessible via the bed. This is one of the EV’s biggest advantages: head to the isolated camp site, and then power the camp.

The 2026 Silverado EV lineup now starts from $54,895 ($67,670 CAD) including destination, for a Work Truck with the Standard battery pack.

Getting into a Trail Boss will cost buyers $72,095 ($92,399 CAD) for the Extended model, and an eye-watering $88,695 ($109,899 CAD) for the Max tested here. For comparison, a Silverado 1500 ZR2 with the excellent diesel engine runs $74,295 ($94,799 CAD), bringing much more off-road capability but lacking the mid-gate and on-board power. Want the Bison edition and its added toughness? You’ll still undercut the EV Trail Boss Max.

I ended my day with the 2026 Silverado EV Trail Boss confused. On one hand, a pricey electric truck with limited capability does not seem like the sort of thing most off-roading enthusiasts would want. From that perspective, I struggle to justify its existence.

However, for those who were already considering an electric truck, but want a bit more ruggedness for the one or two camping trips a year, it suddenly makes more sense. I just expect that to be a much, much smaller market.

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