I drove the Rivian R1T and Chevrolet Silverado EV for a week — here’s the winner

Now that the Ford F-150 Lightning has been discontinued, the battle for the best all-electric pickup truck boils down to the Rivian R1T and Chevrolet Silverado EV. While crossovers and SUVs are in healthy stock, electric pickup trucks are in short order — with these two specific models being your best options.

I drove both pickups for a week to uncover their features, how they drive, and what kind of efficiency they get with highway and city driving. Since they’re full-sized pickup trucks, they have spacious flatbeds that make them more suitable for towing and carrying larger sized packages.

These best electric car contenders don’t come cheap either, as the Rivian R1T and Chevrolet Silverado EV I tested cost $99,900 and $83,045 respectively. There’s still a wide spread between them, but I’ll tell you which one is worth buying.

Rivian R1T vs Chevrolet Silverado EV: Specifications

Rivian R1T vs Chevrolet Silverado EV: Design

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Now this one’s tough because I honestly like both designs. As far as full-sized pickups are concerned, the Rivian R1T and Chevrolet Silverado absolutely have the utility to be workhorses, with each sporting its own unique feature.

For example, the Rivian ingeniously has a nook that runs across the chassis underneath the rear seats that it calls the Gear Tunnel. It’s spacious enough to accommodate a tent rolled up.

Meanwhile, the Chevrolet Silverado EV can fold down its rear seats to make way for more room if you wish to extend the capacity of the flatbed.

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There’s a more sporty design attached to the Silverado EV, but I still prefer the sophisticated look of the Rivian R1T, like its signature Stadium Headlights. This modern design extends into the cabin space, which features a mixture of vegan leather and wood accents.

Winner: Rivian R1T

Rivian R1T vs Chevrolet Silverado EV: Efficiency

It’s pretty obvious that large-size EVs such as pickup trucks aren’t known for their efficiency. But nevertheless, it’s an area I keep a close eye on because efficiency is improving thanks to newer battery technologies and forward-thinking designs.

After driving both for a week, the Rivian R1T and Chevrolet Silverado are a far cry from reaching the 3 mi/kWh average I expect with most EVs. Instead, the Rivian R1T and Chevrolet Silverado EV reach average efficiencies of 2.09 mi/kWh and 1.74 mi/kWh, respectively — so the Rivian has a slight edge in this area. That difference might not look like a whole lot on paper, but it does add up in the long run when they’re driven for thousands of miles. You’ll essentially squeeze more mileage out of the battery with the R1T than the Silverado.

They’re not big on efficiency due to the amount of weight their batteries take up, but there’s a silver lining to this. You won’t have to worry as much about charging them frequently because of the range they get, with both offering over 350 miles of range.

Winner: Rivian R1T

Rivian R1T vs Chevrolet Silverado EV: Drive performance

The Chevy Silverado EV is no slouch, offering a 645 hp performance from its dual motor AWD. Even from a complete stop, the Silverado EV gets off the starting line just as fast as other sporty EVs I’ve tested, like the Acura ZDX Type S and BMW i4 M50 Gran Coupe. But as fun as the Silverado is to drive, I feel that the Rivian R1T is way better.

For starters, the R1T has a much stronger 850 hp performance that makes it thrilling to drive despite its tall stature on the road. What makes it better, though, is the fact that the R1T offers the best adaptive cruise control I’ve tested.

On busy highways where there are vehicles coming and going, the R1T’s advanced driving assistance system (ADAS) operates with confidence. It applies gentle brakes whenever a vehicle enters my lane, while also accelerating at a moderate level to get to cruising speed.

The Silverado EV features GM’s Super Cruise Control, which does impressive movements — like automatically switching lanes on its own to overtake a slower vehicle. However, it doesn’t have as good responsiveness as Rivian’s Autonomy Plus platform to adapt to challenging driving conditions.

Winner: Rivian R1T

Rivian R1T vs Chevrolet Silverado EV: Comfort

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You can’t go wrong with either electric pickup truck if you’re driving long distances because the seats are plush and there’s plenty of legroom — both for the front and back seats. Rivian clearly has the more premium aesthetic with its specialized stitching pattern. In contrast, the Silverado EV doesn’t have an elaborate aesthetic with its EvoTex seats, but I do feel that it’s way more stain resistant and holds up better in the long run.

Passengers in the back seats will have no problem being chauffeured around because both models have sprawling leg room that allow them to stretch out their legs with ease. On top of that, they also have dedicated climate controls that passengers can access.

Winner: Tie

Rivian R1T vs Chevrolet Silverado EV: Value

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The biggest question that remains is what exactly do you get by paying more for the Rivian R1T and is it worth getting over the Chevy Silverado EV. With the $16,855 spread between the two exact trims I tested for a week, you get way more with the Rivian R1T.

Rivian's EV features a neat electronically controlled panoramic glass roof, automatic video recording with Gear Guard, HDR-enabled cameras with superior quality, key card access, one of the best surround sound systems, and an automated flatbed. These features come on top of the fact that the Rivian R1T has the best adaptive cruise control around, along with being able to charge faster with Level 1 charging at home.

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The Chevrolet Silverado EV also has a glass roof, but it annoyingly doesn’t have any sort of cover for it. I also give credit that the Silverado offers a head-up display to complement its navigation, but that’s about the only other notable thing about it.

Even though Super Cruise Control on Chevrolet's EV is helpful, it’s nowhere as responsive as the Rivian R1T at discerning driving conditions and reacting properly. Furthermore, it charges much slower and has worse efficiency.

Winner: Rivian R1T

Rivian R1T vs Chevrolet Silverado EV: Verdict

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Without question I’d recommend the Rivian R1T. In fact, it’s my favorite all-electric pickup truck — largely because of how much more sophisticated it is in every way. From its class-leading ADAS system and the amount of premium features it offers, it sets the benchmark for all other pickup trucks.

You’ll undoubtedly save more money getting the Chevrolet Silverado EV, but it just feels dated compared to what Rivian’s doing with the R1T. That’s probably why I see more R1Ts on the road than I do the Silverado EV.

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