2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Painted an appealing shade called Northsky Blue, our Silverado LTZ test vehicle looked terrific with its chrome detailing and polished, 20-inch aluminum wheels.

Christian Wardlaw

Chevrolet is in the fight of its life. Long the second-best-selling vehicle in America, the Chevrolet Silverado lost its stronghold to the Ram pickup at the end of 2019, though it managed to eek out a small edge by the end of 2020.

Now, you might think ranking second or third among all vehicles sold in the U.S. would still be a very good thing for Chevrolet, but ranking second or third in the full-size, light-duty pickup truck segment—for which the top three are also the top three selling vehicles in the US overall—essentially means Silverado is in the thick of the class’s fight for best of the rest in terms of sales, behind F-150.

To combat Ford and Ram, Chevrolet makes a handful of updates to the 2021 Chevy Silverado. The turbocharged engines, one gas and one diesel, tow more weight than before, and a new, Multi-flex tailgate design adds utility. Increased standard equipment for lower trim levels improves value, while appealing, special-edition bundles are available at a discount. Wireless smartphone projection is now standard, and the Silverado’s luxurious High Country trim level is available with a new adaptive suspension option.

When buying a 2021 Silverado 1500, you select a cab style (regular, double, or crew), decide whether or not you want 4-wheel drive (4WD), and pick between WT, Custom, LT, RST, LTZ, and High Country trim levels. With 4WD, Trail Boss off-road packages are available with Custom and LT trim. Base prices range from upper-$20,000s to mid-$50,000s, not including the destination charge.

Chevrolet offers no fewer than six engines for the 2021 Silverado 1500. Our test truck had the 3.0-liter Duramax turbo-diesel inline six-cylinder, a torquey, fuel-efficient engine option for the LTZ Crew Cab. Add Chevrolet’s LTZ Premium Package, the Technology Package, a spray-in bedliner, and a destination charge, and the test truck’s sticker price climbed to just above $60,000.