GMC Hummer EV 3X First Test: Stylin' and Profilin'

The GMC Hummer EV electric pickup truck is a masterstroke. Not because it’s nice to drive or even because it’s a techno-powerhouse that can blink to Warp 9 despite weighing as much as a 40-foot shipping container. No, it’s a masterstroke because it’s the rare EV that people forget is an EV—it’s all balls and brashness first, electric propulsion second. 

Why It’s Important

Don’t believe us? Just drive one. Anywhere. The first, second, and third things people will want to talk about are the fact it’s a Hummer, how it looks, and whether they love it or hate it. No one will balk at sharing their opinion, and only about half will know or remember it’s an EV—”oh yeah, this is the electric one, right?” But everyone will walk away struck by the sheer audacity of this all-terrain behemoth. Well, most terrains. Which we’ll get to in a minute. It’s a 9,000-pound, 3.1-second-to-60 billboard for how cool electric vehicles can be. 

The 2023 GMC Hummer EV we tested is the 3X trim, the tri-motor top dog that’s essentially the Interstellar White Edition 1 model but available in other paint colors, including black in this case. That means the same prodigious power, attitude, and price. Order a 3X, and you can count on 1,000 horsepower and a 0–60-mph time of 3.1 seconds.

Now that it’s finally arrived, the Tesla Cybertruck is the Hummer EV’s most direct competitor given both focus more on shocking and awing than being practical. But we’ve previously compared the GMC Hummer EV with the Rivian R1T back when it was new and, more recently, the Ford F-150 Raptor R in a battle of badass beasts.

See All 48 Photos48

Pros: What We Like

The Hummer excels at dropping jaws. It features the very cool but debatably useful Crab Walk function, as well as the very cool and definitely useful WTF (Watts to Freedom) launch control. The graphics on all the screens are sweet, too; the fonts and imagery are reminiscent of spaceship readouts, and animated shots of the truck cycle as you change drive modes, including one of the Hummer towing a rocket and another showing it rolling over Mars-like terrain. We love all the space references, really, including the lunar topography on the speaker grilles (complete with spacesuit boot print) and paint names that include Supernova (dark blue), Afterburner (orange), Deep Aurora (dark bronze), and Void (black), the color of our test truck. There’s even a special Neptune-themed Omega Edition for 2024.

This thing rides like a magic carpet, too, the soft suspension erasing impacts from any road crater you might see this side of the Sea of Tranquility. Wheel motions are nicely controlled, and even the prodigious body roll isn’t worrisome, with GM’s chassis-tuning mastery on full display. The cabin is spacious and functional, and the roof panels pop off for open-air cruising, with all four able to be stowed in the huge frunk. Plus, GM’s excellent Super Cruise hands-free driving assistant is one of the best such systems on the market. Lastly, the Hummer EV is extremely capable off-road. Well, so long as it's properly equipped.

Cons: What We Don’t Like

Unfortunately, our Hummer wasn’t properly equipped for off-roading, lacking the $10,000 Off-Road Readiness package, which brings 18-inch wheels, Goodyear Wrangler Territory all-terrain tires, locking front and rear differentials, an upgraded front motor, underbody cameras and shielding, rock rails, and heavier-duty halfshafts. Without all that gear, our GMC Hummer EV test truck and its 22-inch wheels and tires wasn’t particularly happy slopping about in mud and rocks, sliding off stones and awkwardly lurching around. If you’ll off-road your Hummer EV at all, spring for the Off-Road pack, even if it really should be standard on something that traces its lineage back to the original military HMMWV. 

We’re also disappointed with some cabin materials given the six-figure price tag. As mentioned, the overall design is handsome and special, and it mostly manages to hide some parts-bin pieces, but GM’s shiny black plastic—used on everything from Traxes to Silverados—is too prevalent in something this expensive. 

The Bottom Line

There’s nothing like the brash and bold 2023 GMC Hummer EV for better or worse, but mostly for the better. It's one hell of a conversation piece—and maybe an even better accomplishment.