2026 GMC Sierra EV AT4 First Test: Big Range, Small Off‑Road Bite

Long range, relatively fast charging speeds, the ability to extend its cargo capacity without dropping the tailgate, and ample power are all positive qualities of the 2026 GMC Sierra EV AT4. But there’s one negative that's hard to ignore—the AT4. For GMC, the AT4 badge means you can do real off-road things if you have a model equipped with said package. But when it comes to a vehicle as heavy as the Sierra EV, proper AT4 ability is harder to achieve and compromises an otherwise impressive all-electric truck.

The biggest issue with the Sierra EV AT4 is it needs a suspension setup to better allow it to soak up and otherwise handle rougher trails. It’s compounded by the fact that it weighs an extremely hefty 8,844 pounds. That's a huge amount of mass to control, and the 2026 Sierra EV AT4 doesn’t do it all that well.

A Lot of Truck to Handle

This becomes apparent when hitting the brakes to make a panic stop from 60 mph in 145 feet as the truck will buck front to back. This is primarily due to the softer suspension that doesn’t provide enough damping control to keep the springs from overcompensating. This also affects the way the truck feels as you corner, with the rolling over of the Goodyear Wrangler Territory ATs’ tall sidewalls (sized as a LT285/75R18 and nearly 35-inch in outside diameter) also contributing to the lean, and roaring as they attempt to keep the truck under control.

That’s all on the pavement, but what about going off-road? Even over a modest loose rock and pebble path, we had a tough time keeping the 2026 Sierra EV AT4 from burying itself, a trail that a GMC-badged AT4 normally wouldn’t be bothered by. Your average pickup owner might not typically experience issues like this, let alone most early adopter EV truck buyers. Many will only go as far as the trailhead of their local hiking or mountain bike trail with dirt roads that are likely to be smooth and decently maintained. While the 2026 GMC Sierra EV AT4 is more than enough for those buyers, they'd likely be better served with something different.

See All 20 Photos20

Plenty of Power and Range

Despite its off-road compromises, the 2026 Sierra AT4 still offers a lot of quality features like the folding false wall between the cabin and the bed. It and the rear seats split 60/40, with the majority being the center and driver side. The only thing we wish GMC had done was to make the smaller side the primary folding side, allowing for long objects like 2x4s to pass through into the cabin and have the two rear seats available to allow for four occupants instead of three.

See All 20 Photos20

There's also no denying the power and range of the 2026 GMC Sierra EV AT4, but some of that powerful feeling might be absorbed by the soft suspension. Foot to the floor from a dead stop in Max Power mode just doesn’t feel all that exciting save the amount of torque steer you’re likely to experience. But you will be hurtling a nearly 9,000-pound truck to 60 mph in just 4.3 seconds, so it’s no slouch all things considered. Suffice it to say, you won’t have any issues merging or passing that vehicle camping in the left lane.

See All 20 Photos20

You’ll also be able to travel on the highway for a long time once you merge onto it, as we achieved a run of 368 miles from 100 percent state of charge to 5 percent at a constant 70 mph during our MotorTrend Road Trip Range test. That's quite a bit lower than its 478-mile EPA rating but still pretty impressive given its heft. When you do run low on power, our testing found that you’ll get 120 miles of range in as little as 15 minutes on a 350-kW DC fast charger while another 15 will net another 93 miles on top of that (213 miles).

There’s one other issue with the 2026 GMC Sierra EV AT4 as we see it: its $91,695 base price. Our test vehicle was also equipped with an optional hard-folding bed cover that pushed the all-in price to $93,645. That's a lot of money, even considering full-size trucks don’t seem to have an upper limit on price these days. While the 2026 Sierra EV AT4 offers a lot of good stuff, there are better off-roading options that cost less, although most of them still burn gasoline.