Does Making the GMC Sierra EV Cheaper Fix It?

See All 32 Photos32

When the GMC Sierra EV made a run at our Truck of the Year award last year, it was only available in the fully loaded and extra-expensive Denali Edition 1 launch trim. It had its highs and lows, but dwarfing them all (and even its massive curb weight) was the Edition 1’s nearly $100,000 price tag. Now that the 2026 GMC Sierra EV is available in base Elevation and off-road AT4 trims, we’re giving it another go.

Value is one of the six key criteria for our Of The Year award contenders, and even in today’s world, a six-figure pickup truck is a bridge too far. Does the addition of a (relatively) cheap Sierra EV fix its value proposition?

Well, it was cheaper, until the options started elevating the Elevation’s price. See, GMC made the Elevation trim level less expensive by taking away the Sierra EV’s highlight features and making most of them optional equipment. For example, the truck offers three battery sizes for 2026. The base Elevation comes with the smallest, Standard battery, with the midlevel Extended Range pack available as an option (but not the biggest Max Range pack). Our test truck came equipped with the Extended Range pack.

See All 32 Photos32

Similarly, the (squeaky, finnicky) MultiPro Midgate, faster 800-volt charging (400-volt is standard), and Super Cruise are all optional for the Elevation. Our truck was equipped with all three, which when combined with the bigger battery and other packages pushed the price from about $65,000 with zero options to $86,395 as-equipped.

It's not as though you can build your personally perfect truck, either. The Max Range pack, which would make it an ideal EV tow rig, is locked into the more expensive trim levels. So is the rear-wheel steering, which drastically improves maneuverability, and air suspension, which enhances its ride quality and can raise the ground clearance off-road or lower it for better aerodynamics and range on the highway.

Then there’s the part you can’t get at all. No Sierra EV, not even the off-road AT4, gets a locking rear differential. Instead, you get brake-based torque vectoring, which doesn’t live up to GMC’s promises at all. Given our experience driving the truck on sandy soil over our Of The Year evaluation loop, we’d be nervous trying to tackle even a moderately steep driveway in the snow. As a result, all our judges parked the Sierra EV long before their turn in the off-road park was up, generally referring to it as “a waste of time.”

This is infuriating, too, because GMC has an electric drive unit with its virtual rear wheel e-locker system sitting in the Hummer EV 2X parts bin. All it had to do was install that (the trucks are on the same platform), but no, it isn’t available for any Sierra EV, regardless of price.

It isn't all complaints, however. Super Cruise continues to work brilliantly in both everyday commuting and when towing a 6,900-pound MasterCraft boat and trailer. The cloth trim is supposed to be the Sierra EV’s cheap, base-model compromise, but we think it’s handsome. The cabin is enormous, and all the power outlets inside and out are hugely useful. For our money, though, there are other EV pickups that do the truck thing better.

This review was conducted as part of our 2026 Truck of the Year (TOTY) testing, where each vehicle is evaluated on our six key criteria: efficiency, design, safety, engineering excellence, value, and performance of intended function. Eligible vehicles must be all-new or significantly revised.