The Ford F-150 has long remained a staple atop the sales charts, as well as a vehicle that routinely beats its rivals in various comparison tests. This is also true of the all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning, which is now doing battle with a number of rivals, including the Chevy Silverado EV, which actually beats the Blue Oval model in a number of key areas – such as driving range. However, that wasn’t enough to keep the Ford F-150 Lightning from prevailing in a real-world comparison test recently conducted by the folks at Edmunds.
Range is the first topic worth comparing between the Ford F-150 Lightning and Chevy Silverado EV, which is also a subject that remains top of mind with EV shoppers, in general. In that regard, the Silverado EV Max Range trim here is rated to travel 460 miles on a single charge, though Edmunds achieved an impressive 484 miles – far more than the Lightning’s 324 miles. However, the Silverado EV has a massive 205 kWh battery that “definitely affects the truck’s driving dynamics, and not in a good way. Ponderous, harsh and skittish, the Silverado EV is truly bad to drive,” according to Edmunds.
When it comes to the interior, Edmunds says that the Silverado EV is “the big loser here, with an interior that both looks and feels cheap.” The Chevy does get the edge in terms of its bed space and tailgate utility, but has a lesser max payload of 1,500 pounds versus 2,000 for the Ford F-150 Lightning, while both trucks can tow up to 10,000 pounds.
Then there’s the matter of pricing – the Lightning starts out around $65,000, while the Silverado EV is roughly $10k more, which is a huge gap, indeed – particularly in this case, as the Chevy in this comparison test stickers at around $96k versus the Ford and its $80k as-tested price. Ultimately, Edmunds concludes that the Ford F-150 Lighting “wins this comparison test, and not by a small margin.”
Comments
So did the guy in NOLA
I sort of understand the brute force choice of a larger battery to alleviate range anxiety, but I really don’t get the decision to put in a noticeably cheap interior in such an expensive truck.
The electric Silverado isn’t really a Silverado. It’s on unibody platform, basically a car with a bed. It does not get even close to the F150 also for this reason.
The battery range is the key. Do the math for people doing real work, and that justifies the rest. If you want a coddle, the Ford may be better for you. Frame on the Chev is likely stiffer as the body is all one unit across the length of the truck. The Chev is 8500 lbs and may need commercial plates, and beefier tires. It can power a typical house for 5-10 days.
This is a weak comparison, a bit superficial for someone like Edmunds.