A Drive Review of the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado EV Trail Boss -- Off-Roading Without Fuss

Views on Vehicles focuses on new car reviews and news, presented by Robin Warner, a perennial car nut. The reason for the channel's focus becomes crystal clear when you look at Robin's experience. He spent five years of his adult life as an engineer: four years in traction and stability control calibration, and little over a year in vehicle dynamics. He also spent 15 years of his adult life as an editor at various magazines, including stints at Car and Driver, Road & Track, and Autoweek.

The TTAC Creators Series tells stories and amplifies creators from all corners of the car world, including culture, dealerships, collections, modified builds and more.

For those who would rather read words than watch video, a transcript, cleaned up by AI and edited by a staffer, is below.

[Image: Robin Warner/YouTube screenshot]

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Transcript:

This is the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado EV Trail Boss. It sits two inches higher off the ground, rides on 18-inch wheels with all-terrain tires, and, of course, it’s still a Silverado EV. This one’s spotless right now, but that won’t last long. I’m about to take it off-road to see how it handles getting away from pavement — and whether I’ll miss internal combustion along the way.

Before we get it dirty, here’s a look at the truck while it’s still clean and shiny.

Now I’m in a different one — a blue Silverado EV Trail Boss — and headed to a trail for some off-roading. We’re getting a few miles on pavement first. Regular viewers will notice I’m not on my usual route or even in my usual state. I’m also not alone. Joining me is Elana Scherr, features editor for Car and Driver magazine, where I used to work years ago.

We’re catching up as we drive, and I’ve already found one quirk — the turn-signal camera view pops up automatically on the big 17.7-inch center screen. It’s a nice feature, but I’d rather see the navigation directions. I’ll need to figure out how to turn it off later.

This Trail Boss is one of three trims for the Silverado EV — the others are the Work Truck and LT. Elana and I are both guests of Chevrolet to test the Trail Boss off-road and see what it can really do.

On-road, it’s smooth and quiet. Elana says it feels stable, calm, and comfortable — and not just because of my driving. The cabin is well isolated from wind and road noise, which is impressive.

Because the EV Silverado rides on its own dedicated platform with four-wheel independent suspension, it absorbs bumps better than a typical truck. Combined with the 18-inch wheels and 35-inch all-terrain tires, it still rides nicely without the usual noise or harshness.

This is a heavy truck, though. The max battery pack is a massive 205 kilowatt-hours, adding plenty of weight but also a ton of power. With 725 horsepower and 775 pound-feet of torque from dual motors, it moves quickly. Acceleration is instant, with no lag or gear changes — just immediate response.

Elana sets me up perfectly to talk about towing. I did tow with it briefly yesterday — a short 10-minute loop with a 5,000-pound trailer. It was remarkably easy. The Silverado EV’s weight actually helps stability, and with strong regen braking, I barely needed the pedal. It was almost entirely one-pedal driving, even while towing.

Elana also tried towing and noted how useful the cameras were for maneuvering around tight corners — at one point avoiding both a curb and a Ferrari.

One of the cleverest features is how Chevrolet integrated motor regen into trailer towing. You can get up to 0.4 g of deceleration just by lifting off the accelerator, even with a trailer. Super Cruise with trailer capability is also available, allowing hands-free towing on mapped highways.

Of course, with a name like Trail Boss, off-roading is a key focus. Once we got off pavement, the Trail Boss handled everything with ease. It has 35-inch tires, two additional inches of ground clearance, and four-wheel steering with “Sidewinder Mode,” which allows the truck to move diagonally to get around obstacles.

The rear steering system is noticeable in tight turns, making the truck surprisingly maneuverable for its size. On rougher sections with deep ditches, the cameras and traction systems worked well — we went two wheels up at times, but the truck stayed composed and found grip quickly.

Elana rejoined me for the second set of obstacles, which were even steeper, and the Silverado EV Trail Boss made it through without issue. After several miles of trails, we still had more than 360 miles of range left from an initial 435-mile estimate.

Elana’s take: this truck looks the part and is capable for camping, getting to motocross tracks, or general adventure trips. For extreme rock crawling or multi-day desert runs, she’d look for something even more specialized.

I agree. This truck excels at moderate off-roading with EV convenience. With its huge 205-kWh battery, it’s possible to drive 100 miles to a destination, power equipment or camp gear once there, and drive 100 miles back — all on a single charge.

It can supply up to 10.2 kW of external power and fast-charge at up to 350 kW, adding roughly 100 miles of range in about 10 minutes. Charging the full pack, of course, takes longer.

For those ready to move away from internal combustion but still want a capable adventure vehicle, the Silverado EV Trail Boss offers a compelling mix of range, capability, and composure — both on- and off-road.

I’m Robin Warner. Thanks for watching.