2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The Chevrolet Silverado Heavy Duty is available as a 2500, which we've reviewed here, or the beefier 3500 model, covered separately on CarGurus. Buyers get a choice of regular, double, or crew cabs with a seven-foot or eight-foot bed. It’s offered in six trims: Work Truck, Custom, LT, LTZ, High Country and the off-road-specific ZR2.

Keep in mind, this truck is big. The wheelbase alone can be as long as 14 feet, while the overall length can stretch 22 feet. Yikes.

The truck's various trims can be distinguished by their front fascia styling. The basic work truck is plain but still handsome, while the Custom adds a body-colored horizontal bar across the grille, joining the squinty headlamps. The LT trim level swaps out that bar for a chrome one, and the LTZ and High Country trim levels chromify the entire grille and add C-shaped headlamps. Meanwhile, the Silverado 2500HD ZR2 blacks out the grille and adds the Chevrolet “flow tie” badging, allowing air to pass through the traditional bow tie badge and into the engine bay.

For 2024, Chevrolet is adding a few nice touches including standard tow hooks across the line and wheel options up to 22 inches (in bright chrome, no less). Colors also get a boost; there are now 10 options to choose from. However, don’t get too excited: There are two shades of red, two of grey and two of white. To be sure, nothing here really stands out from the crowd.

We had the chance to test both the High Country and ZR2 trims for this review. Inside, our High Country-trim tester is the best of the line-up with open-pore wood, leather trim, and plenty of metal trim and fancy-pants embroidery. The Jet Black interior is highlighted by a brown Umber with plenty of cool stitching and fabric piping. It’s not an overwrought look, just simple and upscale. Chevrolet has struggled with cheaper materials in the past but gets it right here. Everything looks and feels high-quality.

The Chevy Silverado 2500HD comes standard with a 6.6-liter V8 gas engine delivering 401 horsepower and 464 pound-feet of torque. An optional 6.6-liter Duramax turbodiesel V8 with 470 ponies and 975 pound-feet of twist is available, and we were delighted to test that engine (and those numbers) for this review. Both powertrains are mated to an Allison 10-speed automatic transmission.

The Duramax diesel is remarkably quiet, with little engine noise making its way into the cabin. It feels well-mated to the 10-speed automatic transmission, too. Smoot shifts happen in the background, even when downshifting to first gear. Acceleration up to highway speed is quick enough to not stress about upcoming big rigs and once the truck reaches cruising speed it hums along at low rpms.

We drove the Silverado 2500 in two-wheel drive (2WD) for 100 miles or so and it returned 20.3 miles per gallon. Using a mix of 2WD and Auto four-wheel drive (4WD) for 250 miles, the truck’s computer calculated 17 mpg. Most configurations offer a 36 gallon tank, although the regular cab with the Duramax diesel engine measures only 28 gallons, and the double cab with a standard bed and diesel gets a 29-gallon tank.

If an off-road pickup truck is what you're looking for, the Silverado 2500 ZR2 with the Bison package delivers in spades. It’s equipped with the excellent Multimatic DSSV spool valve shocks, which take on the challenge of dirt and rocks like no other. Harsh impacts are smoothed out and nothing really makes its way into the cabin unless the driver gets a little too carried away with speed.

The ZR2 Bison's 35-inch tires and one and a half inch lift provide 11.6 inches of ground clearance and approach, departure and breakover angles of 29.8, 25.7 and 21.2 degrees, respectively. There isn’t another heavy duty truck that can touch these numbers. Further, the Bison package adds skid plating underneath the truck as well as steel front and rear bumpers. This spec will climb up and over rocks like it’s nothing, as long as the trail is big enough for its nearly seven-foot wide girth.

With pickup trucks, form and function is as much about what they can tow as much as it what they can haul.

A Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD in 2WD spec with the regular cab, dual rear wheels (DRW) and diesel engine has a mammoth towing capacity of 36,000 pounds with a gooseneck trailer, but don’t think that all Silverado heavy duty trucks can do the same. The most a 2500HD can tow is 22,430 pounds, and our tester is closer to 19,000 pounds. The same applies to payload capacity. A 3500HD can haul over 7,000 pounds when properly equipped, a 2500HD takes the load down to 3,700 or so pounds, while our tester sits at just 3,000 pounds.

We spent some time towing 11,000 pounds behind a Silverado 2500HD ZR2 Bison with the diesel engine and found it to be a piece of cake thanks to the myriad camera views. The transparent trailer camera technology allows drivers to see what is directly behind their load while the rear side view shows the blind spot when the turn signal is activated. There are also camera views for hitching up your trailer, a camera pointed into the bed, a forward-view camera, and a 360-degree view camera. If you’re nervous about towing, Chevrolet makes it much, much easier.

There are other nice touches here that make working a bit easier. There is a side step in front of the rear wheel for easy access to items in the bed, and the six-way MultiFlex tailgate is a dream of utility. It can be a desk, a bed extender or even a step into the bed itself. On the High Country trim, it’s even power operated, making opening and closing the tailgate a breeze as well. Power-retractable running boards make getting in and out easy, as does a grab bar on the driver’s side A-pillar.

Our High Country trim also gets heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats and a heated steering wheel. Long drives are pretty comfortable thanks to a 10-way power adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar support. However, Chevy ignores audiophiles, offering only a six-speaker audio system.

Chevy goes bigger on tech in the 2024 Silverado 2500HD with a 12.3-inch configurable gauge cluster and a 13.4-inch infotainment touchscreen as standard, starting on the LT trim. The system is easy to use with a thoughtful menu structure and plenty of utility. We like that it’s canted towards the driver just a touch for an easier reach. In a truck this big, the far side of the screen can seem like a million miles away.

Chevrolet ditched its own mapping interface, opting to just use Google maps, and with Google built-in, drivers can access the Play store and Google Assistant. We asked for a joke and the Assistant did not disappoint. Amazon Alexa is also here, as are wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The only gripe we have is that the screen is always in split-mode. If there is a way to get it to expand out to a full-screen view, we couldn’t find it.

Charging options are plentiful in the Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD, thanks to plenty of USB-A and USB-C ports scattered about the cabin. There is also wireless charging available, as well as a traditional power outlet for laptops and the like. No device should ever go dead in this vehicle. A Wi-Fi hotspot is on tap as well.

An available 15-inch head-up display (HUD) puts key information in the driver’s line of sight. It’s great to always be able to check the truck’s speed with a quick glance downward. We also like the rear camera mirror that displays a video feed from the back-up camera to the rear-view mirror. This is especially useful when the bed is loaded with taller items, impeding the view of a traditional rear-view mirror.

One feature we wish the Silverado 2500HD incorporated is an on-board generator, such as the ProPower Onboard generator available on the Ford SuperDuty. The ability to power a job site just adds versatility that Chevrolet's heavy-duty pickup customers would appreciate.

When it comes to standard advanced driver’s safety features, the Silverado 2500 HD doesn’t go quite as far as the Ford SuperDuty. Here you’ll get only front pedestrian braking, forward-collision alert, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, and a following distance indicator included as standard equipment. However, our test truck was also equipped with GM’s Safety Seat. We glanced in our side mirror to change lanes and traffic ahead suddenly came to a halt. The buzzing of the driver’s seat snapped our attention back forward with enough time to brake and avoid a collision. It’s a great feature.

Adaptive cruise control is optional for all trims, even on our top High Country tester. GM says adaptive cruise will work while towing a trailer, taking into account the increased braking distance needed while hauling all those extra pounds.

All of the safety features can be configured in the Settings menu, including GM's Buckle to Drive feature. Yep, the truck will temporarily keep you from shifting out of Park unless your seat belt is fastened. The Teen Driver technology can keep tabs on younger drivers, issuing a report card with distance traveled, top speed, and a notice of whether the tech-safety nannies had to step in and save the day.

The 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 has not yet been rated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD starts at right around $46,000 MSRP for a base Work Truck in 2WD with a regular cab and long bed, but our High Country tester with 4WD and the crew cab, regular bed, and diesel engine starts closer to $83,000. Buyers can save a bit of money by opting for the gas engine, starting at $74,000 in the High Country. If you want a diesel ZR2 Bison that price can go up to $95,000. Expect to pay an additional $1,995 for destination.

Chevy’s biggest competitor for work-truck worthiness is the Ford Super Duty. The ProPower Onboard generator system is likely to sway some buyers, as is the available 1,200 pound-feet of torque from the Blue Oval’s 6.7-liter diesel engine. However, Ford’s Tremor off-road package is nowhere near as robust as what Chevy offers with the ZR2.

The Ram 2500 is a solid competitor as well, thanks to its smooth-riding heavy duty option, but it can’t tow as much. The Rebel off-road model comes closer to the ZR2’s capability, but with smaller tires it’s just not quite there.

Chevrolet gives the 2024 Silverado 2500 a 3-year/36,000 bumper-to-bumper limited warranty as well as a 5-year/60,000-mile warranty on the powertrain.

The 2024 Chevrolet Silverado Heavy Duty is a tough truck to beat thanks to its on-road manners and upgraded technology, but Ford offers some features not found on the Silverado that may be deal-breakers. However, those needing a heavy duty truck that can tow, haul and play off-road should look no further than the Silverado 2500 ZR2 Bison. It’s a pricey proposition, but it can do it all.