CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 VS. FORD F-150: WHICH IS THE BEST AMERICAN PICKUP TRUCK?

First, let’s check out how the pricing structure is set up for these beasts.

2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 price and trims:

Trim and Starting MSRP

• Silverado 1500 Work Truck – $36,800
• Silverado 1500 Custom – $43,600
• Silverado 1500 Custom Trail Boss – $51,800
• Silverado 1500 LT – $48,000
• Silverado 1500 LT Trail Boss – $58,000
• Silverado 1500 RST – $51,400
• Silverado 1500 LTZ – $57,200
• Silverado 1500 High Country – $62,700
• Silverado 1500 ZR2 – $69,900

2024 Ford F-150 price and trims:

Trim and Starting MSRP

• F-150 XL – $36,570
• F-150 STX – $43,895
• F-150 XLT – $47,620
• F-150 Tremor – $63,950
• F-150 Lariat – $64,995
• F-150 King Ranch – $74,385
• F-150 Platinum – $74,385
• F-150 Raptor – $77,980

It all starts out pretty evenly matched. The base trims for both trucks are practically within pennies of each other, and at first it looks like the F-150 is the more affordable truck. Then, things take a turn pretty quick. Past the XLT trim, the F-150’s price point jumps up over 15k, and its premium trim levels all hover well over the 70,000-dollar mark. Meanwhile, comparable models of the Silverado 1500 are way less pricey, which means the Silverado provides more bang for your buck overall.

Now, let’s see what they actually offer for their price point.

Both trucks are available in both rear-wheel drive and 4×4, and both have a few different engines, depending on which trim you fancy.
2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 engine options:

• TurboMax: 310 horsepower, 430 pound-feet of torque (standard on WT, Custom, Custom Trail Boss, LT, LT Trail Boss, and RST)
• 5.3L EcoTec3 V8: 355 horsepower, 383 pound-feet of torque (standard on LTZ and High Country; available on WT, Custom Trail Boss, LT, LT Trail Boss, and RST)
• 6.2L EcoTec3 V8: 420 horsepower, 460 pound-feet of torque (available on RST 4×4, LT Trail Boss, LTZ 4×4, ZR2, and High Country 4×4)
• Duramax 3.0L Turbo-Diesel: 305 horsepower, 495 pound-feet of torque (standard on ZR2; available on Custom Trail Boss, LT, LT Trail Boss, RST, LTZ and High Country)

2024 Ford F-150 engine options:

• 2.7L EcoBoost V6: 325 horsepower, 400 pound-feet of torque (standard on XL, STX, and XLT)
• 3.5L EcoBoost V6: 400 horsepower, 500 pound-feet of torque (standard on King Ranch and Platinum; available on XL, XLT, Tremor, and Lariat)
• High-Output 3.5L EcoBoost V6: 450 horsepower, 510 pound-feet of torque (standard on Raptor)
• 5.0L Ti-VCT V8: 400 horsepower, 410 pound-feet of torque (standard on Tremor and Lariat; available on XL, STX, and XLT)
• High-Output Supercharged 5.2L V8: 700 horsepower, 640 pound-feet of torque (available on Raptor)
• 3.5L PowerBoost Hybrid V6: 430 horsepower, 570 pound-feet of torque (available on XLT, Lariat, King Ranch, and Platinum)

Since that’s kind of a lot of numbers and specs, we’ll boil it down to a few key points:

• The Silverado’s base TurboMax engine is more powerful, allowing for a notably higher towing capacity.
• Silverado 1500 is the only truck available with a diesel engine, while the F-150 is the only of the two with a hybrid option.
• F-150 has the most powerful engine overall (5.2L V8), but it’s only available in the off-road oriented Raptor.
• The Silverado’s various engine options are available on a wider range of trims compared to the F-150.

In terms of raw towing power, the Silverado 1500’s max capacity is 13,300 pounds when properly equipped, while the F-150’s maximum towing a slightly higher at 13,500 pounds. For all practical intents and purposes, this basically amounts to a tie.
So, what about available safety features that aid in towing?
Both trucks have in-vehicle trailering diagnostics, which pop up on the infotainment and driver info screens, giving pertinent information about things like trailer weight, balance, and tire condition. The F-150 has a few extra goodies, including a smart hitch and onboard scales to measure tongue weight, but neither of these are standard. The Silverado, on the other hand, has a dedicated trailering app, which allows you to customize specific trailer profiles.
Where the Silverado really shines is its smart trailering features like trailer blind zone alert, which basically extends the truck’s standard blind spot warning to the specific length of whatever you’re hauling. The Chevy truck also has a class-leading 14 available external trailer camera views, including four hitch views, four parking assistance views, and six driving views, allowing driver to see their load from every angle. It even allows you to see through your trailer.
The F-150 is no stranger to hauling, but because of its extensive list of assistive features, and because its less-powerful engines tow significantly more, the Silverado 1500 wins out as the best truck for towing.

Both trucks have three available cab sizes. Here are the measurements of each.

2024 Silverado 1500 Regular Cab

• Head room (front/rear): 43.1 in. / –
• Shoulder room (front/rear): 66.0 in. / –
• Hip room (front/rear): 60.9 in. / –
• Leg room (front/rear): 44.5 in. / –

2024 F-150 Regular Cab

• Head room (front/rear): 40.8 in. / –
• Shoulder room (front/rear): 66.7 in. / –
• Hip room (front/rear): 62.5 in. / –
• Leg room (front/rear): 43.9 in. / –

2024 Silverado 1500 Double Cab

• Head room (front/rear): 43.0 in. / 39.9 in.
• Shoulder room (front/rear): 66.0 in. / 64.9 in.
• Hip room (front/rear): 61.2 in. / 60.2 in.
• Leg room (front/rear): 44.5 in. / 35.3 in.

2024 F-150 SuperCab

• Head room (front/rear): 40.8 in. / 40.3 in.
• Shoulder room (front/rear): 66.7 in. / 66.1 in.
• Hip room (front/rear): 62.5 in. / 62.6 in.
• Leg room (front/rear): 43.9 in. / 33.5 in.

2024 Silverado 1500 Crew Cab

• Head room (front/rear): 40.8 in. / 40.4 in.
• Shoulder room (front/rear): 66.7 in. / 66.0 in.
• Hip room (front/rear): 62.5 in. / 62.6 in.
• Leg room (front/rear): 43.9 in. / 43.6 in.

2024 F-150 SuperCrew

• Head room (front/rear): 43.0 in. / 40.1 in.
• Shoulder room (front/rear): 66.0 in. / 65.1 in.
• Hip room (front/rear): 61.2 in. / 60.2 in.
• Leg room (front/rear): 44.5 in. / 43.4 in.

The F-150 has a bit more shoulder and hip room across the board, but the Silverado 1500 boasts far more head and leg room. These dimensions give the Silverado a much more open feel, making it the superior choice for most drivers.

As with the cab configurations, both trucks have three different bed lengths.

2024 Silverado 1500 Short Bed

• Length at floor: 69.92 in.
• Width between wheelhouses: 50.63 in.
• Height: 22.40 in.
• Total Volume: 62.90 cu. ft.

2024 F-150 Short Bed

• Length at floor: 67.10 in.
• Width between wheelhouses: 50.60 in.
• Height: 21.40 in.
• Total Volume: 52.80 cu. ft.

2024 Silverado 1500 Reg. Bed 

• Length at floor: 79.44 in.
• Width between wheelhouses: 50.63 in.
• Height: 22.40 in.
• Total Volume: 71.70 cu. ft.

2024 F-150 Reg. Bed

• Length at floor: 78.90 in.
• Width between wheelhouses: 50.60 in.
• Height: 21.40 in.
• Total Volume: 62.30 cu. ft.

2024 Silverado 1500 Long Bed

• Length at floor: 98.18 in.
• Width between wheelhouses: 50.63 in.
• Height: 22.40 in.
• Total Volume: 89.10 cu. ft.

2024 F-150 Long Bed

• Length at floor: 97.60 in.
• Width between wheelhouses: 50.60 in.
• HeightL 21.40 in.
• Total Volume: 77.40 cu. ft.

No matter which way you slice it, the Silverado 1500 has the most bed space, regardless of which cargo box style you choose, and it’s especially apparent when you look at the total volume of each.
Okay, well, size matters, but it isn’t everything. Both trucks have included some seriously cool features into their cargo area design, so let’s talk about ‘em.

The F-150 features four bed hooks, LED lighting, exterior electrical outlets, and, new for 2024, an optional tailgate function that allows it to open from the side like a door, allowing for greater ease of access.

The Silverado simply blows the F-150 out of the water, though. It comes standard with twelve cargo hooks, and it has the option for LED lighting, a 120-volt power outlet, and the Multi-Flex tailgate, which is available on all trims, and allows six different adjustments for expanded cargo room and access.

Now, let’s talk infotainment.

The base Chevrolet Silverado infotainment system is a 7-inch color touch screen, which allows for Bluetooth, as well as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard. Upgraded screens at higher trim levels include a 13.4-incher, plus a 12.3-inch digital driver information center, which is standard on all models LT and above. It also boasts an available 15-inch heads-up display, available wireless charging pad, built-in USB ports, and standard Wi-Fi capability.

Ford’s setup is a bit simpler, with a 12-inch center touchscreen and 12-inch driver info center standard across all models, so while the lower-level trims offer better screen coverage, the Silverado has the largest screen overall. The F-150 also has an available head-up display, available wireless charging, and standard Wi-Fi capacity.

Both also offer a wealth of connected services and voice recognition applications, but the Silverado is the only one of the two that has available Google built-in, which allows seamless interfacing with various Google apps like Maps, Assistant, and Play Store.

Both trucks also have their own level 2 self-driving features in the highest trims; Chevy Super Cruise and Ford BlueCruise. Both of these allow for hands-free driving and towing on highways, and both have been incredibly well-reviewed since their unveiling.

They also have a wealth of standard and available advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).
Chevy Safety Assist

• Adaptive cruise control: Available
• Automatic emergency braking: Standard
• Forward collision warning: Standard
• Front pedestrian braking: Standard
• Lane departure warning: Standard
• Lane keeping assist: Standard
• Front parking assist: Available
• Rear parking assist: Available
• High beam assist: Standard
• Rear vision camera: Standard
• Surround vision: Available
• Teen driver settings: Standard

Ford Co-Pilot360

• Adaptive cruise control: Available
• Automatic emergency braking: Standard
• Forward collision warning:  Standard
• Front pedestrian braking:  Standard
• Lane departure warning: Available
• Lane keeping assist: Standard
• Front parking assist: N/A
• Rear parking assist: N/A
• High beam assist: Standard
• Rear vision camera: Standard
• Surround vision: Available
• Teen driver settings: N/A

The F-150 has a solid collection of features, but the Silverado 1500 takes the cake as the truck with the best safety features, and the standard teen driver mode makes it the strongest contender for best family truck.

There’s no doubt that the F-150 is one impressive machine but considering the Silverado 1500 offers nicer tech and significantly more bed utility for a better price, it still reigns supreme as the best pickup truck of 2024.

If you’re looking for a Chevy Silverado for sale near Kansas City, contact us by phone or web today, and be sure to ask about our special offers on new vehicles.