Silverado EV Insurance Runs 3x Its Fuel Bill. Why?

Our calculator puts five years with a 2025 Chevrolet Silverado EV at $65,247. That is $1,087 a month, every month, for a truck most people will describe as the one that saves money on gas.

It does save on gas. Fuel is $4,643 over five years in our estimate, about $77 a month. But insurance is $15,395 over the same stretch, roughly $257 a month. The thing you plug in costs a third of what the thing you sign a policy for does.

That is the story of this truck. The electric part is cheap to run. The expensive part is the price tag, and everything that follows from it.

Where the $65,247 actually goes

Depreciation is the monster: $41,249 over five years, on an assumed $75,000 purchase price. That is about 55% of the truck's value gone. Our calculator treats typical used mileage at 12,000 miles a year, and even with that gentle use, the truck loses more value than most households spend on a decent used car.

Insurance is second at $15,395. Repairs are $2,451, maintenance is $1,254, and registration is $255.

Add the last three and you get $3,960. That is less than the fuel bill plus a little more, and far less than insurance. Maintenance on an EV is light because there is no oil to change and no exhaust to rust. That part of the pitch is true. It just barely matters next to the other two numbers.

If you are shopping this truck to save money, you are shopping for the wrong reason. Depreciation and insurance decide your cost. Fuel and maintenance are rounding errors by comparison.

Why insurance is so high

Insurers price a vehicle by what it costs to fix and replace. A big electric truck with a large battery pack, lots of sensors, and expensive body panels lands in the expensive pile.

Our figure is an estimate based on the truck's value and class. It is not a quote. Your driving record, ZIP code, age, and insurer will move it, possibly by a lot. Get real quotes before you fall in love with a test drive.

What this truck is, and who it is for

The Silverado EV is Chevrolet's full-size electric pickup, built on GM's Ultium battery platform. It has dual motors, four-wheel drive, a front trunk, and a clever rear midgate that lets the cab open into the bed so you can carry long items inside.

It is for a specific person: someone who wants a full-size truck, can charge at home, drives a predictable number of miles, and does not tow heavy loads across states every weekend. Fleet buyers and small businesses with a home or depot charger also make sense. A contractor who drives 40 miles a day between job sites and parks at a shop with a plug is the ideal owner.

It is not for the apartment dweller without reliable charging. It is not for the person who tows a big trailer far from home, since towing cuts range sharply in any electric truck. And it is not for anyone who is mostly buying on the promise of lower running costs, because our numbers say the savings are real but small next to the purchase cost.

Trims and pricing

Chevrolet has changed Silverado EV pricing and trim availability more than once since launch. The figures below are approximate starting points, and you should confirm exact numbers on Chevrolet's official Silverado EV page before you budget.

Trim	MSRP	What you actually get
WT (Work Truck)	About $70,000	Fleet-focused. Basic interior, fewer driver aids. Aimed at businesses.
LT	About $75,000 (our assumed price)	The mainstream pick. Better interior, more features, a big touchscreen.
LT Trail Boss	About $80,000	Off-road tuned suspension and tires. Sold on looks and capability you may never use.
RST	About $95,000 or more	The loaded one. Highest power, most luxury, and the most expensive to insure and lose value on.

We use the mid-level LT at $75,000 for our estimates. The WT is the value play only if you actually need a work truck. The RST is where the price stops making sense for most households.

Powertrain and range

Every Silverado EV is dual-motor and four-wheel drive. Power and battery size vary by trim, and range depends on the battery option. Chevrolet advertises well over 400 miles on its longest-range setups. Treat any such number as a best case.

For official efficiency and range numbers, use fueleconomy.gov and compare trims side by side. Real-world range falls in cold weather, at highway speeds, and while towing. Plan on getting noticeably less than the sticker in winter.

The truck also supports fast charging at public stations. Charging speed depends on the station and the battery's temperature, so a road trip works, but it takes more planning than a gas truck.

What it gets right

The midgate and front trunk are the real gifts. They make the truck more useful than its gas siblings in ways that are easy to appreciate on day one. Carrying a long piece of lumber or a bike inside the cab, out of the weather, is a small trick that owners will use constantly.

The ride is quiet and smooth. Acceleration is strong even in the lower trims, which matters when the truck weighs as much as it does. The cabin feels roomy, and the large touchscreen is clear and quick to respond.

Available Super Cruise hands-free driving is among the better systems on the market for divided highways. If you spend hours on interstates, it is a real feature, not a gimmick.

What it gets wrong

The price comes first. At $75,000 for a mid-level truck, you are paying a lot, and our calculator says you will lose more than half of it in five years. Depreciation is the single biggest reason the monthly cost reaches $1,087.

Then there is the software. GM has dropped Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from its EVs and pushes its own system. If you rely on your phone's maps and music, that is a daily irritation, and it is hard to justify at this price.

Lower trims also have plenty of hard plastic for the money. The work truck is fine for work. The LT does not feel like a $75,000 vehicle in every corner of the cabin.

Weight is the last issue. This is a very heavy truck, and heavy trucks wear tires faster and cost more to insure and repair. Our repair figure of $2,451 is modest, but a serious collision on a vehicle like this can be very costly.

Reliability history for this model is short, since it is new. Early GM EV software and charging issues have been reported across the brand's electric lineup. We would not assume a smooth ownership experience on a first-generation product.

Safety ratings

As of this writing, we have not found a full crash-test rating for the 2025 Silverado EV from NHTSA or the IIHS. Check both sites before you buy, because ratings can be added after launch. Until then, treat its crash performance as unproven.

First-year cost for the LT

New vehicles lose 15% to 22% of their value in year one. On $75,000 that is roughly $11,250 to $16,500. That is the biggest first-year hit by far.

Fuel at 15,000 miles a year comes to about $1,160, based on our calculator's five-year fuel figure scaled up from 12,000 miles. Your electricity rate will change this. Home charging at night is cheapest, and public fast charging can cost far more.

Insurance is the other big one. Our five-year estimate averages about $3,080 a year. A realistic range for the first year is about $2,500 to $3,700, but this is an estimate and not a quote. Yours could fall outside it.

The first service is a tire rotation and inspection at around 7,500 miles. There is no oil change. Expect a small bill, and keep an eye on tire wear because of the weight.

How it stacks up

Ford F-150 Lightning: The Silverado EV wins on range and the midgate's flexibility; it loses because the Lightning is the more established product and often has the easier price story.

Rivian R1T: The Silverado EV wins on size and the ability to work like a real full-size truck; it loses on cabin quality, software, and the feeling of a polished product.

Tesla Cybertruck: The Silverado EV wins by looking and behaving like a normal truck that your insurer and neighbors understand; it loses on charging network access and raw tech.

The verdict

Buy the Silverado EV if you have home charging, want a full-size truck, and will keep it long enough to blunt the depreciation, or if a business is paying and the tax math works. The WT or LT trims are the sensible choices.

Skip it if you are chasing lower running costs. Our calculator says the fuel savings are real, but the $41,249 depreciation and $15,395 insurance bills swamp them. A used gas truck at half the price will beat it on cost nearly every time.

Skip the RST unless money truly does not matter. And skip the whole thing if you cannot charge at home, or if you cannot live without CarPlay.

A $1,087 monthly cost is a fair price for a good truck, if you know that is what you are buying. Most buyers do not.