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In this exclusive review from the team at Munro, we dive into the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV’s interior to assess whether it delivers on its hefty $90,000+ price tag. Known for its expertise in electric vehicle teardown and engineering analysis, Munro takes a practical, detail-oriented look at how the Silverado EV stacks up in comfort, materials, and functionality compared to its rivals—particularly the Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum and the Tesla Cybertruck. The question at the heart of this review: are the Silverado EV’s interior features worth the premium?
First Impressions: Familiar Yet Refined
At first glance, the Silverado EV maintains a traditional truck silhouette, but with cues that nod toward the defunct Chevy Avalanche. The integration between cab and bed feels more cohesive than older models, giving the truck a modern crossover-truck aesthetic.
Yet what sets this electric truck apart starts when you step inside—and that’s where this review focuses. At over $90,000, expectations are high. At Munro, we frame our inspection with a critical eye: are the creature comforts, materials, and functional innovations truly reflective of the price?
Frunk Space and Exterior Utility
One of the initial highlights is the Silverado EV’s frunk—larger than what’s found in the Cybertruck, but smaller than the cavernous space offered by the F-150 Lightning. Still, it’s a functional addition, ideal for side-by-side luggage or carry-on storage. From a cost-benefit perspective, it’s a solid, if not class-leading, feature.
Moving to the tailgate, the Silverado offers what Sandy Munro calls “trick features,” which enhance usability but raise questions about weight and complexity. For engineering minds, excessive mass in the tailgate might feel unjustified. However, from a consumer utility standpoint, its multi-functionality wins points—especially with steps and folding capabilities that make access easier for users of all ages.
Material Breakdown: Where the Money Goes (or Doesn’t)
As a teardown-focused team, the engineers at Munro zero in on the Silverado EV’s materials and construction. The front door interior uses a vinyl wrap with visible line distortion—indicating it’s real wrapped material, not thermoformed plastic. The door’s armrest includes padded soft-touch surfaces, while the rest transitions into injection-molded plastic.
However, the rear doors signal a cost-saving shift. Hard plastic dominates, with only a token soft-touch insert. This front-to-back inconsistency mirrors what was seen in lower-cost Chevy EVs like the Bolt. It’s a notable downgrade in perceived value—especially in a six-figure vehicle.
In comparison, the Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum offers more cohesive interior luxury across all seating rows, including adjustable shoulders, seat-integrated speakers, and overall softer touchpoints.
Seating Comfort and Features
The Silverado EV’s front seats are firm but comfortable. The presence of perforated inserts confirms seat ventilation, adding a touch of luxury. The two-tone stitching (in black, red, and blue) may be polarizing—it’s a bold choice, and some may question its long-term appeal. It’s a purely stylistic decision that buyers will have to live with for years.
Material quality on the dashboard follows a similar pattern: a mix of hard and soft surfaces. The mid-panel carries red stitching accents, with real sewn relief patches confirming a hand-wrapped process. But these areas are not cushioned—raising the question of whether padding in untouched areas is really necessary.
As Sandy notes, practicality can trump softness. “When am I touching the top of the instrument panel? When I’m cleaning it.” This practical view, informed by years of teardown experience, emphasizes value in areas of frequent contact—armrests, doors, and seat touchpoints—rather than aesthetic fluff.
Design Details and Fitment Flaws
Subtle issues, like inconsistent panel alignment around the HUD, highlight potential concerns in build quality. While likely unnoticed by most consumers, they stand out to professionals in the automotive interior world.
High-gloss piano black trim and chrome accents are used sparingly, though the reviewer admits to disliking the amount of piano black due to its tendency to show fingerprints and dust. Chrome, when used purposefully (such as on button tips and air vent controls), gets a pass.
This contrast between form and function is at the heart of Munro’s ethos: don’t overdesign; focus on lean, value-oriented execution.
Rear Seat Configuration: Storage vs. Comfort
The Silverado EV rear seats present a mixed bag. While rear legroom and headroom are excellent—especially compared to the sloped roof of the Cybertruck—the folding mechanism for the seat is unintuitive. It doesn’t offer a clean pass-through floor like traditional Chevy trucks. Instead, it folds in the opposite direction, requiring manual headrest folding and revealing clunky plastic pans and obstacles.
The storage bins and passthrough to the bed are practical but could have been better optimized. The seat folding mechanism feels overly complex and introduces sharp transitions that could damage cargo like drywall or plywood.
On the comfort side, the rear seats are heated—a welcome luxury not often found in competitor vehicles at this price point. Additionally, the backs of the front seats avoid the hard plastic panels common in Tesla models, favoring traditional seat-back mat pockets instead.
Engineering Trade-Offs: A Balanced View
Munro stresses that every design decision represents a trade-off. This isn’t disparaging the Silverado EV as a product; instead, it’s offering clarity about what buyers are paying for. In Sandy’s words: “There is no one right way. There is no one right answer.”
The Silverado EV likely channels a significant portion of its budget into electric powertrain development, battery systems, and truck bed versatility—areas that don’t always show up in cabin comfort. Still, for buyers expecting premium-level interiors in a $90,000+ truck, the lack of consistency in trim levels and material upgrades may be a sticking point.
Final Verdict: Does the Interior Justify the Cost?
If you’re evaluating the 2024 Silverado EV solely on interior merits, it falls short of the premium benchmark set by similarly priced trucks like the F-150 Lightning Platinum. While there are positives—heated rear seats, ventilated front seats, and usable frunk space—the inconsistencies in material quality, rear seat design, and overall interior cohesion raise questions.
That said, if you consider the Silverado EV’s exterior utility, electric platform, and functional bed integration, some of the cost is clearly justified. But in terms of interior alone? It’s a qualified “maybe.”
Continue the Ride with Munro
Curious how the Silverado EV stacks up against its rivals in a full teardown? Subscribe to Munro Live or keep it on Munro & Associates for in-depth analysis on electric trucks, lean design insights, and real-world engineering innovation. Let’s uncover where the real value lives—one bolt at a time.