2024 Chevy Silverado 1500 vs 2024 Ford F-150

You’re buying a pickup truck, but which one should you buy? This isn’t an uncommon question, and it’s a question most, if not every, truck driver asks themselves at least once. You may have asked around or begun searching for a pickup truck and heard a few names consistently pop up. You may have even started searching for a Chevy Silverado for sale near you. Often, pickup drivers are familiar with the brand they like, and you may find some biased answers, which isn’t always helpful because sometimes you want facts, statistics, and other meaningful bits of information that help you with your shopping. So, if you want to know everything about the 2024 Silverado 1500 vs the F-150 fight, you’ve come to the right place, so let’s get started!

The Performance of a Lifetime

Before we dive into anything else, let’s familiarize you with the power you’ll get when you purchase either the 2024 Chevy Silverado or the 2024 Ford F-150. The 2024 Ford F-150 performs admirably, as expected. However, the Chevy Silverado 1500 also performs considerably well, but that’s not the only reason you should consider the Silverado 1500. If you buy a Silverado 1500, you can buy a diesel powertrain.

The problem with Ford trucks like the F-150 currently is that the diesel powertrains have been replaced with hybrid components. This isn’t inherently bad, but Ford doesn’t even offer a diesel powertrain, which leaves many drivers wanting more from the popular company. Ford’s reasoning for removing the diesel powertrain from the F-150 was due to declining sales, while Chevy continues to supply customers with diesel engines in trucks like the Silverado. If you want a diesel-powered engine in your Ford F-150, you’re looking towards the more outdated models.

The turbo-diesel engine in the 2024 Silverado 1500 models is a significant powertrain in that it earns better towing and fuel ratings with 4WD than the F-150, all while generating less horsepower and torque. Less horsepower output and torque don’t stop the Silverado 1500’s diesel engine from being the better all-around performer.

Let’s examine these powertrains a bit closer: the turbo-diesel 3.0L I-6 engine pairs with a 10-speed automatic transmission and produces 305 hp and 495 lb-ft of torque, with a maximum towing capacity of 13,300 lbs, a payload capacity of 1,970 lbs, and fuel ratings of 23 MPG in the city and 27 MPG on the highway (24 MPG combined) with 4WD. The turbocharged 3.5L V6 engine in the F-150’s hybrid powertrain does well with its 430 hp and 570 lb-ft of torque but is found lacking in its maximum towing and payload capacities of 11,200 lbs and 1,735 lbs, respectively. This hybrid powertrain earns EPA-estimated ratings of 22 MPG in the city, 24 MPG on the highway, and 23 MPG combined with 4WD––its only drivetrain configuration. With these two major differences out of the way, let’s discuss the base engines and how they perform when stacked against one another.

The base 2024 Silverado 1500 comes with a turbocharged 2.7L I-4 engine paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission. Ford takes a different approach, with a turbocharged 2.7L V6 engine instead––paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission like the F-150’s other available engine options. With things so far looking in favor of the F-150, its 325 hp over the 310 hp in the base Silverado 1500 must mean it’s the better truck, right? Not so fast.

The F-150’s base engine may use a V6 and have slightly more horsepower, but its torque output of 400 lb-ft of torque is outpaced by the 430 lb-ft of torque in the Silverado 1500, and perhaps most importantly, towing and payload capacities between the two are wider than you may think. With the base Silverado 1500 engine, you’ll have a maximum towing capacity of 9,500 lbs and a payload capacity of 2,260 lbs. Compare this to the 8,400 lb towing capacity and 1,785 lb payload capacity of the F-150’s base engine, and the differences become clear. These differences reveal that the base Silverado 1500 can sport towing capacities of 13% greater and support almost 27% more payload weight than the F-150, which aren’t unsubstantial numbers.

Lots of Cargo Space

A truck is not worth its salt if it can’t provide ample cargo space and adequate towing performance. The 2024 Silverado 1500 and 2024 F-150 have beds that aren’t too different in length, but rather their capacities – the available cubic footage within both truck beds differs far more. For example, both trucks come with one of three beds.

The smallest beds include a 5.8′-long bed for Chevy’s truck and a 5.5′-long bed for the F-150. Although there’s a difference of only three inches, cargo space tells a different story, with 52.8 cu.ft. for the F-150 and an impressive 62.9 cu.ft. for the Silverado 1500––a 19% difference. The medium bed sizes include 6.5′ and 6.6′-long beds for the F-150 and Silverado 1500, respectively. The Silverado 1500 again bests the Ford F-150 with 71.7 cu.ft. of cargo space to the Ford’s underwhelming 62.3 cu.ft. of room. This is an advantage of 15% for Chevy’s truck.

Lastly, the longest bed size for the 2024 Silverado 1500 is a tremendously lengthy 8.2′-long bed, while the F-150 still falls shorter in the length department, with its longest bed measuring 8′ long. This translates to 89.1 cu.ft. of cargo space in the Silverado 1500. This cargo space is, again, 15% more than the F-150’s 77.4 cu.ft. of space.

Plug Into the Future, Unplug From the Past

Something both trucks deserve merit for comes down to tech. Both trucks have a plethora of tech features built-in on the base models, and both models also offer plenty of ways to add to the list. Both trucks come with infotainment centers, but Ford does have the edge when it comes to larger screen size on the base models. However, the Silverado 1500 ultimately has the larger screen available, as long as you buy a model that supports it.

The screen in the 2024 F-150 is 12 inches long and is built upon the SYNC 4 platform. While the base 2024 Silverado 1500 has only a 7-inch screen, the available larger screen size is 13.4 inches diagonally. Another benefit of the 2024 Silverado 1500’s larger infotainment center over the 2024 F-150 is Google Built-In, which Ford plans to do in the future, but the 2024 F-150 missed out. And, with Google Built-In, you don’t need to worry about using your smartphone to access the best connectivity features. However, even if you stick with the 7-inch infotainment center on the Silverado 1500, you still get the incredible wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. Along with a 5G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot, both trucks offer wireless connectivity as the way to go.

What’s The Verdict?

The verdict is in. Between the 2024 Silverado 1500 and the 2024 F-150, Chevy offers the gold standard of pickup trucks. The Silverado 1500 is the better purchase for many reasons. You may be looking for a diesel-powered truck, and thanks to Ford removing the diesel engine from the F-150, your options are more restricted now, but Chevy has your back. Or, if you want the best cargo space between these two full-size competitors, then you can trust you’ll be more than pleased, especially with the cargo space capabilities of the Silverado 1500. That’s not to say the F-150 doesn’t deserve its stature, but there’s nothing you can do in an F-150 that you can’t do––or do better––in a Silverado 1500.