2023 Chevy Silverado 1500 vs 2023 Ford F-150

• 2023 Chevy Silverado 1500

  

  Starting at

  $36,300^[a]

  2023 Ford F-150

  

  Starting at

  $33,695

  430	Torque (lb-ft)	265
  9,500	Max Towing (lbs)	8,200
  2,260	Max Payload (lbs)	1,955

  The Chevy Silverado and Ford F-150 make up the two best-selling vehicles in the United States. There's nothing quite like them, so if you're in the market for a new pickup and want excellent performance without springing for a heavy- or super-duty pickup, there is no better option than these two. However, if we're to contrast the 2023 Chevy Silverado 1500 vs 2023 Ford F-150, this decision becomes even more difficult because a huge investment like this can directly affect your livelihood; it's a choice not to be taken lightly.

  Comparing two vehicles can be as entertaining as informative—especially for fans of the automotive industry—and the Silverado 1500 and F-150 are two of the most recommendable vehicles on the market, and there are several advantages to either. Although the F-150 sports a slightly lower starting price than the Silverado 1500, price scaling doesn't work in Ford's favor as the eight additional trim levels for the Silverado 1500 often come in at lower prices than Ford's equivalent trims, of which there are six, not including the base model. Between purchasing the priciest Silverado and F-150 models, Chevy's truck will save you thousands of dollars—although the value of this difference might be subjective for those with specific duties intended for their new pickup.

• Performance

  

  If it weren't for their capabilities, the Silverado 1500 and F-150 wouldn't be as popular as they are. If you were to randomly pair two F-150s or two Silverado 1500s against one another, there's a chance they wouldn't share the same specs; that's because Ford and Chevy offer F-150 and Silverado 1500 shoppers a range of powertrains they can choose from. The first comparison comes down to the base engines. The base Silverado 1500 engine runs circles around the default F-150 engine with a few exceptions: slightly better fuel efficiency in the Ford and a pairing with an eight-speed automatic transmission compared to the ten-speed with the F-150's base engine. However, every other Silverado 1500 engine utilizes the ten-speed automatic transmission.

  The base Silverado 1500 engine is a high-output turbocharged 2.7L High Output Turbo I-4 engine, which is a far better setup than the 3.3L V6 engine in the entry-level F-150. With the I-4 engine in the Silverado 1500, Chevy's truck outputs 310 hp and 430 lb-ft of torque, has a maximum towing capacity of 9,500 lbs, and a payload capacity of 2,260 lbs. The 2023 Ford F-150, on the other hand, outputs 290 hp and 265 lbs with its standard V6 engine, which has 6% less horsepower and 38% less torque than the Silverado's turbocharged I-4. The F-150 also tows and holds less than the Silverado 1500, among their base models. The entry-level Ford F-150 has a lesser towing and payload capacity of 8,200 lbs and 1,955 lbs—a 13.6% and 13.5% decrease from the Silverado 1500.

  Ford also offers a turbocharged 2.7L engine, but it's a V6 instead of an I-4. The turbocharged 2.7L V6 engine performs well with its 325 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque and a higher towing and payload capacity of 10,100 lbs and 2,465 lbs. However, your F-150 won't come with this engine out the gate, meaning base-level performance still favors the Silverado 1500. These trucks have another similarity in their V8 engines. The Silverado 1500 is a haven for those seeking a V8, as a 5.3L and 6.2L are both available—the latter towing 13,300 lbs. The 6.2L V8 in the Silverado 1500 outperforms the 5.0L V8 for the F-150 as Ford's V8 doesn't go above a maximum towing capacity of 13,000 lbs. Ford makes up for this with the turbocharged 3.5L V6, which is its dominant powertrain configuration by a long shot, but this engine is well on the pricey side.

  The Silverado 1500 is also the only one to offer a diesel-powered engine. Plenty of drivers still prefer diesel as their go-to fuel type, and Ford has abandoned this crowd with its best-seller, whereas Chevy still caters to its diverse trucker fandom. While Ford is making hybrid trucks with an associated powertrain available to the F-150, this config isn't for everyone—at least not yet. Silverado's diesel engine creates 305 hp and 495 lb-ft of torque and matches the 6.2L V8 engine's towing capacity of 13,300 lbs; meanwhile, the Ford F-150's hybrid powertrain tops out at 12,700 lbs.

• Cargo

  

  Trucks are meant to be larger than most other vehicles, and the Silverado and F-150 deliver. However, if you're buying a truck for versatility, you should purchase whichever one holds the most. The Silverado and F-150 are within the same ballpark, but the Silverado is the one that hits the grand slam in terms of cargo space.

  While smaller bed sizes might be ideal for some people, the vast majority of workhorses are desired for their ability to haul—hence the core element of their design, the cargo bed. The Silverado 1500's standard bed size is longer than the F-150, with the Silverado coming with a 68-inch-long bed and the F-150 with a 65-inch-long bed. Although a three-inch difference doesn't sound like a notable advantage, it's the increase in cargo space—going from 52.8 cu.ft. in the F-150's smallest bed to 62.9 cu.ft. in the Silverado's standard—that proves to be the true advantage, at a 19% increase over the Ford.

  Both the Silverado 1500 and F-150 have three bed options, and in both cases of their other two beds, the Silverado 1500 comes out on top, translating to a boon in cargo space. The F-150's three separate bed sizes often come within the length of the Silverado beds, but the difference in cargo space is always too wide of a spread between the two. A perfect example is their second bed options: the Chevy Silverado 1500's first optional bed size is 78 in. long, while Ford's is 77 in.

  Again, a one-inch difference may not seem like much, but it contributes to a 15% difference in bed volume between the 71.7 cu.ft. of space in the Silverado and the 62.3 cu.ft. of the F-150. The largest bed sizes—the 98-inch-long bed for the Silverado and the 96-inch-long bed for the F-150—recreate the same 15% difference, with 77.4 cu.ft. in the F-150 and 89.1 cu.ft. in the Silverado.

• Grades

  

  Pickup trucks are the tanks of the consumer-grade automotive market. Trucks can be menacing, due to their immense size, but the size of the vehicle also means you're safer thanks to a much stronger frame. Chevy and Ford are both revered for their substantial build quality compared to most manufacturers, and the F-150 and Silverado 1500 are both safe vehicles. However, JD Power ratings show a clear advantage over the F-150 in several regards. JD Power ratings are a culmination of reviews from real owners of the respective vehicle, and it's in these ratings that drivers tend to be the most critical—and manufacturers take notice. Having better JD Power ratings can go a long way in showing how the vehicle fares in real-world scenarios and how owners perceive their vehicles in numerous categories.

  The Chevy Silverado earns ratings of 87% in Quality and Reliability, 86% in Resale Value, and 86% in Dealership Experience—wherein dealerships like Blossom Chevrolet contribute to customer satisfaction—and an 85% overall rating. The Ford F-150 earns 86% in Quality and Reliability, 81% in Resale Value, and 79% in Dealership Experience—a drastic decrease over Chevy—and the 2023 Ford F-150 has an 83% overall rating. Some ratings are closer than others, but ultimately customers who submit data to JD Power agree the Silverado 1500 is the better purchase.

  Quality and Reliability can mean many things, but part of these ratings are likely due to the safety suites found standard in both vehicles. Chevy vehicles like the 2023 Silverado 1500 make use of Chevy Safety Assist, whereas the 2023 F-150 and its kin have the Ford Co-Pilot360. These safety suites change the game and help manufacturers produce safer trucks than their predecessors. Each safety suite includes comparable features with different designations—i.e. Chevy's Forward Collision Alert with Automatic Emergency Braking is similar to the Pre-Collision Assist system in the Ford F-150. Both trucks also offer blind-spot features, lane keep and lane departure features, auto high beams, and much more. Both vehicles deserve praise for their safety measures, but the Silverado 1500 still prevails in these and in JD Power ratings.

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