Correct Silverado 1500 MPG by Engine, Drivetrain and Trim
Table of Contents
Why one Silverado engine has several MPG ratings
Ask what a 5.3L Silverado gets and the honest answer is a range. The 2026 Silverado 1500 carries 21 EPA lines across four engines, set by drivetrain.
Cross-shopping engines? Start with the table below. Matching a used listing or sizing for a trailer? Confirm your exact line first; tow and payload sit in our Silverado 1500 specs by configuration pillar.
Which model years this covers
New-generation trucks, 2019 through 2026. The separate 2019 Silverado 1500 LD is excluded, and 2027 has no EPA ratings yet.
How to read the ratings
Every figure is an EPA-estimated city, highway and combined mpg for one build. Your own mileage will differ.
📍 Check your own vehicle first: Specifications vary by build date, package and market, and two trucks with the same badge can be built differently. Before you buy anything based on this page, confirm against the fuel economy label on a new truck’s window sticker or a dealer’s build sheet for the VIN, then the EPA’s record for that exact engine, transmission and drivetrain. If your vehicle disagrees with this page, your vehicle is right.
Silverado 1500 MPG by engine and drivetrain, 2026
Model year 2026 ratings run from 14 to 23 mpg city and 17 to 28 highway, and each engine spans several trim lines.
| Engine and transmission | Drive | City / highway / combined | Applies To (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.7L TurboMax, 8-speed | 2WD | 17–18 / 21 / 19–20 | WT, Custom, LT, RST |
| 2.7L TurboMax, 8-speed | 4WD | 16–17 / 17–21 / 17–19† | WT through Trail Boss |
| 5.3L V8, 10-speed | 2WD | 16 / 20–21 / 17–18 | WT, LT through High Country |
| 5.3L V8, 10-speed | 4WD | 14–16 / 17–20 / 15–17 | Includes Trail Boss and fleet packages |
| 6.2L V8, 10-speed | 4WD only | 14–15 / 17–20 / 15–17 | RST, LTZ, High Country, Trail Boss, ZR2 |
| 3.0L Duramax diesel, 10-speed | 2WD | 23 / 28 / 25 | LT, RST, LTZ, High Country |
| 3.0L Duramax diesel, 10-speed | 4WD | 20–22 / 23–26 / 21–24† | LT through ZR2, Custom Trail Boss |
Source: GM Authority’s table of 2026 EPA ratings, cross-checked against JD Power’s 2WD RST and 4WD LT spec pages. Ranges are ours, taken across each row’s trim lines. † Combined figures on one 2.7L line and two diesel lines look high for their city and highway pair. The 2.7L 4WD LT highway figure is 20 in one source and 21 in the other.
Gas engines
Chevrolet pairs the 2.7L TurboMax with an 8-speed automatic and the 5.3L and 6.2L V8s with a 10-speed. The 6.2L is offered only on 4WD builds.
3.0L Duramax diesel
Chevrolet advertises 28 mpg highway for the diesel. The EPA lines show that is the 2WD number; 4WD is 26.
📐 On the Spec Sheet: Chevrolet’s 2026 Silverado 1500 page lists “28 MPG HWY” for the available Duramax 3.0L, and lists the 5.3L and 6.2L with Dynamic Fuel Management and 10-speed automatics. Applies To: model year 2026, checked October 9, 2026. Source: Chevrolet’s 2026 Silverado 1500 page.
Which Silverado engine uses the least fuel per mile?
In model year 2026 the 3.0L Duramax diesel has the highest EPA rating, 25 mpg combined in 2WD, and the 2.7L leads the gas engines at 19 to 20 combined.
Gallons per 15,000 miles by engine
| Engine and drive | Combined mpg | Gallons per 15,000 miles | Applies To (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0L Duramax, 2WD | 25 | 600 | LT through High Country |
| 3.0L Duramax, 4WD | 24 | 625 | LT through High Country |
| 2.7L TurboMax, 2WD | 19 | 789 | LT, RST |
| 2.7L TurboMax, 4WD | 18 | 833 | LT, RST |
| 5.3L V8, 2WD | 18 | 833 | LT through High Country |
| 5.3L V8, 4WD | 17 | 882 | LT through High Country |
| 6.2L V8, 4WD | 17 | 882 | RST through High Country |
Mainstream-trim lines from GM Authority’s 2026 table. Gallons are our arithmetic, 15,000 divided by combined mpg, rounded. 15,000 miles is an assumed year, not an EPA figure.
Why mpg gaps shrink at the top
Fuel use per mile falls as mpg rises, so each extra mpg saves less.
🔍 What This Spec Means: Going from 17 to 18 mpg saves 49 gallons over 15,000 miles. Going from 24 to 25 saves only 25.
What 4WD costs you in MPG, engine by engine
On like-for-like 2026 trims, 4WD takes 1 mpg off the combined rating of the 2.7L (19 to 18), the 5.3L (18 to 17) and the diesel (25 to 24).
2WD versus 4WD on the same trim
That is 44, 49 and 25 extra gallons per 15,000 miles. The gap is small beside the 233-gallon spread between the diesel and the 5.3L in 2WD.
The diesel’s highway gap
The diesel’s highway rating falls 2 mpg, from 28 to 26, against 1 mpg on the gas engines.
Source: GM Authority’s 2026 table, using the LT and RST lines for the 2.7L and the LT through High Country lines for the 5.3L and diesel.
Trail Boss, ZR2 and tire choice change the rating
Within one engine, trim, tire type and fleet packages move the combined rating by up to 3 mpg.
Trail Boss and ZR2 lines
The diesel ZR2 is rated 20 city, 23 highway, 21 combined, against 22/26/24 on the main 4WD diesel lines. Chevrolet lists 33-inch mud-terrain tires on the 2026 ZR2, and our Z71, Trail Boss and ZR2 comparison covers what else each carries.
Tires and fleet packages
Mud-terrain lines sit below all-terrain lines wherever both exist: diesel 21/24 against 22/25, 5.3L 15/18 against 15/19. The 5.3L WT with a PPV or SSV fleet package has the lowest 5.3L line, 14/17/15.
🚫 Fits But Shouldn’t: A Trail Boss or ZR2 looks like the same truck with a lift, but it has its own line. Quoting the regular 4WD figure for a 2026 diesel ZR2 overstates it by 2 city, 3 highway and 3 combined mpg (22/26/24 against 20/23/21).
How Silverado MPG ratings changed from 2019 to 2026
Ratings moved on unchanged engines, and the diesel’s highway number moved most.
| Engine and drive | 2019–2020 | 2023 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0L Duramax, 2WD | 23/33/27 (2020) | 24/29/26 | 23/28/25 |
| 3.0L Duramax, 4WD | 23/29/25 or 26 (2020) | 22/27/24 | 22/26/24 |
| 5.3L V8, 2WD | 17/23/19 (2019, 8-speed) | — | 16/21/18 (10-speed) |
| 6.2L V8, 4WD | 16/20/17 (2019) | — | 15/20/17 |
| 2.7L TurboMax, 2WD | 20/23 (2019, combined not stated) | — | 18/21/20 |
Sources: GM’s 2020 diesel release as copied by FleetOwner; TFLtruck for 2023; GM Authority and TFLtruck for 2019; GM Authority and JD Power for 2026. Sources split on the 2020 4WD diesel combined figure (25 or 26).
The diesel’s 33 mpg headline
GM rated the 2020 2WD diesel at 33 highway. The 2023 engine update brought 29, and 2026 lists 28, yet some dealer pages still repeat 33 for later years.
🚫 Fits But Shouldn’t: A 33 mpg highway claim for a 2026 Silverado diesel is off by 5 mpg. 33 was the 2020 2WD rating; the 2026 2WD rating is 28, and 4WD is 26.
What changed on the gas engines
The 5.3L’s 2WD rating slipped from 17/23/19 to 16/21/18, and its transmission changed from an 8-speed to a 10-speed in between; the year of change isn’t verified here. The 2.7L’s 2WD rating fell from 20/23 to 18/21, and no retrieved source explains why, so this page doesn’t try. From 2025 to 2026 no line moved more than 1 mpg.
2027: not yet rated
GM’s September 17 release pairs all four 2027 engines with a 10-speed automatic and replaces the 5.3L and 6.2L with a 5.7L and a 6.6L V8, but it publishes no EPA ratings. Which engine each 2027 trim offers is in our 2027 Silverado trims guide.
📐 On the Spec Sheet: GM’s release footnotes one estimate: 27 mpg highway for a 2WD Duramax with the optional 34-gallon tank, behind a range claim of over 900 miles. It is a GM estimate, not an EPA rating. Applies To: 2027 Silverado 1500, release dated September 17, 2026, checked October 9, 2026. Source: GM’s September 17, 2026 V8 release.
How to confirm the MPG of the exact truck you’re buying
A rating belongs to one line, so confirm yours before you compare.
New truck: the window label
Read the fuel economy label on the window sticker; it states the rating for that truck.
Any truck: the EPA record
Find the model year, then match engine, transmission and drivetrain in the EPA’s fueleconomy.gov record.
Used truck: confirm the engine
Ask a Chevrolet dealer to read the build sheet for the VIN, which lists the engine, so a 5.3L can’t pass for a 6.2L.
✅ Do This: Ask the dealer to read the engine, drivetrain, trim and tire package off the build sheet, then find that exact line in the EPA record.
What a configuration can tow is a separate question; see our Silverado 1500 towing capacity by engine guide.
Silverado 1500 MPG: quick answers
1. Which Silverado 1500 engine has the highest EPA mpg?
In model year 2026 the 3.0L Duramax diesel has the highest Silverado 1500 mpg: 23 city, 28 highway, 25 combined in 2WD.
2. What is the 5.3L Silverado 1500 mpg?
Silverado 1500 mpg with the 5.3L V8 in model year 2026 is 16 city, 20 to 21 highway, 17 to 18 combined in 2WD, by trim.
3. What is the 6.2L Silverado 1500 mpg?
Silverado 1500 mpg with the 6.2L V8 is 14 to 15 city, 17 to 20 highway, 15 to 17 combined in model year 2026; it is offered only in 4WD.
4. Does the Silverado Duramax get 33 mpg?
The 33 was the model year 2020 2WD highway rating; Silverado 1500 mpg for the 2026 diesel 2WD is 28 highway, up to 26 in 4WD.
5. How much does 4WD cost you in mpg?
On like-for-like model year 2026 trims, Silverado 1500 mpg drops about 1 combined with 4WD; diesel highway drops 2 (28 to 26).
6. Do Trail Boss and ZR2 get worse mpg?
Yes on ZR2 and mud-terrain-tire lines. For model year 2026, Silverado 1500 mpg falls to 20 city, 23 highway on the diesel ZR2.
7. Is the 2.7L more efficient than the 5.3L?
In model year 2026 Silverado 1500 mpg combined is 19 to 20 for the 2.7L in 2WD against 17 to 18 for the 5.3L, by trim.
8. Did Silverado mpg change from 2025 to 2026?
Little: Silverado 1500 mpg moved by no more than 1 mpg on any line, such as diesel 2WD combined falling from 26 to 25.
9. Where do I find the exact mpg of a specific Silverado 1500?
Use the window label on a new truck, or the EPA’s record for its model year, matched on engine, transmission and drivetrain.
10. Will the 2027 Silverado get better mpg?
Unknown: no EPA Silverado 1500 mpg figures for 2027 had been published as of October 9, 2026; the engines change to 5.7L and 6.6L V8s.
Before you buy: confirm your line
The right mpg figure belongs to one line: your model year, engine, drivetrain, trim and tires. Find it on the window label or in the EPA record, and don’t buy to a headline number, least of all the diesel’s 33. If your truck disagrees with this page, your truck is right.
