Which full-size, light-duty truck is more your speed, the 2024 Ford F-150 or 2024 Chevy Silverado 1500? Both American trucks are known for their rugged stance and strong performance, but is one better than the other? Depending on what you want out of your ride, we think the answer is yes! Our comparison guide is here to help you drive home in the truck that gives you the performance, features, and cabin comforts you crave.
Key Takeaways
- The F-150 offers innovative tech features designed to help with your workday, including helpful towing aids and an onboard power generator.
- To maximize horsepower, choose the 2024 Ford F-150.
- Ford’s best selling truck also delivers best-in-class towing and hauling capabilities.
- With so many configurations and trim models available, both the 2024 F-150 and Silverado 1500 accommodate a wide variety of drivers.
Thanks to innovative available features, the F-150 helps you get through your workday in style. Ford’s Tailgate Work Surface is construction-ready, with built-in rulers, a mobile device holder, pencil holder, and even a cup holder. The available Interior Work Surface offers space where you can comfortably set up your laptop or eat your lunch.
Add the Pro-Power Onboard generator to run tools on the job site. Zone Lighting allows you to light up selective areas outside your F-150 for after-dark activities. And the 2024 F-150 is big on tow-friendly tech, offering everything from help backing a trailer in the desired direction, with Pro Trailer Backup Assist, to added theft detection with the Trailer Theft Alert system. For 2024, Ford’s hands-free driving technology, Blue Cruise, is available on a wider range of trim models, from the mid-level XLT and up!
When it comes to work-friendly technology, the Silverado 1500 has some catching up to do. Like the F-150, Chevy’s full-size truck comes standard with a touchscreen infotainment system and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. And you can also add an assortment of cameras to help you hitch a trailer or travel safely with one in tow. However, Chevy’s Super Cruise hands-free system is only available on the top-trim High Country model. And, unlike Ford, Chevy has yet to offer an onboard power generator or a dial on the dash that helps you steer a trailer in the right direction!
Maximum Horsepower: 2024 Ford F-150
Shopping for speed? Then look to the F-150, which puts much more horsepower at your command. In the regular F-150 lineup, the strongest option is also the most efficient one, the PowerBoost hybrid. This powertrain combines the turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 engine with an electric motor, generating a total of 430 horses and 570 pound-feet of torque. And then there’s the Raptor R, the F-150's ultimate high-speed off-roading trim model, which uses a supercharged V8 to deliver 700 horses.
Except for the Raptor-specific engines, engine upgrades are widely available for F-150 trim models. The 2024 F-150 is available with six engine options:
- Turbocharged 2.7L V6 (325 horsepower, 400 lb-ft)
- 5.0L V8 (400 hp, 410 lb-ft)
- Turbo 3.5L V6 (400 hp, 500 lb-ft)
- Raptor-specific turbo 3.5L V6 (450 hp, 510 lb-ft)
- Raptor R-specific supercharged 5.2L V8 (700 hp, 640 lb-ft)
- PowerBoost hybrid powertrain (430 hp, 570 lb-ft)
Meanwhile, the 2024 Silverado 1500 is available with your choice of three engines. Unlike the F-150, the Silverado still offers a turbodiesel option, helping you combine tow-friendly torque with fuel efficiency. In fact, this engine helps the Silverado earn up to 26 mpg combined (23 city/29 highway), a slight improvement over the F-150’s PowerBoost hybrid engine, which earns up to 25 mpg combined (25 city/25 highway). Although the Silverado 1500 lags behind in terms of total output, it does offer a very powerful V8 option, the 420-horsepower 6.2-liter V8 engine.
The 2024 Silverado 1500 offers these four engine options:
- Turbocharged 2.7L four-cylinder engine (310 horsepower, 430 pound-feet of torque)
- 5.3L V8 (355 hp, 383 lb-ft)
- 6.2L V8 (420 hp, 460 lb-ft)
- Turbo 3.0L six-cylinder diesel engine (305 hp, 495 lb-ft)
Tow & Haul Maximum Weight: 2024 Ford F-150
If you guessed that the more powerful 2024 F-150 also has greater towing and hauling potential than the Silverado, you’d be correct! While capabilities vary depending on your F-150’s body style, equipment, and powertrain, Ford’s best selling truck can tow best-in-class loads of up to 13,500 pounds. Max payloads are also better than the rest, maxing out at 2,445 pounds.
Still, the 2024 Silverado 1500 has its own set of muscles. Properly equipped, Chevy’s full-size, light-duty truck can tow max loads of 13,300 pounds. That’s not too far off from the F-150’s best-in-class rating, which goes to show just how competitive these trucks actually are. And this Silverado can haul up to 2,260 pounds, which is also a pretty impressive payload rating.
Creature Comforts: It’s a Tie!
Both trucks offer a wide variety of trim models and body styles designed to suit the whims of just about every kind of driver. If you’re shopping for a great price on a work truck, for example, you can check out the F-150 XL or the Silverado 1500 Work Truck trim models. As you move up each truck’s list of trim models, you’ll enjoy a longer list of standard features and available options.
And both trucks offer special off-road-friendly trim models, such as the F-150 Raptor or the Silverado 1500 ZR2. If you’re shopping for high-end luxury, both trucks provide suitable options. Check out the F-150 Lariat, King Ranch, Platinum, and Platinum Plus models or the Silverado 1500 LTZ and High Country for posh comfort and upscale style!
Your New Full-Size Truck
Both trucks are big on choices, including powertrain options, body styles, and increasingly luxurious trim models. But only the 2024 Ford F-150 delivers best-in-class power, capabilities, and work-friendly technology.