There is no question that GM has sent out some of the best trucks in the world over the years, but they have also released some pretty awful ones too. This division is mainly because every brand of car will eventually produce vehicles that are complete lemons, so seeing how GM has multiple manufacturers, this makes a lot of sense. However, at the end of the day, this marque has clearly produced some spectacular ones as well that keep it being one of the strongest car corporations in the entire world. Many members of the automobile world turn to their brands because they are very reliable when it comes to pickups.
Updated April 2022: General Motors produced some of the most popular pickups of all time. They've subsequently produced some of the finest to grace the streets and yet are plagued with models that don't perform. We've updated this list to include more almost perfect GM trucks and even an awkward truck voted worst of the century.
With all that has been stated thus far, we will be looking at the best and worst pickup trucks to have ever come from General Motors. The years that these trucks were released will vary, as these car manufacturers have been around for several decades and have created both good and bad trucks. There is no question that GM has done a spectacular job over the years with these models, but their bad trucks also warrant criticism. At the end of the day, one should, at a minimum, respect the absolutely spectacular history of GM and the great pickups they have been able to make for us.
21 Perfect: 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
For 2021, Chevrolet released the Silverado and took over the number three spot in the J.D. Power ratings. With eight trim options, four engine options, and a host of great features such as solid infotainment and rear footsteps make the Silverado one of the best trucks on the market.
U.S. News gave the Silverado 1500 an 82 out of 100 in reliability. Despite some negative reviews on interior component quality, the Silverado 1500 is one of the best iterations of the classic pickup.
20 Bad: 2006 Chevrolet SSR
Chevrolet created one of the weirdest-looking trucks with the SSR. This two-door, two-seater pickup packed quite the punch with up to 400 horsepower. Regardless of its power, the SSR would be doomed to fail.
In addition to awful styling, the SSR only had a four-foot bed, meaning hauling was out of the question. Plus, the included tonneau cover was prone to malfunction. Further, the SSR was expensive, with options and add-ons racking the cost up well over the $40,000 mark. Ouch. Being crowned the worst truck of the century surely doesn't help.
19 Perfect: 1970 Chevrolet K10
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Chevrolet began experimenting with a meaner-styled pickup. As if stripped from the future, the K10 arrived and brought with it one of the most reliable vehicles in GM's history.
The K10 was bulletproof, with several examples lasting over 300,000 miles. Additionally, the handling was second to none, the rock-solid four-speed provided ample torque up to 400 lb-ft, and the big-block V8 could produce 325 horsepower. With specs like that, it's no wonder the K10 still goes for more than $20,000 today!
18 Bad: 2014 Chevrolet Silverado
The 2014 Chevy Silverado was a rare swing and a miss from the dominant car series, but there is no excuse for it. The 2014 Silverado was built poorly and likely was rushed into production at the end of the day. It is known to be generally disliked throughout the automobile world.
The 2014 Chevy Silverado just was not built correctly because it clearly has a fragile structure and is prone to having immense problems very quickly. The 2014 Silverado probably is one that you would be wise to avoid at this time, as there are plenty of better versions from other years.
17 Perfect: 2015 GMC Canyon
The 2015 GMC Canyon may not be the best-looking pickup truck in terms of overall style, but it is a fantastically built truck that deserves a ton of praise. The 2015 Canyon would be an excellent addition to your collection because of its strength and reliability.
The 2015 GMC Canyon was built perfectly, and many people are still interested in bringing this masterpiece home. Due to the fact that it also possesses a powerful engine and the ability to carry a large number of products, it is worth buying at this time.
16 Bad: 2004 GMC Canyon
The GMC Canyon has been a reliable and successful series over the years, but they had a major hiccup with the 2004 release. This hiccup is because the 2004 Canyon was rushed into production and came with many problems that would never be resolved.
The 2004 GMC Canyon should be avoided at all costs because of its wonky engine. It would not be too hard for a buyer to find a better version of the Canyon with virtually any other release year, so there is no reason to buy this one.
15 Perfect: 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche
The 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche is a model that gets overlooked but deserves far more respect for all it provides. The Avalanche of this release year is one of the most reliable pickups of the early 2000s, and it is easy to understand why.
The 2002 Chevy Avalanche is one that is worth investing in even today, if it can be found in the suitable condition, of course. However, when this vehicle was in its prime years, it was amongst the best available and added another solid pickup for Chevy's resume.
14 Bad: 2008 Chevrolet Silverado
The 2008 Chevy Silverado had the potential to be an excellent pickup truck, but it really had far too many issues at the end of the day. These issues are largely because of the apparent fact that Chevy really did not look over the clear malfunctions of this truck before it was released.
The 2008 Chevy Silverado is one of the worst trucks of the late 2000s, and it is not worth investing in at this present time. The Silverado is a beloved series of pickups that have given us some genuinely remarkable trucks, but this one was a complete lemon.
13 Perfect: 1991 GMC Syclone
The 1991 GMC Syclone is a pickup truck that some members of the automobile world may forget, but that should not take away from the fact that it is truly incredible. In fact, this is a pickup truck that many people wish could come back to the primary market.
The 1991 GMC Syclone was a very cool pickup truck because it was known for being immensely strong, but it also had a strong engine that would allow it to reach very high speeds. With that being said, it was just extremely fun to drive and one that is worth buying today.
12 Bad: 1976 Cadillac Mirage
Many people do not even remember this pickup truck by the car manufacturer, but the 1976 Cadillac Mirage was an absolute lemon. We will say that it had an excellent style to it, but it was just a complete failure when it comes to everything else about it.
The 1976 Cadillac Mirage was rushed into production by the car manufacturer, resulting in a plethora of issues when it came to the overall structure of the vehicle. Engine and interior problems were also often present with this model, so it was a bad one.
11 Bad: 2015 GMC Sierra
The 2015 GMC Sierra was another big mistake by the car manufacturer and is one that has gotten quite a fair share of negative reviews thus far. Although there still is time for this pickup to turn its fortunes around, there is not much hope when seeing how many problems it already has.
The biggest issue commonly seen from this model is that it has been going through some significant transmission problems. Because this is a pickup truck, it is clear that this cannot continue, or it will turn into a complete lemon later on in its life cycle.
10 Perfect: 2018 Chevrolet Colorado
The 2018 Chevy Colorado is absolutely fantastic, and it definitely is worth investing in at this present time. Because it can obtain many of the modern features eligible for today's pickups, it definitely has reached expectations thus far.
When looking at the overall raw power that this vehicle has, it is apparent that it also will be able to assist its owners in handling heavy amounts of loads. The 2018 Chevy Colorado is worth buying right now because it is one of the bests on the primary market.
9 Perfect: 2011 Cadillac Escalade
The 2011 Cadillac Escalade could very well be the best one to come from the car manufacturer, and it can be seen by that with its excellent sales. There is no question that Cadillac is more known for its luxury vehicles, but they did pretty well with this pickup.
Today, the 2011 Cadillac Escalade is worth investing in because it is still relatively young and can get the job done quite nicely. This model is a powerful pickup, so it has no issues whatsoever when it comes to carrying large amounts of products.
8 Bad: 2006 Cadillac Escalade
The 2006 Cadillac Escalade is a vehicle that was not made correctly, and its overall results in every category show this. This specific Escalade just was not built properly, and it had numerous issues with its transmission and durability at the end of the road.
The 2006 Cadillac Escalade warrants immense criticism because the manufacturer just failed with it. The Escalade of this release year could have been a fine pickup truck had they worked on its overall strength and reliability far more.
7 Perfect: 1995 GMC Sierra 1500
Although this pickup truck is older now, the 1995 GMC Sierra 1500 is one that still would be worth investing in today. Because it is solid and can handle carrying a heavy amount of loads, this truck can carry on as a work car.
The 1995 GMC Sierra 1500 is precisely the type of truck that this car manufacturer should continue to follow as the years continue to pass. There is no question that GMC has done a very excellent job since this spectacular model, so they keep this in mind.
6 Bad: 2005 Chevrolet Colorado
The 2005 Chevy Colorado would have worked out quite nicely had it been built correctly. There is no question that the Colorado, in theory, could have been a solid pickup truck because it did have the ability to carry large amounts of products when it was in its prime.
However, once the 2005 Chevy Colorado was used for a few years, this pickup truck quickly would display the fact that it possessed an abundance of issues that would be far too difficult to fix. With that being said, it ended up becoming a weak truck very soon after constant use.
5 Perfect: 1973 Chevrolet C30 One-Ton Dually
The 1973 Chevy C30 One-Ton Dually may be an older pickup truck, but that does not mean that it was not built perfectly. In fact, this pickup truck was a complete game changer and truly gave the car manufacturer an even better reputation when it came to their pickups.
The 1973 Chevy C30 One-Ton Dually would be worth investing in even today because, as its name implies, this is a vehicle that can carry a large and heavy amount of products at the end of the day. Look for this one to add to your collection.
4 Bad: 2008 GMC Sierra
The 2008 GMC Sierra was just built exceptionally poorly, and it makes a lot of sense as to why it is not well respected throughout the automobile world. This pickup was known for having severe issues from the start of its life cycle, which is always a major issue.
The 2008 GMC Sierra could have been a great pickup truck, as past models from the series are even beloved today. However, the 2008 version just was rushed into production, and their early issues can see that. With that being stated, this is one to avoid.
3 Perfect: 1999 Chevrolet Silverado
The 1999 Chevy Silverado is a pickup truck built effectively and truly offers the entire package. When observing the 1999 Silverado, one can tell from the very start that it clearly has the ability to carry large amounts of products and have no issues doing it in the process.
The 1999 Chevy Silverado is one of the best pickups from the car manufacturer to this day and could even be worth buying at this present time. Although there would be some features gone compared to modern trucks because of the rise of technology, that does not mean it is not still a great pickup.
2 Bad: 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche
The 2007 Chevy Avalanche is a pickup truck that was a complete lemon from the company. The 2007 Avalanche just was built extremely poorly, and this can be seen when observing the fact that it was once filling up mechanic shops all over the map.
The 2007 Chevy Avalanche is not worth investing in when seeing how many better pickups Chevy has put out over the years. When seeing how short this truck would actually last for its drivers, it is clear that Chevy really messed up with it during its development.