$100,000 LUXE TRUCK DUEL

GMC'S SIERRA EV MEETS RIVIAN'S RIT TRI: WHICH ONE IS THE MOST LUXURIOUS PICKUP?

- WORDS ERIC TINGWALL PHOTOGRAPHY DARREN MARTIN

Call us old-fashioned, but we still believe a $100,000 vehicle should look and feel luxurious. It's almost a radical idea in 2025, especially when it comes to electric pickups, where spending six figures can buy what appears to be a $70,000 truck with $30,000 of batteries.

The pickups in this comparison test are as close as it gets to a $100,000 truck that actually looks the part. The $99,495 GMC Sierra EV Denali Edition 1 and the $101,700 Rivian R1T Tri don't need to apologize for their prices. Upscale cabins and high-tech hardware in the Sierra and R1T mean you never need to explain to your neighbors that lithium-ion batteries are incredibly expensive.

Like so many gas Sierras before it, the electric GMC is a mechanical twin of the Chevrolet Silverado EV. Both the Denali Edition 1 and Chevy's Silverado EV RST First Edition use the same 205-kWh battery pack, and both are rated at 754 horsepower and come with the same 24-inch tires, air springs, four-wheel steering, and folding midgate that extends the bed into the rear of the cab.

What's different—and what sets the GMC apart—is its interior. The Denali Edition 1 features open-pore wood trim, aluminum accents, stainless-steel speaker covers, and neatly stitched leather, dressing up a cabin with a unique dash, center console, and screens. Considering the GMC commands a mere $3,000 premium, or just 3 percent more than the Chevy, this is the first Sierra in MotorTrend institutional memory we think is worth buying over a Silverado.