If you need a family pickup truck, the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is one of the best models experts recommend. Despite being a full-size pickup, the Chevy Silverado packs many interesting features like advanced trailer towing management and rear and side window defrosting. However, the 2026 model year of the Silverado doesn’t bring much to the table compared to the outgoing 2025 model.
To make it clear that you have the new model, one of the key changes that Chevrolet has made is adding two new colors (White Sands and Polar White Tricoat), which replace the Iridescent Pearl Tricoat and Slate Gray Metallic from last year. Also, there’s a new RST Select Special Edition trim. Various outlets have reviewed the new Chevy Silverado, and it has earned pretty solid scores. Car and Driver gave the pickup truck a solid 8.5 out of 10 and even shortlisted it as one of the best full-size pickup trucks on the market.
JD Power has rated the new model with a user score of 82 out of 100, while U.S. News and MotorTrend gave it an overall score of 8.8 and 8.4 out of 10, respectively. Across multiple sources, the Chevy Silverado 1500 is considered one of the best in its category. Despite that, these five family pickup trucks have actually outperformed the Chevy in reviews and might be a better fit for your needs.
2026 Chevy Colorado
Surprisingly, despite the Chevy Colorado starting at a much lower price tag than the Silverado, it actually has better ratings. Starting with JD Power, the Colorado has been given a score of 83 out of 100, slightly better than the Silverado. JD Power’s ratings are based on reviews from actual owners, and, as such, this means users did find the Colorado to be a better car based on their own real-world experience.
Some experts have also rated the Colorado higher than the Silverado. For example, Car and Driver gave the Colorado a 9 out of 10 rating, while the Silverado scored only an 8.5. Experts at MotorTrend also rated the Colorado higher — it earned a 9.3 out of 10 rating while its larger sibling only got an 8.4. Across our reference sites, only the experts at U.S. News gave the Silverado a higher rating than the Colorado. The Silverado earned an overall score of 8.8 out of 5, while the Colorado scored a slightly lower 8.7.
As a smaller sibling to the Silverado, the 2026 Chevy Colorado has a lower starting price of $34,495, after adding the $2,095 destination charge. Every 2026 Chevy Colorado model comes with a 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine making 310 hp and 430 lb-ft of torque mated to an eight-speed automatic. For the drivetrain, you can pick between a rear-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive option. This pickup truck has a lower maximum towing capacity of 7,700 lbs, unlike the Silverado, which can pull up to 13,300 lbs.
2026 Ford F-150
The Ford F-150 is yet another great pickup truck for families which has received better ratings than the Chevy across multiple sites. First, in MotorTrend’s testing, the team rated the F-150 with a 9.1 out of 10, while the Silverado scored 8.4. Experts at U.S. News also found the F-150 to be a better pickup truck than the Silverado, rating it 9.6 out of 10, which is 0.8 points higher than the Silverado’s score. In Car and Driver’s test, the F-150 also performed better, earning an overall score of 9 out of 10, 0.5 points higher than the Silverado.
The one site where the Silverado proved to be a better car is in JD Power’s consumer rating. According to JD Power’s consumer ratings, the Silverado scored 83 out of 100 while the F-150 earned 82 points. While the Silverado technically scored higher, it isn’t a huge difference by any means. The 2026 model year of the Ford F-150 has a starting sticker price of $42,380, inclusive of a $2,795 destination fee.
This latest model has several engine options, all of which have a twin turbo. They include a 325 hp 2.7-liter V6, a 400 hp 3.5-liter V6, a 3.5-liter V6 with an electric motor producing a combined output of 430 hp, and a 400 hp 5.0-liter V8. All the available engines are paired to a 10-speed automatic, and the F-150 offers both front- and four-wheel-drive options.
2026 Ram 1500
The 2026 Ram 1500 outperformed the Chevy Silverado 1500 across three out of four sites that we used for reference. In Car and Driver’s review, the Ram 1500 earned a perfect score of 10 out of 10, standing out as the best full-size pickup truck according to the site’s experts. That score has earned the Ram 1500 Car and Driver’s Editor’s Choice award. In MotorTrend’s review, the 2026 Ram 1500 also got better ratings, scoring 9.5 out of 10 points, 1.1 points higher than the Chevy.
Per MotorTrend’s rankings of the best full-size pickup trucks, the 2026 Ram 1500 scored the highest points, although it was a tie with several other models. This pickup also outperformed the Chevy in U.S. News’ review. Per the site, the Ram 1500 got an overall score of 9.5 out of 10, which is slightly higher than the Chevy’s 8.8 score. The Chevy Silverado 1500 only got better ratings than the Ram in JD Power’s consumer rankings, scoring an 82 out of 100 vs. 74.
The 2026 Ram 1500 has several engine options on offer, with the most notable being the 5.7-liter V8 HEMI, which makes a return after a short hiatus. However, it only produces 395 hp, so it isn’t the most powerful Hemi engine ever built. The Ram 1500 can tow a maximum of 11,610 pounds and has a payload capacity of up to 2,360 pounds. The 2026 model has a starting MSRP of $44,820, inclusive of a $2,795 destination charge.
2026 Ford Maverick
The second model from Ford with better ratings than the Chevy Silverado is the Maverick. Per the review team at U.S. News, the 2026 Ford Maverick earned an overall score of 9.1 out of 10, which is slightly higher than the Chevy. However, in Car and Driver’s testing, it wasn’t even close, with the team giving the Maverick a 10 out of 10 score, nearly two points higher than the Silverado’s 8.5. According to MotorTrend, while both the Ford Maverick and Chevy Silverado have earned their recommendations as some of the best models for families, the team’s ratings show the former is a better car overall.
The Maverick earned a 9.5 out of 10, the same as the previously discussed Ram 1500. However, when it comes to owner ratings, the Chevy Silverado received identical ratings than the Ford Maverick, according to JD Power; the Ford Maverick and the Chevy Silverado both scored 82 points. That said, there isn’t a huge difference between the two based on such close consumer ratings.
Lastly, in Car and Driver’s test, the Maverick came out on top, earning a 10 out of 10 score, beating the Chevy by one-and-a-half points. The 2026 Ford Maverick comes with a 250 hp 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder (mated to an eight-speed automatic) or a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated engine with an electric motor producing a combined 191 hp, paired with a CVT. This pickup starts at an MSRP of $29,990.
2026 Rivian R1T
The Rivian R1T is another excellent pickup truck that you can consider instead of the Chevy Silverado. In tests conducted by experts at various automotive sites, the Rivian R1T outperformed the Silverado by earning higher scores. Starting with Car and Driver, the Rivian R1T impressed the site’s experts, so much so that they gave it an overall score of 10 out of 10 while the Silverado scored an 8.5.
This pickup truck also outshone the Chevy in MotorTrend’s testing. Motor Trend rated the Rivian R1T with a solid 9.5 out of 10, 1.1 points higher than the Chevy. The same is the case with U.S. News’s review of the Rivian R1T. The R1T earned a 9.2 out of 10 in U.S. News testing, which is 0.4 points higher than Chevy’s Silverado 1500 pickup truck. It’s only in JD Power’s consumer ratings where the Rivian R1T falters, earning a lower score than the Chevy.
Unlike the Chevy Silverado, the Rivian R1T is an electric pickup truck. Despite that, it has a pretty powerful powertrain under the hood, offering up to 1,025 hp thanks to its powerful quad-motor system that makes the R1T is one of the fastest pickup trucks on the market. The least potent powertrain uses two motors and produces 533 hp, but you can also select the 665 hp performance version with a dual-motor setup or a slightly more powerful 850-hp tri-motor system. The Rivian R1T starts at $79,990.