GMC Sierra EV Adds Less-Expensive AT4 and Elevation Trims for 2026

The GMC Sierra EV adds Elevation and AT4 trim levels to the lineup.
There’s also a new Standard Range battery option, which helps to lower cost.
The 2026 Sierra EV starts at $64,495 including destination.

When the GMC Sierra EV launched last year, it was an expensive proposition, at more than $90,000. But that’s because GMC launched this truck in Denali Extended Range and Max Range trim levels — the latter of which tops our Edmunds EV Range Test leaderboard. Now, the Sierra EV is available in Elevation and AT4 grades, as well as a Standard Range battery, which lowers the starting price significantly, to $64,495.

2026 GMC Sierra EV AT4 First Drive: Taking the Electric Pickup Off-Road

New Elevation and AT4 models broaden the Sierra EV’s appeal

written by edited by
6/10/2025

The 2026 GMC Sierra EV gets two additional trims: a base Elevation and off-road-focused AT4.
The Sierra EV AT4 comes with a 2-inch suspension lift and 35-inch all-terrain tires.
All of the Sierra EV models are more expensive for 2026.

The GMC Sierra has always been ever so slightly nicer than its Chevy Silverado counterpart. Its leather is a little better, the chrome is a little shinier and the technology a little more, uh, techy. And so it is with the Sierra EV, which is now available in base Elevation and off-road-focused AT4 trims following the launch of the ultra-luxe Denali last year.

Where the Denali goes full luxury, the AT4 puts together all of GM’s off-road parts to make this Sierra a big, heavy but ultimately quiet way to creep along trails and ascend muddy hills. The GMC Sierra AT4 is an expensive oxymoron full of contradictions — but is ultimately a blast to drive on road or off.

How much more capable is the Sierra AT4?

The Sierra EV AT4 adds 35-inch all-terrain tires, red front recovery hooks and a spray-in bedliner along with special dark accents and a red illuminated GMC badge. It gets an additional 2 inches of ground clearance over the base Elevation trim, along with exclusive Terrain modes and the company’s newest mechanical oddity: CrabWalk. That feature allows the rear wheels to steer in parallel with the fronts, meaning the Sierra EV AT4, like a Hummer EV, can juke sideways at an angle to clear obstacles, park obliquely or just impress your friends.

Like the Denali, the Sierra EV AT4 offers the MultiPro Midgate expandable bed that opens the rear cabin wall to allow for nearly 11 feet of cargo length. The AT4 can tow just over 12,000 pounds — GM says more than half of Sierra buyers tow monthly — and charge at 350 kW on DC fast chargers, which GMC says adds 100 miles of range in about 10 minutes. Also optional are a 10.2-kW generator and a panoramic glass roof that is neither dimmable nor coverable.

What’s the interior like?

The Sierra EV AT4’s cabin is dominated by black and dark gray materials, with just a touch of chrome. The armrest, dash and seats all look impeccable, very clean and horizontal, but less cozy than your average GMC. The seat cushioning is on the stiff side but mostly comfortable over a 90-minute drive. However, the front of the seat bottom doesn’t adjust so it sometimes feels like you’re leaning forward or not sitting high enough to see properly over this massive truck’s hood.

The focal point of the cabin is a 16.8-inch portrait-style infotainment touchscreen, though there is thankfully a row of physical buttons at the bottom for climate controls, as well as a large volume knob planted on the screen. GMC uses a ton of monotone app icons, which are harder to pick out, especially if you’re using the system while driving, but the infotainment tech is nicely dialed in overall with quick swipe actions and no freezing or glitches. One bummer: Like General Motors’ other EVs, the Sierra AT4 doesn’t have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

The Sierra’s cabin feels massive. The double-wide center cubby could almost fit a basketball, and the back seat could fit three basketball players shoulder to shoulder. As with most GM trucks, there are multiple storage spaces in the front and back for phones and other gear.

Incredible power

The Sierra AT4 Extended Range delivers 625 horsepower while the AT4 Max Range — the one I’m testing — has 725 hp and 770 lb-ft of torque. That’s good for a 0 to 60 mph sprint of 4.5 seconds in Hammer mode, which is stupidly quick for a vehicle this large. (The Sierra EV Denali did 0-60 mph in 4.3 seconds in our independent testing.)

Like other GM EVs, the Sierra slows down briskly in its standard one-pedal regeneration mode and uncomfortably hard in the High setting. However, it does come to a stop smoothly, gently easing off braking force in the last few feet.

Unlike the Denali, the AT4 has a fixed suspension that makes it surprisingly stiff on surface streets and bouncy off-road. The steering effort varies from very easy when going slow on trails to surprisingly heavy and tight on the highway.

The AT4 does have the necessary mechanicals for going off-road, including a Terrain mode that uses the friction brakes to hold the vehicle on a rock or incline. It also has front, rear, towing and bed cameras to see what’s going on around the vehicle on or off the trails. And the rear steering is amazing while maneuvering off-road, allowing the full-size pickup to take tight trail corners like a much smaller truck. The Sierra EV AT4 almost feels like it pivots around its center axis.

An expensive way to go electric

For 2026 the Sierra EV will be available in all three trims including Elevation ($64,495), Denali ($71,795) and AT4 ($81,395), including $2,095 for destination and handling. Those prices are for the Standard and Extended Range models. Max Range models — with 478 miles of EPA-estimated range — are more, with the most expensive Sierra Denali EV starting just over $100,000. For now, the EV qualifies for a federal tax credit.

Those Sierra EV prices are higher than what you’ll pay for a comparable Chevy Silverado EV or Ford F-150 Lightning, but again, the GMC has always offered more luxury than its competitors. The off-road-ready AT4 only enhances this truck’s appeal.

New AT4 and Denali models broaden the GMC Terrain’s appeal

written by edited by
5/25/2025

The Terrain Denali and AT4 skipped the 2025 model year.
They return for 2026 with more equipment and higher prices.
The Denali aims for luxury and AT4 has an off-road feel.

Cruising north along Jefferson Avenue through Grosse Pointe, Michigan, is rather scenic, with Lake St. Clair on the right and beautiful houses on the left. However, it’s less than ideal for evaluating a vehicle. This is mundane suburban driving, but then again, it reflects the way the 2026 GMC Terrain will be driven most of the time.

For this drive I’m in the new 2026 GMC Terrain Denali. It’s part of an expanded 2026 lineup that also includes the AT4 soft-roader. The Terrain received a refresh for 2025 but was only offered in the base Elevation model. Now the two high-end models arrive to stretch the Terrain farther upmarket than ever before.

What is the 2026 GMC Terrain Denali?

After taking a model year off, the Denali returns with the new Terrain’s revised exterior design, an 11-inch digital instrument cluster, a 15-inch portrait-style infotainment touchscreen with Google Built-In tech, an eight-speed automatic transmission in place of a nine-speed, and a host of new driver assistance features.

Mostly, though, the Denali is known for its additional comfort and convenience features. The Denali and AT4 both come standard with all-wheel drive (a low-end system that has to be engaged via a button on the dash), hill descent control, wireless phone charging, a hands-free power liftgate, dual-zone automatic climate control, a trailer hitch, an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, and a universal garage door opener, among other features.

The Denali goes another step further with 19-inch alloy wheels and available 20-inchers, leather-wrapped ventilated front seats, heated outboard rear seats, memory for the driver’s seat, a power-adjustable front passenger seat, a surround-view camera system and a rear camera mirror.

Terrain Denali road manners

My drive along Jefferson Avenue is pleasant but far from exciting. The turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder offers a modest 175 horsepower and 203 lb-ft of torque. It’s a gruff little engine that sends more noise into the cabin than many rivals and its power delivery is only adequate. GMC quotes a 0-60 mph time of 7.9 seconds, which seems about a half-second quicker than it feels. For a vehicle priced in the $40K range, this isn’t a premium engine. Many competitors offer more power and smoother power delivery. The Terrain Denali delivers decent fuel economy at 25 mpg combined (24 city/26 highway), but the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 beat those numbers by far with their hybrid powertrains.

The eight-speed automatic transmission is an improvement over the old nine-speed. It doesn’t get confused about which gear to pick as often and generally shifts smoothly. However, with the engine’s small displacement and limited power, it does have to change gears often to access the best power.

The Terrain’s best dynamic quality is its steering. It’s direct and has some decent heft. GMC outfits the Terrain Denali with Normal, AWD, Snow, Off-Road and Tow/Haul modes. That means no Sport mode, so the steering doesn’t firm up further and the throttle doesn’t get sharper.

GMC sets the Terrain Denali on a MacPherson strut front suspension, a multilink independent rear suspension and standard 19-inch alloy wheels. Thanks in part to a short wheelbase, the ride gets choppy on the broken bits of pavement on these city and suburban streets. It doesn’t crash over the sharper bumps, though, and is generally quite comfortable, even on the 20-inch wheels installed on my test vehicle. The Terrain has some body lean in sharper corners, but it’s generally well controlled.

What is the 2026 GMC Terrain AT4?

While the Terrain AT4 is the most capable Terrain off-roader yet, it’s also the least capable off-roader in GMC’s stable. The off-road features are minimal, but a few of them are effective. It gets a front skid plate, an engine and transmission underbody shield, a Terrain drive mode, an extra half-inch of ground clearance, a pair of red front recovery hooks and, most importantly, a set of 235/65R17 General Grabber all-terrain tires.

Terrain AT4 road manners

My time in the AT4 involves city driving to Belle Isle and other points of interest in Detroit, as well as a jaunt to the airport. It’s telling that GMC’s drive for its off-roader included no off-roading.

GMC engineers said they tuned the Terrain AT4’s steering and suspension to be sportier than in the other models, but with taller tire sidewalls on smaller wheels, the AT4 feels very similar to the Denali: comfortable and a little choppy over broken pavement. The only major difference is hydraulic bump stops so the AT4 can soften hard impacts that might happen on off-road trails.

The Grabber all-terrain tires provide less on-road grip than the Continental and Michelin all-seasons that come on the 19-inch and 20-inch wheels, but they’ll do their best work in the mud and dirt. These tires proved exceptional at digging in for traction during recent off-road drives of the Honda Passport TrailSport and Ford Expedition Tremor, so they’ll do the job here as well.

However, GMC doesn’t give the tires help in the form of locking center or rear differentials to find traction when a wheel is off the ground or the surfaces differ under different wheels. The AT4 also doesn’t offer forward camera views for off-roading, crawl control, or exotic features like disconnecting sway bars or the raised ride height of an air suspension. The Terrain AT4 will get you to the campsite or the trailhead, but it’s not an off-road hobbyist’s choice. Should you take your Terrain AT4 off-road, however, activating the Terrain mode will act as a one-pedal driving mode to control your speed up and down hills.

Moving on up

When last they saw the light of day for the 2024 model year, the Terrain AT4 cost about $35,000 and the Terrain Denali came in around $38,000. For 2026, those prices are $39,995 and $42,495, respectively.

Some changes justify those prices. The 15-inch touchscreen is one of the best on the market, with a simple command structure and quick reactions. GMC decorates the interior with more soft-touch materials on the door tops, dashboard and center console, and the cabin has good space for rear passengers and a generous 63.5 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seat folded down. The AT4 and Denali also come with a lot of comfort, convenience and safety equipment.

However, rivals like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 offer more varied lineups, including hybrids, and better resale values. Add some options to these high-end Terrains and they edge into Acura RDX and Genesis GV70 territory, and those two choices bring more power and luxury. Any of those vehicles is likely a better choice for mundane suburban driving, no matter how pretty the scenery.

The new Elevation serves as the base model for the Sierra EV and offers features like a standard MultiPro split-function tailgate, 18-inch wheels, a power-operated front trunk and a 16.8-inch center infotainment screen. It’s available in Standard and Extended Range configurations, and while GMC hasn’t disclosed range figures for the new trims, we’d expect this to be among the more efficient options thanks to the Elevation’s smaller wheels and fewer bells and whistles. Pricing for Elevation models starts at $64,495, inclusive of a $2,095 destination fee.

Also new this year is an off-road-focused AT4 trim level, which gets a 2-inch suspension lift, standard four-wheel steering with CrabWalk, standard Super Cruise hands-free highway driving assist and a red-illuminated GMC badge. In the right configuration, the AT4 will have a max towing capacity of 12,300 pounds and it’s available with 350-kW DC charging capability and a 10.2-kW Energy Transfer Pro off-board power system with 120-volt and 220-volt outlets. The Sierra EV AT4 is available in Extended and Max Range variants and prices start at $81,395, including that $2,095 destination fee.

The Denali trim sticks around, with a focus on luxury and comfort. It comes standard with Super Cruise and heated and ventilated seats, and it’s available with an adaptive air suspension, a panoramic glass roof and four-wheel steering. Buyers can pick between Standard, Extended and Max Range models with prices starting at $71,795, including destination.

The 2026 GMC Sierra EVs are expected to arrive at dealerships this summer.

Kyle Hyatt has been working as an automotive journalist since 2017. In that time he’s written over 3,000 car-related articles as well as tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles of both the two and four-wheeled varieties. Kyle is a contributor to Edmunds, and in addition to stints on staff at CNET’s Roadshow and Jalopnik, his byline has been featured at Car & Driver, Robb Report, Autoblog, Motor Trend, The Drive and Ars Technica. When he’s not busy writing, he’s usually out enjoying his 2003 Porsche 911 or working to finish his custom 1969 Honda CB350 twin project sometime before the next ice age.

edited by

Steven Ewing has worked in the automotive industry since 2003. In that time, he’s written thousands of articles and tested just as many vehicles. Steven is Edmunds’ director of editorial content and has previously been on staff at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog, Motor1.com, CNET, and was the U.S. correspondent for Top Gear magazine. Steven has also contributed to Automobile magazine, Car and Driver, The Drive, Jalopnik, Porsche Panorama, and dozens of other publications. In his spare time, Steven loves to play the drums, cook, and drive his 2000 BMW M Roadster.

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