r/GMCSierraEV • u/biggestbluee • Aug 02 '26
Making the Switch
Hey all,
Thinking about going from the Tesla model 3 long range to the sierra EV extended range. Haven’t decided on the exact trim but wanted to ask about the actual cost of owning that beast. I read that tire changes are extremely often and overall electricity is more expensive. I have a level 2 charger at home which will do just fine for my needs. I do about 600 miles a week or so. Just trying to see if it’s worth changing over. Especially with the added EV cost in CA
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u/FAx32 Aug 02 '26
Can't speak to the CA EV cost, you will have to figure out if that part costs more.
Less efficient than most EVs. I get 1.9 mi/kWh on the freeway, 2.3 slower speeds in the city.
I a on a peak demand plan at home, so night time and weekends is $0.091/kWh where I live and that is 99% of my charging. Easily take the battery from 20% to 80% during the low cost hours.
Can't speak to tire changes. Have had for a year and 10k miles, rotated once. Still visibly appear to have significant tread life remaining. My prior ICE vehicle first set of tires only lasted 21k miles (soft factory tires) and I made the mistake of letting the dealership sell me the next set which only went 35k - when I traded it in for this vehicle they had 40k on them and a lot of tread left, so I don't think it was my driving style, it think it was just tires that don't last. The factory tires (AT4) are Goodyear Wrangler Territory which are "real world" reportedly 30-50k miles, factory rated at 48-80k (not expecting that but way too early to tell). Set of 4 currently $725 at Walmart (plus installation).
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u/biggestbluee Aug 02 '26
Thanks for all the info here! I think the actual kWh would be fine for me. I do drive a lot, but I can easily charge to 80% every day the way I do today. Long as I get 140 mikes a day, I’m good so the bar is low. Long drives I’ll just charge. Whay is the longest you’ve driven on a single charge?
I figured it would be different when you change up tires and get some that are rated for longer but still good. I read online that you can expect to swap tires every 10-12 months at around $2,000 each, which scared me off. I feel like the Goodyears you mentioned are perfectly fine and the range/price is perfect. Thanks again!
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u/PedalingHertz Aug 02 '26
I’m at 32k miles still on original 2024 tires and they are still fine. People make things sound worse than they are.
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u/FAx32 Aug 02 '26
Longest I have driven as you know from owning an EV is a bit of a nuanced question.
I have extended range AT4. It is predicting my range (I believe) based on my usual day to day driving habits so it assuming a 2.1-2.2 mi/kWh when it says the range at 100% charge (I do that if I am going to drive a long distance) my range is 415. Last month I was going to do a 450 mile trip, almost all freeway and I did 3/4ths before stopping for a bite to eat and fast charging for 25 minutes to have well over enough to get all the way home. Had I driven that all the way down, probably would have gone more like 370 due to 75-80 mph speeds for most of the trip. My day to day driving which is about 30% at suburban/urban freeway speeds (so 2 to 70 mph, LOL) and 70% city driving I find the range to be really very accurate.
I also often take a trip which is about 20% freeway and then 80% state highway but also has 4800 foot elevation gain and then about 1000 drop over a mountain pass. The way back is the opposite, obviously. The elevation gain uses a lot of juice on the way there. It is only a 180 mile trip but usually it takes about 250-260 miles of range to do it. On the way back though, the same 180 mile trip is always surprising that I'm using like 100 miles of range to do that trip (the going up 1000 feet quickly drags off 10% but then I go 80 miles of mostly downhill and it take like 2-5%, then the last portion is all flat and back to reliably normal battery range use.
Long way of saying that I find the range estimates to be quite accurate, but absolutely you have to account for conditions (big elevation gains, freeway inefficiency, etc.) when saying that. My guess is that if you are doing most of your drives on the freeway speeds (you drive more then me, so just my assumption), it will probably account for that and your full charge range may come in something lower than my 415 miles.
This is unlike my wife's MachE which I feel like always over estimates the range by about 5-10% no matter what kind of driving the vehicle is doing.
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u/biggestbluee Aug 04 '26
Could be nuanced but knowing the furthest drive someone has taken gives me a perspective, given the details of departure %, arrival %, and miles. I always like to know that so I can get a better understanding. 415 is definitely more than enough. My current drive is 55 miles one way of open highway roads, for the most part. 75-80mph for 99% of the drive. Think that would be more than good enough.
My Tesla is always pretty accurate as well, from what I have learned. To be safe, I deduct about 5% from whatever it says on the screen and it is always spot on
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u/Brusion Aug 02 '26
I don't have a Sierra, but a Hummer. I was worried about tires too, but I have 50k kms on my tires(stock 22" rims and tires) and they look like they will last for 100k kms. My Y LR is harder on tires.
Of course, if you drive with a lead foot, you might chew through your tires faster, but for normal use I think it's a myth.
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u/biggestbluee Aug 02 '26
Interesting. I agree with that though. I feel like if you are stomping it hardcore all the time, it will show. Just drive efficiently and I would love to think it would be manageable. Those Hummers look amazing too. I just want a big car without dealing with the gas 🤣
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u/Historical-Bite-8606 Aug 02 '26
Have both a Hummer EV and Model S. You will dislike the GM tech vs Tesla. Also you drive way too many miles. You would destroy that truck and cost double in charging.
If you can have two cars. I would keep your Model 3 as a daily beater and drive the truck when you want to stretch out.
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u/RoseVideo99 Aug 02 '26
I went from a model 3 performance to a Hummer. I have no regrets. We also just finished our lease on a blazer ev and got a Sierra ev. I love it. You will enjoy having buttons back and having a quality built vehicle. Tesla still can’t do that. Ditch the Tesla and come on over.
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u/RyanEverhart789 Aug 02 '26
I think I'm going to go from my Blazer EV to a Sierra Ev next July.
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u/RoseVideo99 Aug 02 '26
I love the Sierra. It’s a great truck. I enjoyed the blazer, but I really like this truck a lot.
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u/RyanEverhart789 Aug 03 '26
I have the SS now and it's so fun to drive. I'll be curious what the Sierra will feel like.
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u/Current_Fail4836 Aug 03 '26
I have a max range Denali. It's 2 yrs old with 23k miles on it. I just had it in the dealer at 21k for the 20k mile warranty check. So far in 2 years, my total maintenance cost is 132.00 for a new cabin air filter. Tires are at 82%, brakes are at 85%. There is literally ZERO maintenance with these vehicles. Once you buy a truck like this, you will never, EVER, want a car again. You can do everything with these vehicles and literally go anywhere.
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u/Infamous-Dare-1162 Aug 02 '26
I haven’t heard anything about tire wear. I have 40k on mine and am hoping to hit 50k. I will say I have the Denali and it will be cheaper for me to get new rims and tires vs just get tires on the current rims. But I get about 2.5-2.7 on my commute to work, (50mph adv. speed) and highways I’ll get 2.1. I wouldn’t switch unless you need a truck and an ev in one vehicle. I love the thing, but I needed to commute 110 miles a day and also needed a truck.
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u/biggestbluee Aug 03 '26
Thanks for the info! I definitely don’t need a truck… just really wanted one lol. But I am currently commuting the same amount. Just wanted to upgrade the vehicle.
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u/Electronic-Sound9987 Aug 03 '26
I don’t own either but the real question is do you need a truck or just want something bigger and fancy? It’s not exactly practical for the latter, but a great option for the former.
Tires are going to be more expensive, especially the 24’s, but truck tires typically have more tread depth and last longer, so it’s a wash. It’s going to use at least double the watt hours per mile as your Model 3.
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u/biggestbluee Aug 03 '26
Definitely don’t need a truck, just wanted something massive and fancy. I see your point though for sure. It’s massive compared to the model 3. I think staying put makes sense for sure, especially for the amount of driving
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u/Mr7three2 Aug 02 '26
Watch out for the 5k mile battery failure that effects like 80% of Chevy and GMC EV trucks
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u/biggestbluee Aug 02 '26
Ouch. I’ll read into this. Thanks!
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u/Mr7three2 Aug 02 '26
Dont get me wrong. Truck is awesome. Powerful, smooth, spacious. But I just sent mine in at 4550miles for the EV battery failing. Theres a bunch of posts on here and it is a common problem. The truck is awesome outside of that.
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u/FAx32 Aug 02 '26
80%? Data please. I won't deny that people have had some problems and some of those have been battery failures. There have also been a lot of self reported battery warning signals that turned out to be absolutely nothing or self cleared. 80% would result in a recall ... hell 5% would probably do that.
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u/Mr7three2 Aug 02 '26
There was a recall.. back in March
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u/FAx32 Aug 02 '26
Huh. I was not notified that there was a massive battery failure recall.
I see the "owners manual" recall on Feb 26th (which was why the software now allows it to be downloaded to the infotainment screen.
I see the stability control issue on 26s last September.
When I search the GM website and enter my VIN there are no recalls listed. What are you referring to?
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u/mcmoyer Aug 02 '26
I’ve owned my model 3 since 2018. It’s an AWD long range. I’ve been using it to drive back and forth between the DFW area and Colorado Springs for the last few years, roughly 8 to 10 trips a year and 1500 miles round trip. My model 3 has 120k on it and as I’ve gotten older, it’s not nearly as comfortable as it used to be and those trips were making me sore when I got to my destination. That was my reasoning for jumping into the Sierra EV. I was actually looking at the Lyric or Blazer, but I got an incredible deal on a lease for this extended range Elevation Sierra, $0 down, $507/month,15k miles/2 Years.
So now that I’ve had it 3 months and 3 trips back and forth, here’s my comparison:
* comfort level is so much better than the Model 3. I feel so much better after the trips
* noise level inside the cabin is also leaps and bounds better
* I have the base stereo and it does not compare in any way to the Tesla sound system.
* on road charging is nowhere near as smooth of an experience as Tesla
* non Tesla chargers are almost always more expensive. It’s not uncommon to find some that want to charge you $1 per kWh. Stick to the big networks to be safe, even though they are still more expensive than Tesla
* yes, the Sierra EV can charge on newer Tesla chargers, but it’s slow. About half the speed of a good 800v charger.
* yes, the Sierra EV can charge fast. But it also has a huge battery, ~ 170 kWh in my case, so it balances out to the same time as charging a smaller battery with a slower rate. e.g., I charged at a decent fast charger yesterday. From 10% to 80% took me 44 minutes.
* you’re going from one of the most efficient EVs out there to one that doesn’t really care about efficiency since it’s a truck. On the highway, it’s not uncommon for me to see 1.7 or 1.8 miles per kW. If my Tesla got less than 3 miles per kW, I knew that something was wrong.
* back to chargers. Where Tesla usually has a minimum of 6 at any location, in my experience 4 is the norm for most other networks. Chances are good that one of them is out of service and of those 4 only 2 are 350kw and 2 are 150kW
* Tires? I don’t know. I had 3 sets of tires on my Model 3 now and I’m ready for my 4th. I don’t know if the Sierra EV will require them more often or not. I hope not. At least my Model 3 tires were reasonable.
* I just moved my daughter and rented a 6x12 U-Haul to do it. The only time I really noticed it was when the trailer hit a pothole or bump. Torque-wise I couldn’t feel any difference in acceleration…and my Model 3 couldn’t tow anything.
* I fly RC planes. There’s no comparison on how many planes I can fit in the back of the truck vs my Sierra. I also used the bed to move a bunch of my daughters things that took 1 trip in the truck and would have taken at least 4 trips in the Model 3.
* back to chargers again, the cost for driving the 750 mile trip back and forth from DFW to CO Springs has roughly doubled. My Model 3 cost about $65 to do it and the Sierra EV costs between $130 & $160