Is the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 high maintenance?
By CarWhere Research · Updated
Not especially. The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is about average to maintain. On AAA's 2025 half-ton crew-cab pickup benchmark, it costs about $1,704 a year to maintain and repair at 15,000 miles a year, tires included — about the same as the $1,656 all-vehicle average. Chevrolet Complete Care — covered first maintenance visit covers one visit within the first 12 months of ownership. Owners filed 0.579 NHTSA complaints per 1,000 Silverado 1500s sold (2015–2022 sales), #3 of 8 pickup trucks we rank (lower is better; segment median 0.832).
Verdict
About average
about average to maintain
Per year
$1,704
AAA 2025 benchmark
5 years
$8,520
75,000 miles
NHTSA complaints
0.579 / 1k
Above average for pickup trucks
Silverado 1500 maintenance cost: 5 and 10 years
| Period | Miles | Estimate | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per year | 15,000 | $1,704 | AAA half-ton crew-cab pickup, 11.36¢/mile |
| 5 years | 75,000 | $8,520 | AAA's own 5-year window |
| 10 years (floor) | 150,000 | $17,040+ | AAA's 5-year per-mile rate, extended in a straight line |
Method: AAA 2025 half-ton crew-cab pickup benchmark: 11.36¢ a mile × 15,000 miles a year. Covers scheduled maintenance, wear-item repairs, one set of tires and an extended warranty over 5 years. A category average, not a Silverado 1500-specific quote. The 10-year figure is a floor: it doesn't add the larger age-related repairs (and later scheduled items such as spark plugs or coolant) that come after year 5.
How the verdict is set: Two inputs. Cost: the estimate against AAA's $1,656 all-vehicle average (more than 3% under counts in the car's favor, more than 3% over against it). Complaints: NHTSA owner complaints per 1,000 sold against the median of every model in our study (0.48); well under the median helps, well over hurts, roughly double or more hurts twice as much. Both low = "No"; both high = "Yes". Models without a dollar estimate get no verdict.
Silverado 1500 service schedule highlights
From Chevrolet's documents for the Silverado 1500:
- Source is the 2024 model-year manual (revised June 2025); a full 2025 manual PDF was not located on GM's CDN
- Spark plugs: 60,000 mi on 2.7L Turbo; 97,500 mi on 5.3L/6.2L V8
- Transfer case fluid (4WD): every 100,000 mi normal; every 50,000 mi severe
- Severe service: automatic transmission fluid and filter every 45,000 mi
- Oil: 0W-20 (5.3L), 5W-30 (2.7L), 6.2L per fill cap
Source: 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Owner's Manual (rev. Jun 2025) — Maintenance Schedule (GM-hosted PDF)
Oil changes
Normal service: Condition-based: GM Engine Oil Life System. Check oil level and oil-life % every 7,500 mi; change oil and filter when the CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON message appears (within the next 600 mi). Oil and filter must be changed at least once a year even if the monitor has not called for it. If the system is reset by accident, service within 3,000 mi of the last service.
Severe or special conditions: Same oil-life system; under severe use (short trips of 4 mi or less, heavy city traffic in heat, hilly terrain, frequent towing, commercial/taxi/police/delivery use) the indicator may call for a change before 7,500 mi.
Oil: Oil meeting GM dexos1 specification (ACDelco dexos1 full synthetic recommended). SAE 0W-20 for Tahoe, Equinox, Traverse and Silverado 5.3L V8; SAE 5W-30 for Silverado 2.7L Turbo; Silverado 6.2L V8 — viscosity per oil fill cap.
Source: 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner's Manual — Service and Maintenance (GM-hosted PDF)
Included maintenance
Chevrolet Complete Care — covered first maintenance visit
Term: One visit within the first 12 months of ownership (2024 or newer vehicles); Corvette: one visit within the first 24 months
Covers: Oil and oil filter change, Multi-Point Vehicle Inspection, 4-tire rotation per the maintenance schedule; diesel adds up to 4 gal ACDelco DEF top-off; EVs get tire rotation + inspection
Source: Chevrolet Complete Care — Covered Maintenance & Warranty
Chevrolet factory schedule
| Interval | Service items | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Every 7,500 miles |
| 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner's Manual — Service and Maintenance (GM-hosted PDF) |
| Every 22,500 miles or 24 months |
| 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner's Manual — Service and Maintenance (GM-hosted PDF) |
| Every 5 years |
| 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner's Manual — Service and Maintenance (GM-hosted PDF) |
| Every 7 years |
| 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner's Manual — Service and Maintenance (GM-hosted PDF) |
| Spark plugs |
| 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Owner's Manual (rev. Jun 2025) — Maintenance Schedule (GM-hosted PDF) |
| Every 100,000 miles or 10 years |
| 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner's Manual — Service and Maintenance (GM-hosted PDF) |
| Every 150,000 miles or 6 years |
| 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner's Manual — Service and Maintenance (GM-hosted PDF) |
| Severe service — every 45,000 miles |
| 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner's Manual — Service and Maintenance (GM-hosted PDF) |
Common Silverado 1500 problems (NHTSA data)
Owners filed 0.579 NHTSA complaints per 1,000 Silverado 1500s sold (2015–2022 sales), #3 of 8 pickup trucks we rank (lower is better; segment median 0.832).
- 10,402 owner complaints on file with NHTSA across all Silverado 1500 model years.
- Most-reported systems: electrical system (6,212), engine & engine cooling (4,127).
- Model years flagged in our years-to-avoid analysis: 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022.
- Best-rated years: 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013.
Complaints measure problems owners reported to the government, not repair bills: a high count signals more unscheduled repairs, which AAA's category benchmark doesn't adjust for. Silverado 1500 years to avoid →
How the Silverado 1500 compares in its AAA category (half-ton crew-cab pickup)
Same AAA category means the same dollar benchmark, so the complaint rate is what separates them. Luxury models aren't priced.
| Model | Est. per year | Complaints / 1,000 sold | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet Silverado 1500 | $1,704 | 0.579 Above average | About average |
| Ford F-150 | $1,704 | 0.427 Best | About average |
| GMC Sierra 1500 | $1,704 | 0.922 Average | Somewhat — above average |
| Ram 1500 | $1,704 | 0.968 Below average | Somewhat — above average |
| Toyota Tundra | $1,704 | — | About average |
Frequently asked questions
Is the Silverado 1500 high maintenance?
Not especially. The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is about average to maintain. On AAA's 2025 half-ton crew-cab pickup benchmark, it costs about $1,704 a year to maintain and repair at 15,000 miles a year, tires included — about the same as the $1,656 all-vehicle average. Chevrolet Complete Care — covered first maintenance visit covers one visit within the first 12 months of ownership. Owners filed 0.579 NHTSA complaints per 1,000 Silverado 1500s sold (2015–2022 sales), #3 of 8 pickup trucks we rank (lower is better; segment median 0.832).
Is the Silverado 1500 expensive to maintain?
Plan on about $1,704 a year, $8,520 over 5 years. AAA 2025 half-ton crew-cab pickup benchmark: 11.36¢ a mile × 15,000 miles a year. Covers scheduled maintenance, wear-item repairs, one set of tires and an extended warranty over 5 years. A category average, not a Silverado 1500-specific quote.
How much does a Silverado 1500 cost to maintain over 10 years?
About $17,040 at 15,000 miles a year (150,000 miles), extending the AAA 5-year per-mile rate in a straight line. Treat it as a floor: AAA's rate is measured on a car's first 5 years, and older cars need larger repairs.
How often does the Silverado 1500 need an oil change?
Chevrolet's published oil-change interval: condition-based: GM Engine Oil Life System. Check your owner's manual for your engine; severe-service intervals are shorter.
What is the cheapest Chevrolet to maintain?
Of the 4 Chevrolet models we cover, the Silverado 1500 has the lowest estimated maintenance cost: about $1,704 a year (AAA 2025 half-ton crew-cab pickup benchmark).
What Silverado 1500 years should I avoid?
Our NHTSA years-to-avoid analysis flags 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022. Owners filed 0.579 NHTSA complaints per 1,000 Silverado 1500s sold (2015–2022 sales), #3 of 8 pickup trucks we rank (lower is better; segment median 0.832).
Related
Sources and method
Dollar figures: AAA's 2025 Your Driving Costs category benchmark (retail parts and labor for routine maintenance specified by the vehicle manufacturer, a comprehensive extended warranty, repairs to wear-and-tear items that need service during 5 years of operation, and one set of replacement tires). Schedule, oil interval and included maintenance: Chevrolet's own documents, linked by row. Complaints: NHTSA's public complaint database, divided by published U.S. sales (CarWhere analysis).
- Your Driving Costs 2025 (brochure: cost per mile by vehicle category) — AAA (maintenance cents per mile by category)
- Your Driving Costs 2025 fact sheet (methodology) — AAA (what the maintenance line includes)
- NHTSA vehicle owner complaints database — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (complaints per 1,000 sold is a CarWhere calculation)
- 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Owner's Manual — Service and Maintenance (GM-hosted PDF) — Chevrolet (opened 2026-11-06)
- 2025 Chevrolet Equinox Owner's Manual — Maintenance Schedule (GM-hosted PDF) — Chevrolet (opened 2026-11-06)
- 2025 Chevrolet Traverse Owner's Manual — Maintenance Schedule (GM-hosted PDF) — Chevrolet (opened 2026-11-06)
- 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Owner's Manual (rev. Jun 2025) — Maintenance Schedule (GM-hosted PDF) — Chevrolet (opened 2026-11-06)
- Chevrolet Complete Care — Covered Maintenance & Warranty — Chevrolet (opened 2026-11-06)