1990 GMC Sierra 1500 Specs
23 powertrain configurations on federal record for the 1990 GMC Sierra 1500: 4.3L 6-cyl Regular Gasoline; 5.0L 8-cyl Regular Gasoline; 5.7L 8-cyl Regular Gasoline; 6.2L 8-cyl Diesel, in Rear-Wheel Drive and 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive, rated up to 18 MPG combined by the EPA.
Source: EPA federal records (fueleconomy.gov) · Updated 2026-10-26 · By CarWhere Research
| Engine | Transmission | Drivetrain | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.3L 6-cyl Regular Gasoline | Automatic 3-spd | Rear-Wheel Drive | 16 | 19 | 17 |
| 4.3L 6-cyl Regular Gasoline | Manual 4-spd | Rear-Wheel Drive | 16 | 19 | 17 |
| 4.3L 6-cyl Regular Gasoline | Manual 5-spd | Rear-Wheel Drive | 16 | 22 | 18 |
| 5.0L 8-cyl Regular Gasoline | Automatic 3-spd | Rear-Wheel Drive | 14 | 15 | 14 |
| 5.0L 8-cyl Regular Gasoline | Automatic 4-spd | Rear-Wheel Drive | 14 | 18 | 15 |
| 5.0L 8-cyl Regular Gasoline | Manual 5-spd | Rear-Wheel Drive | 14 | 19 | 15 |
| 5.7L 8-cyl Regular Gasoline | Automatic 4-spd | Rear-Wheel Drive | 14 | 18 | 15 |
| 5.7L 8-cyl Regular Gasoline | Manual 4-spd | Rear-Wheel Drive | 11 | 13 | 12 |
| 5.7L 8-cyl Regular Gasoline | Manual 5-spd | Rear-Wheel Drive | 12 | 17 | 14 |
| 6.2L 8-cyl Diesel | Automatic 4-spd | Rear-Wheel Drive | 16 | 22 | 18 |
| 6.2L 8-cyl Diesel | Manual 4-spd | Rear-Wheel Drive | 17 | 20 | 18 |
| 4.3L 6-cyl Regular Gasoline | Automatic 3-spd | 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive | 14 | 16 | 15 |
| 4.3L 6-cyl Regular Gasoline | Automatic 4-spd | 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive | 15 | 18 | 16 |
| 4.3L 6-cyl Regular Gasoline | Manual 4-spd | 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive | 14 | 16 | 15 |
| 4.3L 6-cyl Regular Gasoline | Manual 5-spd | 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive | 15 | 19 | 16 |
| 5.0L 8-cyl Regular Gasoline | Automatic 3-spd | 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive | 12 | 14 | 13 |
| 5.0L 8-cyl Regular Gasoline | Automatic 4-spd | 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive | 13 | 17 | 14 |
| 5.0L 8-cyl Regular Gasoline | Manual 5-spd | 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive | 12 | 17 | 14 |
| 5.7L 8-cyl Regular Gasoline | Automatic 4-spd | 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive | 12 | 16 | 13 |
| 5.7L 8-cyl Regular Gasoline | Manual 4-spd | 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive | 11 | 13 | 12 |
| 5.7L 8-cyl Regular Gasoline | Manual 5-spd | 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive | 11 | 16 | 13 |
| 6.2L 8-cyl Diesel | Automatic 4-spd | 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive | 15 | 20 | 16 |
| 6.2L 8-cyl Diesel | Manual 4-spd | 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive | 15 | 17 | 16 |
Sierra 1500 by year
Buying a used Sierra 1500? Specs are the easy half.
Check which Sierra 1500 years to avoid (federal complaint and recall records), see the live Sierra 1500 value by year, then check the specific car: the Full VIN Report shows that VIN's factory build, recall record, and market history before you pay for it.
Frequently asked questions
What engines does the 1990 GMC Sierra 1500 have?
4 engines on federal record: 4.3L 6-cyl Regular Gasoline; 5.0L 8-cyl Regular Gasoline; 5.7L 8-cyl Regular Gasoline; 6.2L 8-cyl Diesel, offered with Automatic 3-spd, Manual 4-spd, Manual 5-spd, Automatic 4-spd and Rear-Wheel Drive or 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive. The full per-configuration table is above.
What gas mileage does the 1990 GMC Sierra 1500 get?
EPA combined ratings run 12–18 MPG depending on configuration — the table above shows city/highway/combined for each engine, transmission, and drivetrain.
Is 1990 a good year for the GMC Sierra 1500?
Specs don't answer that — the federal complaint and recall record does. See the GMC Sierra 1500 year-by-year reliability verdicts at carwhere.com/research/years-to-avoid/gmc/sierra-1500, built from NHTSA data.
How do I get the specs for my exact VIN?
These are the federal-record configurations for the 1990 GMC Sierra 1500 overall. For one specific vehicle — its exact engine, trim, factory options, and original window sticker — decode the 17-character VIN free at carwhere.com/tools/vin-decoder.
Where does this data come from?
The U.S. EPA's public vehicle dataset (fueleconomy.gov) — the federal record of every US-market configuration since 1984 — refreshed 2026-10-26. Public-domain data; republish with attribution to CarWhere (carwhere.com).