Chevrolet’s redesigned 2027 Silverado 1500 drops the 5.3- and 6.2-liter V8s that have powered its half-ton pickups for years. In their place, every V8 truck now gets a new Silverado small-block V8, either a 5.7-liter or a 6.6-liter. Chevrolet laid out the full lineup, trims and prices in a release on November 5, 2026.
That is a bigger change than it sounds. The 5.3 has been the default V8 in Chevy’s light-duty trucks since the late 1990s. At the same time, its rivals have stuck with V8s they already had. In other words, GM is betting that truck buyers still want cubic inches.
Here is what the new engines make, how they compare with the ones they replace, and what the rest of the truck brings.
Two new engines replace the 5.3 and 6.2
According to Chevrolet’s November 5 release, the 5.7-liter V8 replaces the 5.3, and the 6.6-liter V8 replaces the 6.2. Both belong to GM’s next-generation small-block family. In fact, GM calls them sixth-generation small-blocks.
GM’s 2027 Silverado introduction release, updated in October, gives the numbers. The L76 5.7-liter makes 402 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 428 lb-ft of torque at 4,300 rpm. Meanwhile, the L78 6.6-liter makes 481 horsepower at 5,800 rpm and 501 lb-ft at 4,000 rpm. Both are overhead-valve engines with direct and port fuel injection.
Those displacements carry history, too. Work Truck Online notes that the 5.7 works out to 350 cubic inches and the 6.6 to 400. As a result, two of the best-known small-block sizes are back in a Chevy truck.
How the Silverado small-block V8 compares with the old engines
The gains are real but not dramatic. The Drive lists the outgoing 5.3 at 355 horsepower and 383 lb-ft. It rates the old 6.2 at 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft.
So the new 5.7 adds 47 horsepower and 45 lb-ft over the engine it replaces. Likewise, the 6.6 adds 61 horsepower and 41 lb-ft over the 6.2. Put another way, the base V8 now makes almost as much power as the old top engine did.
The end of the 5.3 also closes a long chapter. Kelley Blue Book points out that 2027 is the first Silverado 1500 without a 5.3-liter V8 since the 1999 model year. That engine powered more than a quarter-century of Chevy half-tons.
The Drive also notes the competitive picture. Ford still uses its 5.0-liter V8, and Ram has brought back its older 5.7-liter Hemi. By comparison, GM is the only maker launching new V8s in its full-size trucks.
What changed inside the engines
GM didn’t simply bore out the old blocks. Work Truck Online reports that the new engines keep the 4.40-inch bore spacing shared with earlier small-blocks, but the stroke grows by 6 mm. They also get larger throttles, higher compression and new intake manifolds with tuned runners.
The oiling system got attention as well. For example, both engines add a continuously variable oil pump and an on-engine oil cooler. GM builds them at Flint Engine Operations in Michigan, Tonawanda Propulsion in New York and St. Catharines Propulsion in Ontario.
The investment behind them is large. According to Work Truck Online, the work is part of a $9 billion U.S. manufacturing plan that includes $888 million at Tonawanda alone. GM unveiled the engines at its Flint engine plant in September.
Towing, the diesel and the 2.7 turbo
The smaller V8 is the towing pick. GM rates the 5.7-liter Silverado at up to 13,700 pounds. However, GM lists the more powerful 6.6-liter at a lower 9,700 pounds, so buyers who tow often should look closely at the 5.7.
The optional Duramax 3.0-liter turbo-diesel stays in the lineup. Chevrolet’s release lists it at up to 495 lb-ft of torque and a 12,000-pound maximum tow rating. That rating, though, applies only to a Crew Cab Short Bed 4WD with the Max Trailering Package. GM puts the diesel at 305 horsepower.
The base 2.7-liter turbo four also improves. Chevrolet says it gains 40 horsepower and trades its eight-speed automatic for a 10-speed. GM now rates it at 350 horsepower and 455 lb-ft, and every engine in the lineup uses a 10-speed automatic.
Screens, trims and prices
The cabin changes are just as broad. Every 2027 Silverado 1500 gets a 16.3-inch center screen and a 12.2-inch driver display as standard, even the Work Truck. An 11.5-inch passenger screen is optional.
There is also a naming change. The new “Silverado” trim replaces the familiar LT. Chevrolet badges it LT in rear-wheel drive and Z71 in four-wheel drive.
Prices start at $38,600 for the Work Truck, before destination. At the other end, the ZR2 starts at $77,200 and comes with 35-inch tires, front and rear locking differentials and Multimatic DSSV dampers. GM lists the destination charge at $2,795.
Super Cruise is standard on the High Country and ZR2. Finally, GM says the new Silverado 1500 is expected to go on sale at the end of 2026, with the 5.7 and 6.6 as the only V8s on the order sheet.
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