Chevrolet’s 2025 Silverado EV RST gains a new capability: Sidewinder mode, an advanced feature enabling the truck to drive diagonally. Standard on all 2025 Silverado EV RST models, this system enhances the EV’s maneuverability by allowing all four wheels to turn in the same direction, improving performance in challenging environments like tight parking spots and rugged terrain.

How Silverado EV’s Sidewinder Mode Works

Activated directly from the Silverado EV RST’s infotainment system, Sidewinder mode can be engaged with a simple sequence. Here’s how drivers can activate it:

  1. Access the Controls: On the infotainment screen, select “Controls.”
  2. Navigate to Rear Steering: In the Controls menu, choose the Rear Steering option.
  3. Select Sidewinder Mode: Confirm Sidewinder mode from the on-screen prompt.
  4. Once active, visual graphics display on the infotainment screen and a confirmation message appears in the driver’s instrument cluster, ensuring the driver knows when Sidewinder mode is engaged. This feature operates at speeds up to 20 mph, enabling the vehicle to navigate diagonally in tight situations.
Infotainment screen of the 2025 Chevrolet Silverado EV RST displaying "Sidewinder" mode activation.
The 2025 Chevrolet Silverado EV RST infotainment screen confirms the activation of Sidewinder mode, allowing diagonal steering for enhanced maneuverability.

Sidewinder Mode: Chevrolet’s Take on GMC’s CrabWalk

GMC HUMMER EV SUV utilizing crabwalk - where both front and rear wheels point in the same direction.
GMC HUMMER EV SUV utilizing crabwalk – where both front and rear wheels point in the same direction.

Chevrolet’s Sidewinder mode in the 2025 Silverado EV RST is essentially a rebranded version of GMC’s CrabWalk mode found on the HUMMER EV and Sierra EV. Both features allow these electric trucks to move diagonally by turning all four wheels in the same direction. This unique capability provides enhanced maneuverability, making it easier to handle tight parking spaces, off-road trails, and other challenging driving scenarios.

While CrabWalk debuted with the HUMMER EV as a standout feature of GMC’s electric lineup, Chevrolet’s Sidewinder mode offers the same diagonal-driving function with a distinct branding approach for the Silverado EV. The mechanics remain largely similar: both systems use four-wheel steering to achieve diagonal movement at low speeds, enhancing agility in ways traditional trucks simply can’t match. Sidewinder mode in the Silverado EV RST, just like CrabWalk in GMC models, operates at speeds up to 20 mph, allowing drivers to navigate confined spaces or rugged terrains with greater ease.

By introducing Sidewinder mode, Chevrolet brings this advanced four-wheel steering feature to the Silverado EV lineup, making the brand’s electric truck as capable in unique driving situations as its GMC counterparts. This move aligns with GM’s strategy of differentiating its electric truck models while offering comparable capabilities across its brands.

Sidewinder Available on 2024 Silverado EV First Edition RST Through OTA Update

Chevrolet will also make Sidewinder mode available to owners of the 2024 Silverado EV First Edition RST via an over-the-air (OTA) software update, expected in early 2025. The update will be automatically pushed to both trucks on dealer lots and to existing customers with the 2024 RST, bringing the same diagonal driving capability to earlier models.

By offering Sidewinder mode across multiple model years, Chevrolet aims to enhance the versatility of its Silverado EV lineup, meeting the needs of drivers seeking increased agility and control.

Stay tuned for more updates as Chevrolet continues to expand the Silverado EV’s capabilities.