Leaked: See the 2027 Chevy Silverado Before You Are Supposed To

A filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office has given us the clearest look yet at the upcoming 2027 Chevy Silverado, and it looks good!

From Spy Shots to Patent Filings

We have previously shared spy shots of test mules of the off-road Trail Boss and ZR2 models of the 2027 Chevy Silverado. Now, thanks to USPTO filings obtained by Car and Driver, we have the clearest look yet at what the Bowtie Brand is cooking up for its next-generation Silverado.

We took things a step further, uploading the USPTO drawings into our crack software to give a more true-to-life image of what hopeful buyers can expect from the upcoming Silverado.

What’s Missing and What Has Changed?

The first image, rendered here in Chevy’s current Radiant Red Tintcoat, wears evolutionary styling versus the current 2026 models currently on dealership lots. The headlight housings are lower, moved down beneath the crossbar of the grille, and have inset, C-shaped running lights to pair with the LED running light up above the crossbar. This look is similar to the 2025 refresh on the Tahoe and Suburban.

Fog lights are set out wide and low,  tow hooks are inset from the fog lights, while a radar adaptive cruise sensor can be spotted in the center of the lower grille. As a native Texan, I wonder how this will work with states like Texas that require a front license plate.

Missing from the roofline is the offset shark fin antenna. Given that these are just patent filings, we do not know if the asymmetrical look is gone or if the driver’s side antenna is simply not needed for this type of regulatory submission.

Flatter Wheel Arches

Chevy received criticism in generations past for having flat, almost rectangular wheel arches, before finally rounding them out for the 2019 fourth-generation redesign. Based on these sketches and our renderings, the 2027 model will see the return of a flat-top wheel opening.

Overall, the side profile looks the least changed of any viewing angle. The crew cab looks to be the same size, overall proportions look unchanged, we even get the lip spoiler at the back of the cab to help with aerodynamics.

The biggest change is the taillights, which look like they came from the Silverado EV parts bin.

New Exhaust, Corner Step Bumper, and Revised Tailgate 

While the filings do not show any visible exhaust ports, we know from our spy shots that the HDMI port-look is gone. Expect to see dual and quad exit exhaust similar to what is found on the 2025 GMC Yukon. Yes, the angular and square-tipped exhaust of the GMC SUV will be the design we expect to see on the production version of the 2027 Chevy Silverado, though we do know from the filings and spy shots that the cutout in the rear bumper remains. This helps with departure angles as it tucks the exhaust tips further up under the rear of the truck.

Chevy was late to the tailgate wars with its Multi-Flex tailgate, getting it after GMC debuted it on the 2019 Sierra as the Multi-Pro Tailgate. It is hard to tell from the filing drawings, but it does appear the “tailgate within a tailgate” look gives way to a 50/50 split-folding design. We can see no clear indicators of an inset smaller upper opening, but there does seem to be a clear dividing line across the entire width of the tailgate right where the current Multi-Flex tailgate split currently resides.

Trail Boss and ZR2

The filings do not specify which trim we are looking at, but rather show the basic form on which all the trims will be built. The off-road Trail Boss and ZR2 trims have already been seen driving in full camouflage, but we still gave our computer program a shot at rendering what we think the Trail Boss may look like with its black-painted grille, black wheel arches, and bigger wheels and tires.

What Engines?

The filings did not come with further information on what would be powering these pickups, but Tim previously shared an article outlining the following engine lineup.

• Staying:
  • 2.7L Turbo High Output four-cylinder
  • 3.0L Duramax diesel
• Going away: Existing 5.3L and 6.2L V8s
• Incoming: Two all-new V8 engines, supported by an $888 million investment at GM’s New York engine plant.

GM has confirmed that the new V8s will include hybrid or plug-in hybrid technology, designed to meet the stricter 2027–2032 EPA emissions rules. These engines are expected to feature modern efficiency technologies such as cylinder deactivation, lightweight oils, auto start-stop, and potentially gasoline particulate filters.

GM is also investing an additional $300 million to upgrade its Michigan transmission plant, signaling ongoing refinement of its 10-speed automatic — including a new valve body to address previous rear-wheel lockup issues.

When Do We Expect These Trucks?

If they follow the script of years past, the new 2027 Chevy Silverado 1500 Trail Boss should debut in the Spring of 2026 and be on sale in the Fall of 2026.

It could have a slow roll out of some of the lower trim models with GM prioritizing the higher-end builds to start with like the High Country and ZR2.

USPTO Front Image

This is the front of the 2027 Chevy Silverado from the USPTO filing.

USPTO Front Angle

This is the front 3/4 angle of the 2027 Chevy Silverado from the USPTO filing.

USPTO Profile

This is the profile of the 2027 Chevy Silverado from the USPTO filing.

USPTO Rear Angle

This is the rear 3.4 angle of the 2027 Chevy Silverado from the USPTO filing.