Price
Winner: 2020 Chevrolet Colorado
The base MSRP for the Chevy Colorado is $21,300 for an extended-cab truck with rear-wheel drive. The most affordable version of the truck with four-wheel drive is the 4x4 extended-cab Work Truck trim, coming in at $28,700. The most expensive version of the Colorado is the four-wheel-drive Crew Cab ZR2 Bison, which costs around $48,000.
On the GMC side, the most affordable trim of the Canyon is the Extended Cab SL with rear-wheel drive, which has an MSRP of $22,200. The range-topping four-wheel-drive Denali Crew Cab trim comes in at $44,300.
Even though the most expensive Colorado costs more than the most expensive Canyon, the base price of the two trucks gives the Colorado the win.
Reliability
Winner: 2020 GMC Canyon
The 2020 GMC Canyon earns a J.D. Power predicted reliability score of 3.5 out of five, which is slightly above average. Meanwhile, the 2020 Chevrolet Colorado earns a three out of five score, indicating average reliability.
Both trucks are backed by a three-year/36,000-mile basic warranty and a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty.
Cargo Space
Winner: Tie
There are two cab sizes for both trucks: The Extended Cab, with a small second-row accessed by rear-facing doors, and a four-door Crew Cab with a full second row and seating for up to five. The rear seats fold down in both versions, providing some extra cargo room in the cabin.
Both trucks are available with either a 5-foot-2-inch or a 6-foot-2-inch bed. The Extended Cab versions only come with the longer bed, while the Crew Cab is available with both.
Seat Comfort
Winner: Tie
The front seats in both trucks are comfortable, but could use a bit more support – especially when taking long trips. Front-row passengers sit up high in both trucks, which is something of a double-edged sword. While front-row occupants will enjoy a commanding seating position, the height makes it more difficult for some people to climb in.
For both trucks, the base extended cab actually lacks rear seats, and you have to move up from the SL trim in the Canyon – or up from the Base trim in the Colorado – to get rear seats. Even if you do opt for seats in extended-cab versions of these pickups, they’re pretty tight for adults. If you plan on actually having folks in the second row, opt for the Crew Cab.
Interior Quality
Winner: 2020 GMC Canyon
The GMC Canyon has a slightly more upscale interior than the Colorado. Both come with vinyl seats in the base trim, but things quickly improve for the Canyon if you upgrade to the Denali trim level. The Canyon Denali is outfitted with leather upholstery, woodgrain trim, and other premium materials.
The Colorado can be had with available leather, but Chevy’s small truck makes more use of hard plastics. Overall, it feels more like a rough-and-tumble, work-focused truck than the Canyon.
Interior Features
Winner: Tie
The Colorado and Canyon both come pretty well-equipped for compact pickup trucks – even in their respective base trims. Each truck comes standard with Bluetooth and USB connectivity, a six-speaker audio system, and a 7-inch touch-screen infotainment system that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Both trucks are available with a larger 8-inch touch screen and additional USB power outlets. Other optional features include heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, wireless device charging, and a Bose premium stereo system. While the Canyon has the edge in terms of cabin quality, these two trucks are evenly matched when it comes to features.
Acceleration
Winner: Tie
The base engine in both trucks is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 200 horsepower, routed through a six-speed automatic transmission. This engine is acceptable for getting around town, though you’d do well to check out the optional V6 engine. This version offers up 308 horsepower through an eight-speed automatic, and is available for both the Colorado and Canyon.
Both trucks are also available with a Duramax Diesel four-cylinder engine, making 181 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque through a six-speed automatic. If you plan on doing some serious hauling or towing, skip the base four-cylinder engine and consider the V6 or diesel four-cylinder engines.
Towing and Hauling
Winner: Tie
When properly equipped, both the Canyon and Colorado can tow up to 7,700 pounds. This number is only achievable with crew cab versions of each truck that are equipped with the diesel engine and rear-wheel drive. It should be noted that this towing capacity is among the best in the compact truck segment.
Fuel Economy
Winner: 2020 GMC Canyon
The most efficient version of the GMC Canyon is the diesel engine when paired to rear-wheel drive. It returns fuel economy estimates of 20 mpg in the city, 30 mpg on the highway, and 23 mpg combined. This also happens to be the most efficient setup for the Chevrolet Colorado.
The least efficient version of the Canyon is the V6 with four-wheel drive, returning 17 mpg in the city, 24 mpg on the highway, and 19 combined. The Colorado’s least efficient trim is the ZR2, which returns just 16 mpg in the city, 18 mpg on the highway, and 17 mpg combined. Based on this data, the Canyon has a slight edge in the fuel economy category.
Ride and Handling
Winner: Tie
Despite being pickup trucks, the Colorado and Canyon both offer a comfortable ride. Pickups can often deliver harsh rides, but not so with these GMC and Chevy compact pickups.
In addition to good ride quality, both trucks are surprisingly nimble and maneuverable in tight spaces. If you live in a city and need a truck, both of these are great choices.
Off-Road Ride and Handling
Winner: 2020 Chevrolet Colorado
Both trucks offer a mild off-road setup for getting off the beaten path. The Colorado offers the Z71 trim, while the Canyon provides the All Terrain. Both of these trims provide off-road suspension, an automatically-locking rear differential, all-terrain tires, and underbody skid plates.
Chevrolet, on the other hand, takes things further with the Colorado ZR2. This rugged trim further upgrades the off-road suspension with a Multimatic damping system, which is derived from equipment used in off-road racing. The ZR2 also has a higher ride height, a wider track, all-terrain tires, and more aggressive body work, including fender flares and off-road front-and-rear bumpers.
If the regular ZR2 isn’t enough for you, there’s the ZR2 Bison, which has been tuned with help from AEV (American Expedition Vehicles). This version includes an upgraded front bumper with winch receiver, skid plates, fender flares, and unique wheels – all courtesy of AEV.
Safety
Winner: Tie
The Canyon and Colorado are evenly matched on safety. Both come standard with a backup camera, traction control, and a full array of front and side airbags. Both trucks also come with a Tire Fill Alert system, GM’s Teen Driver system, and a rear seat reminder.
Test results from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) are identical for both vehicles. The Canyon and Colorado each earned an overall score of four out of five stars from the NHTSA, and an overall score of Good (their highest rating) from the IIHS.
The Winner Is …
Winner: 2020 GMC Canyon
With two trucks that are so closely related, there are bound to be many similarities and more than a few areas where it’s a tossup. But the devil is in the details, and to that end, the GMC Canyon outperforms the Chevrolet Colorado when it comes to cabin comfort and ride quality. We should also note that, although the Canyon is more reliable, the Colorado is less expensive – an important tradeoff to consider.
Overall, if you plan on using your truck for work or off-roading, the Colorado is the way to go. If you’re looking for a small pickup that’s comfortable, capable, and slightly more upmarket, the Canyon is likely your best bet.
More Shopping Tools From U.S. News & World Report
We rank and review nearly every vehicle available using data from hundreds of independent reviews written by America’s top automotive journalists. Explore our new car rankings, where you can see which cars or trucks deserve a spot on your shopping list.
Cross-shop the Colorado and Canyon with their direct competitors by exploring our compact pickup truck rankings. For more capable and larger trucks, peruse our full-size pickup truck rankings.
The deals that we list can save you a tremendous amount of money, and our Best Price Program can save you even more. By partnering with local dealers, we help consumers save an average of thousands off sticker price.
2020 Chevrolet Colorado vs. 2020 GMC Canyon: Head to Head
- Price: Chevrolet Colorado
- Reliability: GMC Canyon
- Cargo Space: Tie
- Seat Comfort: Tie
- Interior Quality: GMC Canyon
- Interior Features: Tie
- Acceleration: Tie
- Towing and Hauling: Tie
- Fuel Economy: GMC Canyon
- Ride and Handling: Tie
- Off-Road Ride and Handling: Chevrolet Colorado
- Safety: Tie
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Two Similar Pickup Trucks, Two Unique Personalities
The Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon are built on the same platform, and offer mostly the same features, engines, and infotainment systems. They even occupy similar places in their respective brand’s lineups. Being so closely related, cross-shopping the two makes every minuscule difference that much more critical.
Despite their similarities – such as sharing alliteratively-similar names – the Colorado and Canyon have two distinct personalities, and the differences are especially obvious when you examine the special edition models. For example, while the Canyon is offered with GMC’s trademark “Denali” trim, Chevy offers the off-road-ready ZR2 trim for the Colorado.
Still don’t have your mind made up? Check out the following slides to learn how these two trucks stack up on a number of fronts, including price, performance, safety, and more.