This Is How Much A 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 Has Depreciated In 5 Years

With the launch of an all-new 2027 GMC Sierra 1500 on the horizon, truck buyers looking to avoid the inevitable price increase may decide to shop pre-owned. Targeting five-year-old Sierras is a great way to balance freshness and depreciation. In other words, you can save money by buying a truck that doesn't look too old and still has modern features. Better yet, this pickup was immensely popular in 2021. Across the entire Sierra model lineup, GMC sold almost 250,000 units, giving used truck shoppers more options and helping keep used prices low. A quick search of CarGurus shows over 2,800 active listings for a used 2021 GMC Sierra 1500.

Reputable organizations such as Kelley Blue Book and CarEdge estimate the five-year depreciation for this truck in the 38% to 43% range, depending on the firm crunching the numbers. That's enough to make these pickups substantially cheaper than buying new. We'll cover valuation estimates from iSeeCars and CarEdge in greater detail, and then compare the numbers to the real-world price of for-sale listings. And because the Sierra 1500 isn't General Motors' only pickup, we'll see how the GMC's depreciation compares to the Chevrolet Silverado 1500. Lastly, we'll put the Ford F-150 and Toyota Tundra into the mix for a broader look at truck depreciation and valuations for the 2021 model year. All MSRPs mentioned in this article include destination charges.

In 2026, a base GMC Sierra 1500 with a crew cab, four-wheel drive (4WD), and standard bed carries a base price of $50,500. Keep that number in mind when evaluating a 2021 Sierra 1500. Of course, prices only go higher with GMC's other trims, especially if you're trying to sort out a Denali from an AT4.

iSeeCars estimates that a Sierra 1500 loses 38.2% of its original value over five years, which is slightly worse than the 36.6% average for all full-sized trucks. CarEdge forecasts that Sierra depreciation is even worse over the same period at 43.5%. The calculations get closer over the longer term. After seven years, depreciation ranges from 48.6% (iSeeCars) to 53.3% (CarEdge), and over a decade, the Sierra 1500 is estimated to lose 60.8% (CarEdge) to 62% (iSeeCars) of its original value.

Marketplace listings for a base 2021 Sierra with a crew cab and 4WD with average mileage or better and no adverse history are mostly priced between $30,000 and $32,000. Half a decade ago, these trucks had a starting MSRP of $43,090 before any upgrades. Using this base price, Kelley Blue Book (KBB) indicates an average valuation today of $25,700, which translates to a five-year depreciation rate of 40.4%, splitting the difference between the iSeeCars and CarEdge estimates. Still, all these projections fall short of the higher real-world prices for good-condition models today, which reflect a depreciation of closer to 30%. However, what dealers are asking for a 2021 Sierra 1500 is still well below the price of a 2026 model.

The main competition the Sierra faces today is from its corporate cousin, the Chevy Silverado. Although the trucks are almost identical, the Silverado has a somewhat worse five-year depreciation of 39.3%, according to iSeeCars. On the other hand, CarEdge says that the Chevy holds its value slightly better over the same period, with a 43.1% loss from the original MSRP compared to the Sierra's 43.5%. In perspective, that 0.4% difference amounts to only $120 on a $30,000 truck.

But how does GMC Sierra depreciation hold up against its crosstown rival, the Ford F-150? Well, the answer depends on which company's number you believe. iSeeCars estimates that after five years, the Blue Oval's best-seller loses 37.9% of its value, giving the F-150 lower depreciation than either of GM's top trucks. Meanwhile, CarEdge takes a much more conservative view, estimating that an F-150 depreciates by 49.5%, 6% worse than the Sierra. A mid-tier F-150 XLT SuperCrew with a standard bed had an MSRP of $48,335 for the 2021 model year. Using the same qualifiers (average mileage and good condition), marketplace listings for this truck as a used vehicle show starting prices around $30,000, suggesting iSeeCars' projection is closer to what buyers will encounter. There's also the five-year depreciation for the 2020 F-150 to consider.

Depreciation cuts both ways. Lower depreciation boosts trade-in value, but it also makes the same vehicle more expensive to buy on the used market. Nowhere is this more obvious than with the Toyota Tundra. The 2021 edition has depreciation rates of 21.4% (iSeeCars) to 26.1% (CarEdge) — far lower than those of comparable pickups from General Motors and Ford.