What year did Chevy make crew cab trucks?
Chevrolet first offered four-door crew-cab pickups with the 2000 model year, debuting on the Silverado and its GMC Sierra twin. Prior decades saw only two-door or extended-cab configurations.
In this article, we’ll explain what a crew cab is, when Chevrolet introduced the option, and how the lineup has evolved across full-size and mid-size pickups since then.
Origins and definitions
A crew cab is a pickup with four full-size doors and a larger rear seating area, designed for passenger comfort. Chevrolet’s earlier “extended cab” setups used smaller rear doors or only two doors. The company’s first true crew-cab trucks arrived in 2000 on the Silverado family, establishing the baseline for four-door options in the lineup.
Why the distinction matters
Understanding the difference between an Extended Cab, a Crew Cab, and current four-door variants helps buyers assess interior space, door access, and resale value. The shift to four full doors made crew-cab pickups a mainstream choice for families and fleets alike.
Key milestones in Chevy's crew-cab history
Here are the main milestones that mark Chevy's adoption of the crew-cab configuration across its pickup lineup.
- 2000 model year: First four-door crew-cab configurations debut on the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (and its GMC Sierra counterpart), establishing the baseline for future offerings.
- Early 2000s: Crew-cab layouts spread to heavy-duty Silverado variants, including the 2500HD/3500HD, expanding the range of four-door options for work and towing needs.
- 2015 model year: Chevrolet introduces a crew-cab option to the mid-size Colorado with its second-generation redesign, bringing four doors to a smaller pickup segment.
- Late 2010s to today: Crew cab remains the standard four-door configuration across Silverado generations and HD variants; ongoing updates keep the layout current with modern interiors and features.
In short, Chevy's trail toward full four-door crew-cab pickups began in 2000 with the Silverado, and the approach has since become the default for its pickups, including the mid-size Colorado since 2015.
Summary
The four-door crew cab configuration first appeared in Chevy's lineup with the 2000 Silverado (and Sierra), replacing earlier two-door or extended-cab setups. Since then, crew cabs have become standard across Chevrolet's full-size pickups and HD variants, and the mid-size Colorado joined the crew-cab family in 2015. For buyers, the key distinction is interior space, door count, and the generation of the truck, which evolves with each redesign.
