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First Drive: The 2025 GMC Hummer EV 3X SUV Is an Absurdly Fun Off-Roader
We’ve been itching to get behind the wheel of the Hummer EV SUV for months. It’s unlike any other vehicle on the market and is divided between two seemingly incompatible worlds. It’s an EV, but it’s also a big, brash off-roader. It wears huge, knobby tires, but it’s comfortable on the highway. We spent a few days behind with the three-motor version of the Hummer EV SUV to see if we could make sense of the bulky brute.
The cabin of the Hummer EV SUV did remind us a bit of the last Hummer-branded models on the market, mostly because the wide, short windshield gave us flashbacks of the H2. Other than that, there’s not much to compare. The new Hummer features interesting textures on the dash trim and upholstery, with bronze accents throughout the cabin. Unlike many of GM’s latest EV models, the Hummer holds onto CarPlay and Android Auto, which fill the center stack’s 13.3-inch horizontal screen nicely.
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During our winter drive, the sizable transparent “Sky Panels” didn’t bother us, although we wondered how they’d feel during summer in a warm climate with hardly any tint. They can be removed and stored in the sizable frunk. Unfortunately, the optional protective cases that make them easy to remove and stow also take up all the available room whether or not the panels are stowed inside them. We’re not sure how often a Hummer EV is cross-shopped with Wrangler or Bronco, but having an option for a more open-air driving experience has got to be a deciding factor for some buyers.
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The 3X model like the one we tested gets its name from its three motors. Two are on the rear axle, and one is up front. With more than 800hp on tap, acceleration is brisk. The electric motors don’t offer any complaints about hauling the big EV up steep grades, although all that weight and power does exact a toll—just a few miles climbing a freeway pass at appropriate speed shaved double digits off the expected range. Those miles do come back, however, as our return trip had us using a small but steady amount of regenerative braking for several miles, which replenished most of the miles lost on the way up. Tire noise is more noticeable with the knobby mud-terrain tires, but the cabin is well insulated.
Editor Grace Jarvis noted the Silverado EV‘s regen braking was a bit clunky, so when we reviewed the Sierra EV Denali we were surprised to find its regen-on-demand paddle allows for a smooth, progressive application of braking. Using the same paddle on the Hummer EV felt more along the lines of how Jarvis described the Silverado, with the extra regen braking feeling like an on/off switch as opposed to the intuitive, pull-for-more regen used on the Sierra EV. The Hummer would benefit from making the switch to the Sierra’s approach.
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Specs: 2025 GMC Hummer EV 3X SUV
- Price: $106,945 base/$120,760 as tested
- Powertrain: Three motors, one front, two rear; direct-drive transmission front/rear
- Output: 830 hp
- Layout: Four-wheel-drive, four-door, five-passenger full-size SUV
- 0–60 mph: 3.5 seconds (manufacturer estimate)
- EPA fuel economy equivalent: 53 MPGe city, 43 highway, 48 combined
- Competition: Rivian R1S
Cramming enough battery into the shorter SUV wheelbase means the floor is taller than it would otherwise have to be. Consequently, the cargo space is compromised. Although the body is 10 inches shorter than a Yukon, it’s also six inches wider. Still, the Hummer EV SUV offers about 2/3 the cargo capacity with the seats folded compared with its closest internal combustion cousin. Its 81.8 cubic feet of cargo capacity is bested by mid-size vehicles like the new 4Runner.
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The big battery gives the 3X version of the Hummer EV SUV an EPA-estimated 312 miles of range. Options, many of which we expect will be popular, knock that number down a bit. For instance, the Extreme Off-road Package that our tester was equipped with added 18-inch wheels and 35-inch tires, extra skid plates, rocker protectors, a front E-locker, and beefier half shafts, cutting range by 23 miles, to 289.
The Hummer EV SUV can charge using up to 19.2kW AC power and up to 300kW using DC fast charging, which can add 100 miles of charge in as little as 14 minutes. The navigation system can help locate chargers and tell you how many of each type are available. We stopped for about half an hour at a fuel station/convenience store in the desert to add around 100 miles of charge. Our charge rate was adding 137 miles of range per hour until the EV that was using the other charge cable connected to the same charge station left, at which point the charge rate jumped to almost double, at 275 miles. Rated at 48MPGe, the Hummer sounds efficient, but only when it’s not compared to other EVs. Considering the Hummer’s frontal area, ground clearance, and massive tires it’s easy to see where the extra energy goes. There’s no way around it—the Hummer punches a huge hole through the air. It also weighs a whopping 9,700 pounds. Still, to get this kind of power and capability out of an internal combustion vehicle, you’d likely be paying an even bigger penalty. If you’d like to rationalize the Hummer EV as efficient, compared to an Escalade V or AMG G63, it could save you more than $10,000 in fuel costs over five years. But if you were in the market for a Hummer EV, we doubt you’d need the excuse.
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Off-road, the 305/70R18 tires pushed to the corners of the Hummer offer excellent approach and departure angles, 49.6 and 49.0, respectively, allowing them to grab onto terrain before anything contacts the bumpers or other bodywork. If you’re not good at calculating metric tire sizes off the top of your head, that’s roughly a 35×12-inch tire. The air suspension also allows for increased ground clearance, up to 16 inches in Extract Mode, giving the Hummer plenty of options when selecting a line to climb or straddle an obstacle. It made it incredibly easy to scramble through dry riverbeds strewn with rocks the size of basketballs. We appreciated Terrain Mode, as the programming there was spot on. We quickly adapted to the reduced throttle sensitivity, and it allowed for careful climbing up steep routes using just one pedal. We did some sandstone and dirt hill climbs and loved the grip and traction provided by the wide and knobby tires.
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Four-wheel steering enabled much greater maneuverability than you’d first expect, with a turning circle of just 34.5 feet. Still, the tremendous width of the Hummer EV rears its head when navigating tight spaces both off-road and in urban settings like threading the needle into a parking spot.
We approached the Hummer with a high degree of skepticism. This rig is every bit as look-at-me as it’s always been, and in this light, the EV factor here is more about showcasing the latest trends, being tech-forward, and hitting EV targets than it is about going green. Still, its capability and level of execution are impressive and make for a fun, commanding drive. If the Hummers of old appeal to you, this one won’t disappoint.
2025 GMC Hummer EV 3X SUV
Highs: Comfortable, quiet interior. Incredible grip and ground clearance. Impressive power. Four-wheel steering makes it surprisingly nimble.
Lows: Despite its capability, it’s still too big and heavy for some off-road scenarios. Regen-on-demand paddle is not as well integrated as its Sierra EV cousin.
Takeaway: It’s fun to drive on the road and off, and manages to feel smaller than it is thanks to its power and maneuverability. While there’s plenty to love, the Hummer is still a strange offering and a hulking behemoth. Its priorities are vastly different from most mainstream EVs, and that alone might be worth celebrating.
Nearly 5 tons and a bunch of horsepower/torque means this thing will just be eating tires all day. I guess someone who pays $105-$120k might not care but I do.