Silverado 1500 Crew Cab vs Double Cab
Silverado 1500 Crew Cab vs Double Cab
The Silverado crew cab vs double cab decision is one of the most common configuration questions buyers bring to McFarland Chevrolet in Maysville, Kentucky.
The naming is not always intuitive, the physical difference is not obvious from the outside at a glance, and the right choice depends on how you actually use the truck. This page gives you a clear comparison of both configurations so you can make the right decision before you step onto the lot.
Quick Comparison: All Three Silverado Cab Configurations
The Silverado 1500 is available in three cab configurations. The comparison below covers all three so the Double Cab and Crew Cab can be understood in context.
The Regular Cab is a specialized configuration primarily for fleet and commercial use. Most of the buyer decision comes down to Double Cab versus Crew Cab, which is covered in detail below.
What Is a Double Cab Silverado?
The Silverado Double Cab has four doors and a rear seat. The rear doors are smaller than the front doors and open in the opposite direction, hinging at the rear rather than the front. You need to open the front door before the rear door can open. This is sometimes called a “suicide door” or “coach door” configuration, though Chevrolet does not use those terms.
The rear seat in the Double Cab folds up when not in use, creating storage space behind the front seats. The rear legroom is approximately 35.5 inches, which is workable for adults on shorter trips but tight for passengers over 6 feet on any extended drive. It is genuinely comfortable for children and adequate for adults who are not spending significant time back there.
The Double Cab is available with a 5-foot-8-inch short bed or a 6-foot-6-inch standard bed. The standard bed option gives you a longer cargo area, which is one of the reasons working buyers sometimes choose the Double Cab over the Crew Cab.
The Double Cab is available on most Silverado 1500 trims, with the exception of the Work Truck trim where it competes with the Regular Cab option.
What Is a Crew Cab Silverado?
The Silverado Crew Cab has four full-size doors that all open in the same direction. Front passengers and rear passengers enter through doors of similar size, and the rear doors open to a full-width opening. There is no need to open the front door first.
The rear seat in the Crew Cab provides approximately 43.9 inches of legroom. This is a genuinely comfortable amount of space for adult passengers. A six-foot adult can sit in the rear without their knees in the front seat back. This is the configuration that most buyers who regularly carry rear passengers choose.
The Crew Cab is only available with the short bed (5 feet 8 inches) on the Silverado 1500. There is no long bed option for the Crew Cab in the half-ton lineup. If you need a longer bed alongside a full rear seat, the Double Cab with the standard bed is your option.
The Crew Cab is available on all Silverado 1500 trims.
The Physical Difference: What You Actually See
Looking at a Double Cab and Crew Cab Silverado from the outside, the difference is subtle to the untrained eye. Both have four doors. The most reliable way to identify them is to look at the rear door size and the overall proportion of the cab section relative to the bed.
On the Double Cab, the rear door is noticeably smaller than the front door. The cab section behind the front doors looks shorter and the bed section looks proportionally longer.
On the Crew Cab, all four doors are full-size and approximately the same width. The cab section is longer and more substantial-looking relative to the bed.
Overall truck length is sometimes counterintuitive. A Crew Cab with the short bed can be close to the same overall length as a Double Cab with the standard bed. The cab is longer on the Crew Cab, but the shorter bed brings the total length back. If you are concerned about overall truck length for parking or maneuvering, measure the specific configuration you are considering rather than assuming Crew Cab is always longer.
Crew Cab vs Double Cab: The Real-World Decision
The cab configuration decision comes down to how you use the rear seat.
Choose Crew Cab If
- You regularly carry adults in the rear seat and want them to be comfortable on any length trip.
- The truck serves as a family vehicle with children in car seats or booster seats. The wider rear door opening on the Crew Cab makes installing and accessing child safety seats significantly easier.
- You transport workers, crew members, or passengers regularly and rear seat comfort matters.
- The rear seat will be used on road trips, longer drives, or any situation where passengers will spend more than 30-45 minutes back there.
- You primarily use the truck for daily driving alongside occasional work use and want maximum daily driver versatility.
Choose Double Cab If
- You rarely carry more than one or two rear passengers, and when you do it is for short trips.
- You want the longer 6-foot-6-inch bed alongside the four-door convenience. The Double Cab with the standard bed gives you more cargo length than a Crew Cab with the short bed.
- You use the folded rear seat area for tool storage, gear, or equipment and do not need the rear seat as a passenger seat regularly.
- The truck is primarily a work vehicle and the rear seat is an occasional convenience rather than a regular use.
- You are buying on a budget and want to keep the price lower while still having a four-door configuration. Double Cab pricing is typically lower than comparable Crew Cab configurations.
Bed Length Considerations
Bed length is tied to cab configuration in a way that many buyers do not realize until they start configuring their truck.
The Crew Cab is only available with the short bed (5 feet 8 inches) on the Silverado 1500. If you want a longer bed, the Crew Cab is not an option. This is a hard constraint in the current Silverado 1500 lineup.
The Double Cab is available with either the short bed (5 feet 8 inches) or the standard bed (6 feet 6 inches). For buyers who carry longer materials like lumber, pipe, or equipment that does not fit in a 5-foot-8-inch bed, the Double Cab with the standard bed is the configuration that serves both the four-door requirement and the bed length requirement.
The Regular Cab is available with the standard bed (6 feet 6 inches) and is the only way to get a longer bed on the Silverado 1500 without the rear seat. For fleet and commercial buyers who need maximum bed length without rear passenger requirements, the Regular Cab is the commercial baseline. Regular Cab is only available on the Work Truck trim.
If you regularly haul material that exceeds 5 feet 8 inches in length, factor the bed length constraint on the Crew Cab into your decision before you configure.
Which Configuration Do Most Silverado Buyers Choose?
The Crew Cab is the most popular Silverado 1500 configuration by a significant margin. The combination of full rear legroom, full-size rear doors, and daily driver versatility makes it the default choice for most buyers.
The Double Cab fills a specific gap for buyers who need the longer standard bed or who want a lower-cost four-door option with adequate occasional rear seating. It is less common than the Crew Cab but serves those buyers well.
The Regular Cab is a specialized configuration. It is the right choice for fleet buyers, commercial operators, and agricultural buyers who specifically need the short cab and long bed or who want the lowest-cost full-size truck option. Most consumer buyers do not end up here.
Towing and Payload: Does Cab Configuration Matter?
For most practical purposes, cab configuration does not significantly change the Silverado’s towing or payload ratings when the same engine and axle ratio are used. The ratings are determined primarily by the engine, axle ratio, and installed packages rather than by which cab style you chose.
Cab configuration does affect the curb weight of the truck. A Crew Cab is heavier than a Double Cab with the same equipment because it has a larger cab section. A heavier truck has a slightly lower payload capacity since payload is GVWR minus curb weight. The difference is not dramatic, but buyers who are pushing the upper limits of payload should verify the door jamb sticker numbers on the specific configuration they are considering.
Crew Cab vs Double Cab on Kentucky Roads
For buyers in Kentucky and the tri-state area, a few practical considerations:
If you regularly drive narrow gravel farm roads or tight access lanes, the overall length of your truck matters. A Crew Cab with the short bed is a manageable length. A Double Cab with the standard bed adds approximately 10-12 inches of overall length. Neither is unmanageable, but the difference is relevant when you are turning around in a field access or backing into a tight farm lane.
If you transport children regularly, the Crew Cab’s full-size rear door is noticeably more convenient for car seat access than the Double Cab’s smaller rear-hinged door. Buyers with young children who will be installing and removing car seats frequently consistently report this as the deciding factor.
If the truck is going into commercial use where the rear seat will stay folded and the space behind the front seats is used for tools and equipment, the Double Cab’s lower cost and available standard bed make it the practical choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a Silverado Crew Cab and Double Cab?
The Crew Cab has four full-size doors and approximately 43.9 inches of rear legroom. It is the larger, more comfortable configuration for rear passengers and is only available with the short bed (5 feet 8 inches). The Double Cab has four doors but the rear doors are smaller and rear-hinged, with approximately 35.5 inches of rear legroom. The Double Cab is available with both the short bed and the standard bed (6 feet 6 inches).
Is the Crew Cab or Double Cab bigger?
The Crew Cab has a larger cab section with more rear legroom (43.9 inches vs 35.5 inches). The Double Cab has a smaller cab. However, a Double Cab with the standard bed can be a similar or longer overall truck length compared to a Crew Cab with the short bed. Overall truck length depends on the bed length chosen, not just the cab size.
Can I get a long bed on the Silverado Crew Cab?
No. The Silverado 1500 Crew Cab is only available with the short bed (5 feet 8 inches). If you need a longer bed alongside a four-door configuration, the Double Cab with the standard bed (6 feet 6 inches) is the option to consider.
Is the Double Cab good for families?
The Double Cab can work for families, particularly for children who are comfortable in the smaller rear seat space. For families with adults regularly riding in the rear, or for parents who need to access car seats through the rear door frequently, the Crew Cab is the more practical choice. The Crew Cab’s full-size rear door and additional legroom make it the standard family truck configuration.
Which Silverado cab style is most popular?
The Crew Cab is the most popular Silverado 1500 configuration by a wide margin. Most buyers who use the truck as a daily driver choose the Crew Cab for the full rear legroom and full-size rear doors. The Double Cab is a secondary choice for buyers who specifically need the longer standard bed or want a lower-cost four-door option.
What is the Regular Cab Silverado?
The Regular Cab Silverado is a two-door configuration with no rear seat. It is available only on the Work Truck trim on the Silverado 1500. It provides the longest available bed (6 feet 6 inches) in the shortest overall truck configuration. It is the standard fleet and commercial configuration for buyers who need maximum bed length without rear passenger requirements.
Talk to McFarland About Your Silverado Configuration
McFarland Chevrolet is a family-owned Chevrolet dealership in Maysville, Kentucky. If you are still deciding between crew cab and double cab after reading this, come in and sit in both. The legroom difference is something you feel immediately, and the door configuration difference is something you will experience every day you load gear, install car seats, or let rear passengers in. We can show you both configurations on the lot.
See all available Silverado 1500 configurations at McFarland, review our Silverado trim comparison guide for a full breakdown of trim levels, or check our Silverado FAQ for more common questions answered.
Talk to McFarland Chevrolet
Visit us in Maysville, KY or give us a call. We are happy to answer questions and help you find the right fit.