The Duramax 3.0L Turbo-Diesel Inline-Six

Chevrolet's 3.0L Duramax is a turbocharged inline-six diesel making 305 horsepower and 495 lb-ft of torque through a 10-speed automatic. In Central Indiana it is the engine to look at if you tow often. It is standard equipment on the Silverado 1500 ZR2, an option across most of the rest of the Silverado 1500 range, and available in the Tahoe and Suburban.

The reason is torque. No other engine in the Silverado 1500 makes as much, and the peak arrives low in the rev range rather than near redline. Highway mileage is the second reason.

A black Chevrolet Silverado 1500 towing a white horse trailer along a desert highway at sunset

Specifications at a Glance

The engine code is LZ0, and every vehicle that offers this engine pairs it with a 10-speed automatic. Figures below are 2026 model year.

The Duramax 3.0L turbo-diesel inline-six engine shown on its own against a white background

Automatic Stop/Start shuts the engine off at a stop and restarts it when you lift off the brake. In the Tahoe, the diesel runs through the Hydra-Matic 10L80 automatic with a 3.23 final drive.

Specification	Duramax 3.0L Turbo-Diesel
Engine code	LZ0
Configuration	Turbocharged inline-six, diesel
Displacement	3.0L
Horsepower	305 hp at 3,750 rpm
Torque	495 lb-ft at 2,750 rpm
Transmission	10-speed automatic
Drivetrains	2WD and 4WD
Fuel	Diesel
Efficiency feature	Automatic Stop/Start
Powertrain warranty	5 years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first

Vehicles That Use the Duramax

Three Chevrolet vehicles offer the Duramax 3.0L, and only one trim in the whole group carries it as standard equipment.

Vehicle	How the Duramax is offered
Silverado 1500 ZR2	Standard engine
Silverado 1500 Custom Trail Boss, LT, RST, LT Trail Boss, LTZ, High Country	Available
Tahoe	Available, in 2WD and 4WD
Suburban	Available, in 2WD and 4WD

A blue Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ZR2 climbing a sandstone rock ledge

That trim is the Silverado 1500 ZR2. It sits at the top of the Silverado's factory off-road family, which also includes the Custom Trail Boss and LT Trail Boss, and it arrives with a 2-inch factory lift, front and rear auto-locking differentials, and Multimatic DSSV dampers.

On the six trims above it is an option box rather than standard equipment, so which diesels are in stock changes. The WT and the Custom are not offered with it at all. To see which diesels are here today, browse our new Chevrolet inventory.

How the Duramax Compares to the Other Engines

The Silverado 1500 offers four engines and the full-size SUVs three. Here is where the diesel sits against the ones you would otherwise be pricing.

Silverado 1500 engine	Horsepower	Torque	Transmission	Where it is offered
2.7L TurboMax	310 hp	430 lb-ft	8-speed automatic	Standard on WT, Custom, Custom Trail Boss, LT, RST and LT Trail Boss
5.3L EcoTec3 V8	355 hp	383 lb-ft	10-speed automatic	Standard on LTZ and High Country; available on WT Double Cab and Crew Cab, Custom Trail Boss, LT, RST and LT Trail Boss
6.2L EcoTec3 V8	420 hp	460 lb-ft	10-speed automatic	Available on RST Crew Cab 4x4, LT Trail Boss, LTZ 4x4, ZR2 and High Country 4x4
Duramax 3.0L Turbo-Diesel	305 hp	495 lb-ft	10-speed automatic	Standard on ZR2; available on Custom Trail Boss, LT, RST, LT Trail Boss, LTZ and High Country

Of the four, the Duramax makes the least horsepower and the most torque.

The V8s make their power higher in the rev range. The diesel makes its torque down low, which is what the engine is built around.

The Tahoe takes three of those four engines.

Tahoe engine	Horsepower	Torque
5.3L V8	355 hp at 5,600 rpm	383 lb-ft at 4,100 rpm
6.2L V8	420 hp at 5,600 rpm	460 lb-ft at 4,100 rpm
Duramax 3.0L Turbo-Diesel	305 hp at 3,750 rpm	495 lb-ft at 2,750 rpm

The Suburban offers the same three. Both V8s need 4,100 rpm to reach maximum torque, while the diesel is at its peak by 2,750 rpm, so it does its pulling without being revved.

Towing and Payload

Cab, bed and drivetrain all move these ratings, so every figure below names the build it belongs to.

The highest trailer rating anywhere in the Silverado 1500 lineup is 13,300 pounds, and reaching it takes the Duramax: a Double Cab Standard Bed 2WD with this engine and the Max Trailering Package. The ZR2, whose standard engine is the Duramax, carries a maximum trailering capacity of 8,800 pounds.

Payload is set by configuration too, but it does not follow the trailer ratings. Here is every Crew Cab configuration offered with the Duramax.

Silverado 1500 Crew Cab, Duramax 3.0L	Payload	With the Max Trailering Package
2WD Short Bed	1,910 lb	1,950 lb
4WD Short Bed	1,870 lb	1,930 lb
4WD Short Bed, lifted	1,780 lb	Not rated
4WD Short Bed ZR2	1,550 lb	Not rated
2WD Standard Bed	1,840 lb	1,870 lb
4WD Standard Bed	1,810 lb	1,890 lb
4WD Standard Bed, lifted	1,720 lb	Not rated

A red Chevrolet Silverado 1500 towing a Cougar travel trailer past red rock cliffs

Highest to lowest, that is a 360-pound spread before the trailering package is added. Curb weight on a Duramax Silverado 1500 runs between 5,050 and 5,710 pounds across the same configurations.

In the Tahoe and the Suburban, the vehicle and the drivetrain together set the diesel's rating, and there is no package or option that moves it.

Vehicle	Trailer rating	With the Max Trailering Package	Payload
Tahoe 2WD	8,200 lb	8,200 lb	1,717 lb
Tahoe 4WD	8,000 lb	8,000 lb	1,625 lb
Suburban 2WD	8,100 lb	8,100 lb	1,625 lb
Suburban 4WD	7,800 lb	7,800 lb	1,539 lb

A dark grey Chevrolet Suburban Z71 driving on a dirt road

Fitting that package does not raise the diesel's trailer rating in either SUV. In the Suburban it does raise both V8 ratings, so a diesel Suburban reaches its number without it. In standard form the Duramax carries the highest trailer rating in every Tahoe and Suburban drivetrain, ahead of both V8s. Add that package to a 5.3L V8 and the V8 moves ahead of the diesel in all four.

Payload is what you give up. A Duramax Suburban carries 1,625 pounds in 2WD against 1,750 pounds for the same vehicle with the 5.3L V8, because the diesel is the heavier engine. If most of your load rides inside the vehicle rather than behind it, that gap matters more than the trailer ratings do.

Fuel Economy

Highway mileage is the diesel's clearest advantage over the gas engines, and it holds in all three vehicles.

Vehicle and drivetrain	City / highway / combined MPG
Silverado 1500, 2WD	23 / 28 / 25
Silverado 1500, 4WD	20 to 22 / 23 to 26 / 21 to 24
Tahoe, 2WD	22 / 26 / 24
Tahoe, 4WD	20 / 24 / 22
Suburban, 2WD	21 / 26 / 23
Suburban, 4WD	20 / 24 / 22

The 4WD Silverado 1500 band is wide because the rating follows the build. ZR2 and mud-terrain versions are rated below the road-tire trucks.

Matched drivetrain for drivetrain, here is the highway rating for each engine in the same vehicle.

Vehicle and drivetrain	Duramax 3.0L	5.3L V8	6.2L V8
Silverado 1500 4WD, standard configuration	25 MPG	19 MPG	20 MPG
Tahoe 2WD	26 MPG	20 MPG	20 MPG
Tahoe 4WD	24 MPG	19 MPG	18 MPG
Suburban 2WD	26 MPG	20 MPG	19 MPG
Suburban 4WD	24 MPG	19 MPG	18 MPG

Every one of those pairings is 5 to 7 MPG apart. The 2WD Silverado 1500 opens the gap further, at 28 MPG for the Duramax against 20 for the 5.3L V8 and 21 for the 2.7L TurboMax.

City ratings run the same way. A 2WD Duramax Tahoe is rated at 22 MPG in town where both V8s are rated at 15, and a 4WD Duramax Suburban returns 20 against 14 for both V8s.

One caveat. Diesel usually carries a different pump price than regular gasoline, and the 6.2L V8 asks for premium, so compare fuel cost per mile at the prices you actually pay rather than MPG alone.

Warranty Coverage

The diesel gets longer powertrain coverage than Chevrolet's standard term. Coverage on the 3.0L Duramax runs 5 years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first, against the 5 years or 60,000 miles that covers powertrain components generally.

The rest matches any new Chevrolet. The full set of terms:

Coverage	Term, whichever comes first
Powertrain, 3.0L Duramax	5 years or 100,000 miles
Powertrain, standard Chevrolet term	5 years or 60,000 miles
Bumper to bumper	3 years or 36,000 miles
Restraint system	6 years or 72,000 miles
Sheet-metal surface corrosion	3 years or 36,000 miles
Rust-through	6 years or 100,000 miles
Roadside Assistance	5 years or 100,000 miles, with the diesel powertrain term

When it is due for scheduled work, you can book through our service department.

Choosing Between the Duramax and a V8

The figures above pull in different directions, so it helps to read them as trade-offs.

What you care about	The Duramax	The V8
Pulling a trailer	More torque, peaking lower, and the higher standard SUV rating	Less torque, peaking higher, but the higher SUV rating once the Max Trailering Package is fitted
Highway miles	The higher rating in every matched pairing above	The lower rating in those same configurations
Carrying weight inside	Less payload than the 5.3L, because the diesel is the heavier engine	The 5.3L carries more in every full-size SUV configuration
Long-term coverage	The longer powertrain term	The standard powertrain term

A family beside a dark Chevrolet Suburban launching a boat at a lakeside ramp

None of that makes the diesel the right engine every time. It costs more up front and earns that back only in use, so the case rests on how many loaded and highway miles you actually drive. Run long highway stretches with real weight behind the hitch most weeks and the arithmetic works in the diesel's favor. Tow a few times a year and it has less to work with.

What the Duramax Does Well Around Anderson

Madison County sits on the Tipton Till Plain, gently sloping glacial till with no mountain grades anywhere in the trade area. Nothing you tow here has to be dragged up a sustained climb, so the grade-climbing figures that dominate diesel comparisons elsewhere are not the ones that decide it locally. The highway rating is.

Our Chevrolet specials change monthly, so see our new vehicle specials page for the latest deals on trucks and SUVs. If you want to talk a specific build through first, contact our Anderson Chevrolet team.

A driver at the wheel of a Chevrolet with a brown leather interior and navigation on the display

Frequently Asked Questions

No. It is an inline-six, meaning all six cylinders sit in a single row rather than in two banks. Its engine code is LZ0. The Duramax name also appears on a 6.6L V8 turbo-diesel in the heavy-duty Silverado models, which is a separate engine and not the one on this page. To see which Duramax-equipped vehicles are on our lot right now, check our new Chevrolet inventory.

Cab, bed, drivetrain, wheel size and whether that package is fitted all move the number, so a published lineup figure will rarely be the one on the vehicle in front of you. Bring us the loaded weight of what you tow rather than its dry weight, and our Anderson sales team will read the rating off that vehicle's build sheet.

Yes. Our Anderson service department books Chevrolet maintenance and warranty work, and you can schedule service online. Tell us it is the 3.0L Duramax when you book, so the right work is scheduled.

Ed Martin Chevrolet Cadillac