There’s an irony in the Hummer nameplate being brought back as a battery-electric sub-brand of the GMC family. Given its extreme bulk, there’s a sense of GM executives paying penance for the brand’s previous gas-guzzling ways.

And despite what GMC has said since Hummer returned from purgatory, this is NOT GMC’s “first ever” EV. Not by a long shot. It’s a testament to GMC’s ignorance of their own history that GMC built and sold battery electric trucks from 1912 through 1917 ranging from the half-ton Model 1 through the six-ton Model 12. So, if anything, the emergence of Hummer as a battery-electric truck is a return to the brand’s roots, not something new.

Then again, driving an SUV as massive as the 2025 GMC Hummer SUV calls for care. It’s not its 197-inch length, it’s the 87-inch width — not counting mirrors. With them, this SUV requires a massive 94 inches of clearance. It easily fills lanes and challenges your ability to open its doors once parked. But this is the price you pay for driving it, although it rarely gets challenged or cut off in traffic — at least for the week that I drove it.

Despite a design afflicted by Jumbo-Gro, this Hummer is handsome, not comical. Certainly, you’ll never mistake it for its EV competitors, the BMW X7 and Rivian R1S, or anything else. Its 78-inch height ensures that you’ll always find it in parking lots. Whether you fit in garages is another matter entirely. And watch out when crossing bridges. At 9,063 pounds, it’s too heavy for those structures with a two-ton weight limit.

And while you may be tempted to dismiss this incredible bulk as overcompensation for those with certain physical shortcomings, the reality is that the 2025 GMC Hummer SUV acquits itself fairly well. It doesn’t drive as large as it is, but you’d never mistake it for a sports car. But it can crab walk, a neat trick sure to impress the neighbors, and no doubt contributes to its tidy 36.5-foot turning radius.

And despite its girth, this heavyweight EV produced 830 horsepower from a 199-kWh Ultium battery that provides an EPA-estimated 312 miles of range. Recharging from five-to-80 percent takes less than an hour.

It’s startingly quick off the line, reaching 60 mph in less than four seconds. Stopping is another matter, as there’s no bypassing the laws of physics. It can take a while to slow down as the nose dives forward, which is no surprise given its off-road alacrity. In fact, there’s 14 inches of suspension travel, which makes for a very comfortable ride with or without pavement. But it does make for a rather soft and busy ride. But remember I mentioned its crab-walking ability? That’s also used for four-wheel steering, so it feels a bit more dexterous than you’d expect, although there’s no real road feel. But its enormous 35-inch tires ably soak up road abrasions even as they produce a fair amount of noise.

But if anything proves disappointing, it’s the 2025 GMC Hummer SUV’s interior, which is incredibly inferior given its price. The stiff, plastic buttons under the infotainment screen remind you of how little GMC spent every time you use them. And the overall ambience is a straightforward, unimaginative layout that’s wholly unremarkable. But the two rows of seats are sufficiently roomy and comfortable. That said, the removable roof panels let in an epic amount of sunlight onto the black interior, rendering it hotter than an Easy Bake oven. Without a cover for them, this renders the vehicle a nonstarter in such sunbaked climes as Arizona or Florida.

If you have yet to see the 2025 GMC Hummer SUV, that might be due to its price, which starts at $98,550 for the 2X and $104,650 for the 3X, plus options, taxes, title and a $2,295 destination charge. My Hummer SUV 3X test vehicle came in at slightly more than $108,000.

I honestly didn’t expect to like the 2025 GMC Hummer SUV 3X. And yet it proved easy to love and enjoy. This big lug is a very special vehicle for a very special buyer. The good thing about the GMC Hummer SUV is that it’s not a vehicle for everyone. Thank goodness.

2025 GMC Hummer SUV 3X

Base price: $96,550-$104,650

Powertrain: Three permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors

Horsepower/Torque: 830/11,500 pound-feet

Range: 314 mpg

Recharge time: Not listed

Length/Width/Height: 197/87/78 inches

Ground clearance: 16 inches

Payload: 8,920 pounds

Cargo capacity: 11-81.8 cubic feet

Towing capacity: 10,000 pounds

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