It’s important to find a truck or SUV that perfectly fits your needs. While it might seem difficult for a manufacturer to account for everyone’s preferences, GMC models offer a wide array of available features, allowing customers to essentially tailor a truck to their liking. Options and accessories are key elements to personalizing a truck, and while they seem similar, it’s important to know the differences between the two.

Factory-installed options are features or items added to a vehicle while it’s being manufactured. These features are not considered standard equipment, and adding these features to a vehicle may incur additional cost.

Many of these features are intricate or complex enough where they can only be added to a vehicle as it is being built. For instance, adding some options may require workers to also install specialized wiring harnesses or other equipment before the truck is fully assembled. As a result, these features cannot be retrofitted once the manufacturing process is complete.

It’s also important to note that some options or option packages are not compatible with others, or they may prevent certain features from being added to a vehicle. A GMC dealer can provide more detail and answer any questions you may have.

Accessories are also features or items that can be added to a vehicle, but they don’t necessarily need to be installed at the factory – in fact, a GMC Certified Service technician may be able add it to a compatible GMC vehicle once it arrives at a dealership.

Compared to factory-installed options, accessories may be more tailored to specific activities or lifestyles. For instance, while a roof rack and crossrails are likely a factory option, a carrier attachment that attaches to the roof rack system for a very specific task – for instance, carrying bicycles or kayaks – would likely be an accessory.

Despite being installed at different times and places, accessories and options do have a lot in common. For instance, original GMC Accessories are designed, engineered, tested, and backed by the same engineering teams that produce the components used in any new GMC. Additionally, if you elect to have authentic GM Accessories installed at the time of purchase, their cost can be rolled into monthly lease or financing payments for the new vehicle.