A professional would never order a new or used starter before doing the quick voltage check I mentioned. You can use a test light too, but to not do the test is like prescribing blood pressure medication when you do not have a blood pressure tester.
You might get an idea by turning on the head lights, then watching their brightness when you try to crank the engine. The problem with this is GM used to tap off the starter terminal, simply as a convenient tie point, with all their other circuits, including lights. A bad battery cable would cause the lights to dim badly during cranking. I am pretty sure on a car as new as yours, they do not do that, but I am not sure. If they do not, with a bad cable, the lights will stay bright during the attempted cranking.
If you do not have a helper to turn the ignition switch, you can do exactly the same thing with a screwdriver. When you are ready to take the voltage reading, use the screwdriver to connect that large starter terminal to the smaller one right next to it. That will make the starter spin and crank the engine.
If you do not have a digital voltmeter, Harbor Freight Tools has a perfectly fine one for under ten bucks. It often goes on sale for five dollars.
Sunday, October 23rd, 2016 AT 5:31 PM