2025 Ram 1500: Full Rating Results

• The Ram 1500 full-size pickup gets a major update for the 2025 model year.
• Every Ram 1500 now has a six-cylinder powertrain, culminating in an exceptional turbocharged inline-six with 540 hp.
• We evaluated the work-oriented Tradesman truck with the standard-output inline-six and a fully loaded Tungsten with the high-output inline-six.

Performance: 8

Axing the V8 from the 1500's lineup hasn't slowed the truck down at all. Both variants of the straight-six turbo engine are strong. At our test track, a Ram 1500 with the standard output engine needed only 5.2 seconds to accelerate from zero to 60 mph. With the high-output version, that shrinks to 4.7 seconds, which is well ahead of other full-size trucks.

The Ram 1500's steering is light and doesn't give you much feel for the road. Still, we enjoyed how driving the truck felt predictable. It carries its significant heft well and doesn't feel sloppy when going around corners. It drives with a connectedness that some other full-size pickups lack.

Acceleration: 9
Holy cow, these straight-six turbos kick super hard. We tested both at our track; a Tradesman with the standard-output engine covered the 0-60 mph run in 5.2 seconds, while a Tungsten with the high-output version did it in 4.7 seconds. That's ridiculous. We also towed a sizable Airstream trailer with the Tungsten, and it didn't feel like we were pulling anything. Just fantastic output out of these.

Braking: 7.5
The Ram's brake pedal is a little soft, and the 60-0 mph panic-stopping distance of 135 feet is a few feet longer than the figures for the rest of the full-size bunch. We like having a touch more grabbiness at the top of the pedal stroke in these big trucks, which inspires confidence in the vehicle's stopping ability. Under panic braking it remains quite stable, but we noted some minor brake fade over the five stops we did.

Steering: 8
Steering feel is on the light side and there isn't much feedback, but that's typical for the class. The truck is a bit slow to react to steering input, but what we like is that it quickens up off-center, and that it's predictable on-center — it's easy to keep the Ram tracking straight. This might be a byproduct of the rear suspension making the truck feel like it drives more cohesively overall.

Handling: 8
The Ram's stability control isn't overbearing; it allows you to approach the limits with a bit more agency than in other trucks. Not super athletic but remains well composed when simulating panic maneuvers. It handles its size well.

Drivability: 8.5
The transmission is well matched to the engine and the throttle mapping allows you to drive it smoothly with ease. Downshifts are quick and predictable. The low-end torque output of the engines (both standard-output and high-output) is fantastic.

Comfort: 8.5

A distinguishing characteristic of the Ram 1500 has long been its ride quality thanks to the use of coil springs for the rear suspension rather than traditional leaf springs. It's got the best ride of all the full-size trucks, and none of its competitors really come close. On top of that, the seats are top-notch and provide excellent support and comfort for a wide range of body types. Wind and tire noise is also well contained, which only adds to the feel of tranquility in the cabin that the suspension provides.

Seat comfort: 9
The seats in the Tungsten are to die for. They offer 24-way power adjustment— some of which are annoyingly hidden in screen menus — making for a seat that will fit all sorts of heights and body types. The back bench is also very comfortable for a truck, with a pleasant amount of recline built in so you sit more naturally. You could drive this truck for hours and hours in great comfort (massage is optional too).

Ride comfort: 8.5
This is where the Ram really distinguishes itself from the field; the ride quality thanks to that independent rear suspension is fantastic. It feels calmer and less jittery in the rear (especially without a payload) than anything else out there — even the Tundra which has a similar setup. Road seams and bumps might as well not exist when you're rolling over them in the Ram.

Climate control: 8
Fans are powerful enough, and the cabin cools off pretty quickly. Physical controls for most of the climate functions down the sides of the infotainment screen are also appreciated. Rear vents worked decently.

Noise and Vibration: 8.5
Wind and tire noise is well contained and the cabin is pretty tranquil. There are some gruff engine noises as you get deeper into the throttle, and it's not as good as the V8's growl, but for a six-cylinder it sounds pretty good. Didn't note any weird vibrations in our few days of testing and towing.

Interior: 8.5

The crew-cab Ram 1500 offers excellent room for both front and backseat passengers, with copious headroom and legroom across both rows. There's a marked difference in interior quality from the top trims (like the Tungsten we tested) to the more workmanlike interiors of the lower trims, but at the top end you'll get a level of cabin refinement and luxury that no other full-size pickup can match.

Finding a suitable driving position is easy thanks to a good range of adjustment for both the seat and the steering wheel. The available fully digital cluster has a good degree of customization and presents its information clearly and legibly at a glance. Visibility is helped by large windows all around, but seeing shorter items around the truck can be difficult due to its high sides.

Ease of use: 8.5
The Ram has a giant touchscreen, but even technophobes will find the system easy to operate. The vertically oriented screen puts a number of useful quick-action buttons on top, such as camera views. It helps that the Ram features dedicated physical controls for the climate system, and the USB ports are positioned right above the wireless charger for easy access.

Getting in/out: 8
Our Tungsten test truck had power running boards to help you get in; otherwise, step-in can be quite high. A bare-bones Tradesman we also tested was tougher to get into and didn't have the air suspension, which can lower the vehicle for better access.

Driving position: 8
It's easy to find a good spot to place the wheel and the seat in relation to the pedals, and the wheel is large enough that it doesn't block the instrument cluster, so you can easily see the information it presents.

Roominess: 9
There's so much room, especially in the back seat with the crew cab. Just tons of legroom and headroom across both rows. Feels like a mini-living room in the back seat — it's fantastic.

Visibility: 8
The Ram has big windows all around so you can see in all directions, but you may miss shorter objects because this is a tall truck. That said, some other pickups have a big bulge in the hood that hinders your ability to place the corners of the truck. Not so in the Ram — it's easy to suss out how wide it is. The parking sensors worked as advertised, but we wish the surround-view camera had a better resolution.

Technology: 8

Our Tungsten test vehicle came with the optional 14.5-inch vertically oriented touchscreen and even a passenger entertainment screen that has a filter on it so it won't distract the driver. Though the screen is large, the software powering it feels dated and has a confusing menu structure. In our testing, we also noticed it could be slow to respond to inputs. This can get particularly annoying because some vehicle features, like seat adjustment or seat heating/ventilation, are only accessible via the screen.

The latest 1500 marks the debut of a hands-free driver assist system for Ram. It worked well in our testing and rarely required the driver to put hands back on the wheel. The other driver aids are also helpful with centering the truck in its lane and accelerating and slowing down smoothly.

Audio and navigation: 7.5
My goodness, this system is starting to feel old. You've got a rather large screen on upper trims, but it's laggy and the interface is not very intuitive. The native navigation system is fine, but it lacks crispness and lags on pinch-to-zoom inputs and when trying to move the map. The audio system in the Tungsten is very good, but lower trim levels sound just OK. There's nothing special about the operating system; we imagine most would connect a phone immediately to use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

Device integration: 8.5
And on that note, the Ram offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Tungsten has six USB ports up front and dual wireless charging pads so you can charge two phones at once. That's all great, as is the sheer size of the CarPlay display, which takes up about two-thirds of the screen. But Android Auto gets shoved into a tiny one-third of the screen and looks terrible. It includes this "customizable" middle section of the screen that has a few widgets to choose from, but none of them are all that useful.

Voice controls: 7.5
Voice commands work fine if you follow the prompts but are less effective with natural speech. They don't really make up for the infotainment system's complicated menu structure either. Siri or the Google Assistant is the play here.

Driver aids: 9
The 1500 debuts Ram's new hands-free driving system, and we like the execution more than Ford's BlueCruise. It's also free for three years — which is a major bonus — with hands-free driving available on 150,000 miles of premapped roadways. It does a good job of staying on the intended path and within the line markers. The rest of the driver aids also seem to work well; adaptive cruise control is smooth, and the lane keeping keeps you hemmed in without too much bouncing. And while the surround-view camera could be sharper, it's clear enough to make out objects around the truck.

Storage: 8

The jumbo-size cabin is matched by excellent storage capacity in the cabin. Between the front seats (on models not equipped with a bench) is a large storage bin, with a floating center portion where the cupholders are placed. This island can be moved forward or back to add more storage for larger items as needed, and with it slid back there's enough room there to put a sizable bag or purse. The back seat does fold up to show a small cargo area, but that isn't lockable so the storage can't be secured. And there isn't a flat floor like you can get in some other pickups.

Maximum payload capacity is 2,300 pounds and maximum towing capacity is 11,580 pounds. This is less than what the Ford F-150 is capable of, but in general the Ram 1500 has plenty of utility. The powertrains are more than up to the task for towing, and there's plenty of power to move even larger trailers with ease. We did notice that the rear of the truck can feel a bit less planted compared to other trucks with their traditional leaf-spring suspension.

Cargo space: 8
The rear seats fold up to give you some more room, but doing so doesn't give you a fully flat load floor. Still, there's tons of space back, as the copious amount of passenger room would suggest. You could probably fit a bike back there if it's not too wide.

Small item storage: 8.5
Excellent up front. The front bin is big and flexible, and there's a center section with the cupholders that can slide forward or back to make space on either side. It's large enough to fit two big jugs of V8 on either side when moved forward or back. Decent space in the doors as well.

Car seat accommodation: 8
There's tons of room to maneuver, but like most of the other full-size trucks, the top LATCH anchors are just straps that can be a bit awkward to use. The good news is that once the seat is in, there's enough room that you can actually walk between the car seat and the front seat to access the other side of the cabin if you need to grab anything or strap in another child.

Hauling: 8
A max payload of 2,300 pounds is slightly less than the Ford F-150, hence the slightly less than perfect score.

Towing: 8
Our test truck's 11,580-pound max tow rating is again slightly less than the Ford, but its powertrain (especially the high-output version) is fantastic while towing. We towed with the standard-output engine with similar results; this thing just moves loads with no effort. The rear does feel a bit bouncy — we suspect because of that independent rear suspension. Even with the Ram's auto-leveling air suspension, the F-150 seemed to handle a towing load with more stability.

Value: 7.5

If your plan is to use your truck in more of a work capacity, then the Ram's value proposition takes a hit because other full-size pickups will do the job at a lower price point than most of the Ram lineup. However, if your priority is the cabin and daily driving, the Ram 1500 begins to make more sense as its ride quality and creature comforts (at higher trim levels especially) may be worth the money. Rams aren't the cheapest trucks of the bunch, but you're getting what you pay for in terms of interior quality and performance.

Build quality: 8.5
Interior panels are secure, exhibiting no rattles or shakes. Materials quality is excellent in the top trims but is understandably more utilitarian in wallet-friendly grades. Midtrim specs have nice materials; even in something like the Rebel, you're getting a top-shelf cabin by truck standards. There's a lot of plastic switchgear, but they don't feel cheap.

Cost: 7.5
The 2025 Ram 1500 is pretty expensive at each level, and especially the Tungsten, which carried a roughly $90,000 sticker price. But you're getting a lot of power and a better interior than similar full-size pickups, and that can't be discounted.

Fuel economy: 7.5
Fuel economy varies based on powertrain. The most economical version is the base engine with rear-wheel drive, which nets an EPA-estimated 23 mpg combined. For 4WD versions of the truck with the straight-six turbos, the standard-output engine is estimated at 19 mpg combined, and for the high-output engine, those numbers dip slightly to 17 mpg combined. These figures are decent, though you can get better mpg from the F-150 with its hybrid powertrain or the Silverado 1500 with its available diesel engine. We tested a 1500 Tungsten with the high-output engine. On our evaluation route, it got 19 mpg, which indicates the EPA's estimates are on target.

Warranty: 7
Ram offers a three-year/36,000-mile basic warranty and five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty, which is standard for the segment.

Ownership: 7
No outstanding frills here, just five years and unlimited miles of rust coverage, and complimentary roadside assistance good for five years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Wildcard: 8.5

The Ram 1500's burly exterior styling is matched by the output of its straight-six turbo engines, from which the truck derives a lot of its appeal. While the Ram isn't fun-to-drive in the traditional sense, its formula of prodigious power and comfort is sure to put a smile on your face. The truck also features an inviting cabin, with the Tungsten trim in particular putting its own spin on American luxury with top-notch materials and a spacious cabin with enough room for all passengers to stretch out.

Fun-to-drive: 8
Any fun-to-drive-ness comes from that powertrain; the incredibly easy power delivery puts a smile on your face and you get up to highway speeds (with either straight-six) with what feels like minimal to no effort. Sure, it steers like a truck, but a comfy and powerful truck is a great place to be.

Personality: 8.5
Ram's calling card is its interiors, and the 1500 is probably the best of the full-size bunch to take on a long trip. All of those trucks look pretty brawny these days too so there isn't too much wiggle room on the styling, but having a cabin that's second to none is distinctive enough to call it a personality attribute. And the three-letter logo makes for a nice showpiece on the grille.

Overall Rating: 8.1

The powerful turbocharged six-cylinder engine gives the 2025 Ram 1500 lineup a big boost in power and performance. On top of that, the Ram's interior is best-in-class, providing a level of quality and refinement that sets it apart from competitors. It isn't the best truck for work — other trucks can tow and carry more — but if you're looking for something to drive daily or don't need to tow massive loads, the Ram's appeal is undeniable.