Alternatives to the RAM 1500
If you’re thinking about buying the RAM 1500 for your next full-size pickup, we recommend checking out other great options here, first.
Cross Shopping the RAM 1500
The 2025 RAM 1500 is a great truck. It is also an expensive truck, depending on the trim. It is made by Stellantis, the company formerly known as Fiat-Chrysler, which, for some buyers, can be another sticking point. It makes sense if you are shopping for the RAM 1500 to explore alternatives in the full-size truck segment, whether it is brand allegiances that give you pause or simply the sensible desire to learn more about your options.
For its part, the RAM 1500 is an excellent option for a full-size truck. In fact, we rate it just below the F-150 in our list of the top full-size trucks of 2024 thanks to its laudable assortment of powertrains, a semi-luxury interior, and supreme “truck stuff” capabilities. With that said, the RAM 1500 might not be for you. In that case, we offer a few alternatives that are worth considering.
Ford F-150
As we noted above, we rate the Ford F-150 as America’s best full-size truck option. Innovative features like a worktable tailgate and a fold-flat driver’s seat combine with impressive towing and payload capacities and the latest safety and infotainment tech to make the F-150 an excellent all-around truck. Powertrains range from a base EcoBoost (turbo) 2.7L V6 with 325 horsepower to a turbocharged 3.5L V6 making 430 horsepower, and then there is the hybrid version with 570 lb.-ft. of torque and 24 mpg combined. Options round out with the Raptor R’s absurd 5.2L supercharged V8 with 720 horsepower. The F-150 also offers the segment’s highest tow rating at 13,500 lbs. when properly equipped. Inside the F-150 is no less impressive with a fold-away gear selector making way for a tray table (for those who need a workstation on the go) as well as a standard 12-inch touchscreen and copious amounts of cargo space and legroom. Like the RAM 1500, the Ford F-150 can be pricey as semi-luxury trims like the King Ranch and Platinum start above $75,000. Still, the F-150 does offer about everything you could want or need in a new pickup.
GMC Sierra
If the Blue Oval is not your thing, you should also consider the GMC Sierra as an alternative to the RAM 1500. Like the RAM 1500 and F-150, the Sierra is a supremely capable truck that piles on the style, tech, and amenities for a “no compromises” package. Powertrains range from the base 2.7L turbo with 310 to the 6.2L V8 with 420 and the new 3.0L turbodiesel with 305 horse and 495 lb.-ft. of torque. Towing for the Sierra maxes at a heft 13,200 lbs. The Sierra’s interior easily rivals if not surpasses that of the RAM 1500 with its great seats, high-quality materials, and a pair of huge digital screens (12.3 inches for the digital gauge cluster and 13.4 inches for the infotainment screen). Another of the Sierra’s major strengths is its starting price, $38,343, lower than the F-150’s base price of $38,565 or the RAM 1500’s $41,415. The GMC Sierra’s luxury pretensions and indisputable pickup truck capabilities make it a strong rival to the RAM 1500.
Toyota Tundra
Toyotas have a reputation for reliability. It is that reputation that has kept the Toyota Tundra a contender in the full-size truck segment despite lagging its competitors in areas like towing, fuel-economy, and amenities. But the updated Tundra (2022 model onwards) lags no more. The base engine is a twin-turbo 3.4L V6 which, in base form, puts out 348 horsepower, all higher trims get a slightly more powerful version with 389 horse and 470 lb.-ft. of torque. Even more power is on offer with the hybrid version of the same engine, bumping output to 437 horsepower and 583 lb.-ft. of torque and netting a respectable 22 mpg combined. The Tundra offers up to 12,000 lbs. of towing capacity. The Tundra’s interior puts an emphasis on its rugged pretensions with chunky switch gear and efficient ergonomics. Material quality is high and overall design modern, keeping the Tundra competitive with the RAM 1500 in fit and finish. The Tundra’s toughest ask is the starting price which rings up to $41,815 while the top trim Capstone tops things out at just over $80,000. Durability, capability, and refinement all make the Toyota Tundra a quality alternative to the RAM 1500.
Alternatives to RAM 1500 Ramcharger Hybrid/EV
The upcoming RAM 1500 Ramcharger is unique among full-size electrified pickups. Rather than settle for range numbers of 300-400 miles, the Ramcharger is equipped with a range extending V6 generator which allows this electrified pickup to offer over 600 miles of range. This is not just significant for cross-country road trips either. Towing can have a major negative impact on range numbers for battery-electric trucks, often sapping up to half of a truck’s range (depending on the weight being towed and other conditions). The Ramcharger’s 600-plus range goes a long way toward solving electric pickups greatest weakness versus old-fashioned internal combustion.
The only hitch for you, dear shopper, is the RAM 1500 Ramcharger is not out yet, and is instead currently slated for release in the fourth quarter of 2024. If you are still considering an electric pickup, here are some exciting alternatives. For more on the RAM 1500 Ramcharger, click here.
Rivian R1T
Have you ever wanted a pickup that was also a rocket ship and a ready-made overlander? Well then, Rivian R1T might be just the truck for you. The electric vehicle start-up Rivian has established itself as the sensible, granola crunching alternative to the devil-may-care tech-bro-dom of Tesla. The R1T offers unparalleled off-road chops and camping centric features like the copious storage provided by their unique gear tunnel design. Plus, like many electric vehicles, the R1T is also blisteringly fast. The 2025 model’s quad motor set up (over 1,000 horsepower) will reportedly allow a whiplash-inducing zero-to-sixty time of less than 2.5 seconds. The truck is also gorgeous to look at. The only downside? The very fixable oversight of no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
Ford F-150 Lightning
In addition to gas and hybrid options, Ford has added an all-electric version of the F-150 to the mix. The F-150 Lightning offers between 462 and 580 horsepower, depending on the size battery you choose. Range varies between 240 and 320 miles on a single charge and the Lightning is quick itself, putting down a zero to sixty of 4.0 seconds. Of course, all the basics of the regular F-150 are still here. The Lightning can tow up to 10,000 lbs., and there are plenty of innovative storage solutions, like a cavernous frunk (front trunk). The interior is just as well-appointed as the gas version of the F-150, complete with a gargantuan 15.5-inch infotainment touchscreen. Like the Rivian R1T, the F-150 Lightning is an excellent electric pickup. For a full comparison, click here.
Tesla Cybertruck
The Tesla Cybertruck is a wild car in the electric truck segment. First, the numbers: dual motor versions get 680 horsepower while quad motor version reach to 834 horsepower, range tops out at 340 miles on a single charge, tow up to 11,000 lbs., and the most powerful version will do zero-to-sixty in 2.6 seconds. And then there is the design…. Probably the Cybertruck’s biggest selling point, its “the future is now” looks, is also its biggest liability. Not every truck buyer is looking for something this wacky, but Tesla is banking that at least some are. If you are looking for an alternative to the RAM 1500 Ramcharger because the RAM is not weird enough for your taste, the Cybertruck will undoubtedly scratch that itch.
