A fourth-generation Ram 1500 pickup truck on the road - Roman Belogorodov/Getty ImagesRam 1500 is quite a car and has had a good run lately. It was awarded the Best Pickup Truck of the Year by Cars.com, marking the second year in a row the title has gone to Dodge's truck. On U.S. News, the Ram 1500 sits at a very impressive 9.5 out of 10 score, which surprisingly puts it in the second spot in the list among full-size trucks. JD Power even crowned it the most dependable large light-duty pickup for 2026, zooming past the Ford F-150 and Sierra. On paper, the Ram 1500 seems to be doing everything alright, but that is not the complete picture.Owners tell a different story. Consumer Reports' reliability data has been brutal toward the Ram 1500, with the truck's overall score crashing down to just 28 out of 100. A great debacle and a number so bad that it helped the truck land at the top of the list of new pickup reliability losers. Interestingly, this isn't a recent downward spiral for Ram 1500. There are specific Ram 1500 model years that have earned a reputation for serious issues and wallet-draining failures on the used market.The whole scenario around the Ram 1500 is quite interesting because it is also one of the dependable nameplates that buyers prefer. If long-term dependability matters to you more than flashy exterior or loads of infotainment features, then there are a few rivals that you can consider. Here is the list of 3 full-size pickup trucks with better ratings than the Ram 1500.AdvertisementAdvertisementRead more: 8 Basic Car Maintenance Skills Every Person Should KnowFord F-1502026 Ford F-150 towing a trailer - FordCalling the Ford F-150 the bread and butter vehicle for the company won't be wrong. However, when we put it specifically against the Ram 1500, it beats it outright on at least one major scoreboard. Edmunds currently has the Ford F-150 sitting at the top of the large truck rankings, giving it a solid 7.7 out of 10. U.S. News rates it even higher at 9.6, which is enough to edge past the Ram 1500 by a minuscule margin. In SlashGear's review of the 2025 Ford F-150, we also found that it is a truck that is genuinely satisfying to drive, with the hybrid powertrain offering a perfect balance of everyday usability and real capability. This is the kind of well-balanced approach that consumers look for in their future truck, which also provides happier long-term ownership. Also, if you want to take a look at numbers, Consumer Reports backs Ford F-150 by giving it a reliability of 43, which is more than 50% of what Ram 1500 got (a dismal 28), a gap which Autoblog's full-size truck reliability rankings lay out clearly.It may not be a perfect score. Ford has dealt with its share of EcoBoost-related issues over the years, and it is worth knowing which F-150 engines you should steer clear of before you go ahead and pick the configuration. Even after taking that into account, the F-150 still comes out ahead of the Ram where reliability data is concerned, and that is before factoring in the F-150 Hybrid's class-leading fuel economy.Toyota TundraToyota Tundra 2026 pickup truck - ToyotaIf you are a person who cares about reliability, then Toyota is the name that you should look for. And speaking of a specific car, the Toyota Tundra makes its case heard loud and clear over anyone else in this segment. Toyota currently holds the number one spot in Consumer Reports' brand-wide reliability rankings. This ranking is not just for trucks but across the entire lineup. The kind of brand-level consistency Toyota has created over the years of its existence is hard to fake, and it's exactly the area where the Ram has stumbled. Tundra is also the longest-lasting pickup truck, even going past brands like Ford and Chevrolet.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Tundra backs that reputation with solid numbers, too. Edmunds gives it a responsible 7.0 out of 10, while U.S. News' full-size truck rankings give it a competitive position (9.0 score) as well. While the Tundra isn't winning points on the luxury front or cutting-edge tech, which the rivals are much better at, that is the whole point of this truck. The best part about the Tundra is that this isn't any recent record. Toyota Tundra has shown up repeatedly on our list of the most reliable pickup trucks of the last decade. This is something that owners and independent data sources keep confirming year after year. For buyers who look for absolute reliability over fancy features, the Toyota Tundra is one of the most reliable nameplates on the road, especially next to a Ram 1500.GMC Sierra 15002026 GMC Sierra - GMCGMC Sierra 1500 makes it to this list because it outperforms the Ram 1500 in one department, which you can experience when you put pedal to the metal. GMC's standard TurboMax engine produces 430 lb-ft of torque right out of the gate, compared to the base Ram 1500 that produces a modest 269 lb-ft of torque. The difference you will feel while you are towing, hauling, or just merging into a highway with a bed packed with stuff is not a minor spec note that you can just overlook, but an important aspect.When you have a GMC Sierra 1500's type of torque at your disposal, it helps with the low-end pulling power, because that is what most people look for in a truck in their day-to-day use. This is more important than peak horsepower numbers or 0-60 times ever will be. A truck can move serious weight without straining its engine, which tends to age better mechanically, too. This is because it isn't constantly pushing its capability to extract every last bit of juice from the engine just to get some basic job done.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe fact that GMC built the TurboMax engine to make that kind of grunt available on the standard trim instead of locking it behind pricier models is a great thing. The Sierra also benefits from GMC's broader reputation for building solid, no-nonsense pickup trucks, which is why it makes the list of the most reliable pickup trucks of all time.Want the latest in tech and auto trends? Subscribe to our free newsletter for the latest headlines, expert guides, and how-to tips, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google.Read the original article on SlashGear.
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