2025 Ram 1500: Still the Truck to BeatMotorTrend - MotorTrendWould we still award our Truck of the Year Calipers to the 2025 Ram 1500 had we extended our evaluation window to 12 months? You betcha. Our Delmonico Red yearlong review Ram 1500 Laramie served us with distinction, suffering very few missteps of any kind during its year with us, and hence the Detroit office will be very sorry to see it go—especially whenever it comes time to tow a hefty trailer, haul loads ranging from mulch to oversized artwork, or simply to road-trip somewhere far-flung.What We LovedAs noted in our recent Best-Looking Pickups for 2026 piece, the exterior and interior design strikes us as the best of the half-tons, and ride quality of our fully air-suspended truck remains peerless in the class. Front and rear seats proved long-haul comfortable on multiple trips, and the light-colored Sea Salt trim shows no signs of wear or staining.MotorTrend - MotorTrendAnd while the 60/40 swing-out/drop-down multifunction tailgate complicated our search for a tonneau and rack somewhat, the feature totally won us over. It's just way easier to get stuff out of the bed from immediately behind the bed floor. Sure, you'll want to use tarps when carrying bulk materials to keep the additional cracks and crevices clean, but that's smart no matter the tailgate. And the pop-out bed step made climbing in vastly easier than most other deployable step solutions.AdvertisementAdvertisementAnd while you can now order the gate without the Bed Utility Group, we came to love it. We frequently repositioned the tie-down cleats to secure differing loads, and we found the rail they attach to a handy tie-down point itself, that remained within reach when securing tarps with a load of mulch onboard. The spray-in bedliner is still the best way to preserve a working truck bed, but we didn't end up using the 115-volt electrical outlet much, as it can't support power tools.MotorTrend - MotorTrendInterior storage is another Ram superpower, from the commodious reconfigurable center console to the area under the rear seat that can be fenced or open, to the in-floor bins ideal for carrying freshly caught fish on ice—complete with a molded-in ruler on which to base your fish stories—the Ram offers a place for everything. Door pockets big enough to accommodate 1.5-liter water cans proved another godsend.Great automatic 4WD traction offered by the Ram's BorgWarner BW 48-11 active transfer case meant we survived the winter in mostly flat southeast Michigan without needing winter tires.We were skeptical the $995 Power Deployable Running Boards would prove valuable, but because they deploy faster than most, they were almost always down before we were ready to step on them. And they truly ease entry for drivers of all heights.Short Complaints ListMotorTrend - MotorTrendBlind-Spot MirrorsWe never towed nearly enough to justify the gigantic towing mirrors, which obscured cars and pedestrians at intersections. We took to lifting out of the seat to see over them (extending them to trailering width helps see around them, but beware driving down narrow roads).Two Chargers, Insufficient ChargingWe love that the roomy console provides two inductive chargers, and maybe we need to switch to magnetic phone cases, but when streaming content via CarPlay while docked in the charger, our phones' batteries still depleted.No Accessory ModeWhile using Big Red to distribute 5 yards of mulch around the landscaping, we like to listen to the stereo, but the push-button start offers only run and full ignition on. So you must turn off the A/C, and after repositioning the truck it takes a minute or two before you can re-engage the ignition.MotorTrend - MotorTrendSlightly Worrisome ElectronicsDuring our year, we got sporadic "Warning Light Illumination Unavailable Service Required" messages, though these abated following a recall that reflashed the cluster. Paired phones also didn't always reconnect with Apple CarPlay. And late in the loan, we noticed our odometer readout was blinking. Some digging through forums suggests this was a CAN-bus communications error. It never blinked again following a restart. Our battery went flat dead once, but at our first service stop, a software patch apparently cured some known power-drain issues.No Phone as KeyTwice we were invited to set up this feature, but the process never worked, and we understand its rollout has been paused pending an update. That would be a welcome addition, so we hope Ram sorts it out soon.Staticky Radio ReceptionThe Detroit office stands between several broadcast towers, which may increase interference, but Stellantis vehicle FM radio reception has been worse than other brands' for years, spanning at least from our 2018 Dodge Durango R/T long-termer to a recent Alfa Romeo Tonale. Figure it out!MotorTrend - MotorTrendAdvertisementAdvertisementOperating CostsOur Ram monitors its own oil life, maxing out at 10,000 miles or 12 months. With a trip south to Memphis looming, we pitted slightly ahead of the maintenance minder light coming on at 8,800 miles. When the truck departed us, it showed 52 percent oil life, suggesting the next service would be due around 18,000 miles. These stops all include an oil/filter change, tire rotation, and several inspections (including pressure-washing the running boards and lubricating them with white lithium grease). The first set us back just $127—considerably more than the $20–$50 service charge our electric Ford F-150 Lightning long-termers incurred or the $0 charged for our Toyota Tundra and Ford F-150 Raptor (thanks to free maintenance plans). But it's a bit less than our Chevy Silverado's $178.Fuel costs totaled $2,626 for 817.5 gallons of regular gas over 13,499 miles for an average fuel cost of $0.19/mile averaging 16.5 mpg. That barely rounds up to the EPA city rating. (Our 2019 Ram 1500 Hemi averaged 15.0 mpg, also nailing its EPA city rating, reinforcing our preference for the Hurricane six.) This reflects our truck's duty cycle, mostly sticking close to home except for two epic road trips, during which the average increased to 17.8 and 19.3 mpg. Note also that the vast majority of those miles were run in Auto mode with 2WD selected. According to a dash display, we logged 266 hours of driving and 71 hours of idling (mostly at traffic lights).Among half-ton long-term pickups we've recently run, that beats the hybrid Toyota Tundra TRD Pro (15.0 mpg and $0.36/mile) and the diesel Silverado 1500 ZR2 (19.1 mpg and $0.26/mile), but those are poor comparisons, as they were both focused off-roaders drinking pricier California fuel. Our Ram has just managed to undercut the per-mile fuel cost of the electric Ford F-150 Lightning we've been running in California for three years ($0.20/mile). Our Michigan-based Lightning cost just $0.15/mile.MotorTrend - MotorTrendRegretsSadly, tariff issues and market forces conspired against our sourcing a rooftop tent to utilize our bed rack system, but our RealTruck Truxedo Elevate rack bars proved easy to slide on and off, and to change the height of using a few tools we kept in the top compartment of the center console. We loved the secure latching and easily rolled up Truxedo tonneau, which is a breeze to work and never needs to be muscled off and stored. We're also bummed we had to replace the front bumper after road debris dented it, because the replacement started to rust after just ten months. The dealer assured us the replacement wasn't a knock-off part and that it would replace the bumper under warranty. But still …Calipers JustifiedWe send Big Red back to Ram with fond memories, a few suggestions for how to continue prevailing at Truck of the Year events (more chromatic color choices, improved software definition, offer more to view on that passenger screen, FM reception!), and a big hole to fill in our long-term fleet.More on Our Long-Term 2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4:AdvertisementAdvertisementArrival: Damage Done, Ready for FunUpdate 1: Spring Forestry RitualUpdate 2: AccessorizingUpdate 3: V-8 Envy?Update 4: Trailering Deep-DiveUpdate 5: Off-Roading a Street TruckUpdate 6: Road-Tripping Big RedUpdate 7: Passenger Screen, a Missed Opportunity?Update 8: Our Ram 1500 Spills Its GutsPhoto credit: MotorTrend - MotorTrendPhoto credit: MotorTrend - MotorTrendPhoto credit: MotorTrend - MotorTrendPhoto credit: MotorTrend - MotorTrendAdvertisementAdvertisementPhoto credit: MotorTrend - MotorTrendPhoto credit: MotorTrend - MotorTrendPhoto credit: MotorTrend - MotorTrendPhoto credit: MotorTrend - MotorTrendAdvertisementAdvertisementPhoto credit: MotorTrend - MotorTrendPhoto credit: MotorTrend - MotorTrendPhoto credit: MotorTrend - MotorTrendPhoto credit: MotorTrend - MotorTrendAdvertisementAdvertisementPhoto credit: MotorTrend - MotorTrendPhoto credit: MotorTrend - MotorTrendPhoto credit: MotorTrend - MotorTrendPhoto credit: MotorTrend - MotorTrendAdvertisementAdvertisementPhoto credit: MotorTrend - MotorTrendPhoto credit: MotorTrend - MotorTrendPhoto credit: MotorTrend - MotorTrendPhoto credit: MotorTrend - MotorTrendAdvertisementAdvertisementPhoto credit: MotorTrend - MotorTrendPhoto credit: MotorTrend - MotorTrendPhoto credit: MotorTrend - MotorTrendPhoto credit: MotorTrend - MotorTrendAdvertisementAdvertisementPhoto credit: MotorTrend - MotorTrendPhoto credit: MotorTrend - MotorTrend
+52 others
