Ram 1500 Sales Are Up 73% With the Hemi Back. Should You Buy One Over an F-150?
Chevy has the cheapest work truck, Ford the cheapest family pickup, and Ram the most power per off-road dollar, plus the deepest inventory heading into November.
Ram sold 73% more light-duty pickups in the third quarter than a year earlier, according to Stellantis' quarterly sales report: 76,650 trucks against 44,349. The 5.7-liter Hemi V8 is back in the 1500, and the 777-hp TRX has returned. Ram also heads into November with the deepest inventory of the three, measured in days of supply. So is it now the truck to buy over the Ford F-150 and the Chevrolet Silverado 1500?
It depends on where you shop. We compared the three at three price points, roughly $42,000, $50,000, and $70,000-plus, using the trucks actually in showrooms this month. That means a 2027 Ram, a 2026 F-150, and a 2027 Silverado that GM says reaches dealers by year-end. For the two-truck version with ownership costs, see our F-150 vs. Silverado 1500 comparison.
Why the 73% needs context
The jump is real, but the base was weak. Ram dropped the Hemi for the 2025 model year, and V8 trucks were only starting to return to dealers in the third quarter of 2025. Stellantis' own third-quarter results credit the Ram 1500 for its North American gains, and Ram says 1500 retail sales rose 42%. Ford and GM still sell more. Ford delivered 203,707 F-Series trucks in the quarter, Super Duty included, and GM sold 100,221 light-duty Silverados.
The three trucks side by side
| Ram 1500 | Ford F-150 | Chevrolet Silverado 1500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model year in showrooms | 2027 (some 2026 left) | 2026 (2027 due early 2027) | 2027 arriving by year-end; 2026 in runout |
| Work truck, with destination | Tradesman: $45,370 | XL: $42,125 | Work Truck: $41,395 |
| Family trim, with destination | Big Horn: $50,625 | XLT: $47,690 | Silverado: $50,695 |
| Off-road flagships, with destination | Rebel $68,640; RHO $77,790; TRX SRT $102,790 | Raptor: $81,800 | Trail Boss $63,995; ZR2 $79,995 |
| Engines | 3.6L V6 (305 hp), 5.7L Hemi V8 (395 hp), 3.0L twin-turbo I6 (420 or 540 hp), 6.2L supercharged V8 on TRX (777 hp) | 2.7L and 3.5L EcoBoost V6 (325 and 400 hp), 5.0L V8 (400 hp), PowerBoost hybrid (430 hp), Raptor 3.5L (450 hp) | 2.7L turbo four (350 hp), 5.7L V8 (402 hp), 6.6L V8 (481 hp), 3.0L diesel (305 hp) |
| Hybrid | Mild hybrid (eTorque) on V6 and Hemi | Full hybrid (PowerBoost) | None |
| Max towing (specific configurations) | 11,530 lb | 13,500 lb | 13,700 lb |
| Max payload (specific configurations) | 2,410 lb | 2,440 lb | TBA (2026: 2,260 lb) |
| EPA combined, 4x4 | Hemi 18 mpg; 420-hp I6 19 mpg | 3.5L EcoBoost 19 mpg; PowerBoost 23 mpg | TBA for the new engines |
| IIHS, crew cab | Small overlap Good; updated moderate overlap Poor; side Good | Small overlap Good; updated moderate overlap Poor; side Good | 2026: small overlap Marginal; moderate overlap Poor; side Acceptable; headlights Poor. 2027: not yet rated |
| Powertrain warranty | 10 yr/100,000 mi on 2026 trucks; 5 yr/60,000 mi reported for 2027 | 5 yr/60,000 mi | 5 yr/60,000 mi |
| Days' supply, end of September (Cox) | Ram 1500: 142 | Ford brand: 101 | Chevrolet brand: 88 |
| October offer (ends) | 0% for 60 months on 2026 (Nov. 2) | 1.9% for 60 months plus $1,500 on 2026, Raptor excluded (Nov. 2) | 0% for 60 months plus 92 days deferred on 2026 (Nov. 4) |
Ford's price is the 2026 list as of our early-October check. Ram's towing and payload maximums come from its 2027 towing charts, Ford's from its 2026 specifications, and GM's towing figure is for the 2027 truck with the 5.7-liter V8. Offers are regional and come from Kelley Blue Book's October roundup, so confirm them by ZIP code.
Around $42,000: the Silverado Work Truck
The cheapest of the three is now the Chevy. The 2027 Silverado Work Truck lists at $41,395 with destination, $730 under a 2026 F-150 XL and $3,975 under a Ram Tradesman. It also comes with a 10-speed automatic, a 12,000-pound hitch, and an integrated trailer brake controller, which Chevrolet made standard for 2027. The Ram is the most expensive way into a full-size truck here. Ford's 2027 XL Regular Cab is priced at $40,585 with destination, but it isn't due until early 2027.
Around $50,000: the F-150 XLT
For a family truck, the F-150 XLT starts at $47,690, about $2,900 to $3,000 under a Ram Big Horn or a Silverado. It also has the only full hybrid of the three. The PowerBoost makes 430 hp and is rated at 23 mpg combined as a 4x4, but our ranking of hybrid pickups found it takes about 11 years to pay back its premium on fuel alone.
The Ram's case is the V8 and its coil-spring rear suspension. The 5.7-liter Hemi makes 395 hp and 410 lb-ft, keeps eTorque mild-hybrid assistance, and is offered on most trims except the RHO and Tungsten. The Silverado answers with a new 402-hp 5.7-liter V8 and the highest tow rating in this group. If you tow often, the Chevy or a 3.5-liter EcoBoost F-150 is the better pick; Ram's best tow rating is about 2,000 pounds lower.
$70,000 and up: RHO, Raptor, or ZR2
Here, Ram gives you the most power for the money. The 540-hp 1500 RHO costs $77,790 with destination, $4,010 less than a 2026 Raptor with 450 hp and $2,205 less than a 481-hp Silverado ZR2. Ford's order guide puts a cheaper 2027 Raptor at $74,995 before destination, CarsDirect reported, but that truck isn't on sale yet. Buyers who want to spend less can look at the Ram Rebel at $68,640 or the Silverado Trail Boss at $63,995. The 777-hp TRX SRT, at $102,790 with destination, competes with Ford's 720-hp Raptor R rather than with anything from Chevrolet.
Safety: no award for any of them
None of the three crew cabs holds a current IIHS award. All three were rated Poor in the updated moderate overlap test, mostly because of how the rear-seat dummy was protected. The Ram and the F-150 earn Good ratings in both small overlap tests and in the side test. The 2026 Silverado is weaker: Marginal on the passenger side, Acceptable in the side test, and Poor for headlights on every trim, according to its IIHS listing. The IIHS hasn't tested the redesigned 2027 Silverado yet. NHTSA ratings vary by cab and drivetrain, so check the exact configuration you want.
Five years of fuel at $4.24
Regular gas averaged $4.24 on October 28, AAA reported. At 15,000 miles a year, a Hemi Ram 4x4 rated at 18 mpg burns about $17,667 of fuel in five years. A Ram with the 420-hp six-cylinder or a 3.5-liter EcoBoost F-150, both at 19 mpg, costs about $16,737. An F-150 PowerBoost at 23 mpg costs about $13,826, or $2,911 less than the EcoBoost. The Hemi costs about $930 more to run than Ram's own six over five years. The EPA hasn't yet rated the Silverado's new engines.
The warranty difference depends on the model year
Ram's biggest advantage over Ford and Chevrolet only applies to a 2026 truck. Its 10-year, 100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty covers every 2026 model-year Ram sold to an original retail owner, fleets excluded. Ram hasn't announced an extension to the 2027 trucks now arriving, and PickupTruckTalk reported this month that they return to 5 years or 60,000 miles. Ford and Chevrolet cover the powertrain for 5 years or 60,000 miles.
Where to look for a deal in November
Inventory suggests Ram has the most reason to discount. The Ram 1500 ended September with 142 days of supply, according to Cox Automotive, against 101 for the Ford brand, 88 for Chevrolet, and 82 for the industry. Stellantis says it plans to bring its North American stock in December to about the same level as a year earlier. A leftover 2026 Ram also keeps the 10-year warranty.
The other two are less likely to cut. GM told analysts its incentives on the outgoing Silverado are well below past changeovers, as our third-quarter earnings scorecard showed. Ford's guidance assumes industry prices about one percentage point higher than last year. That is a signal, not a promise: November programs haven't been published.
What we don't know yet
- Full 2027 F-150 pricing. Ford has priced only the XL Regular Cab and the Carhartt Edition, and the cheaper Raptor is reported, not announced.
- EPA ratings, payload, and IIHS results for the 2027 Silverado.
- Ram's official warranty for 2027 trucks.
- October sales, due November 3, and the November incentive programs.
Which one should you buy?
On these numbers, no single truck wins. For the lowest price on a work truck, buy the Silverado WT. For a family truck under $50,000, or the best fuel economy, the F-150 XLT is the pick, and the PowerBoost is worth it if you'll use its onboard generator. For an off-road truck, the Ram RHO gives the most power per dollar.
In my view, the best Ram deal is a leftover 2026 truck. Ram has the most stock to clear before December, and a 2026 truck keeps the 10-year powertrain warranty that the 2027 reportedly loses. If you want a Hemi without the wait for the sold-out Rumble Bee, which is spoken for through March, a Big Horn is the cheaper way in. Just don't buy it to tow the heaviest trailer: that's the Silverado's job.
