The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and the Ram 1500 are two of the best light trucks on the market, making it hard to choose between them. Of course, you could always pick one and hope for the best, but our guide can help you make a more informed decision—we’ve done the homework for you.
Price
Trucks can be expensive—just take a look at the Ford F-150 Raptor. You don’t want to be paying off your truck for the rest of your life, and while you can deck these trucks out as much as you want, the basic cost of entry isn’t that high. Of the two, the cheapest Silverado 1500 has the lowest MSRP of $36,800 The cheapest Ram 1500 is priced at $39,420.
Fuel Economy
Trucks are notorious for having poor fuel economy. After all, they haul large loads and have some of the most powerful engines of any vehicle on the market. You need that kind of power to tow thousands of pounds of stuff. Both of these trucks have relatively good gas mileage compared to some of the other trucks out there.
The Chevrolet Silverado gets 24 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway with the four-cylinder engine. Comparatively, the Ram 1500 gets 20 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway with its base model, which features a V6. That’s actually quite a bit of a difference, so if gas mileage is a concern, the Silverado is generally your best bet.
Towing and Hauling
Neither of these trucks has the best-in-class towing, but they aren’t too far off. When properly equipped, the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 four-cylinder engine tops out at 9,700 lbs. However, if you shell out for the 5.3-liter V8 engine, you can tow a whopping 13,300 pounds.
The Ram 1500 doesn’t really stack up. The Ram has the ability to tow up to 7,730 with the V6 engine. You can upgrade to the V8 to tow a maximum of 12,750 lbs, which is more than the Silverado’s by around 550 pounds. The max payload for the Ram sits at 2,300 pounds, which decreases to 1,970 lbs. for the V8 engine.
The Silverado wins at hauling and towing all around. So, if you are looking for a truck that can do it all, the Silverado generally has a better price tag, fuel economy, and tow rating put it above the Ram in 2024.
