The performance capabilities of the 3.0-liter Hurricane Straight-Six Turbo engine that delivers up to 540 horsepower played a significant role in the evaluation and scoring. MotorTrend editors also lauded the wide variety of trim levels for customers to choose, from the opulence of Tungsten to the raw off-road capability of RHO.

“Full-size pickups play in the most brutally competitive segment in the auto industry and the 2025 Ram 1500 has achieved a solid win with benchmark luxury, off-road capability and a breadth of trim levels previously not available in pickup truck segments,” said Tim Kuniskis, CEO of Ram brand. “The entire Ram team, from design and engineering to our dealers are proud MotorTrend recognizes the Ram 1500 as its 2025 Truck of the Year.”

The honor marks the seventh time a Ram pickup has earned the prestigious title since Ram became a standalone brand in 2009: 2010, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2025.

MotorTrend's “Of the Year” awards recognize the best vehicles representing exceptional value, superiority in their classes and impact on the automotive scene. The accolades are one of the most coveted automotive industry awards and represents the pinnacle of an extremely competitive segment.

“The Ram 1500 lineup is a truck enthusiast’s dream from top to bottom, providing power under the hood, efficiency on the road, as well as comfort and luxury inside the cabin,” said Ed Loh, MotorTrend Group’s Head of Editorial. “The competition was incredibly tough this year, with new challengers and storied nameplates, but Ram’s solid, undeniable improvements to the 1500 lineup checked all the boxes of Truck of the Year judging criteria, sealing its victory over other flashier entrants.”

“Of the Year” winners are not chosen from a direct comparison against other finalists, but instead a result of based on how each contender measures against the award’s six criteria: advancement in design, engineering excellence, efficiency, safety, value and performance of intended function.

Contending vehicles at Truck of the Year are first put through MotorTrend’s full battery of performance tests at a professional automotive test center to evaluate virtually every aspect of each vehicle, then evaluated on real-world roads loaded, unloaded, and while towing, as well as at a premiere off-road facility, before a winner is selected.

Complementing its powertrain capabilities, the Ram 1500’s class-leading ride and handling are accomplished via a multi-link independent rear suspension with available, segment-exclusive air suspension. The most technologically advanced Ram 1500 ever offers a host of leading-edge features incorporated into the segment’s premier interior, including the advanced Uconnect 5 system with a new 14.5-inch touchscreen, a segment-first 10.25-inch passenger screen, head-up display and an ultra-premium 23-speaker Klipsch Reference audio system. Active safety and security systems include Hands-free Active Driving Assist, Ram’s Level 2+ autonomous driving system.