These days, pickup trucks are known for providing buyers with comfort and plenty of features and amenities. High-quality seats are one of these important features, helping drivers feel comfortable over many hours of driving time. J.D. Power collects information to help determine which trucks have the best seats, and for 2020, the Ram 1500 was the winner in its category.

The highest-quality truck/van seats: Ram 1500

J.D. Power puts out an annual assessment each year to help determine the highest-quality vehicle seats based on data from its surveys. The J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Seat Quality and Satisfaction Study uses data from people who own 2020 model year vehicles. The study takes a look at how many problems were reported in the first 90 days of ownership per 100 vehicles on the road. Fewer problems and lower scores indicate better-quality seats.

There were 87,282 responses collected from buyers and lessees of new 2020 model year vehicles. People were surveyed after they had owned their vehicles for 90 days, and the study ran from February 2020 through May 2020.

Seats are ranked in a number of different categories: mass-market compact car, mass-market mid-size/large car, mass-market compact SUV, mass-market midsize/large SUV, mass-market truck/van, luxury car, and luxury SUV. Looking at the mass market truck/van segment, the Ram 1500 has the highest-quality truck or van seats for the 2020 model year.

The J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Seat Quality and Satisfaction Study points out that the biggest problem owners have with their seat quality is that “their seats have insufficient range of adjustment—an issue that should be addressed early in the design process.”

Brent Gruber, senior director of global automotive quality at J.D. Power., says, “in addition to insufficient range of adjustment, the vast majority of seat problems cited by vehicle owners are also design-related.”

The seats in the Ram 1500

The high-quality seats in the Ram 1500 are manufactured by Bridgewater Interiors, LLC. Only 3.9 problems were reported per 100 vehicles, making it the definitive winner of the mass market truck van category.

Bridgewater Interiors is also the manufacturer of the top-rated Honda Pilot seats, the winner in the mass-market midsize/large SUV category. These seats had just 7.5 problems reported per 100 vehicles.

Runners-up and other segments

The Ram 1500 beat out plenty of other trucks and vans. Two trucks came in at second and third place. The Honda Ridgeline has the second-best-quality seats. They are made by TS Tech Co., Ltd. With 6.6 problems reported per 100 vehicles, the Ram 1500 seats are far above in the ratings.

In third place in the mass-market truck/van category is the Chevrolet Silverado. Those seats are manufactured by the Lear Corporation, which had several other winners. Lear Corporation seats were first-place winners with the Chevrolet Sonic (mass-market compact car) and Chevrolet Impala (mass-market midsize/large car).

Its seats placed second with the Ford Fusion (mass-market midsize/large car) and Hyundai Tucson (mass-market compact SUV). The Lear Corporation also had third-place seats with the Jaguar E-Pace (luxury SUV).

Gruber suggests that auto manufacturers with a number of winning seats have a good relationship with their customers and their seat designers. “If seat manufacturers and car brands can incorporate customer feedback earlier in the design process, many of these issues can be mitigated prior to reaching the market,” said Gruber.

“Specifically, brands like Chevy and BMW—which have multiple award-winning vehicles this year—have optimized relationships with their seat manufacturers to leverage quality and innovation coupled with a keen understanding of owner needs and expectations for seat comfort and adjustability.”

The Ram 1500 must be following these suggestions since it is a winner for the best truck or van seats for 2020.