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U.S. News and World Report has named the Ram brand of trucks the Best Truck Brand for 2023. This is the fourth time in a row that Ram has taken the top spot in the annual survey. Sure, the award means that it can stick the gold Best Cars chevron on advertisements. But why did Ram win again?

How did U.S. News pick a winner?

Red 2023 Ram 1500 Laramie
Red 2023 Ram 1500 Laramie | Ram

To earn a Best Vehicle Brand award, U.S. news takes the highest overall score of all of a brand’s products in each class. The highest average scores determine the winners. U.S. News bases its rankings on safety, reliability and automotive press reviews. Overall, it evaluates 38 brands.

This is the fourth time that Ram has earned the award. Overall, the Ram 1500 truck finished with a score of 9.1, while the 2023 Ford F-150 was just barely behind and scored a 9.0. The GMC Sierra 1500 scored an 8.5, while the 2023 Chevy Silverado scored 8.2. Ram trucks also hold their value well over the first few years of ownership.

Are Ram trucks worth buying?

U.S. News likes the interior, and it’s easy to see why. Ram, and before when the trucks were sold as Dodge Ram trucks, the interiors were a let down with cheap plastics and questionable build quality. However Ram has been at the forefront of making their interiors some of the best in the last two generations of the 1500. It’s also capable and powerful with its stout 5.7-liter Hemi engine that puts out about 400 horsepower.

Interestingly, Ram buyers may be more in love with their trucks than those of other brands. For 2022, the Ram 1500 won the top spot J.D. Power’s APEAL, or Automotive Performance Execution and Layout Study in its class. The APEAL ratings measure the emotional bond customers have for a vehicle. Overall, the brand took second place in the APEAL survey, a spot it also held in 2020 and 2021.

Are Ram trucks good quality?

The interior of the G/T trim Ram 1500, which includes a console-mounted shifter.
2022 Ram 1500 Laramie G/T interior

Reliability is one factor that U.S. News uses to rank brands and vehicles, and at at J.D. Power, the 1500 gets an average rating for reliability and a higher score than most for predicted reliability. But 1500 also earn high marks for their safety and performance. It also beats the Toyota Tundra for reliability.

The Ram does get high marks from U.S. News in one other measure of quality; ride quality. Rams come standard with independent rear suspension, which is a feature that Ford and Chevy don’t offer. It drastically improves the ride of a 1500.

What’s next for Ram trucks?

2024 Ram 1500 EV teaser that shows the electric motors powering the truck.
2024 Ram 1500 EV teaser | Ram

For 2023 the 1500 trucks don’t get many changes. The 3500 and 2500 heavy-duty versions, however, got a noticeable facelift with some new options.

The big news on the horizon for Ram trucks is its all-electric pickup truck. Ram has made some promises that the new Revolution, as it’s being called, should have monster capabilities. We won’t know until the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, in Las Vegas on January 5. The new Ram 1500 BEV should debut in 2024 and lead the company’s electrification efforts.

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Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Dan Mayfield

Dan joined MotorBiscuit in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in journalism and a lifelong passion for anything related to the automotive industry. He grew up wrenching a 1949 Ford pickup truck and an MGB with his dad, learning how not to wire a fuel pump (he inadvertently set the MGB on fire).

After earning a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from the University of New Mexico, Dan has contributed his expertise to a range of local outlets, including the City of Albuquerque, US Eagle, and the Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity.

On weekends, Dan spends Saturdays enjoying “cars and coffee” chats and, on Sundays, he’s watching the Route 66 Cruise roll through town. He also races motorcycles, and it’s not unusual to find him elbows-deep in his latest cafe racer build.

Taking advantage of the local desert terrain, Dan also enjoys exploring and driving off-road in his trusty Ram Rebel pickup truck, which provides personal insights into his contributions to our Trucks, SUVs, & Crossovers coverage. Dan strives to give our readers unique information about the dynamic automotive market, reading anything that has to do with cars, trucks, bikes, 4X4s, and, in his words, “everything with a motor.”

Dan has earned a number of accolades from the Public Relations Society of America, and is a University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism Fellow.