We compare two of the best-selling full-size pickups to help you decide which is right for your needs.
With thousands of vehicles in our inventory, we’re here to help make car research easier for you. We’ve partnered with car-review experts from Edmunds to weigh in on what matters most when you’re looking to buy a truck or car.
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The full-size pickup truck has never been more popular, with shoppers choosing them for their do-everything capability, roomy cabins, advanced tech, and surprising on-road comfort. We're comparing the Chevrolet Silverado and the Ram 1500 to figure out which of these trucks best fits your needs.
Independent reliability tracker RepairPal® says the Ram 1500 is the more reliable of the two trucks thanks to a very small advantage when it comes to annual repair cost over the Chevy Silverado. It's close enough that we're willing to call this a draw.
Both trucks get similar crash test ratings: five stars from NHTSA and no notable ratings from IIHS in the 2024 models we're comparing. The Ram was a Top Safety Pick+ from 2019 to 2020 and a Top Safety Pick from 2021 to 2023. Keep in mind that certain vehicles may have unrepaired safety recalls. Click here to look up a specific vehicle.
OK, let's get to know our competitors.
Chevrolet Silverado Basics
Chevy introduced this latest version of the Silverado back in 2019. It has a wide range of engine options, including a diesel engine, which is becoming rarer by the year. But even the base engine in the Silverado is more than capable for most people's needs, with the ability to tow 9,000 pounds when properly equipped. The Silverado isn't as luxe as the Ram, but it is generally more affordable. So if you're looking for a no-nonsense, no-frills pickup, the Silverado is worth a look.
Ram 1500 Basics
The Ram 1500 was last fully redesigned in 2019 and is available with three engines in the 2024 model year: a V6 and a pair of V8s. A diesel engine was offered from 2019 to 2023 but has since been discontinued. The Ram is just as capable as the Chevy and has the added benefit of being much nicer to drive. You can also get a much more luxe Ram 1500 than you can from any other truck maker, so if you're looking for a luxury experience to go with your capability, check out the Ram.
Chevrolet Silverado vs. Ram 1500
Now that the basics are covered, which of these full-size trucks is right for you?
Passengers and cargo
Both trucks offer seating for five. But that seating comes in a variety of cab configurations. Let's start with the Silverado.
The Silverado is available in three cab configurations: a two-door regular cab, a four-door extended cab (Double Cab), and a four-door crew cab that has full-size rear doors and more rear seating room. You're likely to see a lot more crew cabs on the road, but it's worth noting that the other cab configurations are out there.
The Ram 1500 makes things a little easier: There's a quad cab and a crew cab. Both cabs have four doors and seating for five, but the crew cab is roomier. If you're buying a truck to use as a family vehicle or people hauler, you'll want to check out the crew cab.
And, what about cargo?
The Silverado is available with three bed types: a 5-foot-8-inch short bed, a 6.5-foot bed, and an 8-foot long bed. The Ram has a short bed (5 feet, 7 inches) and a long bed (6 feet, 4 inches), but no super-long bed like the Chevy.
The Ram does have one neat party trick: the RamBox, which is a lockable storage box in the wall of the truck bed. That's an available feature, so not all Ram 1500s will have it. But the ones that do are very neat indeed. Edmunds also highlighted its center console storage in the front row as being very useful, especially compared to the slightly less versatile storage area found in the Silverado.
Jake's take
The Silverado has more options when it comes to bed length, so if you need a massive storage area out back, that's the winner. But if you're OK with a shorter bed, the Ram 1500 wins on the strength of its superior interior storage.
Towing, payload, and truck stuff
Let's start with the obvious: Even the base versions of these two trucks have enough capability to satisfy the vast majority of truck drivers. The base Silverado can tow 9,000 pounds when properly equipped, which can easily handle a large boat or a 20-foot travel trailer. Many of the Ram's base configurations can tow even more, though that will likely be overkill for most truck users.
The same goes for payload capacity. The Silverado has a maximum payload of 2,380 pounds when properly equipped, while the Ram comes in just behind it with a max payload of 2,320 pounds.
Both trucks are available with four-wheel drive and are plenty capable in off-road situations. The Silverado is available with Super Cruise, the hands-free driving tech from General Motors. It works great while towing, but keep in mind it's only available on the top-tier High Country trim, so you'll have to spend more to get it.
Jake's take
The Silverado wins here thanks to its breadth of features and the availability of Super Cruise. But for most shoppers, the differences here won't matter too much.
Tech
The base model Silverado (Work Truck) comes with wireless Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™, along with a seven-inch touchscreen. That is very much not the case on the Ram 1500, which requires you to get a midtier Laramie or higher to get Apple CarPlay®. The base Ram 1500 (Tradesman) comes with a five-inch touchscreen that is tiny compared to what you'll find in modern vehicles.
Also, Ram doesn't offer any advanced driver aids as standard features, though thankfully, regular cruise control is standard. The Silverado isn't exactly generous when it comes to standard driver aids, but you do get forward collision warning and lane keeping assistance on the Work Truck trim.
OK, but what if you do upgrade to one of the higher trims? The Silverado performs well. Edmunds complimented the 13.4-inch touchscreen for being easy to use while retaining ample capability. Adaptive cruise control also scored well in Edmunds' testing, while special praise was given to Super Cruise, General Motors' hands-free driving system. Keep in mind that this feature is only available on the top-tier High Country trim.
Edmunds had similar high praise for well-equipped versions of the Ram 1500, highlighting its 12-inch touchscreen as clear and easy to use. Adaptive cruise control also worked well on the Ram, though you'll have to shop for 2025 and newer Ram models for something similar to Super Cruise.
Jake's take
The Silverado wins here thanks to a more generous offering of standard features and having a nice array of high-tech features on fancier trims.
Engines and driving
There are four engine options available with the Chevy Silverado: a turbocharged four-cylinder, a 5.3-liter V8, a 6.2-liter V8, and a turbocharged 3.0-liter diesel.
The Ram offers three engine options: a 3.6-liter V6, a 5.7-liter V8, and a supercharged 6.2-liter V8. Earlier years in the generation also offered a diesel engine. OK, let's briefly cover the outlier: The supercharged V8 offered on the Ram is only available in the TRX trim that, to be honest, is not going to be the truck of choice for most people. Looking at all the other engines available shows a more modest horsepower spread (305 horsepower to 420 horsepower). Chevy's engines tend to be more powerful, but not by very much.
So what are they actually like to drive?
If you haven't been in a full-size pickup in a while, you might assume you're guaranteed a bumpy, uncomfortable ride. That's just not the case anymore. Modern pickups are lightyears more comfortable than their predecessors thanks (mostly) to tweaks in their suspension.
Unfortunately, the Silverado is decidedly old-school in this way, and that's not a compliment. Ride comfort is the big win for the Ram 1500, which is regularly cited by Edmunds as the most comfortable pickup you can drive. The Silverado? Not so much. If you're looking for a comfortable ride for you and your family, get the Ram 1500. It's not just comfortable for a truck; it's comfortable for any vehicle.
Jake's take
It's the Ram and it isn't close.
The Price of Comfort
If your primary concern for your truck purchase is that it can do truck stuff without breaking the bank, get the Silverado. It's not as nice as the Ram 1500, but a plane ticket in economy gets you there just as quickly as first class.
But if you're buying a truck to haul your friends and family with a smattering of truck stuff worked in? Do yourself a favor and get the Ram.
Jake Sundstrom has worked in the automotive industry since 2017 and written hundreds of car related articles over the course of his career. Jake is an editor at Edmunds, where he helps produce the best used car content on the web. He has also contributed to the National Hot Rod Association and other motorsport publications. When he's not writing about cars, he's probably driving them to his next vacation; he's still working out how to get a Wrangler from Los Angeles to Maui.
