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MotorTrend Truck of the Year is one of the most hotly contested awards in the automotive industry every year. The revamped 2025 Ram 1500 is hauling home the award for an amazing seventh time. MotorTrend grades the vehicles on design, engineering excellence, safety, value and performance. The Ram 1500 recently phased out its popular HEMI engine and replaced it with two versions of the 3.0-liter Hurricane Straight-Six Turbo engine. The new 2025 Ram 1500 RHO delivers up to 540-horsepower and 521 lb.-ft. of torque.
Former Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis is back at the company just in time to celebrate the truck’s big win.
“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 MotorTrend Truck of the Year Competition
MotorTrend conducts a full battery of performance tests at a professional automotive test center to evaluate each vehicle. The trucks are then rated on real-world roads. The trucks are tested with and without payloads. The pickups are also tested for their towing capabilities. The 2025 Ram received high marks for luxury, performance and capability.
“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.”
In its review, the MotorTrend judges were particularly impressed with the Ram 1500’s value.
“Ram truly offers a truck for every purse and purpose with a 10-model lineup for 2025—and that’s before the REV electric and Ramcharger EREV models arrive. By now we’ve tested several and are struck by how each model puts forth its own distinct and interesting personality. Most of us agreed with Technical Writer Jered Korfhage, who declared the Warlock “the best truck per dollar here.” Likewise, we found the $89,070 Tungsten model worth the scratch, owing to its incredibly quiet, refined ride, impressive roster of equipment, and high quality of materials and workmanship. The general consensus was that despite a $50,000 price walk, these Rams all feel worth the money.
After a week of intensive instrumented testing and another week spent driving and evaluating this year’s field, all the brightest-shining newcomers had dimmed relative to their respective competitive sets against one or more of our six key criteria. But the Ram shined ever brighter against its half-ton competition, and that’s what earned it a near unanimous vote as our 2025 Truck of the Year.”
The Ram Pickup’s Winning Track Record
Ram also won the MotorTrend Truck of the Year honor in 2010, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021 and now, 2025. The MotorTrend Truck of the Year title is one of the most prestigious in the industry. The 2025 Ram 1500 is also battling the Ford Ranger for the title of 2025 North American International Truck of the Year. Winners will be announced at the start of the North American International Auto Show in January.
Ram Photo
Mary Conway is a professional automotive journalist and has decades of experience specializing in automotive news analysis. She covered the Detroit Three for more than twenty years for the ABC affiliate, in Detroit. Her affection for the Motor City comes naturally. Her father ran a gas station while Mary was growing up, in Wisconsin.
Follow Mary Conway at @MaryConwayMedia and send her car news tips for future stories.
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