Until recently, Ram dealers always had a truck on the lot for those who showed up looking for something cheap and straightforward. The company adopted a simple strategy to get it done. When it redesigned the best-selling Ram 1500, the brand kept building the old model alongside the new one.
The new model would become the Ram 1500, available in trim levels from mid-priced to luxury. The old one would become the Ram 1500 Classic, offered in a more bare-bones form for an affordable price.
Last year, Ram redesigned the 1500. But it discontinued the 1500 Classic, leaving buyers without a truly affordable full-size truck option at Ram.
This week, the company plugged the hole in its lineup. Meet the 2026 Ram 1500 Express.
Fleet buyers looking for a pure work truck will still save money with the 1500 Tradesman. But the Express may be the right answer for many truck shoppers looking for a reliable daily driver with a few creature comforts but nothing elaborate. Starting at $44,495 including destination fee, it’s what passes for inexpensive in the current truck market.
V6 or I6
Buyers can specify a crew cab or a quad cab, in 2- or 4-wheel drive (2WD or 4WD).
It comes with the most proven veteran engine in the Ram lineup, a 305-horsepower Pentastar V6. A 420-hp turbocharged Hurricane inline-6 is available as a $1,695 upgrade. The 2026 Ram 1500 Express rides on 20-inch wheels.
Ram says the Hurricane-equipped version tows up to 11,550 pounds.
Ram will paint it Diamond Black, Bright White, Granite Crystal, Forged Blue, or Hydro Blue. Regardless of color, it comes without badges and with a gloss-black grille surround. Ram says this look is “menacing,” though we’re not really menaced.
Black Express Package Returns
The name Express calls to mind trucks from Ram’s history. Ram will honor one of them.
The Black Express package, a popular option from a decade ago, returns. For $2,095, it adds black badges, a sport hood, black wheels, side steps, and interior upgrades, including a larger gauge cluster.
The Li’l Red Express was a performance truck offered in the late 1970s with open-stack pipes and an engine borrowed from a Dodge muscle car. Ram has not acknowledged any plans to resurrect the Li’l Red name.
But Ram is back under the leadership of Tim Kuniskis, the CEO who led Dodge as it released a stable full of new editions honoring cars from brand history two years ago. We’d be shocked if he doesn’t plan something for the name.