Starting at
Starting at
13,300 lbs | Max Towing | 11,550 lbs |
98.18 in | Max Bed Length | 76.3 in |
4 | Engine Options | 3 |
The full-size truck segment is one of the most hotly contested in the auto industry. Of course, Chevrolet is no stranger to this competition, as the Silverado 1500 is one of the most impressive and remarkable trucks on the market. For more than a century, Chevy has been making the kinds of trucks that people rely on day after day. Even when you look at the 2025 Chevy Silverado 1500 vs 2025 Ram 1500, the Silverado continues to be one of the most powerful and capable trucks out there, with amazing options that other brands cannot keep up with.
To be fair to the Ram 1500, it has received new features for 2025 that make it better than ever, but that still is not enough to catch up to what Chevy offers. Looking at their engines, for example, Ram is bragging about the power of their available High-Output Hurricane engine with 540 hp; we will not deny that so much power is impressive, but it comes at the cost of options, as Ram no longer offers a diesel engine or even their iconic HEMI V8s. With the Chevy Silverado 1500, you can choose from a wide range of available engines, including powerful V8s and a turbocharged diesel engine that provides robust power and reliable long-term performance.
What's more, while the Ram 1500 delivers greater power than most other trucks out there in terms of raw numbers, it falls well behind in capability. Looking at the 2025 Ram 1500, it can handle up to 11,550 lbs of towing capacity; by comparison, the 2025 Chevy Silverado 1500 offers up to 13,300 lbs of towing capacity—a huge difference that can really matter when you demand the most from your truck. On top of that, you have far more configuration options with the Silverado 1500, including five combinations of cab and bed sizes, with overall longer beds that give you more cargo capacity. The raw power of the Ram 1500 is certainly impressive on paper, but in terms of real-world capabilities and the work your truck can do, the Chevy Silverado 1500 cannot be beaten.
As you are shopping for a truck, you have a lot of different factors and options to consider, which is why it is so important that you work with a dealership that will help you find everything you need. That said, we are not sure anything is more important than the engine that you get for your pickup since so much else depends on it. You need bold performance and reliable power that ensures you have a great time when you hit the road, plus the muscle to tackle anything you need to do. That means impressive horsepower and torque, but it also means plenty of options to choose from so you can get what you are looking for.
The 2025 Ram 1500 certainly has impressive power on offer, but it comes at the price of giving you meaningful options to choose from. Even though the new Hurricane engine is getting a lot of attention, the Ram 1500 starts with the same 3.6L Pentastar V6 engine it has had for many years now, which offers 305 hp and just 269 lb-ft of torque. That is pretty underwhelming, which is why Ram prefers to talk about the available 3.0L Hurricane I-6 engine that offers 420 hp and 469 lb-ft of torque for a much better overall experience. Finally, there is a High-Output version of this engine available that boosts those numbers up to 540 hp and 521 lb-ft of torque, which is impressive, but the lack of real options still stings.
With the 2025 Chevy Silverado 1500, you have more engines to choose from and a far superior standard one. The Silverado 1500 starts with a 2.7L TurboMax I-4 that delivers 310 hp and a very impressive 430 lb-ft of torque. This is far superior to what the Ram 1500 starts with and is one of the biggest reasons we much prefer the Silverado 1500. From there, you can choose a 5.2L V8 or a 6.2L V8 with 420 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque, ensuring you have plenty of options available along with robust performance. Finally, Chevy offers a 3.0L Duramax Turbo-Diesel with 495 lb-ft of torque; if you like the feel and incredible reliability of a diesel engine, then the Silverado 1500 is the clear choice for you.
There are plenty of reasons you might prefer a truck over something like a sedan or SUV, but one of the main reasons to us is the kind of work a truck can do. We love having a large bed to load up with plenty of weight, as well as being able to tow tons of stuff behind it; nothing quite beats a truck for that kind of functionality. The potential of a truck to do this for you comes down to two things: payload and towing capability. Although Ram has done well with the 2025 Ram 1500 for payload, its towing abilities fall well behind what we would like to see.
To keep things simple, we are going to focus on the maximum ratings for these two trucks; remember to look at the specs and capacities for any specific model you are interested in. The 2025 Ram 1500 can handle up to 2,370 lbs of maximum payload, which is quite good for a light-duty truck. Where things fall apart, however, is that it tops out at just 11,550 lbs of maximum towing capacity. A decade ago, that would have been pretty impressive, but these days, it is well behind what we would expect.
By comparison, the 2025 Chevy Silverado 1500 can handle up to 2,260 lbs of maximum payload capacity, which is just slightly behind the Ram 1500. That said, the Silverado 1500 can tow up to 13,300 lbs of weight behind it, which is much more than Ram's truck and enough of a difference to seriously matter. What's more, the Silverado 1500 can handle this kind of weight with either its 6.2L V8 or its Turbo-Diesel engine, letting you choose the kind of performance you prefer and still get incredible towing capability. It's one thing to argue about five or ten pounds here or there, but a difference of nearly 2,000 lbs is significant.
No matter why you want a truck, it must be able to handle everything you need. This is why you need to consider things like engine power and real-world capabilities, but it is also why you should consider the sort of configuration that is best for you. Both the 2025 Ram 1500 and Chevy Silverado 1500 give you numerous configuration options, but they are far from equal. Looking at the Ram 1500, it has two cab sizes available—either a Quad Cab or a larger Crew Cab—along with two bed lengths: a five-foot, seven-inch bed (53.9 cu.ft. of cargo space) or a six-foot, four-inch bed (61.5 cu.ft. of cargo volume). That is not a ton of options, and many of their trims are restricted to only one cab size and bed length.
By comparison, Chevy gives you far more options and more overall configurations to choose from when looking for your next truck. For starters, you have three different cab sizes available: a Regular Cab with a single front row of seating, a Double Cab with two rows for up to six passengers, and a larger Crew Cab with a more spacious two-row interior. You also have three bed lengths to choose from with the Silverado 1500: a five-foot, eight-inch bed (62.9 cu.ft. of cargo volume), a six-foot, six-inch bed (71.7 cu.ft. of cargo space), or an eight-foot, two-inch bed (89.1 cu.ft. of cargo room). Not only are these more options, but you can get longer beds from Chevy with a lot more space than anything Ram offers.