Ram Introduces $44,495 Express Model, Hoping A Cheaper Truck Will Combat Sales Slump

Ram has had a pretty tough go of it lately, with U.S. deliveries for the Stellantis truck brand down 2% in the first quarter of 2025 and Ram 1500 sales dipping a massive 11%. This actually marks the fifth straight quarter of declines for the typically profitable truck, and signs of an impending crisis are beginning to show. In an effort to fight less-expensive truck offerings from Ford and General Motors, Ram has announced it will bring back the Ram 1500 Express, a truck with just enough standard equipment for bargain buyers. The new truck will be immediately identifiable by its blacked-out grille and body-color front and rear bumpers. No chrome for this truck. The Express is more or less a replacement for the now-discontinued Classic model, which was the last-generation model that was still on sale through last year at the bottom of the Ram 1500 lineup. 

So how cheap is cheap? I was surprised when I saw that the new truck will enter the market at $44,495 (including destination) for a Crew Cab 2WD model with the 305-horsepower Pentastar V6. The pickup will also be available in Quad Cab form and you can option four-wheel drive or the new 420-hp Hurricane inline-six engine, but like guacamole on your burrito, they’re extra charge. 

When Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis returned to the brand from a brief hiatus, he commented that the company needed to offer more choices for buyers under the $50,000 mark. I suppose this is one of those, but it doesn’t take many options to get the 2026 Ram 1500 Express above that line, either. 

“The Express is the latest drop in Ram’s product offensive,” Kuniskis said in a press release. “We started the 2025 model year with a new Ram 1500 and new Ram Heavy Duty lineup. With the platforms refreshed, we begin rolling out trim level enhancements.”

If you want your Express to look a little fancier, Ram has the optional Black Express package for you. This includes a “sport hood”, black badges, black 20-inch wheels, and a black cloth bucket-seat interior (pictured above). The Black Express is a popular package for Ram, and has accounted for as much as 20% of production when it has been offered in the past. It is possible that a simple no-nonsense truck option is what buyers are clambering to buy. Or maybe the upcoming economic hardships will see buyers looking to downsize into something that isn’t the size and monthly payment of a house. Time will tell.