The 2026 Ram 1500 Express Is Back and Starts at $44,495
The pickup will be available in either crew or extended cab layouts.
It's no secret new cars today are way too expensive. But to offer an attractive value proposition, Ram is bringing back the 2026 Ram 1500 Express. With a starting price of $44,495, it's lower than the average new-car price and makes it one of the most affordable Ram 1500 models you can buy.
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The Ram 1500 Express can be optioned in either the crew or extended "Quad" cab layouts, and with a choice of rear- or four-wheel drive. You also get laser-etched interior trim, black bezel-surround LED headlights, a choice of five monochromatic exterior colors (black, white, gray, and two blues), body-color front and rear bumpers, 20-inch wheels, adaptive cruise control, and the 3.6-liter, 305-hp Pentastar V-6 motor as standard.
For an extra $1,695, you can select the low-output version of the 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged Hurricane inline-six engine, which produces 420 hp and unlocks the ability to tow up to 11,550 pounds when installed in a Quad Cab with rear-drive.
Looking for some extra visual flair? The Ram 1500 Black Express Package includes a Sport hood, black badging and 20-inch wheels, LED fog lights, running boards, black cloth bucket seats, and a 7-inch gauge cluster. This package is available only on Quad Cab and Crew 4WD models, and costs just $995.
You can see the full 2026 Ram 1500 Express starting price breakdown below:
- Quad Cab 2WD: $44,495
- Crew Cab 2WD: $47,245
- Quad Cab 4WD: $48,345
- Crew Cab 4WD: $51,095
The Express replaces the discontinued Ram Classic and marks the return of a popular value-focused and practicality-minded choice. Pickup trucks can now be optioned to rival even the most opulent SUVs, but sometimes you just want a well-equipped, no-frills truck to get work done. This seems to be that truck.
Ram first offered the Black Express in 2013 and again in 2019. So, as much as we all love a hoo-rah Hemi-powered pickup, the 2026 Ram Express will no doubt benefit from the model's recent thorough midcycle update, which helped it earn the title of our 2025 Truck of the Year.
This is the first example of Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis' plan to launch 25 product updates over the next 18 months. Not all the rollouts are known just yet, but it's an aggressive schedule.
Order books for the 2026 Ram 1500 Express are now open, with deliveries scheduled to start in Q3 of this year.
I got into cars the way most people do: my dad. Since I was little, it was always something we’d talk about and I think he was stoked to have his kid share his interest. He’d buy me the books, magazines, calendars, and diecast models—everything he could do to encourage a young enthusiast. Eventually, I went to school and got to the point where people start asking you what you want to do with your life. Seeing as cars are what I love and writing is what I enjoy doing, combining the two was the logical next step. This dream job is the only one I’ve ever wanted. Since then, I’ve worked at Road & Track, Jalopnik, Business Insider, The Drive, and now MotorTrend, and made appearances on Jay Leno’s Garage, Good Morning America, The Smoking Tire Podcast, Fusion’s Car vs. America, the Ask a Clean Person podcast, and MotorTrend’s Shift Talkers. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, cooking, and watching the Fast & Furious movies on repeat. Tokyo Drift is the best one.
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