Is the Ram 1500 V-8 Simply Virtue Signaling for Truck Guys?

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Signaling your virtues is no bad thing, but the phrase “virtue signaling” has taken on a negative connotation in recent years, as it’s come to imply empty posturing. As much as we like our defending Truck of the Year, adding the V-8 back in the manner Stellantis has chosen for the 2026 Ram 1500 feels more like pandering to, and virtue signaling for, truck guys.

In case you haven't been following the saga, here’s the brief backstory. When the second Trump administration cut the fine for failing to meet corporate fleet fuel economy standards to zero, Ram, which had just removed the V-8 from its lineup, made an abrupt about-face.

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The result is the return of the 5.7-liter eTorque mild hybrid Hemi V-8 in the 1500. While notable engineering resources and talent were expended to make the old engine play with the new electrical architecture Ram introduced last year, the engine itself is completely unchanged. It makes the same 395 hp and 410 lb-ft of torque and is still assisted by a belt-driven electric motor adding up to 130 lb-ft of direct assistance at low rpm (which does not alter the peak torque figure).

Ram has treated this whole situation as a victory lap, leaning heavily into themes of patriotism, freedom of expression, and nostalgia as it touts the return of the V-8, going so far as to give it a special fender badge (a V-8 engine with a ram’s head) called the “Symbol of Protest.” What, exactly, it’s protesting is a mystery to us. This whole mess was the result of bad decisions that corporate parent Stellantis made, as both Ford and GM figured out how to keep V-8s in their cars and trucks while still meeting fuel economy requirements.

It's not as if Ram is handing V-8s out like candy, either. The Hemi can only be ordered in Crew Cab configuration with a 5-foot-7-inch bed and four-wheel drive, and it isn’t available for the RHO off-road model or the Tungsten luxury trim. In fact, in half of the trim levels it is available for, it’s a $2,895 option. That's $1,200 more than the Ram’s Hurricane twin-turbo I-6, which is more powerful, gets better fuel economy, is quicker, carries more payload, and tows heavier trailers. In two more trims where the I-6 is standard, the V-8 is a $1,200 option. In fact, only the two most expensive trims it’s available in offer the V-8 as a no-cost option.

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Add it all up, and you’re paying more for a less capable engine that costs you more in fuel, but in fairness, it sounds absolutely badass. Credit the standard performance exhaust on all V-8 models, and spare a thought for the 33-gallon fuel tank also packaged with the V-8, which will see fewer but more costly fill-ups.

To be sure the specs match the experience, we brought along an I-6 truck and drove both empty, then with 1,000 pounds in each bed, and then towing a 6,900-pound boat and trailer. In every case, the V-8 was working significantly harder, often revving higher and running a gear or two lower to do the same job. On the plus side, the V-8 provided noticeably better engine braking when tow/haul mode was selected than the I-6.

Plain and simple, if you want to do truck stuff, the I-6 is the better engine across the board. Paying more and getting less just so you can say you have a V-8 and hear that admittedly bitchin' soundtrack is, frankly, automotive virtue signaling—and that doesn’t win awards.

This review was conducted as part of our 2026 Truck of the Year (TOTY) testing, where each vehicle is evaluated on our six key criteria: efficiency, design, safety, engineering excellence, value, and performance of intended function. Eligible vehicles must be all-new or significantly revised.