Compared: 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 vs. 2022 Ram 1500

Chevy and Ram's full-size pickups offer a wide range of choices for truck shoppers. We compare available engines, towing capacity, and price for these two popular pickups.

Benjamin Hunting | 

Mar 14, 2022 | 3 min read

Chevrolet/Ram

The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Ram 1500 are two of the most popular choices in the ultra competitive full-size pickup segment, with models aimed at task-focused customers as well as buyers seeking a comfortable daily driver. Here's how these two half-ton trucks stack up in the engine, towing, and pricing departments.

Chevrolet

Chevrolet Silverado vs Ram 1500: Engines

At the entry level, the Silverado features a turbocharged 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine that develops 310 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque. Rounding out its gas options are a 355-hp 5.3-liter V-8 and a 420-hp 6.2-liter V-8. Alternatively, buyers can spec a 3.0-liter turbo-diesel inline-six that's good for 277 horses and 460 pound-feet of torque.

Ram

The Ram 1500 features a traditional V-6 as its base powerplant, which makes a modest 305 ponies and 269 pound-feet of torque. Like the Silverado, this truck offers a pair of V-8s, but Ram’s engines really bring the muscle: The 5.7-liter generates 395 horsepower, while the 6.2-liter in the off-road TRX model is supercharged for a radical 702 horses and 650 pound-feet of torque. The Ram 1500's 260-hp 3.0-liter turbo-diesel V-6 produces slightly less power than the Silverado’s oil-burner but beats its torque rating, with 480 pound-feet.

Chevrolet

Chevrolet Silverado vs Ram 1500: Towing

The most gifted tow machine in the Silverado 1500 lineup is a four-wheel-drive double cab equipped with the 6.2-liter V-8 and the max towing package: That brute can tug 13,300 pounds’ worth of trailer. The base model—equipped with the turbocharged four-cylinder—can tow up to 9,500 pounds in two-wheel-drive, regular-cab, long-box configuration.

Ram

The Ram can't match the Chevy in terms of max towing. Its capacity tops out at 12,750 pounds; that’s for a two-wheel-drive quad cab with the 5.7-liter. Base to base, the Silverado also outshines the 1500. With no two-door body style on the menu, the entry-level Ram comes in quad-cab form and offers 7,690 pounds of towing capacity.

Chevrolet

Chevrolet Silverado vs Ram 1500: Price

Bargain hunters seeking a barebones pickup can purchase the rear-drive, two-door Silverado 1500 LTD in WT (Work Truck) trim for $32,095.

On the Ram lot, the least expensive 1500 is the two-wheel-drive Tradesman, which is a quad-cab. It's considerably more expensive than the base Chevrolet, with an entry price of $36,995, but you do get double the seating, not to mention an extra set of doors.

Ram

The price difference is even more stark at the top end. A four-wheel-drive, crew-cab, standard-bed Silverado 1500 High Country equipped with the lineup’s mightiest V-8 starts at $62,590. This is significantly less than the $77,475 base price that Ram charges for the hardcore 1500 TRX, but that money buys a lot more performance.

*Note on pricing: currently Chevrolet can't build trucks with park assist or automatic start-stop due to the chip shortage, so there's a $50 discount for each feature when pricing the Silverado High Country.

Benjamin Hunting

Benjamin Hunting is a writer and podcast host who contributes to a number of newspapers, automotive magazines, and online publications. More than a decade into his career, he enjoys keeping the shiny side up during track days and always has one too many classic vehicle projects partially disassembled in his garage at any given time. Remember, if it's not leaking, it's probably empty.