• The Ram 1500 has the most power of any light-duty pickup truck, except Raptor R

• Hooking up a 5,000-pound trailer to the Ram 1500 doesn’t phase the truck

• The Ram instantly integrates its active safety tech with a trailer

The Ram 1500 may not have the highest towing rating, but it offers one of the best towing experiences among gas-powered full-size light-duty pickups.

The updated 2025 Ram 1500 tows with authority thanks to high horsepower and torque, its self-leveling suspension, and the ability to integrate its safety systems with trailers. But it’s not all roses, as it might have the worst safety chain hookups on a pickup truck, the engine drinks gas, and it lacks some neat tech features the competition has.

Ironically, the updated 2025 Ram 1500’s max towing rating fell to 11,580 pounds from 12,750 pounds for the previous model. Max payload ratings held steady at 2,300 pounds. As a reference point, the towing rating king of the segment is the Ford F-150 with a rating of up to 13,500 pounds.

Let’s hook up and get into it.

Pro: Ram 1500 has all the power

My top-spec Tungsten tester had the high-output twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-6 pushing up to 28 psi of boost. That huffs output to 540 hp and 521 lb-ft of torque. The math says that’s 145 hp and 110 lb-ft of torque more than the old V-8 engine. Bye, Felicia.

It means this truck doesn’t care if 5,000 pounds of boat and trailer are hooked to the rear end. Going over 70 mph isn’t an issue. Mash the throttle at highway speeds and the truck lunges forward even with the trailer hooked to the back. The only other light-duty gas-powered truck that felt like this was the 2019-2020 Ford F-150 Limited, which had the Raptor’s high-output twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 shoved under its hood. But with 450 hp and 510 lb-ft of torque, it was down on power compared to this Ram, by a considerable margin.

The Ram has so much power and the accelerator is so sensitive that you need to be careful. Boats can slide back on a trailer if yanked forward too quickly, risking damage. Tow mode thankfully recalibrates shift points and throttle mapping to take it down a notch. Safety first.

Con: Ram 1500 gets Hemi V-8-like efficiency

With 5,000 pounds of boat and trailer hooked to the back, the turbo-6 averaged 9.3 mpg over the course of 144 miles of towing. I averaged about 9.5 mpg with this same boat and the 5.7-liter Hemi V-8. The Ram 1600 has gained a ton of power without losing efficiency. The aforementioned high-output turbo V-6 in the F-150 Limited averaged 8.1 mpg with the same boat on the same route. The Toyota Tundra with a twin-turbo V-6 hybrid powertrain averaged 9.4 mpg. But GM’s 6.2-liter V-8 averages just over 12 mpg, though it’s down on power. With power and boost comes thirst.

Pro: Ram 1500 self levels

As soon as I lowered the trailer onto the ball and latched it I heard the truck’s air compressor kick on. It pumped up the rear air suspension to automatically level the load. Slick. The four-corner air suspension (an available option on mid-trim Rams and standard on upper trims) reacted instantly to the load. No squatting rear end here. No other full-size pickup offers a four-corner air suspension. Toyota has rear air suspension for self leveling but I experienced trailer lash and was always keenly aware the boat was behind the truck. The Ram never exhibited trailer lash and at times I could easily forget the trailer was hooked up. Ford gets around the squatting issue with stiffer rear leaf springs that give the truck a rake when it isn’t loaded.

Con: Ram 1500 safety chain hookups are annoying

That’s putting it nicely. The safety chain hookups on the Ram 1500’s receiver are far and away the hardest to hook up on any full-size pickup truck. The chains hook to the truck via a fully boxed hookup assembly with cutouts on the outside and bottom. It’s difficult to see where you’re threading the hooks through, and the stamped-steel right angle that the hooks need to clear is large. I’ve never seen anything like it. This design led to compatibility issues with the emergency brake hooks on two different boat trailers I tried. Ram should just copy what Ford’s put on the latest Super Duty with large, flat openings that are easy to see and hook up to.

Pro: Ram 1500 integrates safety systems while towing

Quickly. Most of today’s pickup trucks can integrate the blind-spot monitoring system with a trailer. Ford’s system requires the driver to input the trailer’s length. Toyota’s system on the Tundra scans the trailer and then will account for the added length. But never have I seen a system react so quickly as the Ram 1500. After hookup and within feet of beginning to roll forward the 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster lit up and informed me that a 20-foot trailer had been accounted for and integrated into the blind-spot monitoring system. The boat’s 20.6-feet long. Impressive, Ram.

Con: Ram 1500 lacks some towing tech features

The Ram’s lack of a boost gauge is unacceptable. Both the F-150 and Tundra have boost gauges. A truck with a turbo engine better show how much boost it’s pushing when it’s towing or hauling. The GMC Sierra offers a camera view that looks down the side of the trailer while going around a corner. It activates the side view mirror cameras when the turn signal is engaged. Super clutch. Ram has cameras in the mirrors but doesn’t do this. GM’s trucks can drive hands-free with Super Cruise while towing, but Ram’s Hands-Free Active Driver Assist system will not work with a trailer hooked up. At the push of a button, the Ford F-150 can now back itself up and place the receiver directly under the trailer to be hooked up. That’s another neat trick the Ram lacks. Note, however, that if someone needs these tech features to tow they probably shouldn’t be towing. File them under a “nice to have.”

The 2025 Ram 1500 I towed with was a Tungsten model. It sits atop the luxury truck hill and is the Mercedes-Benz S-Class of pickup trucks. It’s also priced accordingly at $90,505 as tested, including the $1,995 destination fee. The word value can’t be thrown around here, but that doesn’t change the fact it’s the truck keys I’d reach for when towing a 5,000-pound boat. 

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2025 Ram 1500 Tungsten

Base price: $89,070 including $1,995 destination

Price as tested: $90,505

Powertrain: 540-hp twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-6, 8-speed automatic transmission, full-time four-wheel drive

EPA fuel economy: 15/21/17 mpg

The pros: Lots of horsepower, useful air suspension, safety tech integrates with trailers.

The cons: Drinks gas, poorly designed safety chain hookups, lacks some competitors’ tech features.