Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis said when he returned from a brief retirement last year that the truck brand needed more offerings under $50,000.
Ram is taking aim at that price point with the 2026 1500 Express, a trim it says is targeted toward customers seeking a “combination of attitude and value.”
The Express starts at $44,495 with shipping. It will be assembled in Sterling Heights, Mich., and arrive at dealerships in the third quarter. Buyers can choose from crew cab and quad cab body styles with 4x2 or 4x4 drivetrains.
Kuniskis told Automotive News at the Detroit Auto Show in January that Ram had to be more aggressive in the sub-$50,000 space after discontinuing the 1500 Classic, which served as an economical option at the bottom of the lineup.
Ram said the Express first was offered in 1939 with 78 hp.
“The Express is the latest drop in Ram’s product offensive,” Kuniskis said in a statement. “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.”
The Express comes standard with 20-inch wheels and the 305-hp 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine. The standard-output Hurricane inline-six engine with 420 hp is optional.
Black Express package
Ram also said it’s offering the popular Black Express package for $995 on quad and crew Express 4x4 models.
The package includes a sport hood, black badging, black 20-inch wheels and an upgraded interior with black cloth bucket seats.
“When orders opened in summer 2013, Black Express accounted for more than 20 percent of the trucks coming off the Ram 1500 production line,” the brand said. “The package was also offered in 2019 with equal popularity.”
Ram’s U.S. sales were down 2 percent in the first quarter, its fifth quarterly decline in a row. Deliveries of the Ram 1500 fell 11 percent.
