Starts at $45,565
Rank
Pros
Cons
What's New for 2025?
The Ram HD gets a significant refresh this year that includes updated styling, a newly available Uconnect 5 infotainment suite with a 14.5-inch vertical touchscreen, and a revamped Cummins inline-6 turbodiesel that's now offered in a single high-output state of tune. The diesel also gets a new ZF eight-speed automatic, replacing the previous six-speed. Ram claims that the 2025 Ram 2500 with the Cummins will hit 60 mph 1.1 seconds sooner than last year's equivalent.
FAST FACTS
"The heavy-duty Ram is technically a bit low on max horsepower relative to the Ford and GM entrants here, but that doesn't seem to hurt its max towing capacity, which is fully competitive, if not class-leading. A significant refresh for 2025 has breathed new life into the Ram HD, streamlining the Cummins diesel inline-6 to a single high-output offering (previously there were two states of tune) and pairing it with an excellent ZF eight-speed automatic transmission. There's also a newly optional Uconnect 5 infotainment suite inside with three screens (instrument panel, touchscreen, passenger screen) and various other tech enhancements."—Ranked #2 out of 5 Heavy-Duty Trucks
MotorDonkey's proprietary vehicle data identifies every significant version of each model so that you can compare and decide. Ordered by price from low to high, here are the versions of the 2025 Ram HD that you need to be aware of, along with our expert analysis and recommendations.
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The Ram 2500 gasoline V8's peak towing and payload numbers are conveniently achieved in the cheapest configuration: the 4x2 Tradesman regular cab. Note that you'll need the optional 4.10 axle ratio to unlock the top towing figure of 17,750 pounds.
You'll need to swap in the Cummins diesel if you want to max out the Ram 3500's towing capability, but the gasoline V8 defeats the diesel on the payload front. You can carry up to 7,680 pounds with dual rear wheels — that's considerably more than the truck itself weighs.
Now that Ram has discontinued the standard-output and high-output diesel versions, every diesel Ram HD gets the same Cummins 6.7-liter turbodiesel inline-6. That's the same displacement as before, and the power and torque figures are virtually identical to the old high-output version, but this is actually a substantially redesigned engine that's now paired with an eight-speed automatic and is noticeably quicker.
Note that the base price quoted here includes the redesigned Cummins diesel but does not include dual rear wheels, which are required to max out the towing and payload figures. However, making this truck a dually is surprisingly cheap at just $1,495.
Publisher and Donkey-in-Chief
Josh has been reviewing cars professionally since joining Edmunds.com fresh out of grad school in 2008, personally driving most new cars on the market every year since. He also served as the project manager for Edmunds' expert vehicle rankings from their inception in 2018, building the product out from the back end to the front end. Josh is a card-carrying member of the Motor Press Guild and a lifelong car nut who has tested, compared and critiqued a ridiculous number of cars in his career.
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