2026 Ram 1500 Express Offers Attitude, Blackout Package, and Value
Starting at $44,495, the 1500 Express returns with an available Black Express package and doesn’t feel overtly cheap.
The new 2026 Ram 1500 Express is an affordable full-size pickup truck.
The Ram 1500 Express fills the value-void left by the now-defunct 1500 Classic.
The Ram 1500 Express is a stylish workhorse with a sub-$45,000 starting price.
Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis isn’t wasting any time. Just three weeks ago, he boldly announced the truck brand would launch 25 new products in the next 18 months. Today, we have the 2026 Ram 1500 Express—the first step on the path to achieving that aggressive goal. Technically, he claimed the mass product rollout would start on June 8, but you can’t fault a guy for getting a leg up on expectations, can you?
Ram’s Value Play
A value play at its core, part of the mission of the Ram 1500 Express is to fill the void left by the dearly departed Ram 1500 Classic. But as much as we appreciated that old beast, the new 1500 Express benefits from the far more modern architecture of the current Ram 1500 lineup. That means a better ride and handling, a more cohesive interior, and exterior styling that won’t inspire you to get a mullet. (Unless you’re being ironic, in which case you be you.) Available as either an extended “Quad Cab” or crew cab with rear- or four-wheel drive, the 1500 Express blends the type of key pickup truck features that genuine truck users use without going completely bare bones on us.
Available in five standard monochromatic colors—Diamond Black, Bright White, Granite Crystal, Forged Blue, and Hydro Blue—they each feature gloss-black grille surrounds and body-color front and rear bumpers.
Standard equipment includes 20-inch wheels, the familiar 305-hp 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine under the hood, an eight-speed automatic transmission, and adaptive cruise control with emergency braking. The overall interior theme doesn’t stray far from the current roster of Ram 1500 trucks.
Black Express Package and Price
Drivers interested in getting a little fancy after work can spec the $995 Black Express package (Quad and Crew 4WD only) that adds black 20-inch wheels, side steps, a sport hood, black-bezel LED headlamps, LED foglamps, and the requisite black exterior badging. Interior upgrades include black cloth seats, a floor console, and a 7.0-inch gauge cluster. This isn’t the Ram 1500’s first trip through the dark either, as the Black Express package first debuted in 2013 and returned for an encore in 2019.
Getting back to the work part: You can spec the 420-hp turbocharged 3.0-liter Hurricane inline-six for an additional $1695; when ordered with the rear-wheel-drive Quad Cab, it enables an 11,550-pound max tow rating, the most of any 1500 Express pickup. Ram didn’t offer any additional detailed towing or payload specs, but we expect them to dovetail neatly with those of the current 1500 lineup.
So, what’s the ticket for this resurrected Express? The 2026 Ram 1500 Express Quad Cab pricing begins at $44,495. For reference, the 2025 Ram 1500 Tradesman—currently the least expensive Ram 1500 offered—starts at $42,370. Adding four-wheel drive bumps the price to $48,345. The 2026 Ram 1500 Express Crew Cab starts at $47,245, with the four-wheel-drive version checking in at $51,095.
Twenty-five years ago, a truck with the 2026 Ram 1500 Express’s features would’ve been considered very well equipped. We’re not immune to the wiles of the current crop of plush pickups, but sometimes you just need to get stuff done, and you don’t wanna spend $85K to do it. And if you can get a modicum of style in the bargain, all the better.
Ram says the order books are open, and deliveries should start in the third quarter of 2025.
