2026 Ram 1500 price and specs: Cut-price Express returns

The current-generation Ram 1500 range continues to change in Australia, with the American brand now re-introducing a cut-price variant to the bottom of its local pickup lineup.

Returning for the first time since 2024 is the Express nameplate, which designates a stripped-back version of the 1500 with a significantly reduced price. As a result, the 1500 range now starts at $109,950 before on-road costs, down from $141,950 before on-roads previously.

It still uses Ram’s 3.0-litre ‘Hurricane’ twin-turbo six-cylinder petrol engine, but offers far fewer interior niceties and lacks full-time four-wheel drive. It’s intended to compete with other base-model full-size pickup trucks like the Ford F-150 XLT.

Australian-delivered Ram 1500 Express models all wear the ‘Black Edition’ name, which means they wear blacked-out exterior accents. Though there are regular versions of the 1500 Express available in the US, the Black Edition is the only Express configuration available here.

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The interior of the Express is characterised by cloth seats, a smaller infotainment touchscreen, a simplified instrument cluster, and much more durable materials like a plastic steering wheel. There have been no specification changes to the remaining variants, which still feature niceties like a passenger-side touchscreen.

Its introduction brings the 1500 lineup to four variants, including the off-road-focused Rebel introduced in 2025. All continue to use the Hurricane six-cylinder rather than Ram’s iconic Hemi V8, despite the beefier engine making a comeback in the US.

Ram also continues to enlist Victorian-based manufacturer Walkinshaw to convert its trucks from left- to right-hand drive, where each vehicle undergoes a 12-hour remanufacturing process using factory-sourced and backed components.

The Ram 1500 Express Black Edition is now available in Australian showrooms.

Pricing

Prices for the Laramie Sport, Rebel and Limited are unchanged for 2026, though the addition of the Express Black Edition has brought the truck’s starting price down by more than $30,000.

Drivetrains and Efficiency

All Australian-delivered Ram 1500s utilise the brand’s 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline-six ‘Hurricane’ engine. The Express, Laramie Sport, and Rebel all use the ‘Standard Output’ tune, while the ‘High Output’ tune is reserved for the flagship Limited.

Dimensions

* In standard air suspension mode.

Servicing and Warranty

All Ram vehicles sold in Australia are backed by a three-year, 100,000km warranty. Servicing for the 1500 is required every 12 months or 12,000km, whichever comes first.

Safety

The Ram 1500 hasn’t been tested by ANCAP.

Standard safety equipment highlights:

• Front, front-side and curtain airbags
• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
• • Junction assist
  • Pedestrian and cyclist detection
• Adaptive cruise control
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Driver fatigue monitoring
• Evasive steering assistance
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Lane departure warning
• Lane-keep assist
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Reversing camera
• Tyre pressure monitoring

The 1500 Limited adds:

• Driver fatigue detection
• Evasive steering assist
• Intersection assist
• Traffic sign recognition
• Surround-view camera

Standard Equipment

The Express Black Edition sits at the bottom of the Ram 1500 range, bringing the lineup to four variants.

2026 Ram 1500 Express Black Edition equipment highlights:

• Standard Output Hurricane engine
• Part-time four-wheel drive
• 20-inch black alloy wheels
• • 275/55R20 tyres
  • Full-size alloy spare
• Auto reflector LED headlights
• LED front fog lights
• Sport performance bonnet
• Black exterior accents:
• • Grille
  • Badging
  • Side mirror caps
  • Door handles
• Fixed side steps
• Plastic steering wheel
• Cloth upholstery
• Manual front seat adjustment
• 7.0-inch instrument cluster display
• 8.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• 6-speaker sound system
• 2 x USB-C ports
• Second-row in-floor storage bins with removable liners
• Damped tailgate
• Kick-down tub step
• Heavy-duty tow bar
• Four tie-down points in tub

Ram 1500 Laramie Sport adds:

• 20-inch painted or polished alloy wheels
• Full-time four-wheel drive (4WD Auto)
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Panoramic sunroof
• Trailer brake controller
• Automatic lowering and retracting side steps
• Power tailgate with one-touch close function
• Power sliding rear window
• Rear privacy glass
• Lockable, drainable and illuminated RamBox storage compartments
• Spray-in tub liner
• 5 drive modes:
• Electrochromatic rear-view mirror
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Leather upholstery
• Power-adjustable front seats
• • 8-way adjustment
  • Driver’s memory
  • 2-way power lumbar
  • Heating
  • Ventilation
• Heated outboard rear seats
• 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
• 14.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• 10.25-inch front passenger infotainment touchscreen
• Satellite navigation
• Dual wireless smartphone chargers
• 19-speaker Harman Kardon sound system
• 5 x USB-C outlets
• 1 x HDMI port
• Power-adjustable pedals
• Dual-zone climate control
• Proximity entry with push-button start

The Laramie Sport removes the sport performance bonnet in favour of a regular bonnet, and swaps out most of the black exterior elements for chrome.

Ram 1500 Rebel adds:

• Electronic rear differential lock
• 18-inch gloss black alloy wheels
• 32-inch Falken Wildpeak 275/65/18 all-terrain tyres
• Bilstein off-road dampers
• Sport performance bonnet
• Underbody skid plates
• Unique grille
• Rebel decals
• Powder-coated front and rear steel bumpers
• Red and black interior
• Proximity lighting with Ram logo projection

It misses out on RamBox cargo units, power side steps, fold-down rear centre console and ventilated front seats.

Ram 1500 Limited adds (over Laramie Sport):

• High Output Hurricane engine
• Electronic rear differential lock
• 22-inch black alloy wheels
• Air suspension with three modes (Normal, Aero and Off-Road)
• Projector LED headlights and tail-lights with unlock animation
• Daytime running lights
• Sport performance bonnet
• Digital rear-view mirror
• Massaging front seats
• Ventilated outboard rear seats

Colours

10 different colours are available across the Ram 1500 range, though most are variant-specific, and all bar white cost an additional $950.

2026 Ram 1500 Express Black Edition, Limited colours:

• Bright White
• Granite Crystal – $950
• Diamond Black – $950
• Molten Red – $950
• Forged Blue – $950
• Silver Zynith – $950

Ram 1500 Laramie Sport colours:

• Bright White
• Granite Crystal – $950
• Diamond Black – $950
• Billet Silver – $950
• Delmonico Red – $950

Ram 1500 Rebel colours:

• Bright White
• Granite Crystal – $950
• Diamond Black – $950
• Flame Red – $950
• Hydro Blue – $950

MORE: Explore the Ram 1500 showroom