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.