If you’re drinking coffee or water, put it down. The price of Ram 1500 maintenance could make you spit whatever you’re drinking out all over your phone or computer. Seriously, why is this truck so expensive to take care of?

Does the Ram 1500 have good maintenance costs? 

No, the Ram 1500 actually has very expensive maintenance costs. According to CarEdge, the Ram 1500 costs about $18,470 to maintain for 10 years. 

Then the bigger the Ram trucks, the more expensive it gets. For example, the 10-year cost to maintain a Ram 2500 is $27,666. The average maintenance cost of a Ram 3500 after 10 years is $26,899. 

Meanwhile, rivals are much cheaper to take care of. For example, the Ford F-150 has an average maintenance cost of $10,991 over 10 years. The Toyota Tundra is the cheapest full-size truck to maintain with a 10-year cost of $6,922. 

The Ram 1500 may have higher maintenance costs than rivals due to its build quality and electrical problems. Drivers have commonly reported and complained about severe electrical issues. 

Plus, the complex technology features and problems with the transmission can lead to expensive parts needed to make repairs. This results in more expensive repair bills. 

But have Ram trucks improved over the years? Older models don’t have the best reputation for being reliable. But in 2019, the current generation launched with various improvements. 

Let’s turn back time. According to J.D.Power, the 2014 Ram 1500 has a reliability rating of 78 out of 100. This is an average score. But the 2024 model has a reliability rating of 89 out of 100. That’s an 11-point improvement and it’s also the best score I’ve ever seen. 

Scores between 70 and 80 are average, while anything between 81 and 90 is above average. Ratings between 91 and 100 are best. 

Perhaps Ram trucks are improving, but the 10-year maintenance costs don’t reflect that, yet.