'24 vs '25 1500 Features & Value Differences

[AnthonyRI]

Rainy day project -

We've seen a LOT of posts comparing what someone's prior model year (be it '24 or earlier) would cost if replicated today. In most cases, that gets really tricky because options/packages change, and the obvious that now we're in Hurricane season!
Couple that with the fact that an article was published that touted extreme price increases, but they were flat our wrong on almost every trim level ($14K hike on Longhorn just didn't happen). So for the purpose of clarity, I thought it'd be fun to drill it down to just standard features and get it as close as possible. I'll say it first - YES my job is to sell Ram trucks lol - but I also have a strong desire to have real numbers and clarity in doing so. This is not a slag on anyone who posted and said "gee this is getting really expensive" Clearly prices have gone up, but what I'm finding is that the big price increase was actually back in '22 going to '23, not '24 to '25. In addition, Stellantis did a similar move on the Rubicon 392 from 23 to 24 where they included a bunch of previously optional items, and the final increase was negligible.... drilled further into 4xe and found similar.

check my math and tell me where I'm missing something please, would love for this thread to be a strong reference point rather than just opinions. But if you've got a personal example, please post a window sticker so we can compare!

For the standard features comparison, I used the "compare model" tool on the consumer facing ramtrucks.com build & price site - and honestly I omitted a lot of the aesthetic parts. Listing which badges were where, or what color they were, didn't seem important for this excercise. Then I took those features that were standard on 2025 and looked up what they cost to add to a 2024. For the base + engine + destination pricing I went back to the code-guides from the release date of that model year. If you purchased in middle of the model year, that of course may have had some intra-year price increases. ALSO, and this is a big also, there are no rebates taken into account - to keep it clean and simple for now.

I used all Bighorn Crewcab 4x4 5'7" bed with ETorque Hemi (and then Hurricane of course for '25)

Here's my findings, please feel free to let me know if I've got an error somewhere - when staring at the same sheets for a while I'm bound to go blurry!

2025 Standard Feature	2024 Value
LED Low/High Reflector Headlamps / Fog Lamps	$995 (Premium Lighting Group)
Rear Wheelhouse Liners	$220
Brake-Assist, Ped braking, collision warn, lane keep	$795 (L1 Safety Group)
L1 Group (8.4" & Related)	$1,995
Remote-Start System	$245
ParkSense® Front and Rear Park-Assist with Stop	$495
Remote-Start System	$245
Blind-Spot and Cross-Path Detection	$595
Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Go	Unavailable - Was within Laramie Adv Safety as starting point
Automatic High-Beam Headlamp-Control	Unavailable - Was within Laramie L1 Group as starting point

* From what I can see, the only thing in 2024 L1 group that is not included in 2025 is power folding mirrors

	Code Date	MSRP	Engine	Destination	Total Cost	Change
2025​	12/12/2023​	$51,535​	$2,695​	$1,995​	$56,225​	$1,450​
2024​	6/9/2023​	$49,735​	$3,045​	$1,995​	$54,775​	$1,750​
2023​	8/2/2022​	$48,235​	$2,995​	$1,795​	$53,025​	$4,800​
2022​	6/16/2021​	$44,235​	$2,295​	$1,695​	$48,225​	$1,545​
2021​	7/2/2020​	$42,990​	$1,995​	$1,695​	$46,680​	-$200​
2020​	6/20/2019​	$42,540​	$2,645​	$1,695​	$46,880​	$1,345​
2019​	3/6/2018​	$41,895​	$1,995​	$1,645​	$45,535​

* By end of model year, 2024 was $56,225 making YOY change $0

 

[HemiDude]

Thanks for taking the time to put this together, it is some good food for thought. We are all going to complain about price increases, even though we know they will happen. Please don't ignore the weight of "where they included a bunch of previously optional items", though ... When manufactures force buyers to pay for items they otherwise don't want, the price increase is real, and the final net change can be more than some will stomach.

 

[AnthonyRI]

Thanks for taking the time to put this together, it is some good food for thought. We are all going to complain about price increases, even though we know they will happen. Please don't ignore the weight of "where they included a bunch of previously optional items", though ... When manufactures force buyers to pay for items they otherwise don't want, the price increase is real, and the final net change can be more than some will stomach.

100% agreed on the required-new-standard, it forces one to make a choice between an older model, lower trim, or keeping what they've got when it gets out of reach.
Eventually, Bighorns become the old Laramies both in price and features, aside from leather, in a roundabout way.

There's also the relationship of rebates as well (assuming dealer discount is constant, for arguments sake). You will always pay a "premium" for getting what's NEW when it is NEWEST, which amplifies the issue. This bighorn as a 2024 would have a $3500 rebate, plus $1K loyalty, $1K potential TDM, for $5500 in savings over it's '25 counterpart. On the higher trims (which I will go through as time allows) their 10% rebate widens the gap.

 

[silver billet]

100% agreed on the required-new-standard, it forces one to make a choice between an older model, lower trim, or keeping what they've got when it gets out of reach.
Eventually, Bighorns become the old Laramies both in price and features, aside from leather, in a roundabout way.

There's also the relationship of rebates as well (assuming dealer discount is constant, for arguments sake). You will always pay a "premium" for getting what's NEW when it is NEWEST, which amplifies the issue. This bighorn as a 2024 would have a $3500 rebate, plus $1K loyalty, $1K potential TDM, for $5500 in savings over it's '25 counterpart. On the higher trims (which I will go through as time allows) their 10% rebate widens the gap.

I have a seriously hard time accepting the turbo options. Lets say I manage to swallow that down despite my serious misgivings.

All I want is a simple truck to tow. I can be well satisfied with a tradesman or bighorn. If ram thinks I'm spending another $35k just to get into a trim that has the best engine for towing, they can go jump off a cliff.

Yes I know the counter claim to this is that the SO is supposed to have more power than my hemi, but that's not how I look at it. I won't turn down more power while towing, and getting the most powerful engine for towing, at a reasonable upgrade cost over the other engines, is a reasonable expectation. This whole "you must jump 5 trims to get the best towing engine" is stupid and a major turn off.

The most capable truck for towing would be a tradesman with the H/O. As a dealer, please tell them that they are absolutely nuts with their engine being reserved by trim, and I for one won't play ball.

 

[firecadet613]

I have a seriously hard time accepting the turbo options. Lets say I manage to swallow that down despite my serious misgivings.

All I want is a simple truck to tow. I can be well satisfied with a tradesman or bighorn. If ram thinks I'm spending another $35k just to get into a trim that has the best engine for towing, they can go jump off a cliff.

Yes I know the counter claim to this is that the SO is supposed to have more power than my hemi, but that's not how I look at it. I won't turn down more power while towing, and getting the most powerful engine for towing, at a reasonable upgrade cost over the other engines, is a reasonable expectation. This whole "you must jump 5 trims to get the best towing engine" is stupid and a major turn off.

The most capable truck for towing would be a tradesman with the H/O. As a dealer, please tell them that they are absolutely nuts with their engine being reserved by trim, and I for one won't play ball.

Can you get a 6.2 V8 in a lower trim GM truck? It's not just a Ram thing...

 

[CalvinC]

I have a seriously hard time accepting the turbo options. Lets say I manage to swallow that down despite my serious misgivings.

All I want is a simple truck to tow. I can be well satisfied with a tradesman or bighorn. If ram thinks I'm spending another $35k just to get into a trim that has the best engine for towing, they can go jump off a cliff.

Yes I know the counter claim to this is that the SO is supposed to have more power than my hemi, but that's not how I look at it. I won't turn down more power while towing, and getting the most powerful engine for towing, at a reasonable upgrade cost over the other engines, is a reasonable expectation. This whole "you must jump 5 trims to get the best towing engine" is stupid and a major turn off.

The most capable truck for towing would be a tradesman with the H/O. As a dealer, please tell them that they are absolutely nuts with their engine being reserved by trim, and I for one won't play ball.

I understand your sentiment for sure, but extending that logic would mean the best tool for the job of towing is an HD Cummins, so why does Ram make you jump up that far to get the best towing rig?

If it stays cool, I have no doubt the SO engine meets the towing bar set by the Hemi, and surely that's all they were after. No sense in escalating the "towing numbers war" in this segment any more.

Less philosophically, more technically, I think you are right that the HO engine would be better for towing, but the trims it is bolted to will not be. My understanding is HO runs bigger turbos, and for extended loaded run times you want more airflow at lower boost (eg bigger turbos).

So count me in as someone wanting to see the HO in lower trims.

 

[AnthonyRI]

And now for Laramie. not nearly as KIND to us as Bighorn was, clearly going "upmarket" with more standard features - which when compared to their prior year value is still fair & reasonable, IF you would have selected them. It's not perfect apples to apples either because there are some items missing from the original safety and L1 groups that are still extras in '25, but you get the point. If you consider paying HALF for Advanced Safety since it still omits the surround view on '25, and then add back in the new L1 to get those missing items, it comes to about a $4600 added value, with a $7K price increase. Not the end of the world, but not as amicable as the Bighorn where we snagged $5K in value for not a penny over sticker, just dropped that stuff right in! Bighorn certainly the winner out of these two.

2025 Standard Feature	2024 Value
20-Inch x 9.0-Inch Premium Painted/Polished Wheels	$1,395​
Level 1 Equipment Group	$2,790​
Advanced Safety Group	$1,895​
Rear Wheelhouse Liners	$220​
Class IV Receiver Hitch	$445​
Rear Underseat Compartment Storage	$125​

*Surround view camera system missing from standard features in 2025, avail in new safety group

* All of L1 Group is standard in 2025 except for the sensitive wipers and remote tailgate, they're in L1 now for $395

	Code Date	MSRP	Engine	Destination	Total Cost	Change
2025​	12/12/2023​	$63,880​	$3,045​	$1,995​	$68,920​	$6,945​
2024​	6/9/2023​	$56,985​	$2,995​	$1,995​	$61,975​	$2,200​
2023	8/2/2022​	$55,485​	$2,295​	$1,995​	$59,775​	$6,785​
2022	6/16/2021​	$49,300​	$1,995​	$1,695​	$52,990​	$1,120​
2021	7/2/2020​	$47,530​	$2,645​	$1,695​	$51,870​	$1,940​
2020	6/20/2019​	$46,240​	$1,995​	$1,695​	$49,930​	$2,540​
2019	3/6/2018​	$45,695​	$0​	$1,695​	$47,390​
*By end of model year, 2024 was $63,525, making '25 effective increase $5395

 

[silver billet]

Can you get a 6.2 V8 in a lower trim GM truck? It's not just a Ram thing...

Wrong perspective. Ram can't exactly afford to turn away otherwise satisfied customers, and if I can't find the engine I want with the ram then other options (like a diesel) in the GM are far more attractive to me.

 

[silver billet]

I understand your sentiment for sure, but extending that logic would mean the best tool for the job of towing is an HD Cummins

No it wouldn't, this is half tons. If I was getting a 3/4 or 1 ton I'd be looking heavily at the Ford super duty with that 7.3.

 

[firecadet613]

Wrong perspective. Ram can't exactly afford to turn away otherwise satisfied customers, and if I can't find the engine I want with the ram then other options (like a diesel) in the GM are far more attractive to me.

Ram is clearly trying to attract the high end pickup buyer (Tungsten). How many years did Ram not have any engine option (let's be honest, who considered the Pentastar in the Ram). Ford has had the 2.7, 3.5, and 5.0 for years. GM the 5.3, 6.2, and more recently the 2.7.

It's the norm in the industry to have to go to a higher trim level to get the big engines, nothing new here. It's just new to Ram as they finally have two powerful engine choices.

And as Anthony has shown, the big price jump was a few years ago, not in the 24 to 25 change. If you want to play, you gotta pay... but the big tow ratings will still be in the lower trims...

 

[AnthonyRI]

Wrong perspective. Ram can't exactly afford to turn away otherwise satisfied customers, and if I can't find the engine I want with the ram then other options (like a diesel) in the GM are far more attractive to me.

I completely respect your sentiment but I'm not sure I agree with how you got there. And much of this is going to depend on actual payloads/towing capacities once we see real doorjamb stickers because the marketing-speak of "max available" is never exactly what you have on your existing truck, or the one that gets built next.

If you like your HEMI, and the SO Hurricane will underperform compared to that - then I agree.
If you like your HEMI, and the SO Hurricane will OUTperform, then i don't see the problem?

If you like your HEMI, and the SO OUTperforms it, but the HO Hurricane would be even better . . . I don't see why that's a concern. There's always a bigger & better than what I am willing to pay for also (Fellow bighorn driver here lol)

 

[silver billet]

Ram is clearly trying to attract the high end pickup buyer (Tungsten). How many years did Ram not have any engine option (let's be honest, who considered the Pentastar in the Ram). Ford has had the 2.7, 3.5, and 5.0 for years. GM the 5.3, 6.2, and more recently the 2.7.

It's the norm in the industry to have to go to a higher trim level to get the big engines, nothing new here. It's just new to Ram as they finally have two powerful engine choices.

And as Anthony has shown, the big price jump was a few years ago, not in the 24 to 25 change. If you want to play, you gotta pay... but the big tow ratings will still be in the lower trims...

I have no idea what you're trying to argue here. The point is simple: I have a ram, but if I were to upgrade tomorrow I would not choose another ram because I can't get the engine I want at a civil price. That frees me up to look at other options, and the GM diesel, or the 6.2 is far more attractive to me than any of engines from ram.

If the HO were available on a tradesman, suddenly that changes the equation. I could purchase a cheap truck with tons of power, exactly what I want. Since I can't do that from Ram, they "lose their hold" on me (for lack of a better term) and I'm free to wander to the other trucks.

At lower trims, Ram is not good enough to keep me as a customer. It's really that simple.

 

[silver billet]

I completely respect your sentiment but I'm not sure I agree with how you got there. And much of this is going to depend on actual payloads/towing capacities once we see real doorjamb stickers because the marketing-speak of "max available" is never exactly what you have on your existing truck, or the one that gets built next.

If you like your HEMI, and the SO Hurricane will underperform compared to that - then I agree.
If you like your HEMI, and the SO Hurricane will OUTperform, then i don't see the problem?

If you like your HEMI, and the SO OUTperforms it, but the HO Hurricane would be even better . . . I don't see why that's a concern. There's always a bigger & better than what I am willing to pay for also (Fellow bighorn driver here lol)

Lets put it this way. A tradesman with a HO and a $5000 upcharge for the HO would be a civil upgrade cost, and more importantly, a killer towing machine. I could never walk away from Ram at that point because the value is huge and the cost is small.

Without that option, I'm going to wander to the competition and buy the engine I really want: a strong v8, or the diesel. Yes I'm still going to pay more, but I get what I want whereas I don't want the SO Ram.

Basically, in the volume trims there is nothing from Ram that entices me to stay. And if I have to pay to jump into an upscale Ram, then I'm going to spend that money on an upscale GM instead.

 

[firecadet613]

I have no idea what you're trying to argue here. The point is simple: I have a ram, but if I were to upgrade tomorrow I would not choose another ram because I can't get the engine I want at a civil price. That frees me up to look at other options, and the GM diesel, or the 6.2 is far more attractive to me than any of engines from ram.

If the HO were available on a tradesman, suddenly that changes the equation. I could purchase a cheap truck with tons of power, exactly what I want. Since I can't do that from Ram, they "lose their hold" on me (for lack of a better term) and I'm free to wander to the other trucks.

At lower trims, Ram is not good enough to keep me as a customer. It's really that simple.

I'm not arguing anything, just stating facts. I've ordered a Ford, a Ram and the next one I ordered very well may be a GM.

I'm just telling you to look at the market. You expect Ram to put their top engine in base model trims when neither Ford nor GM does? Not gonna happen. If you'd look at a GM 6.2, which only comes in higher end truck, you should look at a higher end Ram with the HO.

I read an article the other day of a GM engine (maybe a supercharged 6.2?) That is built in Bowling Green, by hand, and they are NOT putting it in the pickups...

The pickup market has been pivoting away from the base trims to the fully loaded, tricked out trucks for a few years now, nothing new here...

 

[silver billet]

I'm not arguing anything, just stating facts. I've ordered a Ford, a Ram and the next one I ordered very well may be a GM.

I'm just telling you to look at the market. You expect Ram to put their top engine in base model trims when neither Ford nor GM does? Not gonna happen. If you'd look at a GM 6.2, which only comes in higher end truck, you should look at a higher end Ram with the HO.

I read an article the other day of a GM engine (maybe a supercharged 6.2?) That is built in Bowling Green, by hand, and they are NOT putting it in the pickups...

The pickup market has been pivoting away from the base trims to the fully loaded, tricked out trucks for a few years now, nothing new here...

You're still not getting it.

Without that HO to "sweeten" the deal, Ram does not have a compelling offering for me in the tradesman/bighorn trim. So that means I can spend another 10 to 15k and get a diesel/v8 in a GM, or spend another 35k and get a HO with Ram for an engine I don't really want that badly.

I might consider the HO for a few thousand bucks extra in a tradesman/bighorn. I will NOT pay 35k to get it.

We all know they play games with the engines, the point is Ram doesn't have anything of value for me at a cost I'm willing to pay. Under no circumstance am I getting the SO when for the same price range I can get a v8/diesel somewhere else.

 

[firecadet613]

You're still not getting it.

Without that HO to "sweeten" the deal, Ram does not have a compelling offering for me in the tradesman/bighorn trim. So that means I can spend another 10 to 15k and get a diesel/v8 in a GM, or spend another 35k and get a HO with Ram for an engine I don't really want that badly.

I might consider the HO for a few thousand bucks extra in a tradesman/bighorn. I will NOT pay 35k to get it.

We all know they play games with the engines, the point is Ram doesn't have anything of value for me at a cost I'm willing to pay. Under no circumstance am I getting the SO when for the same price range I can get a v8/diesel somewhere else.

Oh I get it and it makes sense. No one is holding a gun to your head to buy a Ram.

I get why the top engines stay in the top trips and am A OK with it.

No manufacturer really seems to care if they lose a sale over something like this, as there are many folks who will buy up to get the bigger engine...

 

[mikeru82]

I have no idea what you're trying to argue here. The point is simple: I have a ram, but if I were to upgrade tomorrow I would not choose another ram because I can't get the engine I want at a civil price. That frees me up to look at other options, and the GM diesel, or the 6.2 is far more attractive to me than any of engines from ram.

If the HO were available on a tradesman, suddenly that changes the equation. I could purchase a cheap truck with tons of power, exactly what I want. Since I can't do that from Ram, they "lose their hold" on me (for lack of a better term) and I'm free to wander to the other trucks.

At lower trims, Ram is not good enough to keep me as a customer. It's really that simple.

Not trying to be argumentative here, but wanting a Tradesman with the HO engine is the equivalent to wanting a Chevy W/T with a 6.2. It's not possible. You have to move up 4 trim levels to get that engine in a Chevy half ton. In an ideal world we could order any truck with any option. I'd love having the option to do that. I just wouldn't want to pay the amount of money it would take to have it.

 

[silver billet]

Not trying to be argumentative here, but wanting a Tradesman with the HO engine is the equivalent to wanting a Chevy W/T with a 6.2. It's not possible. You have to move up 4 trim levels to get that engine in a Chevy half ton. In an ideal world we could order any truck with any option. I'd love having the option to do that. I just wouldn't want to pay the amount of money it would take to have it.

You guys are focusing on the wrong thing. Here is the logic:
- the only new Ram I'll purchase is one with a HO
- I only want a tradesman or big horn
- the cheapest way to get the engine I want in a Ram is to spend 35k over my preferred trim.

Now lets do the same with GM. The cheapest GM I want is like an SLE with a diesel or a v8, which is about 15 to 20k over a Ram tradesman.

Do you guys see it now? Its about how much it costs me to get into a truck with an engine I want. When it comes to Ram, they'll bankrupt you first. Not going to happen with me.

IF they offered the HO in a tradesman, it'd be a no brainer, I couldn't possibly walk away from Ram.

 

[silver billet]

And as a final point, a large attraction for the Ram when I bought it, was how cheap I could get it with powerful v8. That's all gone now. Now they're just another brand playing the rip-off game, and since that value proposition is completely destroyed, the competition keeps looking better and better.

 

[mikeru82]

You guys are focusing on the wrong thing. Here is the logic:
- the only new Ram I'll purchase is one with a HO
- I only want a tradesman or big horn
- the cheapest way to get the engine I want in a Ram is to spend 35k over my preferred trim.

Now lets do the same with GM. The cheapest GM I want is like an SLE with a diesel or a v8, which is about 15 to 20k over a Ram tradesman.

Do you guys see it now? Its about how much it costs me to get into a truck with an engine I want. When it comes to Ram, they'll bankrupt you first. Not going to happen with me.

IF they offered the HO in a tradesman, it'd be a no brainer, I couldn't possibly walk away from Ram.

But you're not being honest with your GM vs Ram comparisons. Looks like you're thinking GMC and not Chevy. Fair enough. You can't get a SLE with the 6.2 engine. The lowest trim level GMC you can get with that engine is AT4, which starts at basically $70k. Sure, you can get the 5.3 in lower trim levels, but that's not their top 1500 engine. The baby Duramax is available in just about any trim level if that's the engine you want. But that's definitely not their top engine either.

I'm not trying to justify Ram's engine choices. I think it's a mistake for them not to offer a V8 option. But I also think the SO Hurricane engine will tow just as well as the Hemi you have now. My basis for that is the fact that we also own an F150 EB, which I think tows better in the hills than our Ram Limited with the Hemi.