In America, there are really two segments when it comes to new vehicles sales. You have full-size pickup trucks, and everything else. Trucks have dominated here for decades, and for much of that time, it has been a race between Ford, Chevrolet, and Ram. And between those three, there’s really only one race: Silverado and Ram. Try as they might, nobody can catch the F-Series – unless you lump Silverado and GMC Sierra sales together. But that’s another argument for another day.
Base Trim Engine
3.6L Pentastar V6
Base Trim Transmission
8-speed automatic
Base Trim Drivetrain
Rear-Wheel Drive
Base Trim Horsepower
305 HP @6400 RPM
Base Trim Torque
269 lb.-ft. @ 4800 RPM
Base Trim Fuel Economy (city/highway/combined)
20/25/22 MPG
Base Trim Battery Type
Lead acid battery
Infotainment & Features
9 /10
Today, we’re looking at the battle for second place. And folks, it’s heating up. Silverado is usually number two, but a few years back, Ram claimed that spot, if only for a little while. Then came the refresh and the end of Hemi engines in the Ram 1500, which hit Ram sales so hard that even the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V beat it in 2025. Now that we’re halfway through 2026, we’re starting to see what the Hemi’s return is doing for Ram sales. And if we worked at Chevy, we’d be nervous.
Silverado Is Slipping, Ram Is Soaring
2025 Chevrolet Silverado 1500Chevrolet
How nervous would we be? To be fair, there’s still a healthy gap between them. With all Silverado variants combined (including medium-duty trucks and the Silverado EV), Chevy’s enduring truck sits at 276,074 sales through the first six months of the year. That’s a decline of 4.6% from the same period a year ago – not huge, but a decline nonetheless. meanwhile at Ram, sales are up 19% and sit at 207,616 units sold. Some basic math tells us Chevy outsold Ram by 68,458 trucks.
Make/Model
Q2 2025
Q2 2026
% Difference
YTD 2025
YTD 2026
% Difference
Ram (LD/HD)
95,472
109,166
+14%
174,320
207,616
+19%
Silverado (LD/HD)
153,301
142,745
-6.8%
278,599
268,884
-3.5%
Silverado (LD/MD/HD/EV
159,537
147,256
-7.7%
289,251
276,074
-4.6%
But, let’s do some additional math. Ram sales are strictly for light-duty and heavy-duty trucks. If we jump back to Chevy and subtract medium-duty trucks and the Silverado EV, Silverado sales are 268,884. That takes the gap to 61,268, which is still a healthy number but not one that insurmountable by any means. Can Ram overcome that gap to claim second place once again?
Expanding Ram Lineup And A New Silverado Creates Uncertainty
2027 Ram 1500 Rumble BeeRam
If this were a normal year, Chevrolet’s place would likely be secure. There would have to be some kind of major downturn to really kill Silverado sales, and if we take a closer look at the numbers, light-duty Silverado 1500 sales actually climbed slightly in the second quarter. That’s the volume seller by far, so Ram would really need to light the afterburners to catch up.
Related
These Two SUVs Are Saving Chevrolet’s Skin Right Now
Every brand at GM lost sales through the first half of 2026. Chevrolet’s hit was minimal, thanks to strong numbers from a pair of crossovers.
But that’s exactly what Ram has done. It started last year with the return of the Hemi V8 as an option for the 1500. Then came the return of the TRX, now as a full-fledged SRT vehicle. Just a couple of months later, we got not one but three new on-road performance trucks, including another SRT pickup and another Hemi option, the 6.4-liter in the Rumble Bee 392. Will those performance trucks be volume sellers? Absolutely not, but they will likely be outstanding halo vehicles that bring buyers back into Ram showrooms. Sales numbers show buyers are already responding.
2027 Chevrolet Silverado 1500Chevrolet
However, Chevrolet isn’t sitting on its hands. The brand recently debuted its next-generation Silverado 1500, complete with a new generation of V8 engines powering them. The styling is fresh but conservative, which should appeal to traditional Silverado buyers. This could certainly bring buyers into showrooms, but transitioning to a new-generation vehicle often leads to a temporary drop in sales. Just ask Toyota how things are going with the new RAV4 right now.
Related
Ford Quietly Announces A Massive Sales Decline For May
It’s not an alarm-sounding drop yet, but a double-digit sales hit is never good.
If Ram keeps the momentum going with its exciting lineup of new models, and if Chevrolet runs into any production issues bringing the new Silverado online, we could well have a new top-three lineup in America before the year is out. Stay tuned for this one, folks.
