Compare the2023 Toyota TundraVS 2023 Ram 1500

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Tundra have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Ram 1500 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Toyota Tundra has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Ram 1500 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Tundra has standard Active Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Ram 1500 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Tundra has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Ram 1500 doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The Tundra’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Ram 1500.

Both the Tundra and the Ram 1500 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available four-wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Tundra its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Ram 1500 was last a “Top Safety Pick Plus” in 2019 but no longer qualifies.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Tundra for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Ram doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the 1500.

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the engines in the Tundra have an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the 5.7 V8 hybrid in the Ram 1500.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Tundra has a standard 776-amp battery. The Ram 1500’s 730-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Ram vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in initial quality. With 14 more problems per 100 vehicles, Ram is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Ram vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Ram is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Ram vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota first in overall reliability. Ram is ranked 16th.

The Tundra has more powerful engines than the Ram 1500:

As tested in Consumer Reports the Toyota Tundra turbo V6 is faster than the Ram 1500 V8 hybrid gas:

On the EPA test cycle the Tundra gets better mileage than the Ram 1500:

Regardless of its engine, the Tundra’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. Ram only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the Ram 1500 eTORQUE/Diesel.

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Toyota Tundra, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Ram 1500.

The Tundra offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The Ram 1500’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Tundra’s wheelbase is longer than on the Ram 1500:

The Tundra 5.5-foot bed Limited Crew Cab Pickup 4x4 handles at .72 G’s, while the Ram 1500 short bed Big Horn Crew Cab Pickup 4x4 pulls only .71 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Tundra 5.5-foot bed Limited Crew Cab Pickup 4x4 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Ram 1500 short bed Big Horn Crew Cab Pickup 4x4 (28.5 seconds @ .59 average G’s vs. 29.7 seconds @ .54 average G’s).

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the Tundra 5.5-foot bed TRD Pro Crew Cab Pickup is quieter than the Ram 1500 short bed Limited Crew Cab Pickup 4x4 (32 vs. 38 dB).

The Tundra Extended Cab Pickup has .1 inches more front headroom and .3 inches more front legroom than the Ram 1500 Quad Cab.

The Tundra Crew Cab Pickup has .1 inches more front headroom and .3 inches more front legroom than the Ram 1500 Crew Cab Pickup.

The Toyota Tundra has a standard Easy lower and lift tailgate, which prevents the heavy tailgate from falling with a crash and causing injury. It allows adults and children to easily open and close the tailgate with one hand to better facilitate loading and unloading. Tailgate assist costs extra on the Ram 1500.

The Tundra’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Ram 1500’s (8300 vs. 6120 pounds).

The Tundra Extended Cab Pickup 4x4 has a higher standard payload capacity than the Ram 1500 standard bed Quad Cab 4x4 (1885 vs. 1830 lbs.).

The Tundra Limited/Platinum/1794/TRD Pro/Capstone’s standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Ram 1500 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Tundra’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Ram 1500’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the Tundra the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Ram 1500 can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Tundra Hybrid has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Ram 1500 doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The Tundra’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Ram 1500’s standard halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Tundra to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Ram 1500 doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Tundra’s standard automatic temperature control maintains the temperature you set, automatically controlling fan speed, vents and temperature to maintain a consistent, comfortable environment. The Ram 1500 Tradesman/HFE doesn’t offer automatic air conditioning.