4 Reasons to Choose the Chevy Silverado 1500 Over the Ram 1500

April 19th, 2024 by

A low angle shot of a white 2024 Chevy Silverado 1500 ZR2 parked in a forest.

When it comes to hard work––or recreation––you need a reliable truck that has a lot of great utility and functionality. For most truck shoppers, it’s common to choose between the popular full-size trucks available on the market, which include the Chevy Silverado 1500 and the Ram 1500. Now if you’re in the market for a light-duty pickup and have narrowed your choices down to the 2024 Silverado 1500 and 2024 Ram 1500, what would make you choose one over the other? Clearly, it would come down to functionality and utility, right?

Functionality and utility are extremely important facets of a full-size pickup, and whichever one offers the greater amount of utility is typically the one that seems like the better purchase. When it comes to trucking functionality and utility, there is a lot that the bowtie brand has to offer that makes shopping for a Chevy Silverado 1500 for sale in Birmingham seem like the optimal choice if you’re comparing it to a Ram 1500. In this article, we will explain why.

#1 – The 2024 Silverado 1500 Has Higher Towing Capacity Than the 2024 Ram 1500

For a lot of Birmingham truck drivers, having a truck that is reliable when it comes to towing is extremely important, and the higher the tow rating, the more reliably you can tow heavy loads. The Ram 1500 and Silverado 1500 have some of the best tow ratings in the light-duty segment, but the Silverado 1500 pulls ahead across every significant powertrain comparison. You just get better towing overall with the Silverado 1500.

The available powertrains for the 2024 Ram 1500 include the 3.6-liter Pentastar and the 5.7-liter HEMI V8. The Pentastar manages 7,730 lbs of towing, while the HEMI V8 manages up to 12,750 lbs. However, when you compare those figures to the ratings for the equivalent Silverado 1500 powertrains, the Ram 1500 is outperformed in each category.

Chevy’s base 2.7-liter TurboMax manages 9,500 lbs worth of towing, while the 5.3-liter EcoTec3 V8 provides 11,300 lbs worth. At the top of the lineup, both the 6.2-liter V8 and 3.0-liter Duramax turbo-diesel provide up to 13,300 lbs worth of towing. Comparing the two trucks directly, the base engine in the Silverado 1500 beats the base engine in the Ram 1500 by 1,770 lbs. Meanwhile, the 3.0-liter Duramax and 6.2-liter V8 manage to beat the Ram 1500’s 5.7-liter HEMI V8 by 550 lbs. Overall, if you want better towing, you get it with the Silverado 1500, no matter which powertrain configuration you go with.

#2 – The 2024 Silverado 1500 Offers More Cargo Space Than the 2024 Ram 1500

Cargo-carrying capacity is essential for Birmingham drivers who move lots of cargo around as part of their job. The cargo box capacity makes a big difference in terms of what you can carry and how much you can carry. The 2024 Silverado 1500 and 2024 Ram 1500 both have multiple cargo box configurations that make it easy to carry out your pickup truck duties. The larger box sizes and higher cargo capacity of the Silverado 1500, however, give it a nice edge over the Ram 1500 for the 2024 model year.

With the 2024 Ram 1500, you have two choices in the form of either a 5.6-foot short bed or a 6.4-foot standard bed. The short bed provides you with up to 53.9 cu.ft. of cargo volume, while the standard bed offers you 61.5 cu.ft. of cargo volume. This is adequate space for some drivers, but if you need more cargo volume, you won’t be getting it out of the 2024 Ram 1500.

The Silverado 1500 offers much more robust options with more space to spare. You have a 5.8-foot short bed that provides 62.9 cu.ft. of cargo volume, a 6.6-foot standard bed that has 71.7 cu.ft. of cargo volume, and an 8.2-foot long bed that offers 89.1 cu.ft. of cargo volume. Overall, the 2024 Silverado 1500 provides more cargo space than the 2024 Ram 1500. If you need the long bed for construction materials, cumbersome tools, or to haul some dirt bikes, you have more cargo capacity to work with from the Silverado 1500.

A rear view of the open tailgate on a white 2024 Chevy Silverado 1500 ZR2.

#3 – The 2024 Silverado 1500 Has Better Fuel Economy Than the 2024 Ram 1500

The Ram 1500 isn’t just less powerful; it is also less efficient. This proves to be rather problematic for drivers who are looking for a truck that can net them great gas mileage if they have to commute outside of Birmingham. The Silverado 1500 makes long trips much more palatable thanks to the fact that it has much higher estimated gas mileage than the Ram 1500. With the 2024 Ram 1500, the best possible fuel economy is achieved with the Pentastar V6 in rear-wheel drive, which achieves an estimated 20 MPG in the city and 25 MPG on the highway. That’s the best that the Ram 1500 offers in terms of range, but the 2024 Silverado 1500 offers an estimated 23 MPG in the city and 29 MPG on the highway with the 3.0-liter Duramax and rear-wheel drive.

#4 – The 2024 Silverado 1500 Has Hands-Free Driving Thanks to Super Cruise

One big level-up that the Silverado 1500 has over the Ram 1500 is in its infotainment suite and technology. Not only does the Silverado 1500 have a much larger touchscreen than the Ram 1500, with the Silverado’s measuring 13.4 inches and the Ram 1500 clocking in at 12 inches, but it also has more tech features. This is mainly thanks to the Chevy Silverado 1500’s Chevrolet Infotainment System with Google Built-In, but it also includes available Super Cruise.

Super Cruise is a hands-free, semi-autonomous driving system that is currently being expanded to cover 750,000 miles of roads across North America, which includes most major routes throughout Birmingham. If you are interested in a truck that can get you to and from your destination without having to manually drive, then Super Cruise is an excellent feature. Even more than that, Super Cruise includes trailering support, so if you’re a truck driver having to do a lot of heavy towing around the city or beyond, you can take advantage of the hands-free driving technology that the 2024 Silverado 1500 offers.

A blue 2024 Chevy Silverado 1500 ZR2 driving up a dirt hill.

Still Having a Hard Time Deciding Which Truck to Buy?

Hands-free driving, better fuel economy, and better towing are just a few of the many reasons to choose the 2024 Chevy Silverado 1500 over the 2024 Ram 1500. With consistent and constant improvements arriving with each model year, you have plenty of incentive to start shopping for a Chevy Silverado 1500 for sale near Birmingham. If you’re curious about learning more about model availability and pricing, we’re more than happy to help you find the right truck here at Edwards Chevrolet Downtown. Give us a call, chat with us online, or stop by our dealership if you happen to be in the neighborhood, and we will help you decide which Silverado 1500 model works best for you.