Car and Driver has named the 2021 Ram 1500 to its “10Best vehicles for 2021” list for the third consecutive year. Previous winners were invited to defend their crown and the new 2021 Ram 1500 TRX was also submitted for evaluation. The award applies to the entire Ram 1500 lineup, the only pickup truck to secure a spot on this year’s list.
Car and Driver evaluates each contender versus its peers using a 100-point scale, basing each score on how well it meets its intended purpose, how good a value it is and how compelling it is to operate. This award recognizes the smartest, most entertaining cars, trucks, SUVs and vans on sale today. Vehicles are judged with an emphasis on value, mission fulfillment and if they’re fun to drive.
This is the third year in a row Ram 1500 – the most awarded light-duty truck in America – has been named to Car and Driver’s 10Best.
For the third consecutive time, Car and Driver combined 10Best Cars and 10Best Trucks and SUVs into a single list — 10Best for 2020, which appears in the magazine’s January issue.
Car and Driver’s 10Best winners still represent the smartest, most entertaining vehicles customers can buy today. They are picked after an exhaustive evaluation of this year’s new or significantly refreshed models, as well as last year’s defending 10Best honorees. For two weeks, Car and Driver editors drove, measured, tested and scrutinized more than 70 cars, trucks, SUVs and vans.
To earn a 10Best win, a vehicle must prove itself against contenders as diverse as the automotive industry. Car and Driver’s criteria remain the same: every winner must deliver exceptional driving engagement, offer indisputable value and/or practicality and fulfill its mission better than any of its competition.
Any vehicle with a base price higher than $90,000 is excluded from consideration, based on the editors’ belief that an oversize price should guarantee excellence.