Ram Maintenance Schedule & Costs

By CarWhere Research · Updated November 7, 2026

Ram maintenance costs about $1,704 a year across the 1 model we price (AAA's 2025 per-mile benchmarks for each model's vehicle category, 15,000 miles a year), against a $1,656 all-vehicle average. No complimentary scheduled maintenance program was confirmed on Ram's U.S. site. Ram's published oil-change interval: per automatic oil change indicator (duty-cycle based); service within 500 miles of the 'Oil Change Required' message. Never exceed 10,000 miles, 12 months, or 350 hours of engine run time, whichever comes first.

Est. per year

$1,704

vs $1,656 average

Brand rank

#6 of 25

cost, then complaints

Free maintenance

None confirmed

Models covered

1 priced

Ram maintenance schedule

Intervals and items from Ram's own maintenance guides and owner's manuals, linked row by row. Your engine and driving conditions can change them; the manual for your car wins.

Ram factory maintenance schedule (manufacturer documents; items paraphrased)
Interval	Service items	Source
Every oil change (per indicator)	Change oil and filter Rotate tires at first sign of irregular wear Inspect battery/terminals Inspect CV/universal joints Inspect brake pads, shoes, rotors, drums, hoses Inspect cooling system and hoses Inspect exhaust Inspect engine air filter if dusty/off-road Inspect/replace EVAP fresh-air filter as needed	2026 Ram 1500 Owner Handbook — Scheduled Servicing & Fluids
Every 10,000 miles	Rotate tires (or sooner if tread-depth difference is 2/32 in. or more) Inspect CV/universal joints	2026 Ram 1500 Owner Handbook — Scheduled Servicing & Fluids
Every 12,000 miles	Inspect cabin air filter, replace as needed	2026 Ram 1500 Owner Handbook — Scheduled Servicing & Fluids
Every 15,000 miles	Inspect front suspension and tie rod ends Inspect brake linings Adjust parking brake as needed	2026 Ram 1500 Owner Handbook — Scheduled Servicing & Fluids
Every 24 months	Change brake fluid (time-based only)	2026 Ram 1500 Owner Handbook — Scheduled Servicing & Fluids
Every 30,000 miles	Replace engine air filter Inspect axles for leakage; change axle fluid if used for police/taxi/fleet/off-road/frequent towing Inspect transfer case fluid under heavy/off-road/fleet use	2026 Ram 1500 Owner Handbook — Scheduled Servicing & Fluids
Every 60,000 miles	Replace spark plugs (3.0L)	2026 Ram 1500 Owner Handbook — Scheduled Servicing & Fluids
Every 100,000 miles	Replace spark plugs (5.7L) Replace PCV valve if necessary	2026 Ram 1500 Owner Handbook — Scheduled Servicing & Fluids
Every 120,000 miles	Change transfer case fluid	2026 Ram 1500 Owner Handbook — Scheduled Servicing & Fluids
10 years or 150,000 miles	Flush and replace engine coolant Replace accessory drive belt Inspect belt tensioner and pulley	2026 Ram 1500 Owner Handbook — Scheduled Servicing & Fluids

Oil-change interval

Normal service: Per automatic oil change indicator (duty-cycle based); service within 500 miles of the 'Oil Change Required' message. Never exceed 10,000 miles, 12 months, or 350 hours of engine run time, whichever comes first.

Severe or special conditions: Indicator shortens the interval for short trips, trailer towing, and extreme hot/cold temperatures; no separate fixed severe mileage stated for the 1500 in this handbook.

Oil: 3.0L standard-output, 3.6L and 5.7L: full synthetic SAE 0W-20 (MS-6395, API SP). 3.0L High Output: full synthetic SAE 0W-40 (MS-A0921, API SP).

Source: 2026 Ram 1500 Owner Handbook — Scheduled Servicing & Fluids

Free / included maintenance

No complimentary scheduled maintenance confirmed for new Ram vehicles.

Ram maintenance cost by model

Per-year figures use AAA's 2025 benchmark for each model's vehicle category at 15,000 miles a year; they include repairs and tires. Models in the same category share a benchmark, so compare complaint rates too.

Ram models: estimated maintenance and NHTSA complaints
Model	Est. per year	5 years	Complaints / 1,000 sold	Verdict
1500	$1,704	$8,520	0.968 Below average	Somewhat — above average

Which Ram has the least problems?

NHTSA owner complaints per 1,000 vehicles sold (2015–2022 U.S. sales), graded against every model in the same segment. Lower is better.

Ram models in CarWhere's sales-adjusted NHTSA study
Model	Segment	Complaints / 1,000	Grade	Years flagged
Pickup	pickups	0.968	Below average	2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2022

Ram vs other brands

Ram ranks #6 of 25. Priced brands are ordered by the average of their models' estimates; brands that don't publish service prices follow, ordered by complaint rate.

Brands ranked by estimated maintenance cost per year (priced brands), then median NHTSA complaints per 1,000 sold
#	Brand	Est. per year	Median complaints / 1,000	Included maintenance
1	Tesla	$1,511	—	None confirmed
2	Toyota	$1,463–$1,769	0.182 (5 models)	ToyotaCare: 2 years or 25,000 miles, whichever comes first, for model years 2026 and earlier
3	Mazda	$1,535–$1,746	0.317 (4 models)	None confirmed
4	Volkswagen	$1,535–$1,769	0.337 (2 models)	Carefree Maintenance (part of Carefree Coverage): 2 years — covers the 10,000- and 20,000-mile scheduled services, or scheduled services for two years, whichever occurs first
5	GMC	$1,704	0.867 (2 models)	GMC First Service Visit: First scheduled service visit for new GMC owners
6	Ram	$1,704	0.968 (1 model)	None confirmed
7	Hyundai	$1,535–$1,769	0.759 (4 models)	Hyundai Complimentary Maintenance (HCM): 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first
8	Subaru	$1,619–$1,769	0.405 (2 models)	None confirmed
9	Honda	$1,535–$1,787	0.497 (5 models)	Honda Maintenance Program: 1 year / 12,000 miles on 2026 models
10	Chevrolet	$1,704–$1,769	0.517 (3 models)	Chevrolet Complete Care — covered first maintenance visit: One visit within the first 12 months of ownership
11	Ford	$1,704–$1,769	0.672 (2 models)	None confirmed
12	Kia	$1,746–$1,769	0.756 (4 models)	None confirmed
13	Jeep	$1,746–$1,769	1.19 (4 models)	None confirmed
14	Nissan	$1,746–$1,787	0.355 (6 models)	Nissan Maintenance Care: Up to 3 oil changes within 2 years or 24,000 miles, whichever comes first
15	Porsche	$1,824–$2,168	—	Included First Service: First scheduled service at 1 year/10,000 miles on new internal-combustion Porsches
16	Lexus	Not priced	0.202 (1 model)	LexusCare complimentary maintenance: First two scheduled services: 6 months/5,000 miles and 12 months/10,000 miles, whichever comes first
17	Acura	Not priced	0.874 (2 models)	Acura Maintenance Program: 1 year / 12,000 miles
18	Audi	Not priced	—	Audi Signature Care Scheduled Maintenance: Included with every new model-year 2026 Audi: scheduled services in the first 3 years/30,000 miles, whichever occurs first
19	BMW	Not priced	—	BMW Ultimate Care Scheduled Maintenance: 36 months or 36,000 miles, whichever first, from original in-service date
20	Cadillac	Not priced	—	Cadillac First Maintenance Visit: First service visit at a participating dealer within the first year of vehicle delivery
21	Genesis	Not priced	—	Genesis Complimentary Scheduled Maintenance (with Service Valet): 3 years / 36,000 miles, whichever comes first
22	Land Rover	Not priced	—	None confirmed
23	Lincoln	Not priced	—	Lincoln complimentary scheduled maintenance: 4 years / 50,000 miles
24	Mercedes-Benz	Not priced	—	None confirmed
25	Volvo	Not priced	—	Volvo Complimentary Factory Scheduled Maintenance: MY2026 gas mild-hybrid/plug-in hybrid: first two scheduled services

Frequently asked questions

Is Ram expensive to maintain?

What is the cheapest Ram to maintain?

Of the 1 Ram models we cover, the 1500 has the lowest estimated maintenance cost: about $1,704 a year (AAA 2025 half-ton crew-cab pickup benchmark).

Is Ram a reliable brand?

On owner complaints, Ram is weaker than most: of the 1 Ram model in our sales-adjusted NHTSA study, 0 grade above average for its segment and 1 below.

How often does a Ram need an oil change?

Ram's published oil-change interval: per automatic oil change indicator (duty-cycle based); service within 500 miles of the 'Oil Change Required' message. Never exceed 10,000 miles, 12 months, or 350 hours of engine run time, whichever comes first.

Does Ram include free maintenance?

We couldn't confirm a complimentary scheduled-maintenance program for new Ram vehicles on Ram's U.S. site.

Sources and method

Schedules, oil intervals and included maintenance come from Ram's own documents. Dollar estimates are AAA category benchmarks (or, for Porsche, Porsche's plan prices), never invented per-model prices. Complaint rates: NHTSA complaints ÷ published U.S. sales (CarWhere analysis).

Your Driving Costs 2025 (brochure: cost per mile by vehicle category) — AAA (maintenance cents per mile by category)
Your Driving Costs 2025 fact sheet (methodology) — AAA (what the maintenance line includes)
NHTSA vehicle owner complaints database — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (complaints per 1,000 sold is a CarWhere calculation)
2026 Ram 1500 Owner Handbook — Scheduled Servicing & Fluids — Ram (opened 2026-11-06)