2016 Ram 1500 MPG and Fuel Cost

The 2016 Ram 1500 gets up to 21 mpg combined with a gas engine and up to 24 mpg with the diesel, across 10 EPA-tested versions.

EPA fuel economy

2016 Ram 1500 · 10 EPA-tested versions

Best gas version

21MPG combined

18 city 25 highway

$2,950 a year to fuel15,000 miles a year at EPA's $4.00 a gallon (regular gas)

Fuel economy score5/10

3.6L 6-cyl · RWD · 8-speed automatic · HFE

Best diesel version

24MPG combined

21 city 29 highway

$3,950 a year to fuel15,000 miles a year at EPA's $6.13 a gallon (diesel)

Fuel economy score5/10

3.0L turbo 6-cyl diesel · RWD · 8-speed automatic · HFE

Best version costs $8,750 more in fuel over 5 years vs the average new vehicle (EPA)

Data: US EPA, fueleconomy.govUpdated Nov 12, 2026

At EPA's price assumptions, fuel costs $2,950 to $4,750 a year. Ratings for the best versions are unchanged from 2015.

More complaints than a typical Ram 1500 year

The 2016 drew 221 owner complaints in its first three years, against 210 for a typical Ram 1500 year.

Years to avoid: 2019; best year: 2023. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.

Every Ram 1500 year ranked The 2016 Ram 1500's recalls and problems

Every 2016 Ram 1500 version

EPA's ratings for each version it tested. Fuel cost is EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current prices.

Version	Combined	City / Hwy	Fuel / year
Gas
3.6L 6-cyl · RWD · 8-speed automatic · HFE EPA listing: 1500 HFE 2WD	21 mpg	18 / 25	$2,950
3.6L 6-cyl · RWD · 8-speed automatic EPA listing: 1500 2WD · Flex-fuel (E85)	20 mpg	17 / 25	$3,100
3.6L 6-cyl · 4WD · 8-speed automatic EPA listing: 1500 4WD · Flex-fuel (E85)	19 mpg	16 / 23	$3,300
5.7L 8-cyl · 4WD · 8-speed automatic EPA listing: 1500 4WD · Midgrade fuel	17 mpg	15 / 21	$4,200
5.7L 8-cyl · RWD · 8-speed automatic EPA listing: 1500 2WD · Midgrade fuel	17 mpg	15 / 22	$4,200
5.7L 8-cyl · RWD · 6-speed automatic EPA listing: 1500 2WD · Midgrade fuel	16 mpg	14 / 20	$4,450
5.7L 8-cyl · 4WD · 6-speed automatic EPA listing: 1500 4WD · Midgrade fuel	15 mpg	13 / 19	$4,750
Diesel
3.0L turbo 6-cyl diesel · RWD · 8-speed automatic · HFE Best EPA listing: 1500 HFE 2WD	24 mpg	21 / 29	$3,950
3.0L turbo 6-cyl diesel · RWD · 8-speed automatic EPA listing: 1500 2WD	23 mpg	20 / 27	$4,100
3.0L turbo 6-cyl diesel · 4WD · 8-speed automatic EPA listing: 1500 4WD	22 mpg	19 / 26	$4,300

Fuel cost at your prices

EPA's annual cost uses 15,000 miles a year, 55% city driving and its current prices: $4.00 a gallon for regular gas, $4.61 a gallon for midgrade gas, and $6.13 a gallon for diesel. Change the numbers to match your driving.

Version	Per year	Per month	5 years
3.6L 6-cyl · RWD · 8-speed automatic · HFE	$2,857	$238	$14,286
3.6L 6-cyl · RWD · 8-speed automatic	$3,000	$250	$15,000
3.6L 6-cyl · 4WD · 8-speed automatic	$3,158	$263	$15,789
5.7L 8-cyl · 4WD · 8-speed automatic	$4,068	$339	$20,338
5.7L 8-cyl · RWD · 8-speed automatic	$4,068	$339	$20,338
5.7L 8-cyl · RWD · 6-speed automatic	$4,322	$360	$21,609
5.7L 8-cyl · 4WD · 6-speed automatic	$4,610	$384	$23,050
3.0L turbo 6-cyl diesel · RWD · 8-speed automatic · HFE	$3,831	$319	$19,156
3.0L turbo 6-cyl diesel · RWD · 8-speed automatic	$3,998	$333	$19,989
3.0L turbo 6-cyl diesel · 4WD · 8-speed automatic	$4,180	$348	$20,898

At the default settings the results match EPA's annual cost before EPA rounds it to the nearest $50.

Ram 1500 MPG by model year

The best-rated version in each model year; the highlighted year is this page. Gas: 16 to 23 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); highest in 2019. Diesel: 23 to 26 mpg (2014 to 2023); highest in 2020.

Best gas version
Best diesel version

2016: gas 21 mpg · diesel 24 mpg

Show as a table

Ram 1500 best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best diesel version
2010	16	–
2011	16	–
2012	16	–
2013	21	–
2014	21	23
2015	21	24
2016	21	24
2017	20	23
2018	20	23
2019	23	23
2020	23	26
2021	23	26
2022	23	26
2023	23	24
2024	23	–
2025	23	–
2026	22	–

Every Ram 1500 year's ratings in one table

How the 2016 Ram 1500 compares

2016 full-size pickups covered on this site, ranked by their best combined rating. Fuel cost is for each model's cheapest version to run, at EPA's prices.

2016 model	Best combined	Best gas	Fuel / year
Ram 1500 This page Best: diesel	24 mpg	21 mpg	$2,950
Ford F-150 Best: gas	21 mpg	21 mpg	$2,950
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Best: gas	20 mpg	20 mpg	$3,100
GMC Sierra 1500 Best: gas	20 mpg	20 mpg	$3,100
Toyota Tundra Best: gas	17 mpg	17 mpg	$3,650

Chevrolet Silverado 1500 vs Ram 1500MPG, fuel cost, recalls and crash tests side by side

2016 Ram 1500 recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 16 safety recalls and 1,565 owner complaints for the 2016 Ram 1500.

Owners most often describe power steering problems (201 complaints, 13%), then the check engine light (109). NHTSA's overall crash rating: 4 stars.

See the 2016 Ram 1500 recalls and problems

Questions

Does 4WD lower the 2016 Ram 1500's gas mileage?

Sometimes. On versions that differ only in drive, the gap ranges from 0 to 1 mpg combined: the 3.0L turbo 6-cyl diesel gets 23 mpg combined with two-wheel drive and 22 with 4WD.

Does the 2016 Ram 1500 need premium gas?

No. The diesel runs on diesel fuel, the rest use regular.

How does the 2016 Ram 1500's MPG compare with the 2015?

For 2016, the best gas version is rated 21 mpg, the same as the year before and the best diesel version is rated 24 mpg, the same as the year before.

Sources and method

US EPA and Department of Energy fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
EPA fuel price assumptions: regular $4.00, midgrade $4.61, premium $5.01, diesel $6.13 a gallon; electricity $0.15 per kWh.
Recall and complaint counts: NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026.

Ratings are EPA estimates. Real-world mileage depends on how, where and in what weather you drive. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.