It’s Official: 2026 Ram 1500 to Bring Back 5.7L HEMI V8
Reports about the 5.7-litre HEMI V8 coming back to the Ram 1500 lineup for the 2026 model year turned out to be accurate. The company today made it official and opened orders with the first V8-powered trucks set to arrive at dealerships this summer.
Replacing the gas-guzzling yet beloved, powerful-sounding HEMI with the new twin-turbocharged straight-six as part of the 2025 update is one of the main reasons why Ram 1500 sales have fallen.
"Ram screwed up when we dropped the HEMI. We own it and we fixed it,” CEO Tim Kuniskis said. “We’re not just bringing back a legendary V8 engine, we’re igniting an assertive product plan and expanding the freedom of choice in powertrain for our customers.”

Spurred by customer demand and the return of the enthusiastic Kuniskis last December, a special team at Ram has worked to bring the 5.7-litre HEMI V8 back as quickly as possible—barely six months instead of the normal 18-month process. The decision was made to stick with the familiar configuration, namely the one featuring eTorque mild hybrid technology, variable camshaft timing and cylinder deactivation. Output and torque are still rated at 395 hp and 410 lb-ft, respectively.
The new engine option offers a towing capacity of up to 11,470 lbs, which is just shy of the 11,550 lbs achieved by the twin-turbo straight-six. Maximum payload capacity is rated at 1,750 lbs.
Each HEMI-powered 2026 Ram 1500 will include a new fender-mounted badge that Kuniskis refers to as a “Symbol of Protest,” as well as a performance-tuned exhaust system letting everybody know about the eight cylinders under the hood.

To be clear, the 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 will remain the standard engine for 2026, but the HEMI will be optional on every model from Tradesman to Longhorn, including the new-for-2026 Express that will slot just above the Tradesman as another budget-friendly alternative. Further details and pricing for the Canadian market will be announced at a later date.
Ram expects the HEMI V8 to account for anywhere between 25-40 percent of 2026 Ram 1500 sales.