- Ford has no truck contender in the 2027 NACTOY field.
- Slate Truck meets the Ram 1500 TRX SRT in the same Truck of the Year race.
- GM fields the updated Silverado and Sierra against one EV upstart.
Jurors will gather this October to compare contenders for the 2027 North American Truck of the Year award. One of the trucks that won't be eligible for the award? The Ford F-150. In fact, not a single Ford truck makes the list, marking a significant break from Ford's recent run of high-profile wins.
Instead, North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY) jurors will test four different trucks:
- Chevrolet Silverado 1500
- GMC Sierra 1500
- Ram 1500 TRX SRT
- Slate Truck.
The four trucks are part of a broader field of 25 "Best of 2027" contenders selected from 56 eligible vehicles. NACTOY intends to invite all 25 vehicles to its October comparison event, though it has not yet released a confirmed finalist list or detailed schedule for the 2027 awards cycle.
2027 NACTOY Truck Contenders
These four trucks show how expansive the segment now is. At one end sits the Slate Truck, a stripped-down electric pickup with crank windows and no factory audio system starting at $24,950. At the other sits the Ram 1500 TRX SRT.
Stellantis is asking about $103,000 for that TRX SRT, and it backs the number up with a supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V8 rated at 777 horsepower. It is the kind of halo truck NACTOY rarely puts next to an entry-level EV in the same category.
GM landed two notable candidates at once, with the Silverado 1500 and Sierra 1500 representing the traditional half-ton playbook against two very different disruptors. Both trucks needed to qualify as new or substantially changed to make NACTOY's initial pool of 56 eligible vehicles this cycle.
The Slate Truck is still early in its rollout even as it battles a six-figure Ram for the same trophy. Slate is accepting orders and building pre-production examples, so availability is limited rather than completely theoretical, and NACTOY has cautioned that some contenders may not be drivable at the October event.
Why Ford Misses The 2027 Truck Field
The F-150's last NACTOY win came in 2023 with the F-150 Lightning. Since then, Ford has taken home the award annually with the Super Duty, Ranger, and Maverick. The current F-150 generation launched for 2021, and nothing else in the Ford lineup counts as new or substantially changed under NACTOY's rules for 2027.
Ford halted production of the current battery-electric Lightning in December 2025 as it reshaped its pickup EV strategy. Ford has outlined plans for a next-generation extended-range Lightning later in the decade, but it has not detailed timing for a 15th-generation F-150.
Ford has no trucks in the 2027 NACTOY field. It is an eligibility gap more than a quality verdict, and it gives three established rivals and one newcomer a clearer shot at attention in a category Ford often dominated in the early 2020s.
For fleet buyers and shoppers watching this race, the story is timing. Whichever truck ultimately wins, Ford's next half-ton bid waits on a redesign still ahead on the calendar, while Slate's electric pickup options and the revised GM and Ram trucks face judges and customers right now.
Motor1's Take: This could be an interesting year for trucks. Slate and TRX sit at opposite ends of the price and purpose spectrum, while Silverado and Sierra try to show how much life is left in the conventional formula. However the vote lands, it will hint at where jurors think the next decade of work and play trucks is really headed.
