The Ram 1500 only has two cab sizes compared to other trucks.
There is no regular cab which only has one row. Each of the cab options has two rows and can seat up to 6 people (some limitations apply).
In the chart below, you will see the main differences between the Ram 1500 Quad Cab vs Crew Cab.
Check out the rest of the article to see if the type of cab impacts the towing or payload capacity.
Crew Cab Overview
The crew cab is the larger of the two cab sizes. This cab features two rows of seating and two full doors. What makes this unique is that the front and back doors are about the same size.
In the rear seats, there are 45.2 inches of legroom, making it very spacious for back seat passengers.
Quad Cab Overview
The quad cab is smaller than the Crew Cab but still has 4 full doors. The doors here are significantly smaller in the back; they do have their own handles though. (See below)
There are only 35.6 inches of rear legroom.
Bed Options for each cab
The Crew Cab is more versatile in option types because it is available in both the 6′ 4″ and 5′ 7″ beds.
Read: RAM 1500 Bed Size for more information on the bed size, dimensions, and features offered in the 2022 RAM 1500.
The Quad cab, however, is only offered in the 6′ 4″ cab.
I can’t say I know why this is the case because you’d expect that the Crew Cab would be limited due to it’s increased size, but what this says to me is that Ram expects that most of their buyers will use the Ram 1500 frequently with passengers.
They are trying to advertise it as a larger and more functional pickup truck with both a larger bed size and passenger space.
Exterior Dimensions
Because the Ram 1500 Crew Cab has more rear passenger legroom, any trim level with the same bed size with a Quad Cab vs Crew Cab has a longer overall length in the Crew Cab.
By comparing two trim styles (Tradesman and Big Horn) both with a 6′ 4″ bed, the Crew Cab was 241.8 inches and the Quad Cab was 228.9 inches.
The longer cab size also extends the wheelbase to 140.5 to 153.5 inches.
Both trucks have a width of 82.1 inches regardless of the cab size.
And there is no impact on the truck bed size.
Interior Dimensions
| Quad Cab | Crew Cab | |
| Headroom Front Rear | 40.90 in 39.20 in | 40.90 in 39.80 in |
| Legroom Front Rear | 40.90 in 35.60 in | 40.90 in 45.20 in |
| Hiproom Front Rear | 63.40 in 63.40 in | 63.40 in 63.40 in |
| Shoulder Room Front Rear | 66 in in 65.70 in | 66 in 65.70 in |
| Passenger Volume | 117 cu. ft. | 132 cu. ft. |
As you can see, the only interior dimensions that are different between the two cab sizes are the rear headroom, rear legroom, and passenger volume.
The Quad cab performs less in every one of these categories.
There is 9.6 inches less legroom in the back seat in the Quad Cab vs Crew Cab. This means that the comfort level for back seat passengers is higher in the Quad cab and should be considered if rear passengers will frequently ride in this truck.
What trims are available for each cab size?
The Quad cab has significant restrictions on the availability of trims. It is only available in the Big Horn, Lone Star, Tradesman, and Tradesman HFE.
The Crew Cab, however, is available in all 2022 Ram 1500 trims.
| Quad Cab | Crew Cab | |
| Big Horn | Available | Available |
| Laramie | – | Available |
| Limited | – | Available |
| Limited Longhorn | – | Available |
| Lone Star | Available | Available |
| Rebel | – | Available (not available in 6′ 4″) |
| Tradesman | Available | Available |
| Tradesman HFE | Available | Available |
| TRX | – | Available (not available in 6′ 4″) |
Does cab size impact performance of Ram 1500
Since the cab selection does not impact the engine choice, there are very minimal differences between the performance of the two cabs, when compared to each other.
Fuel Efficiency
On both trucks, the standard engine is the 3.6 L V6 engine which has 305 hp @ 6,400 rpm and 269 lb.-ft @ 4,800 rpm.
However, because of the smaller cab size, the fuel tank which is carried by the quad cab is 3 gallons smaller with a total of 23 gallons vs 36 gallons in the Crew Cab.
On average, by estimation, both cab sizes should perform equally on fuel efficiency with 20 mpg city and 25 mpg highway.
This will be dependent on many other factors than just the cab type, such as passengers, additional cargo, towing, and driving practices.
It is expected, however, that under similar conditions between the two cabs, the Quad Cab will have slightly better gas mileage due to the smaller size and weight.
Payload Capacity
The payload capacity varies for each cab type because of the difference in cab weight. The Quad Cab has a higher payload capacity compared to its crew cab alternative because of the decreased cab weight.
Based on the Tradesman and Big Horn standard 4×4 trims of the 2022 Ram 1500, the GVWR is 6800 lbs for the Quad Cab vs 6900 lbs for the crew cab. Even though the GVWR is higher for the crew cab, this doesn’t outweigh the impact of the curb weight.
| Payload Capacity | GVWR | Curb Weight | |
| Tradesman Quad Cab Crew Cab | 1,820 lbs 1,790 lbs | 6,800 lbs 6,900 lbs | 4,975 lbs 5,106 lbs |
| Big Horn Quad Cab Crew Cab | 1,800 lbs 1,760 lbs | 6,800 lbs 6,900 lbs | 5,001 lbs 5,137 lbs |
Payload capacity is calculated by subtracting the curb weight from the GVWR which explains the difference.
Which Quad Cab has the highest payload capacity?
The highest payload in the Quad cab has a payload capacity of 2,320 lbs on the 4×2 Tradesman on the standard engine.
Which Crew Cab has the highest payload capacity?
The highest payload capacity for any Crew Cab in the Ram 1500 is 2,020 lbs in the 4×2 Tradesman with the 3.6 L V6 engine w/eTorque (3.55 axle ratio) with a 5′ 7″ bed.
Towing Capacity
Interestingly enough, the GCWR for each of the cab sizes is the same. It does not have an impact on GCWR.
This does not mean that it doesn’t have an impact on towing capacity.
Towing capacity is calculated in its simplest form by subtracting the curb weight from the GCWR, but is a bit more complicated than that.
If you need some help understanding this, my article How to Calculate Towing Capacity will help walk you through this.
Similar to the payload capacity, the Quad Cab has a higher towing capacity of 6530 lbs compared to 6290 lbs for the crew cab equivalent in the Tradesman.
| Towing Capacity | GCWR | Curb Weight | |
| Tradesman Quad Cab Crew Cab | 6,530 lbs 6,290 lbs | 11,900 lbs 11,900 lbs | 4,975 lbs 5,106 lbs |
| Big Horn Quad Cab Crew Cab | 6,530 lbs 6,400 lbs | 11,900 lbs 11,900 lbs | 5,001 lbs 5,137 lbs |
Which Quad Cab has the highest towing capacity?
The highest towing capacity in the entire 2022 Ram 1500 family with 12,750 lbs. This exists in the 4×2 Big Horn, Lone Star, and Tradesman trims with the 5.2 L V8 HEMI w/eTorque with the Quad cab (3.92 axle ratio).
Which Crew Cab has the highest towing capacity?
The Crew Cab can tow up to 11,540 lbs with the 4×2 Tradesman, Lone Star, Limited Longhorn, Limited, Laramie, and Big Horn trim with 5.7 L V8 HEMI w/eTorque (3.92 axle ratio) and the 6′ 4″ bed.
For more information on towing capacity, check out Towing Capacity of the Ram 1500.
Awesome info, helped me alot , however there is no mention of the CC Ram w/the 4.7 v8 Ram box ratings etc………….. which is what i have ………. :((