NACTOY 2027: Ford F-150 Is Missing From the Shortlist

Ford will have no truck competing for the 2027 NACTOY award, ending its six-year run while Chevrolet, GMC, Ram and Slate take the spotlight.

Ford is absent from the 2027 truck field

The NACTOY 2027 truck competition has taken a major turn. The Ford F-150 is not among the four trucks selected for the next stage, and no other Ford pickup made the list either.

The four trucks moving forward are the 2027 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2027 GMC Sierra 1500, 2027 Ram 1500 TRX SRT and Slate Truck. They were selected from an initial field of 56 eligible vehicles, with 25 advancing across the three award categories.

This creates a very different Truck of the Year field. The group includes two traditional full-size pickups, a high-performance supertruck and a new electric pickup focused on affordability.

Ford’s absence is especially notable because its trucks had dominated the category in recent years. The Blue Oval won the truck award for six consecutive years, making the 2027 shortlist the first cycle in that run without a Ford pickup.

The omission is best understood as an eligibility situation rather than a direct verdict on the F-150. The 2027 contenders had to meet NACTOY’s criteria for being new or substantially changed.

The 2027 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 enters the competition after a complete redesign.

Chevrolet has introduced a new-generation Silverado with a redesigned exterior and interior. The pickup also gains new 5.7-liter and 6.6-liter V8 engines, while the updated powertrain range continues to include the TurboMax four-cylinder and 3.0-liter Duramax diesel.

The Silverado therefore arrives at the NACTOY process with substantial changes for the 2027 model year.

The truck also expands its off-road capability. The new range includes the ZR2, Trail Boss and Custom Trail Boss, with the ZR2 receiving a factory lift and 35-inch mud-terrain tyres.

The GMC Sierra 1500 joins the Silverado in the same category. Both pickups represent the traditional full-size truck formula, but both have received important updates for 2027.

Ram brings a 777-hp contender

The most extreme truck in the field is the 2027 Ram 1500 TRX SRT.

Ram has equipped the TRX SRT with a 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI V8 producing 777 horsepower and 680 lb-ft of torque. The truck also uses full-time four-wheel drive and can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds.

The TRX SRT starts at $99,995, before a $2,795 destination charge. That places it at the opposite end of the spectrum from the Slate Truck.

That difference is one of the most interesting aspects of the NACTOY 2027 competition. The judges are evaluating trucks with completely different missions.

The TRX SRT is designed around performance.

Its standard hardware includes 35-inch off-road tyres, adaptive Bilstein Black Hawk e2 shocks, 11.8 inches of ground clearance and up to 14 inches of rear axle travel.

At the same time, it remains a highly equipped pickup. Ram offers leather surfaces, carbon-fibre trim, heated and ventilated seats, massaging front seats and a 19-speaker Harman Kardon audio system.

The TRX SRT therefore gives NACTOY jurors a very different truck to evaluate alongside the Silverado and Sierra.

Slate brings an entirely different idea

The Slate Truck is the biggest departure from the traditional pickup formula.

Slate describes it as a two-door electric pickup designed to be highly customisable. The truck can also be configured to become an SUV, giving it a wider range of possible uses.

Its biggest headline is affordability.

The Blank Slate Truck starts at $24,950, while the destination charge is $1,450. Preorders are already open, with first deliveries planned for late 2026.

That places the electric pickup far below the price of the Ram TRX SRT.

The Slate Truck also takes a very different approach to equipment.