Electric Vans and Work Trucks for Northeast Contractors and Delivery Fleets

A plumber in Jersey City, an electrician working Boston triple-deckers and a courier running Manhattan all drive the same kind of day: park badly legal, haul tools up a stoop, and be gone before the meter runs out. Dense Northeast metros punish the wrong vehicle. A van that is two inches too tall for the garage costs more than any option package.

This guide compares Ram's commercial lineup for people who work in and around Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Providence and the New Jersey corridor. It covers vans first, then the pickups and chassis cabs that contractors and plow operators lean on once the work moves out of the city core.

Choosing a van for dense streets

Start with where the vehicle sleeps and where it works. A shop with a lot has more choices than a sole proprietor who parks on a residential street or in a leased garage space. Garage ceilings, narrow alleys and double-parked loading zones all argue for a smaller, lower van, and city delivery routes with dozens of stops a day reward a low load floor and a short step-in.

The ProMaster is front-wheel drive, which keeps the floor low and flat. Ram sells it in 118-, 136- and 159-inch wheelbases, with low, high and super high roofs, plus an extended 159-inch frame at the top. Ram says the largest configuration, a 3500 extended-length van with the super high roof, holds up to 524 cubic feet with about 13 feet of cargo length. That is a rolling shop, and it will not fit under most garage entries, so measure first.

The smaller ProMaster City is the other answer. Ram lists it at just under 77 inches tall with a 129-inch wheelbase and a turning diameter just over 42 feet, and it calls the van the only Class 2 commercial model under 80 inches.

How the van lineup compares

The ProMaster figures below are model year 2026 and the ProMaster City is the 2027 model, which Ram says reaches dealers in the first quarter of 2027. Prices are starting MSRP before destination and will change.

Van	Cargo volume	Payload	Starting MSRP
ProMaster City Tradesman Cargo	Over 167 cu ft	2,200 lbs (target)	$37,400
ProMaster Tradesman Cargo Van (gas V6)	Up to 524 cu ft (largest body)	Up to 4,750 lbs	$46,370
ProMaster EV (110 kWh)	Large bodies only	Up to 3,170 lbs	Confirm with Ram

Destination is $2,595 on both vans. The ProMaster gas vans are not required to carry an EPA fuel economy label, so Ram does not publish mpg for them. Payload depends heavily on the body, so compare the exact wheelbase and roof you plan to order, not the headline number.

ProMaster EV: range and where to charge

The ProMaster EV uses a 110 kWh battery and a 268-horsepower motor with 302 lb-ft of torque. Ram quotes up to 164 miles of combined range for the cargo van. It is sold as a 3500 on the 159-inch wheelbase in high, super high and extended super high roof forms, and the towing chart gives no trailer rating.

The practical question is the route, not the number on the brochure. A route of 164 miles divided across 110 kWh works out to roughly 1.5 miles per kWh, a rough estimate worked out here, not a rating. Cold weather and heavy loads pull range down, so a winter route in Albany or Burlington should have a comfortable buffer.

Overnight charging is the whole point of an EV van. If the van returns to a depot with power, the economics can work. If it sleeps on the street in Brooklyn or Philadelphia, the charging plan is the hard part, because apartment and curbside parkers have few reliable options. Confirm charging speeds and the plug equipment for the exact van before committing a fleet, since those details are not part of the published range figure.

ProMaster City for the tightest jobs

The 2027 ProMaster City has a 1.6-liter turbo four with 166 horsepower and 221 lb-ft, an eight-speed automatic and front-wheel drive. Ram's targets are 2,200 pounds of payload and about 2,000 pounds of towing with the optional Class 3 hitch. The Tradesman Cargo starts at $37,400, the SLT Cargo at $38,900, and the five- or eight-seat Passenger Wagon at $40,100 for the Tradesman.

The cargo area is a useful shape for a trade van. The load floor is 111 inches long, more than 48 inches wide between the wheel arches and 54 inches high, with a step-in just over 23 inches. A sliding door sits on the passenger side, and the back has swing doors that open 180 degrees or an optional liftgate. The fuel tank is 18.5 gallons. Ram's figures are preliminary.

It suits a florist, a locksmith, an HVAC service tech or a courier who loads shelves instead of ladders.

Pickups and Chassis Cabs for contractors

When the load is heavier than a van, the Ram heavy-duty line takes over. The 2500 Tradesman starts at $48,040 and the 3500 Tradesman at $49,340, both before a $2,795 destination charge. Both use the 6.4-liter HEMI V8, with the 6.7-liter Cummins diesel a $12,495 option.

Ram's preliminary figures show the split. The 2500 tows up to 17,740 pounds with the HEMI and 20,000 with the diesel. The 3500 carries up to 7,580 pounds of payload with the HEMI and 6,460 with the diesel, and tows up to 37,020 pounds with the diesel.

Useful add-ons for working trucks include the Commercial Features Package ($495 on a 2500 Tradesman), which bundles a 400-watt inverter, an exterior 115-volt outlet and front and rear park assist, and the Bed Convenience Group at $595 with LED bed lighting and a spray-in bedliner. The Cold Weather Group, $245 on both, adds an engine block heater and a winter grille cover.

The Chassis Cab is the choice when a body builder is involved. It is a 3500, 4500 or 5500 without a bed, with cab-to-axle lengths of 60, 84, 108 and 120 inches depending on the cab. Tradesman prices start at $49,170 for the 3500, $56,420 for the 4500 and $57,620 for the 5500. The Cummins diesel adds $9,995 here. Payload runs up to 7,710 pounds for the 3500 with the HEMI, before the body is added.

Plow operators and upfit-friendly features

For snow work in places such as Worcester, Rochester or Hartford, Ram lists a Heavy-Duty Snow-Plow Prep Group at $295 on the Chassis Cab. Ram also describes plow prep as standard on the 3500 Chassis Cab, so confirm how it is applied to the exact truck you price.

Other upfit-friendly items include an optional 2.4-kilowatt onboard inverter and a dual-alternator system up to 480 amps, plus power-take-off provisions on both sides of the Chassis Cab frame. On the ProMaster, the Upfitter's Prep Package is $495 and adds auxiliary switches and an upfitter electronic module, the Power Group is $495 with a 100-amp battery and a 220-amp alternator, and the Crew Van Package at $7,435 adds a second-row bench.

Whichever way you go, the shortlist is simple. Pick the smallest vehicle that carries your heaviest regular load with margin, check the garage clearance with a tape measure, and ask for the final upfit weight in writing before you sign.