All newer models of the Dodge Ram 1500 offer two bed sizes; a 6’4″ option and a 5’7″ option.
If you’ve decided to spend your money on one of these trucks, you should be willing to shell out a few more bucks to put a tonneau cover on it to protect your truck bed.
Best Tonneau Covers For A Ram 1500
- Tonno Pro Tonno Fold Soft Folding Truck Bed Tonneau Cover (Our Top Pick)
- Tyger Auto T1 Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Tonneau Cover (Best Budget)
- BAK BAKFlip MX4 Hard Folding Truck Bed Tonneau Cover (Best High End)
- TruXedo TruXport Soft Roll-Up Truck Bed Tonneau Cover
- Gator ETX Soft Tri-Fold Truck Bed Tonneau Cover
A high quality tonneau cover will pay off significantly down the road, even if you’re just using it to improve fuel economy.
What Is A Tonneau Cover?
A tonneau cover is an aftermarket accessory meant to protect your truck bed from the weather and potential thieves.
Made out of a heavy duty material, a tonneau cover extends over the truck bed from the back of the cab to the tailgate, giving the truck owner partial or full access to the truck bed.
While there are multiple kinds of tonneau covers available on Amazon, this article will focus on the best tonneau covers made to fit a Ram 1500.
What Are The Different Types of Tonneau Covers?
The 3 most common types of tonneau covers are folding tonneau covers, roll-up tonneau covers, and retractable tonneau covers.
Folding and retractable tonneau covers can be made with either a soft or hard material while roll-up tonneau covers are almost always a soft vinyl material.
Folding Tonneau Covers
A folding cover is usually a tri-fold, meaning the cover is split into 3 sections with each section folding over the next. You will see these as a soft tri-fold and hard tri-fold.
Some folding covers only expose a portion of the truck bed while other products expose the entire bed.
I have a soft tri-fold on my personal pickup, and I have no intention of changing that anytime soon.
Roll-Up Tonneau Covers
A roll-up tonneau cover is made of a soft flexible material that rolls from the tailgate to the back of the cab, exposing the entire truck bed.
This option is usually the most inexpensive option to protect your truck bed and improve gas mileage.
Retractable Tonneau Covers
Lastly, retractable tonneau covers are similar to roll-up tonneau covers in that they usually expose the entire truck bed, but they usually roll up into a discrete enclosure.
These covers come in both manual and electric products, so the electric covers can extend and retract with the push of a button.
How Does A Tonneau Cover Work?
Tonneau covers are generally made with an aluminum frame, heavy-duty vinyl material, fiberglass, and durable plastic polymers.
The aluminum frame is attached on top of or in between the bed rails with clamps or by drilling and mounting fasteners.
Roll-up covers have velcro or buttons to attach the cover to the frame, folding covers have built-in hinges, and retractable covers are usually on a bearing system.
Most products have a built in latch at the tailgate end of the truck to easily unlock or unlatch the cover.
What Do You Look For In The Best Tonneau Cover?
With a wide price range and option selection in the tonneau cover market, the best product is the one that serves your particular needs the best.
Although some indisputable attributes will make one product better than a similar product.
The main factors I take into consideration when determining what makes a good cover are materials used, installation requirements, functionality, and weather resistance.
Materials are important. Strong aluminum and marine-grade vinyl help ensure the durability of your cover.
It’s nice to not have to drill holes in your truck bed the day after buying it.
Easy installation is preferred over a complex installation, but you need to ensure the easy installation is still dependable.
Functionality encompasses a few aspects.
You want to have a good latching system, a locking mechanism, easy opening and closing, and maximum bed exposure.
Lastly, weatherproof or weather resistant covers are very important.
There’s really no use in having a tonneau cover if a little bit of rain will ruin everything underneath of it.
Best Tonneau Cover For a Ram 1500 Reviews
1. Tonno Pro Tonno Fold Soft Folding Truck Bed Tonneau Cover (Our Top Pick)
The Tonno Pro tri-fold tonneau cover is what I have on my personal truck, and I could not be more impressed for a tonneau cover at this price point.
With its sleek leather-grain matte finish, easy install and removal, and tight perimeter seals, this cover has just about everything and will protect against all weather conditions.
It also has a limited lifetime warranty on the aluminum frame as well as a 10-year warranty on the marine-grade vinyl cover, so your satisfaction is guaranteed.
Pros
- Weathertight seals
- Durable aluminum frame
- Easy installation process
Cons
- Only limited bed access
Buy The Tonno Pro Tonno Fold Soft Folding Truck Bed Tonneau Cover On Amazon
2. Tyger Auto T1 Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Tonneau Cover (Best Budget)
The Tyger T1 soft tonneau cover is a good option for those looking for weather protection and improved aerodynamics.
The roll up system provided 100% bed access when open, and when it’s closed, the heavy duty tear-resistant vinyl will hold up in all conditions. It also has aircraft-grade aluminum side rails and stainless steel clamps for increased durability.
Pros
- Inexpensive
- 100% bed access
Cons
- Not compatible with RamBox
- Longer installation process
Buy The Tyger Auto T1 Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Tonneau Cover On Amazon
3. BAK BAKFlip MX4 Hard Folding Truck Bed Tonneau Cover (Best High End)
Proudly made in the USA, the BAK BAKFlip MX4 hard folding tonneau cover is one of the best on the market for your Dodge Ram 1500.
This hard fold tonneau cover is loaded with features with its low profile design, full truck bed access, automatically latching aluminum panels, dual-action tailgate seal, access to bed rails, and a 5-year warranty.
When putting in your specific make and model of your Ram 1500, make sure to include if you have a RamBox or multi-function tailgate.
Pros
- 100% bed access
- High quality materials
- 5 year warranty
Cons
- Expensive
Buy The BAK BAKFlip MX4 Hard Folding Truck Bed Tonneau Cover On Amazon
4. TruXedo TruXport Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Tonneau Cover
The TruXedo TruXport soft roll up tonneau cover is very similar to #2 on the list, but it comes in at about $100 more. This is due to its higher quality latching and clamping mechanisms.
This tonneau cover has quality leather-grain vinyl, stainless steel clamps, and an easy-to-use dual latching system. Its aluminum crossbars also add some structural rigidity in order to protect from additional weight such as snow or ice.
Pros
- High quality materials
- 5 year warranty
- Adjustable tension system
Cons
- Longer installation process
Buy The TruXedo TruXport Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Tonneau Cover On Amazon
5. Gator ETX Soft Tri Fold Truck Bed Tonneau Cover
The Gator ETX soft tri fold tonneau cover is almost identical to #1 on this list.
It has a heavy duty aluminum frame, industrial strength vinyl, and an easy installation process. Also, the strong rear clamps will fit on your bed rails with or without a bed liner.
This cover would be interchangeable with the Tonno Pro, but I believe the Tonno Pro has higher quality seals at the hinges.
Pros
- Durable aluminum frame
- Easy installation process
Cons
- Only a portion of bed access
Buy The Gator ETX Soft Tri Fold Truck Bed Tonneau Cover On Amazon
Final Thoughts On Tonneau Covers For A Ram 1500
With the new Dodge Ram 1500s, it’s important to include if your specific model has either a RamBox or multi-function tailgate as this will affect what tonneau covers will fit your truck.
Any of the tonneau covers on this list will do a great job protecting the truck bed of your Ram 1500.
First, it’s important to decide your budget and how much protection you need, then you can make an informed decision on what product will work best for you.
