Your immense braking power can be multiplied with the injection of a quality tailgate light bar to your truck.
But, the marketplace is flooded with everyone trying to get a piece of that pie.
We boiled it down to the overall value, quality, and customer satisfaction of the pickings.
Something to note. The big issue for LED bars is that a lot of them are cheaply made, make SURE to double check recent reviews in this category, specifically reviewers from the USA.
Let’s take a look at the 4 Best Tailgate Lightbars for Trucks:
1. OPT7 60" Redline Triple LED Tailgate Light Bar w/Sequential RED Turn Signal
Starting off with a behemoth in the category.
This 60″ Triple LED is a best seller, that has left of wake of enthusiasts in it’s path.
It’s not the cheapest option, but they did make attempts to improve build quality with the shell. So many companies are producing light bars that you gotta watch out for where they cut corners.
The longevity of products can come into question. OPT7 has done a good job of addressing this with a 2-year warranty. Most products use a plastic casing, but they’ve used aluminum to help this tolerate heat a bit better.
The one we linked to is the 60″ version, but they also come in 48″. You can choose from red or amber. The great thing about light bars is they’re usually a no drill install. This is no different, the adhesive is rated up to 25lbs.
This particular model has 1200 LEDS in total. They say you can just plug it into your trailer adapter, but lots of people have issues with that. Most recommend hardwiring this for your vehicle.
2. Nilight TR-04 Truck Tailgate Bar 60" Triple Row 504 LED Strip
The Nilight tailgate light bar is one of the most affordable products in it’s class when it comes to the 60″ version.
It is a plug in play like most competitors into your trailer adapter.
This uses an adhesive to stick to your truck. This one bar has 3 different output colors: red, amber, and white. Depending on the function, a different color is used. There’s a 2-year warranty for your peace of mind.
This has 504 LEDs total, and that’s seemingly standard for options in this price range. There HAVE been some quality control issues with this and many other of these light bars. For this one in particular customers have reported issues at car washes.
If you’re trying to save money, you may want to attempt reinforcing the electrical plug to make sure it is waterproof for reals.
3. MICTUNING 60 inches Triple 504 LEDs Tailgate Strip Light Waterproof
Mictuning has a 60 inch light bar that has surprise surprise, 504 LEDS.
That’s the exact same amount as Nilight! They may come from a larger manufacturer and be re-branded.
Whatever the case, Mictuning seems to have slightly better reviews as of now. It is in the lower(but affordable) end of the price range for this category, just like our number two option.
It’s a plug and play connector.
4. 60" TRIPLE 1200 LED Tailgate Light Bar Sequential Amber Turn Signal
SyneticUSA has a 1200 LED adhesive tail light for your intense signaling needs.
It is in the mid-range of this category and a bit cheaper than similar options, like our similar 1200+ LED choice for #1.
This also comes with a 2-year warranty. It has an aluminum body and is rated as waterproof using the IP67 standard.
This has a “strobe break light” function. When you first hit your brakes, it’ll flash a few times before you come to a stop. Which we think is pretty neat.
Some customers have had an issue with the sticky tape. If your tailgate has any curvature, then this might not be for you. The aluminum casing protects it, but also makes it less than ideal for a tailgate with curves.
FAQS and Tips
When purchasing any product with potential QA issues, go to the most recent reviews on Amazon for tail lights.
So, unfortunately we figured out an issue with reviews. A lot of them can be boosted pretty easily. The only way to get around this is to do your due diligence, like we attempted to do.
Try your best to discern “real reviews” from the fake ones. It’s not always easy.
How do I attach my Tailgate Light Bar?
Nearly all options are adhesives that you’re just going to stick straight onto your tailgate.
If you’re going to order an aluminum casing, make sure your tailgate is flat without curvature.
Why are there quality control issues with light bars?
A lot of reasons. There is incredible demand for these firstly. Secondly, most bars are flexible and made of plastics. That means they’re susceptible to the elements.
The trade off comes in it being so easy to attach to your truck. If you can stick something on with some glue, it might not be the best for the long term.
But, we don’t want to be all doom and gloom. While there are issues for some customers with their light bars, lots of people have good experiences. I’m sure you’ve seen these frequently while driving around your city, so they work for a lot of folks.
Conclusion
Hopefully, we helped you make an informed decision in this category. This is one of the most competitive markets out there so be sure to read the reviews carefully.
If there are a bunch of 5-star reviews, with names that make you question the integrity of the reviewer, it might be worth doing a little more digging.
If you end up purchasing one of these, let us know how it worked out! Happy.. light hunting.