A tonneau cover is a great way to shield the contents of your truck bed.
If you have a RAM 1500 and you’re hauling anything prone to rust or wear and tear from the sun, then adding one of these will help!
Many options are modular as well, making them easy to fold up without having to pull the whole cover off.
Let’s take a look at the 4 best tonneau covers for Ram 1500s:
1. Tyger Auto TG-BC3D1011 T3 Soft Tri-Fold Black 6.4' Bed 2002-2018 Ram 1500 2019-2020 Classic 2003-2020 2500 3500 Without RamBox or Not Fit with Utility Rails Truck Box Tonneau Cover
This Tyger Auto Tri-fold tonneau cover is meant for a 6.4′ bed(but they have any size in their drop down menu) and fits an incredible range of years for the Ram 1500 dating back to 2002.
It’s a soft option that folds up in three pieces allowing you easy access to whatever you need.
When it comes to price, it’s nearly half of what most options are. There are some bargains with soft covers, and this i sone of them.
Even though the title of this product is perhaps the longest we’ve ever seen, we’re sure you won’t mind spending a little bit of money relative to other options to grab it. This is a no-drill install and the frame is made of steel.
It stays in place with clamps. Tyger also offers a lifetime-limited warranty. This is made of “marine-grade” vinyl so you won’t have to worry about the interior of your truck bed being soaked.
This is one of the best values available in this category, and that’s a good reason why it’s a best seller.
2. Gator ETX Soft Tri-Fold | 59201 | fits Dodge Ram 2009-18, 2019 Classic 1500 (5' 7" bed) w/out RamBox | Made in the USA
This Tonneau cover by Gator is novel in the fact that it’s actually made in the USA.
They have a range of styles and lengths from soft versions to hard shells to fit your Dodge Ram.
Like our previous product, the soft cover is also a tri-fold option that sits upon your bed rails.
It’s clamped into place and then you’re set. Install should take under 20 minutes to get it on and off. They also have a hard tri-fold option. This is Tyger’s number one competitor, offering a similar quality of product at a similar price(which will vary by the time you see this).
But, they’re neck and neck with one notable difference. Gator offers a 10 year guarantee on the tarp along with their limited-lifetime guarantee.
3. MaxMate Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Tonneau Cover for 2009-2018 Dodge Ram 1500 | 2019-2020 Classic Only | Fleetside 5.7' Bed | Without RamBox
We’ve departed from the tri-folding options and now we’re on to the roll up! The option listed here is for the 5.8 ft bed but they have other sizes to suit you.
The MaxMate soft roll up truck bed cover means you don’t have to worry about folding anything.
Just roll this up and down. Now, what are the benefits of that? Easy access. But the cons are that there are no hard panels to keep things sturdy.
Out of all the truck bed tonneau covers, a roll up design will by its nature be the weakest due to this lack of reinforcement. In terms of price, this is on par with our 2 previous choices and it’s a good value as well if you prefer this style.
4. Tonno Pro Hard Fold, Hard Folding Truck Bed Tonneau Cover | HF-250 | Fits 2009-2018 Ram 1500 6'4" Bed
Now that we’ve covered all the softer and more affordable styles, this is the hard cover option.
The Tonno Pro Hard Fold is unique in that it’s still a hard shell, but not too much of a hassle to fold up.
They have options for different sized truck bed and years. Because this is a hard fold, it costs quite a bit more compared to our previous choices. But it will likely hold up the longest!
They also offer a lifetime limited guarantee on this and it arrives pre-assembled. It weighs about 60 lbs so you may want some help for installation.
FAQS
Should I get a folding cover or a hard cover?
Depending on your use, a hard cover will be much more difficult to access certain items on your truck bed. The soft covers have the benefit of rolling up easily but they won’t be as durable as hard shell.
Soft covers also tend to be much more affordable.
I’m hauling a lot of stuff under the tonneau cover, are there ways to protect my truck bed?
If you’re getting a cover because you’re putting things like metal or other materials in your truck bed often and you want to keep them dry then you may also want to protect your truck bed. The stock bed is great, but can still be scratched and damaged with heavy use.
In this case we recommend getting a truck bed mat. And we wrote a guide on that here that you can check out.
Conclusion
Hopefully, our guide has helped you make an informed decision on the available options of tonneau covers for your Ram 1500. Prices in this category can vary wildly, but some deals are to be had.
In our eyes, the best value overall is the Tyger cover. It checks all the boxes while allowing you some versatility in folding. But there are other great choices as well, or maybe you’d prefer a hard top cover.
Whatever you end up choosing, be sure to come back and let us know how it worked out! We love hearing from our readers and thank you for stopping by.