Best Hard Tonneau Covers Introduction
If you drive a pickup truck, there are a number of reasons you should consider going with a hard tonneau cover rather than a soft model. For starters, hard tonneau covers are the more durable of the two and will protect your luggage from bumps and knocks that would tear through a traditional tarp. Furthermore, hard tonneau covers are generally intended to be added to your pickup truck as a permanent feature, meaning they are designed for heavy-duty use and won’t give way after a couple hundred miles.
The most common complaint about hard tonneau covers is that they tend to be pretty expensive. That’s an understandable gripe, especially if you don’t have a whole lot of room in your budget to spend on automotive add-ons. However, one quality hard tonneau cover will last you for years–maybe even decades—when properly maintained, saving you hundreds of dollars in the long run.
Below, you will find some of the best hard tonneau covers on the market today. Each has been expertly designed to provide your luggage with the ultimate protection during transportation and all have proven extremely popular with pickup truck enthusiasts.
Top 5 Hard Tonneau Covers
|
Ranking |
Image |
Product |
Overall Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Read The Full Review |
 |
 (4.5 / 5)View Now On Amazon |
|
| 2. Read The Full Review |
 |
Lund Hard Fold Tonneau Covers |  (4 / 5)View Now On Amazon |
| 3. Read The Full Review |
 |
 (3.5 / 5)View Now On Amazon |
|
| 4. Read The Full Review |
 |
(4 / 5) View Now On Amazon |
|
| 5. Read The Full Review |
 |
 (4.2 / 5)View Now On Amazon |
Rugged Liner Premium Hard Tonneau Cover
Consumer Ratings (4.5 / 5)
Starting things off is the Rugged Liner Premium Hard Tonneau Cover. The key word there is “Premium.” The folks over at Rugged Liner went all out with this model, making it arguably the best tonneau cover on the market, hard or soft.
Features
- Patented Quick Clamp system
- Dual hinge seals
- Two cargo lights
Pros
Obviously, it’s impossible to say that anything is 100% waterproof, but the Rugged Liner Premium Hard Tonneau Cover is as close as you’re going to get. This liner comes fitted with a cab dust seal that is specifically designed to keep water from penetrating the cover.
Rugged Liner is pretty confident in the quality of their Premium Hard Tonneau Cover, which is why your purchase will be backed by a 3-year limited warranty. Should your particular model give you any trouble early on, you will be able to obtain a repair or replacement with very little difficulty.
Cons
As a consequence of its many features and brand recognition, the Rugged Liner Premium Hard Tonneau Cover generally sells for close to $800, which makes it the most expensive product on this list by quite a large margin.
What Consumers Say about the Rugged Liner Hard Tonneau Cover
- Excellent product. I am a perfectionist though and aligning it just right took me a little while but this thing is overall easy to apply and remove. The quality too is really nice. Saved me a lot of money versus buying a full on toneau cover.
- Good, tough tonneau. It’s aluminum when others are going to plastics. Allows me to get on and off quickly – so I can spend my time loading larger items instead of installing and removing the cover. Been in several rain storms – kept everything dry. Easy to install by one person. Would absolutely buy again.
- Simple install, took about twenty minutes to position and lock down. Rain proof (4 inch recent rain) and car wash proof. Quiet. Time will tell if it holds up to the rigors of trucking. I expect it to move to my next truck in a few years. Very convenient to fold and open box.
- I have taken it to the Appalachian range and back. The cover withstood the rigors of highway driving, single digit temperatures, and kept the bed (and its contents) completely dry on very humid/damp mornings. Took 20 minutes to install (with some helping hands), and I could not be happier with the outcome. Great tonneau for the price point!
- After a long, long time spent researching the most affordable hard folding tonneau cover I selected this one. It has fully met expectations. Little to no rain gets in the bed and is rock solid when closed and the gaye is locked. Highly recommended if you’re on a budget. Fits great on my 2015 f150 super crew.
Summary
Yes, it’s going to set you back almost $1,000, but if you have the money to spare and are serious about decking your truck out with the best equipment money can buy, you’re not going to find better than the Rugged Liner Premium Hard Tonneau Cover. Its wide array of features puts it head and shoulders above the competition, where it’s probably going to stay for years to come.
View Rugged Liner Tonneau Covers on Amazon
Lund Black Hard Fold Tonneau Cover
Consumer Ratings (4 / 5)
The Lund Black Hard Fold Tonneau Cover won’t set you back quite as much as the Rugged Liner Premium Hard Tonneau Cover, but you should be prepared to drop $600 if it’s on your shopping list. For your money, you get an expertly designed hard tonneau cover that will protect your flatbed and its contents from all intruders and weather conditions for years to come. Lund—or LUND, to use the brand’s preferred stylization—is one of the premier manufacturers of tonneau covers in the world, so you can be sure the Black Hard Fold Tonneau Cover will always protect your luggage.
Features
- Weight rating of 350 pounds
- Aluminum underbody frame
- Limited lifetime warranty
Pros
If you’ve tried to install a hard tonneau cover in the past, you’re probably aware that it’s a lot more complicated than attaching a soft alternative. Thankfully, the folks on the Lund design team equipped the Black Hard Fold Tonneau Cover with a unique clamping system that allows it to be fitted to your truck in just ten minutes.
The Lund Black Hard Fold Tonneau Cover provides a greater degree of protection than most competing products. This is because the manufacturer had the foresight to fit it with a number of impact-resistant panels, which significantly reduce the shock of a sudden brake, a sharp turn, or even a collision.
Cons
According to some unhappy Lund customers, the Black Hard Fold Tonneau Cover has the unique problem of expanding in the heat, which may cause a couple of problems when the summer months roll around.
What Consumers Say about the Lund Hard Fold Tonneau Cover
- I have a 2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 short bed pick up and this Tonneau cover fits perfectly. very nice quality, very well-made, looks very nice on the truck. This is the second Lund Tonneau cover we’ve owned and I’m very pleased with it.
- Bought this for my husband’s new truck. It definitely was easy to install and it serves it’s purpose. Only thing worth mentioning is that the top part of the cover still flaps in the wind as you are driving. It is definitely water resistant, it has gone through a car wash multiple times and everything under is has been dry as a bone. All in all this was a good purchase!
- Nice tonneau cover for the money. I wish it had another set of quick release clamps for the middle section.
- It fits perfectly, looks great and with the aluminum panels under the vinyl will prevent any one from slicing the vinyl to get inside the bed.
- Looks great – Fits great! Great price. Super easy to install. I Highly recommend this Tonneau Cover.
Summary
When you buy the Lund Black Hard Fold Tonneau Cover, you are buying a product designed by a true industry leader. It may not be quite as impressive as the previous Rugged Liner cover, but it promises everything you need and more to cross America without any damage coming to your flatbed or its contents. Furthermore, it’s backed by a lifetime limited warranty that you’ll always be able to fall back on, which speaks volumes about Lund’s confidence in its product.
View Lund Hard Tonneau Covers on Amazon
Topline Autopart Tri-Fold Hard Tonneau Cover
Consumer Ratings (3.5 / 5)
If you’re trying to keep costs down but are absolutely dead set on purchasing a hard tonneau cover as opposed to a less expensive soft alternative, you should pay careful attention to the Tri-Fold Hard Tonneau Cover from Topline Autopart. Although it doesn’t have quite as many features as the earlier products from Rugged Line and Lund, it promises all of the hard tonneau cover basics and then some.
Features
- Heavy-duty frame
- Scuff and dent resistant panels
- Weight rating of 300 pounds
Pros
For the thrifty pickup truck driver, there is no better option than the Topline Autopart Tri-Fold Hard Tonneau Cover. Rarely selling for more than $450, it is the least expensive tonneau cover on this list and is one of the few in its price range that promises an effective performance for an extended period of time.
According to Topline Autopart, the sleek design of the Tri-Fold Hard Tonneau Cover will reduce aerodynamic drag, which will increase your fuel mileage. This claim is pretty difficult to confirm, but it’s unlikely that it would be used as a selling point if there wasn’t something to it.
Cons
The Topline Autopart Tri-Fold Hard Tonneau Cover is not designed for any specific model of truck, which means a perfect fit will be pretty difficult to achieve.
What Consumers Say about the Topline Hard Tonneau Cover
- Product fit our truck perfectly. Good quality product at a reasonable price.
- Nice hard cover but the tool bag zipper was different then the zipper on the cover renderig it useless and in my application I needed to buy more weather stripping also I had to figure out the tailgate and how to close it with the cover.
- Awesome cover! Provides that extra utility I needed from my truck, and I love having a hard surface rather than a soft cover which will break down over time. Had this on for 6 months now and looks (and works) as well as the day I put it on.
- Very happy with it so far! seems durable and does the job well!
- So if you are in the market for a tri-fold bed cover I would recommend finding somewhere to purchase through, and make sure the manufacturer is in the US! I will not make any purchases through Topline again and recommend any potential buyers to look and buy elsewhere
Summary
Sure, the Autopart Tri-Fold Hard Tonneau Cover has its faults, but it is by far the most reliable hard tonneau cover in its price range. For less than $500, you get a hard tonneau cover that has the ability to hold 300 pounds at a time, giving it a weight rating surpassing that of many more expensive models. Installing this particular tonneau cover may be a bit of a pain, but once you have it fitted you’re unlikely to experience any serious problems.
View Topline Tonneau Covers on Amazon
Tonno Pro Black Hard Fold Tonneau Cover
Consumer Ratings (4 / 5)
When a manufacturer focuses only on the production of tonneau covers as opposed to the production of a variety of automotive accessories, the quality of its tonneau covers improves tenfold. That is proven beyond doubt by the products of Tonno Pro, especially the Tonno Pro Black Hard Fold Tonneau Cover. Available for less than $600, this product offers all the features of a super deluxe hard tonneau cover at a fraction of the cost.
Features
- Weight of 52.3 pounds
- Aluminum underbody frame
- Impact-resistant panels
Pros
Unlike a lot of hard tonneau covers, the Tonno Pro Black Hard Fold Tonneau Cover comes completely assembled and ready for installation. It can be handily attached to your truck in less than ten minutes and can be removed in virtually no time at all.
The Tonno Pro Black Hard Fold Tonneau Cover is notable for a variety of reasons, many of which involve saving you money. The product is backed by not one, but two warranties, neither of which you’ll be likely to use. The vinyl fabric that composes the exterior is supported by a 10- year warranty while the aluminum sub-frame has an exceedingly generous limited-lifetime warranty.
Cons
This main issue with this hard tonneau cover has always been the quality of the plastic clips used to attach the product to the truck’s flatbed. They feel a little flimsier than they should and multiple Tonno Pro customers have reported them snapping and even melting when the temperature is high enough.
What Consumers Say about the Tonno Pro Hard Tonneau Cover
- I have used it for 8 months (purchased 19 Jan. 2017) now and have folded it maybe 5 times but never completely removed from the truck. The rubber seals are falling off and now I have to glue them back on so I don’t loose the seals. The product like I said in my original post is of decent quality but am a little disappointed that the seals did not even last a full year.
- Great cover for the money. Fits my 2017 F250 4×4 8ft bed like a glove. Even had a small tropical storm blow through and cover stayed tight with only a small amount of water getting into the first few inches by the tailgate. Super easy to install even with only 1 person. Much happier to spend what I did than what the dealer wanted $1600 for pretty much the same thing.
- This cover is a pleasure to use on a daily basis. To start, this cover goes on like a breeze. After that, the cover is self contained to a point, on the front third which works in most cases. Sometimes the cover just has to come off and you need a place to store it. A little planning is needed. But I love it!
- Fits 2017 Super Duty long bed. Third Tonno Pro owned on various trucks and all have held up with no issues. Great way to keep your bed dry and smaller items out of sight. Used to have a canopies but this is way better if you haul large items or grab a load of bark dust/gravel/sand. No experience in heavy snow loads.
Summary
Realistically, we could have chosen any Tonno Pro product for this list of the best hard tonneau covers. Pretty much all of the brand’s recent offerings are deserving of attention, but the Black Hard Fold Tonneau Cover is particularly special because of the attention paid to both its aluminum framing and vinyl exterior. The Tonno Pro design team is going to have a hard time outdoing themselves after this one.
View Tonno Pro Tonneau Covers on Amazon
Gator Covers EVO Hard Folding Bi-Fold Tonneau Cover
Consumer Ratings (4.2 / 5)
Continuing our trend of tonneau cover manufacturers who deal exclusively in tonneau covers is the EVO Hard Folding Bi-Fold Tonneau Cover from Gator Covers. Since its inception, Gator Covers has strived to produce premium quality tonneau covers and sell them on at a price everybody can afford. The EVO Hard Folding Bi-Fold Tonneau Cover goes for just over $500, which is almost half the price of the hard tonneau cover that started off this list. Despite its low price, this is one of the most impressive hard tonneau covers not just on this list, but on the market today. Here’s why:
Features
- 5 feet in length
- Low profile
- Impact-resistant aluminum panels
Pros
The Gator Covers EVO Hard Folding Bi-Fold Tonneau Cover features a lightweight design, which allows it to be opened and closed with ease, eliminating the need for awkward fumbling every time you need to retrieve something from your flatbed.
The vast majority of premium hard tonneau covers feature a tri-fold design, which makes them more compact but ultimately sacrifices a lot of common conveniences. The bi-fold design of the Gator Covers EVO Hard Folding Bi-Fold Tonneau Cover means it can do everything a tri-fold alternative can do, but in half the time.
Cons
As far as budget hard tonneau covers go, this one is relatively strong. That being said, if you’re looking for a tonneau cover that can hold several hundred pounds of weight as you travel across the country, you should probably look at a more expensive model.
What Consumers Say about the Gator EVO Bi-Fold Tonneau Cover
- Excellent hard tonneau cover. Super easy install and the two fold panels make easy and quick opening of the cargo box. Only downside is the 2 fold panels extend above cabin and catch the wind if left open while driving. Look great and good value for dollar spent.
- Installed on my 2017 crew max tundra. Fits perfect and looks great. The only leak is at the corners of the tailgate and it’s not Much. I thought I might regret not getting the bakflip but I don’t. Quality product so far.
- I ordered this and received it a week later. Almost 2 weeks ahead of schedule. It took me about an hour or so to install. Wasn’t hard at all. It fits good and looks great. Would definitely recommend.
- The Gator cover looks darn good. I’ve never had any other tonneau cover before so I don’t have anything to compare it to. Installation is pretty easy. No drilling required which really makes me happy. I haven’t put the drain tubes in yet but I probably will.
- I am missing one screw in the strap down section. I used one out of my tool box to secure it. The drill hole and plastic piece were not aligned nor secure. I fixed instead of contacting the company and waiting. Used for vacation – no issues. So far – everything inside stays dry. Great price compared to others. Easy in and out and the pop up two part is better than those with more panels.
Summary
With its many features and remarkable durability, the Gator Covers EVO Hard Folding Bi-Fold Tonneau Cover could be mistaken for a far more expensive model and would very rarely be revealed to be otherwise. This is the product the Gator Covers design team has been working to create since day one and is proof that passion and an attentive eye will trump a large production budget every time.
View Gator EVO Covers on Amazon
Conclusion
As you probably realized at some point during this article, hard tonneau covers are far more expensive than their softer cousins. Selling at around $800, the Rugged Liner Premium Hard Tonneau Cover is among the most expensive hard tonneau covers on the market today, although for that price you do get an abundance of features and the knowledge that you have the best protection money can buy. That being said, you can derive similar peace of mind from a slightly less expensive product, such as the Lund Black Hard Fold Tonneau Cover or the Gator Covers EVO Hard Folding Bi-Fold Tonneau Cover.
We generally advise against purchasing a product just because it has a low price tag, but the Topline Autopart will provide you with a great tonneau cover for less than $500. Although it is the least expensive product to appear on this list, the Topline Autopart Tri-Fold Hard Tonneau Cover certainly isn’t cheap and deserves your attention even if your budget allows for greater expenditure.
Comments
Mae
Thanks for posting about this. It’s really good and nice. Keep posting!
Ed
I have a Extang Solid Fold 2.0 Tonneau Cover and had some issues with it not lining up correctly after I installed it. After a couple of weeks I noticed one of the sections was starting to warp. After careful inspection I realized i installed one of the sides incorrectly causing a high spots which in turn caused the warping. I contacted the company hoping that I could get a replacement part and the rep I spoke with from Extang offered a free replacement of the parts I needed under warranty. Even more impressive he went on to explain to me what exactly I needed to do to ensure I did not make the same mistake again. A+++ Customer Service from Extang, I highly recommend their tonneau covers!
Jenni
Impressive! So happy to be here. Thank you for sharing this with us!