When it comes to vehicles, nothing can beat the practicality of a pickup truck. And nothing can beat the customizability, either. It’s so easy – and fun – to customize your truck so that it looks like you want, drives like you want, and most importantly, serves the purpose that you want. For a lot of people, that means adding a tonneau cover to their pickup.
There are a lot of reasons to add a tonneau cover to your truck, but let’s first cover a few basics.
What is a Tonneau Cover?
Tonneau covers, also known as truck bed covers, are removable protective layers that lay flat on top of the truck bed. They’re basically just lids for your truck!
How Much Do Tonneau Covers Cost?
As far as vehicle additions go, a truck bed cover is pretty affordable. The prices vary depending on what type of tonneau cover you’re looking for, but they start at under $200 and range up from there. A common tri-fold cover can be $800 to $1,000, whereas a powered roll-up cover could be more than $2,000.
What Different Types of Tonneau Covers Are There?
There are a lot of different tonneau covers that you can purchase, so you can find what’s perfect for you and your truck’s needs. Tonneau covers come in everything from soft fabric to ultra-sturdy aluminum, and you can get covers that roll up, fold up, or retract. There are lots of different features to choose from, such as UV protection or water-sealed designs. Tonneau covers are usually pretty easy to install, and only take a few minutes. At most, you might need a friend to give you a second pair of hands.
5 Reasons to Get a Tonneau Cover
There are so many reasons why you should consider purchasing a tonneau cover for your truck, but these five are the most important.
Better protection
Tonneau covers offer two kinds of protection for your truck: protection from the elements, and protection from people. Whether you’re transporting tools, toys, luggage, or lumber, a truck bed cover will keep your valuables from being exposed to sunlight, harsh wind, and debris that might fly at your truck. Water-sealed tonneau covers can keep your haul dry, and even covers that aren’t water-sealed will keep the bulk of rain, sleet, and snow out of your truck bed. But it’s not just weather and flying objects. By keeping your valuables out of sight and reaching distance, tonneau covers make it much harder for thieves to steal whatever you’re hauling in your truck. You can even purchase locking tonneau covers for added security.
Improved aerodynamics
Adding a tonneau cover greatly increases the aerodynamics of your truck, and it’s not hard to understand why. You don’t see many racecars with beds in the back, and there’s a reason for that! By covering the bed of your truck, you allow the air to flow right over, and that means you can expect to see a notable gain in fuel efficiency. That’s the biggest positive of improved aerodynamics, but avid drivers will also notice that their truck performs a lot better on the road.
Increased resale value
This one’s pretty simple. The better you take care of your car, the more value it retains. Tonneau covers don’t just protect the haul that you’re carrying in your truck bed, they protect the truck bed itself. If you keep a truck bed cover on your pickup, you can take it off 10 years down the road and the truck bed will look good as new.
Great for organization
We’ve all experienced the frustration of having a truck bed that’s as messy as a teenager’s bedroom. It’s not fun, and it’s not conducive to whatever work you’re trying to do with your truck. Tonneau covers can help fight against this. By putting a lid on your truck bed, a tonneau cover not only helps hold things down, but keeps the wind from blowing your cargo around. You’ll find that whenever you get where you’re going, everything is pretty much as you left it.
Better looking
We drive trucks first and foremost because of the practicality. But let’s be honest: the fact that they’re pretty cool-looking doesn’t hurt, either. Every truck owner loves their truck and loves the look of it. That’s why we keep them clean inside and out, pick a color that we love, and put a little extra elbow grease in when detailing. Most truck owners like adding aesthetic customization, and a tonneau cover is great for that. Nothing beats the look of a pickup topped with a sleek truck bed cover. Whether you’re looking to add a tonneau cover to your favorite vehicle, or you need any other part for your pickup, you can find whatever you’re looking for at AmericanTrucks. Our helpful sales techs can assist you with any questions or recommendations for the perfect tonneau cover.