Navigation
Even the toughest pickup truck still needs protection, especially if you use the truck beds for hauling heavy items from point A to B. Certainly, your pickup truck looks hip, but it also does WORK. You don’t just want to protect the outside finishing of your trusty pick-up truck, you also want to make sure your truck bed is protected from scratches and is skid-free.
Our Top 3 Choice
- Extra Thick .375″ (9.52mm) Nyracord ® Rubber Compound Construction.
- Rubber material deflects UV rays to lessen discoloration.
- Custom-fit applications that contour around wheels for a perfect fit.
- Cut-to-fit mat that measures 66” W x 98” L.
- Can be tidied up easily with a hose, pressure washer or vacuum.
- Fabricated from heavy-duty polypropylene with a non-skid texture.
- Rugged Liner® Logo that can be covered, removed, or replaced with your logo.
- Non-pooling skid-resistant floors.
- Tailgate protection
The brainchild of this situation is the bedliner. They protect your truck beds from getting damaged by any cargo you carry as well as from rust. There are two types of bedliners; drop-in and spray on. Drop-ins are the most common as they are easy to use, removable, and budget-friendly. Spray on, on the other hand, are incredibly durable, and the fact that they are sprayed on leaves no gap between the liner and the bed. Spray-on bedliners can be expensive and are permanent, so most truck owners still prefer drop-ins. Stuffing down a drop-in bedliner on your truck bed keeps your truck and its paint job from unwanted dents, dings, and scratches. As we go along, you will find which is the best drop-in bedliner for your vehicle and the cargoes you will be hauling.
Quick Take: Our Favorite Drop-In Truck Bed Liner
It can be quite challenging to get the perfect drop-in bedliner, considering you need to make sure it acts almost as fitting as a spray on. But, if its easy installation and removal that works for you, then make sure you have one that meets all considerations above – and not the subpar tools and equipment. The drop-in bedliners we have for you have been carefully examined to meet the factors we expect them to have; it will be up to you which one will work with how you and your truck function.
The Penda Pendaliner SR is highly recommended from the list we have. It may be one of the priciest on the list, but that is because it offers more than what the others do. This brand is simply the best if you are frequently hauling heavy goods and luggage with your truck. Read on to find out more.
Best Drop-in Bedliners Review: Protection for Your Truck’s Bed
1. Dee Zee Heavyweight Bed Mat
Features:
- Extra Thick .375″ (9.52mm) Nyracord ® Rubber Compound Construction.
- Rubber material deflects UV rays to lessen discoloration.
- Custom-fit applications that contour around wheels for a perfect fit.
Best with:
- F-150 Pickup2004–2008 F-150 Pickup
- 2009–2014 F-150 Pickup
Materials and fabrication: Dee Zee bed mats/bedliners are proudly USA made with superior manufacturing. Constructed from .375” high-density Nyracord® Rubber compound, it strongly resists scratch, scrapes, and scuffs from your load. This low-cost option has tightly compressed Rubber fibers that can handle gas and oil spills and will never crack or fall apart even at intense weather and climates.
Dee Zee has been around since 1977, specializing in truck accessories and have made a lot of items that the biggest names in the auto industry have supported. Their bedliners are a cost-effective solution for keeping that truck clean from scratches and dents, credits to everything you hauled it with. Selling at less than $150, Dee Zee proves to show it can keep up with the same features of the expensive competitors.
- Dee Zee does well in preventing your cargo from sliding and scratching the paint off your truck bed
- A high-quality bedliner that doesn’t require you to break your bank
- Rubber cleats aids in keeping the mat in place, allowing water to drain
- Materials feel like hard plastic, therefore could leave some scratches to the truck bed surface
- Some users have reported very poor cuts/fit
- Supported pickup truck models are very limited
“Michael B who drives a Ford 150 gave 5/5 stars and says: I purchased Dee Zee DZ86928 Heavyweight Bed Mat for two reasons. To protect my truck bed and to avoid having my kids’ strollers rolling all around on the metal bed. The mat was a nice weight and fit perfect. It was installed within two quick minutes. The weight of the mat is also perfect. It doesn’t want to unroll into a mess. The Dee Zee mat also fit my 2008 ford f150 lariat 5.5 bed perfect.”
2. BedRug Truck Bed Mat
Features:
- Cut-to-fit mat that measures 66” W x 98” L.
- Can be tidied up easily with a hose, pressure washer or vacuum.
- Fabricated from heavy-duty polypropylene with a non-skid texture.
Best with:
- Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Isuzu, Lincoln, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Plymouth, and Toyota trucks as well as Honda Ridgeline and 2009-2010 Hummer H3T.
Materials and fabrication: The BedRug Universal Mat are designed to work with almost all truck beds in the market. They can be cut to fit your exact make and model to give you the same feel you have with a spray on bedliner. BedRug Mats are manufactured with ultra-tough 100% polypropylene (essentially plastic). It resists chemical spills strongly such as gasoline, battery acid, and bleach. That means you can easily clean it up. What’s better is that the TPO/polypropylene composite the BedRug Mats are made of makes them environmentally safe. They can be turned to pellets for a variety of consumer uses. BedRug Mats do not contain any banned products declared on Global Automotive Declarable Substance List (GADSL).
- Can be easily dropped into bare beds or beds with spray-on liners
- Withstands chemical spills, heavy impacts, and harsh weather elements
- The universal cut makes it easy to fit any truck
- Not thick enough and if not stuck well to the truck may cause it to fly out as you drive
- Could hold water underneath the mat
- The tape that came with the package wasn’t enough to stick the mat in
“Duckmuzzle who drives F150 gave 5/5 stars and says: Super easy to cut, Lightweight and comfortable. I installed it, so I could lay on it to install my Tonno Pro Hard Fold. I had plenty for my 6.5-foot bed and enough to do the tailgate as well. One note. If you have a spray in bed liner there is no industrial Velcro included. Just a little snap in screws for a plastic liner. Absolutely love the feel and durability.”
3. Rugged Liner Under-Rail Bed Liner
Features:
- Rugged Liner® Logo that can be covered, removed, or replaced with your logo.
- Non-pooling skid-resistant floors.
- Tailgate protection
Best with:
- Chevrolet, Ram, Dodge, Ford, Lincoln, Isuzu, Nissan, Suzuki, and Toyota trucks.
Materials and fabrication: With its patented Rugged Liner® materials, this bedliner may be pricier, but you will be assured to get protection from other brands. Made from durable, high-density polyethylene, they are tough and sturdy and will surely stand impact and skids. It comes with a limited lifetime warranty, but with a brand standing behind its name, the quality will leave you not turning to call the warranty line.
One of the best seller brands in the name of bedliners, Truck Rugged Liners take pride with their USA-made patented Rugged Liner®. They promise to provide your truck with tough, but affordable protection.
- Durable polyethylene construction is durable and sturdy enough to last long
- Set covers not just your truck bed but your tailgate too
- Tough, patented front corners and side walls
- Promise a limited lifetime warranty, but it is too hard to get someone at their customer service
- Poor customer service
“Jeremy, a verified purchaser gave 5/5 stars and says: Installed in 2 min. Lifetime warranty can’t go wrong.”
4. Penda Pendaliner SR
Features:
- Can endure skid twice as much as other drop-in or spray-on bedliners.
- Rib design safeguards against dents, scrapes, and scratches.
- The gutters also allow water to drain away from the bed instead of holding them in.
Best with:
- Chevrolet/GMC, Dodge, Ford, Isuzu, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Toyota Trucks.
Materials and fabrication: Pendaform carefully analyzed FEA (Finite Element Analysis) to come up with the best materials they can use for commercial vehicles’ bedliners. Combining Thermoplastic Polyolefin and polycarbonate-ABS, the process goes through injection molding, creating that fit needed for truck beds.
PendaForm, the two market-leading performers combined that entered an agreement in 2013 – Penda Corporation and Fabri-Form Company. Together they have invested in thorough study of state-of-the-art design, manufacturing quality systems to meet and exceed customers’ expectations. Their company grew rapidly alongside the rising popularity of trucks.
- Comes with pre-cut holes for LED lights to leave you not worrying about being invisible in the dark
- Molded in-board holders increase the stability by holding each part in a specific location
- No drill installation
- Takes a while to settle in. Some areas may look quite loose.
- A lot more expensive than most brands
- Some holes may not match up on some tailgates
“Jim V who drives a 2017 F150 gave 5/5 stars and says; I just received my bed liner today and it was exactly what I expected. Install went off without a hitch and very happy with my choice. For my 2017 F150 the holes lined up perfectly. I would recommend this product for anyone looking for a reasonably priced bed liner.”
5. Dura-Liner Truck Bed Liner (0052060X)
Features:
- DualLiner truck bed liner is custom designed to perfectly fit and match any truck.
- It comes equipped with ZeroSkid® rubber truck bed mat for the extreme protection for your cargo.
- Quick and incredibly simple installation process.
Best with:
- They are partnered with Ford, Chevrolet, GMC, Dodge, but they can custom fit any trucks.
Materials and fabrication: Your Dura-Liner digital bedliner starts as a digital model. Using the same CAD design files used by most truck manufacturers, manufacturing can produce the same actual panels of the truck itself. It goes to next to CNC (computer numerical control) bedliner prototyping to create a wood form of the original layout. The CNC prototype forms to create the final cast-aluminum tool for full-scale production. Here onwards, the impact-resistant bedliners are vacuum-thermoformed using utility-grade polyethylene with added UVA and UVB inhibitors.
Another USA-made bedliner that makes its name known in the world of pickup trucks is Dura-Liner. They claim to have their OEM quality design and bedliner manufacturing process unsurpassed. Dura-Liner ensures each bedliner they produce is the perfect fit to the exact dimension of your truck.
- UV protected finish makes it protected against damaging ultraviolet sunlight
- Resistant to gasoline and other chemical spills
- Premium skid resistance
- More expensive than most brands. Not working in a tight-constricted budget.
“Scott S who drives a 2014 RAM 1500 gave 5/5 stars and says: I did quite a bit of research on bedliners…and came to the conclusion that DualLiner was the product that would fill my needs. I’ve been very happy with the product…and would recommend it to family and friends.”
6. WeatherTech TechLiner Truck Bed Mat
Features:
- UV-protected, fade-resistant, won’t be brittle in cold weather. On the other hand, it stays flexible in warm weather.
- It comes in black color which you will have no problem pairing with any colored truck.
- USA-made with limited lifetime warranty.
Best with:
- Chevrolet, Ram, Dodge, Ford, Lincoln, Isuzu, Nissan, Suzuki, and Toyota trucks.
Materials and fabrication: WeatherTech’s bedliners are made from 100% recyclable and odorless thermoplastic elastomer; making it durable, flexible and UV resistant. Scratches and dents can be hardly encountered with this bedliner. They are securely fitting the contours of the truck bed, thanks to the custom-fit manufacturing process.
Armor your truck beds with this WeatherTech TechLiner against scratches, dents and paint damage. The makers of this bedliner have long been recognized by auto enthusiasts as one of the best suppliers of trucking accessories. They have been ISO certified that goes to show how passionate they are with meeting their commitment to quality.
- Seamlessly fits the exact contours of your truck
- Easy to install and remove
- No drilling required
- Needs an underliner to ensure the bottom of the truck bed is protected
“JT Sessions who drives 2017 Ford F-150 gave 5/5 stars and says: I just installed my TechLiner bed & tailgate liners. Took less than 30 minutes to install. Works great. Did have to let the sun warm up the bed liner so that it would lay flat before applying the Velcro pads. No problem, installed the tailgate protector while the sun did its job.”
7. Lund 795005 Cargo-Logic Truck Bed Liner
Features:
- Made from heavy-duty and stain proof looped polyware. Surface looks like a carpet, but it’s not.
- Raised edge contains spills to allow water to flow freely.
- Made in the USA with a lifetime warranty.
Best with:
- Chevrolet, GMC, Ford, Toyota, and Dodge trucks.
Materials and fabrication: Crafted from a thermoplastic material that stands up to impacts and heavy weather, Lund bedliner are semi-custom designed that still fits your truck bed. It is easy to clean built-to-last and backed by a lifetime warranty.
Lund International has been in the business of meeting customer needs for automotive accessories since 1930s even when they were only fully founded and acquired internationally in 1997. Since then they have grown with products offered to different brands.
- Includes 4 cargo locks to fasten cargo securely
- Easy to clean. Just rinse with the water hose
- Scuff and scratch resistant exterior
- Liner may be an inch short to most truck beds
- Supported number of pickup trucks is limited
“Zach B who drives a 2012 Ford F150 gave 5/5 stars and says; Is this not custom?! It took 5 min to Install and works great with my tonneau cover.”
8. Husky Liners 12591 Black Truck Bed
Features:
- GapGuard™ keeps any debris and rubbles from getting lodged between your bed and tailgate.
- Its anti-skid surface keeps a hard grip and leaves everything in its place.
- USA-made with a limited lifetime warranty.
- The Ultra-Fiber material offers extremely soft protection not just for your cargo but for your knees too.
Best with:
- Chevrolet, Ram, Dodge, Ford, Isuzu, Nissan, Suzuki, and Toyota trucks.
Materials and fabrication: Husky Liners 12591 Black Truck Bed are made of TPO – Thermoplastic Olefin with black finishing. TPO protects your lining and your truck bed from harsh UV rays and holds out on staining from chemicals such as battery acid, bleach, and oil spill. The high-quality materials guarantee to serve your truck for years to come. Aside from the TPO composite construction, it adds a spray-in liner look for that ultra-grip. It also uses GapGuard™ to make sure debris is kept from getting lodged between the bed and the tailgate.
The commercial line of Winfield Consumer Products, Inc, Husky Liners has been in the manufacturing business for custom fit floor and cargo liners. They specialize in a custom fit floor, cargo liners, heavy-duty floor mats, mudguards, and almost anything you need for your automobile arsenals.
- Included 3M hook and loop, no drilling required. Can also be installed and removed easily without damaging your truck bed
- Easy to clean it with a garden hose, power washer or vacuum
- Doesn’t absorb water and will not mold or mildew
- Carpet eventually wears out in a few months and may the items you load may move around during transport
- Corners roll up and need to be tucked in with extra Velcro.
- Fits limited models of pickup trucks
“Christopher M who is a verified purchaser from www.huskyliners.com gave 5/5 stars and says: So far I’m very happy with the Husky bed mat. Easy to install, provides protection for the bed floor and tailgate…as well as keeping debris out of the gap between the tailgate and the bed. Also, while not as grippy as a rubber mat, it does provide some extra grip to keep things from sliding around the bed.”
What Are Drop-In Bedliners?
The most common type of bedliner is the drop-in. As the name suggests, you drop it in on your truck bed. They are usually plastic shells or form-fitted plastic sheets made to fit your truck bed. Most truck manufacturers offer their own set of drop-in bedliners, but you can also go for an aftermarket one. Aftermarket brands include rubber mats and outer lining. Affordable and effective. Truck manufacturer’s bedliners may be more effective. After all, they made the vehicle, so they know the perfect fit.
Should I Get A Bed Liner?
Sure, you took a truck for one purpose: to be able to carry around stuff. So, it is no wonder that the truck bed is the one taking the most beating. Just a bad bump or a sudden brake could potentially leave a chip on the paint or worst, a dent. Unless you are like that character from the animated movie, Cars, who takes pride in all its dents, then getting a bedliner is a good idea.
If you are looking at using your truck for the next 5 years or so, then the answer is a definite YES. Bedliners are more than just protection from scratches and dents. They add grip and resists skid, so your cargo won’t be moving around. You wouldn’t want your truck bed’s paint chipped off as well as your cargo damaged.
Here’s a short clip is taken from Discovery Channel’s Myth Busters that shows how protected the surface of your truck bed is with bedliners. This bedliner crash test video tries out on a spray-on bedliner. Take note that, most drop-in bedliners are made with the same finish, so they are almost the same in performance.
Buying Guide: What to Consider in Getting Drop-In Bed Liner?
A bedliner is but one of the many accessories you can get for your truck that can help it last longer. You don’t want the rust setting in due to that scratch it got from the metal box you carried last week. Nor, would you like to see that one part on your truck bed’s paint chipping off because the foot of the sofa that you hauled scratched the flooring when you went to hit the brakes. As you have decided you want to protect your car with a bedliner, your decision which to pick should be wise if based on the following considerations.
Material
Deciding how you’d like to protect your truck bed as well as the material you want should be your choice when purchasing a bedliner. Are you looking to get it covered against corrosion? Then, go for a corrosion resistant liner. Working long hours exposed under the sun? UV resistant bedliner could be the right preference. Heavy duty loading? Better to get yourself one that is constructed out of rubber or wood. That will keep your truck bed from damages.
Texture
How much do you use your truck bed for carrying? This should be considered in picking the right texture for your bedliner. If you need to glide heavy things in place once after another, a slick texture should work perfectly. Alternatively, if you need to have your luggage in place while being transported, a rigid textured bedliner can come in handy.
Installation
Most truck owners prefer drop-in bedliners due to their ease of installation. They require less preparation and can simply be removed when necessary. It is best to choose a drop-in bedliner that is sturdy but is trouble-free to install. That which doesn’t require much effort from your end. It would be wise to watch YouTube videos from manufacturers of drop-in bedliners, so you will have an idea which one best suits your needs.
Maintenance
Aside from being able to set up, put on, and remove in a snap, another thing to consider is how effortlessly it can be maintained. Maintenance is important for the bedliner’s sustainability. In choosing a bedliner, study how much upkeeping it needs and how instantly it wears out if not taken care of. You also need to think about how much time it takes for you to look after it on a regular basis.
Compatibility
Spray liners are without a doubt the most compatible of any truck beds as they are sprayed on, leaving no gaps in between. But, if you get to choose the drop-in bedliner that is compatible with the surface of your truck bed, it will feel like you got yourself some spray liner. The compatible bedliner is one that fits any surface.
Conclusion:
Bedliners can save your truck in many ways it can, from outdoor elements and daily use. Not only that, but they also add such touch to the appearance of your truck. Each of the bedliners mentioned has been carefully picked based on the considerations we had listed. Any of these can be an excellent addition to your pickup truck accessories. They can be a very good investment.
As mentioned in our top pick, Penda Pendaliner SR is our highly recommended drop-in bedliner. The price tag could hurt your pocket, but the benefits it gives your truck are all worth it. Molded in-board holders paired with a skid-resistant underbody, gives you peace of mind as you haul your items under outdoor elements exposure. I’m sure you will agree with me when I say, it may be more expensive to get a full-body painting service every time you get a scratch than to get a drop-in bedliner that will last for as long as you need them.
BedRug Mat can keep up with almost the same benefits even when you need to cut down on costs. For a little over $100, it gives sturdy and durable bedliner same as its expensive counterparts.
Consider how you use your truck and what you need it to be protected from. The bedliner you choose is dependent on these things: what you need your truck to do, what it needs protection from, and your budget.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
✅ Do I need special glue or stick on to attach to the truck bed? Will it slip down if not stuck to the bed?
Most bed mats would if not properly secured. While most do not require drilling, some may require 3M tapes to hold it in. However, as the name suggests – drop-in bedliner, it should be much fuss as ideally, you can just drop it in and forget it.
✅ Can I put my truck through aa car wash with the bedliner on?
The test of the best bedliner arises if they withstand water and can dry out without holding them in and causing rust and corrosion underneath.
✅ What else can I use to stick in the loose areas of my bedliner?
Some prefer to drill it in to make sure they are fitted correctly but that will just make it hard to remove if you need to take it out. You can contact the manufacturer for extra Velcro strips or you can visit your local hardware.
✅ My truck has a factory cargo management system. Will the drop-in bedliner interfere with it?
There is a likelihood for that to happen. However, most drop-on bedliners are year, make, and model specific. This allows full and easy use of them as well as accessibility to all OEM cargo management systems.
Also, check out our articles on motorcycle hitch carriers, truck bed rails and bike racks for your jeep wrangler.
