Best Truck Bed Liners (2024)

Updated on Dec 20, 2023

Though it’s becoming increasingly popular for manufacturers to include spray-on or drop-in bed liners as factory equipment, some bare-bones packages and older pickups still feature bare, painted beds. Not only are painted beds less attractive than a high-quality bed liner, but far less practical! From acquiring rust-prone abrasions and dings to allowing cargo to slide across the bed floor, painted truck beds are a massive inconvenience for those who use their pickup as engineered–like a truck!

On the other hand, bed liners provide exceptional protection to your pickup’s cargo area, resisting dents, dings, abrasions, chemicals, and more! Bed liners also provide a non-slip surface, preventing damage to your inner bed sides and cab from cargo haphazardly sliding around the bed.

Bed liners come in several styles and materials, including various drop-in liners and professional/DIY spray-in liners; but which is right for you? In the following article, the experts at RealTruck go over everything you need to know about bed liners, including which you should consider for your ride!

Bed Liners Vs. Bed Mats

For the sake of this article, we’re focusing exclusively on bed liners rather than bed mats. But quickly, let’s graze over the primary differences between these two common forms of bed protection.

Bed liners typically cover your pickup’s entire bed, featuring a comprehensive design that protects the bed floor, the inner bed sides, and the bulkhead. Bed mats, on the other hand, cover only the bed floor, leaving the inner bed sides and bulkhead exposed.

Bed mats are also typically manufactured from thick, heavy-duty rubber or carpeting, while bed liners feature composite, polymer, carpet, or liquid polyurethane constructions.

A bed mat will generally suffice for the pickup owner that only uses their truck’s bed for luggage, golf clubs, groceries, and other non-abrasive cargo. However, if the cargo area frequently transports tools, lumber, and other bulky, potentially abrasive goods, a full bed liner offers far superior protection.

Types of Bed Liners

Bed liners come in several designs and materials, all featuring unique characteristics and benefits. Let’s dive into some of our most popular offerings!

Drop-In Bed Liners

Drop-in bed liners are a common choice among DIY-ers, requiring minimal prep work, experience, tools, or time to install. Rather than being sprayed into the bed, drop-in bed liners are perfectly molded to your vehicle’s unique bed shape, allowing them to “drop” directly into your pickup’s cargo area. Generally, drop-in liners adhere to your pickup’s bed with fasteners, hook-and-loop strips, or double-sided adhesive.

Drop-in liners are manufactured from several materials, though the most widely used include:

Rubber Drop-In Bed Liners

Whether constructed from polypropylene, synthetic elastomer, natural rubber, thermoplastic, or any other automotive-grade polymer, rubber drop-in bed liners provide exceptional bed protection.

Rubber bed liners feature next-level impact resistance, preventing dings and dents from absent-mindedly loading heavy cargo in the bed. They’re also resistant to most chemicals and oils, making paint damage from spills a thing of the past! Finally, rubber bed liners feature a textured non-slip surface, preventing cargo from shifting while driving.

Maintenance is quick and easy; just hose out the liner whenever it's dirty for a rejuvenated aesthetic!

Carpet Drop-In Bed Liners

Carpet drop-in bed liners are a relatively new technology in the world of bed protection; however, they offer exceptional impact and abrasion-resistance to your pickup’s bed floor and inner bed-sides.

While carpet bed liners may look and feel like traditional indoor/outdoor carpeting, they’re constructed from hyper-durable polypropylene fibers–a thermoplastic often used in floor mats and “rubber” drop-in bed liners. As a result, carpet liners are resistant to harsh chemicals, oils, and more! Carpet bed liners blend the soft-touch feel and padding of carpeting with the durability of thermoplastic, creating a product that’s as rugged as it is comfortable.

While you may assume that maintaining a carpet bed liner is more labor-intensive than a rubber liner, you’re mistaken! Due to their polypropylene construction, carpet bed liners are highly mold and mildew-resistant. They can also be vacuumed, swept, and hosed off just like a rubber bed liner, making cleanup a breeze!

Spray-On Bed Liners

Spray-on bed liners are another popular bed liner variety, consisting of a textured, polyurethane or polyurea coating applied using a pressurized sprayer (or roller in some DIY instances). The resulting layer is highly resistant to abrasions, chips, and chemicals. Spray-on bed liners also provide moderate impact resistance, though not as much as a thick rubber or carpeted bed liner.

While spray-on bed liners are known for durability and a sleek appearance, they’re also highly labor-intensive to apply. Before beginning the application process, the entire surface of the bed must be thoroughly prepped, including removing any loose paint, priming bare metal, and scuffing and degreasing the bed. You’ll also need to mask off body panels around the application area to prevent overspray. It’s for these reasons that spray-on bed liners are primarily applied professionally.

DIY Vs. Professional Installation

Drop-in bed liners are incredibly easy to install in most cases, requiring mild prep work and zero tools or experience. Both carpeted and rubber bed liners are molded to fit your ride’s bed, perfectly catering to every contour, tie-down, and accessory. After cleaning the inner bed sides and floor and installing adhesives/hook and loop strips, just drop the liner into place and go! RealTruck also offers countless installation tutorials and step-by-step walkthroughs to further ease the installation process.

However, spray-on bed liners are a different story; as mentioned previously, most spray-on bed liners are installed professionally due to the extensive prep work and the potential for messes. Now, that’s not to say an at-home installation is impossible, just time-consuming and labor-intensive. Luckily, there are several DIY kits on the market that include everything necessary for application and detailed instructions.

Find the Right Bed Liner for You

So which bed liner is right for you? While we’d like to link you directly to your perfect product, the truth is that every individual is different, as is their need for a pickup truck. When deciding which bed liner to purchase, there are a couple of variables to consider.

Your Truck’s Primary Use

When considering which bed liner to purchase, it’s integral to consider your pickup’s primary use. Do you work out of your truck? Professions like contractors, landscapers, and other trade workers will likely benefit from the durable nature of a rubber drop-in or spray-on bed liner. However, those that routinely camp in their truck’s bed or typically only transport golf clubs, groceries, and other non-abrasive items may prefer the added comfort of a soft, carpet bed liner.

Installation Difficulty

Another consideration is installation difficulty; while this really only matters if you plan to install the bed liner yourself, it’s vital to know where your line is drawn. For ease of installation, we’d recommend either a carpet or rubber drop-in liner, offering a simple “drop-in” install with zero tools or experience!

Spray-on liners require considerably more time and labor to apply; however, at-home installations are more than possible if you have the space, resources, and patience to take on the job!

Now that you have a general idea of which bed liner style is right for you, it’s time to select a brand and model. Luckily, RealTruck has you covered! Check out our top bed liner selections on RealSource, covering all of the big three manufacturers including the RAM 1500, Ford F-150, and Chevy Silverado. And as always, contact our knowledgeable sales team for product inquiries and order assistance.