Tonneau Cover Comparisons How to Choose the Right Tonneau Cover

Tonneau Cover Comparisons How to Choose the Right Tonneau Cover

James ScerriSep 21, '21

No matter which style of tonneau covers designed by our experts at Ute Covers Direct, they will all protect loads in truck beds. Apart from weather protection, ease of truck bed access, and keeping the contents of your tray hidden from potential thieves, you’ll save on your fuel bills with one of our tonneaus compared to others on the market. Also, the sleekness of your tonneau cover reduces air drag. 


To help you with tonneau cover comparisons how to choose the right tonneau for your truck bed cover for your pickup truck or ute - whether that’s from the range including soft vinyl tonneau covers, a hard cover, Roll R, a roll-up tonneau, a hard folding tonneau cover or a custom tonneau cover or lid - here are some tips on the perfect truck bed cover for your vehicle:

The appearance of tonneau covers

Hard tonneau covers

Many ute owners choose their truck bed covers by first thinking about whether they will look right, compared to their existing retractable tonneau cover or others for sale. So if the appearance of your perfect hard tonneau cover is one of the main aspects of your choice, then all of our covers will fit the bill. 


Other ute owners prefer the look of the smooth, custom, solid tops or hard folding tonneau covers or a tri-fold tonneau cover that are colour matched, compared to a soft cover. The clean lines of a solid lid can be very appealing for owners working on their show utes that don’t carry big loads, compared to utes used for work. Folding covers look good as well.

Soft tonneaus

Other ute owners or pickup truck drivers prefer soft tonneaus, especially since the ones we manufacture at Ute Covers Direct are superb, sleek, modern and tight-fitting options for your ute. Some of the unique features of our retractable tonneau covers and soft roll-up covers include full bed access, no-drill attachments, clip-ons, and bunjis. 

Our tonneaus are made from high quality, robust water, shrink and fade resistant materials with integrated support bars. The beauty of soft vinyl roll-up tonneau covers is that the bed can be easily accessed.

The security features and versatility of your tonneau

Other things to consider when choosing the best tonneaus are the security features and versatility of the tonneau and how you use your ute. This will help you to decide on the style of cover you need. If high security is what you’re after, then a solid top might be the way to go. 

There are a few options for hard covers, for instance, retractable covers, roll tops and fibreglass which are a good choice for security, protection and versatility. These are built with robust, high quality materials and with integrated locking systems for your truck bed.

For anyone who hauls larger loads regularly, the hard top cover may not suit you, so a roll up tonneau is probably a better choice. These truck bed covers are more convenient since they can be rolled up into a canister similar to the way an old roll top desk performs. A soft tonneau cover is the most convenient and versatile for those who need to take cargo in and out every day as they're easily rolled up for quick access to your truck bed load.

Are tonneaus easy to install?  

To save on the expense of having your cover professionally mounted and fitted, the types of tonneau covers we make are designed for easy installation over your truck bed. Actually, now it’s so easy to install a tonneau cover that the process can generally be carried out by one person in 30 minutes. However, we have a fitting service if you need us to install a full truck bed tonneau cover for your truck, and we’d be happy to do so for a cost.

Best soft tonneau covers styles and features

  • Continuous Rope tonneaus:  These tonneaus have eyelets built into the tonneau with a strong, stretchy shock cord running around the edge and they’re attached with the buttons. 
  • Bunji tonneaus:  These have individual bunji loops attached to buttons - these are not suitable for j-hooks. They’re easy to use and provide full access.
  • Clip On rivet designed tonneau: These suit ute owners looking for a tidy appearance at a good price compared to the continuous rope or exposed bunji styles. Extrusions need to be riveted into the tub.  
  • Clip-on clamp designed ‘no drill’ tonneau: Similar to the Clip- on rivet tonneau, this one has the same smooth, tidy appearance but you don’t have to drill into your ute to install it. 

Can I order my tonneau online from Ute Covers Direct?

Yes, you can order your perfect tonneau cover online from us and because we sell directly to you, the public, we can offer our valued customers high-quality truck covers at an ultra-competitive price. You can rest assured and feel confident when you buy soft covers or hard tops from us since we offer a full ‘3 Year’ product warranty on all our tonneau coverings for your open truck bed and a ‘No Fuss’ money-back guarantee. 

Contact us at Ute Covers Direct today to find the best truck bed or the right tonneau cover for your ute or for any truck accessories. At Ute Covers Direct, we’ve got you covered.