Finding the best tonneau cover for Dodge Dakota is the end goal for anyone and everyone reading this article.
The need for a tonneau cover is quite understandable here. This kind of car really outshines the competition with the right truck bed cover as an accessory.
I’m here to take you on a journey where I’ll share my personal experience with the 10 best truck bed covers for Dodge Dakota – and tell you a story or two of my friends who also used some of these tonneau covers.
Best Tonneau Cover For Dodge Dakota
All-in-all, you should have a pretty good understanding of these truck bed covers and what they offer by the end of this guide, making it easier to pick your favorite.
If, by some chance, you can’t make up your mind, I’ll tell you what’s my personal favorite out of the bunch and why – and maybe that will help you come to a final verdict.
I know it’s hard to pick and choose something that will turn out to be something you’ll use pretty much daily in most cases.
And for that reason, I’ve really taken time to try out every single one of these so you wouldn’t have to – and I’m here with the results!
Why Should You Prepare A Tonneau Cover For Your Dodge Dakota?
There’s a common practice among people familiar with using tonneau covers or any truck bed covers, in general.
That practice comes down to preparing your car – in this case, your Dodge Dakota – for the installation process and overall use of the tonneau cover of your choice.
The preparation process shouldn’t take up much of your time – but it is a process that you need to devote yourself to, though.
This process mainly consists of cleaning out your truck bed from any items you used to keep in there and cleaning out the dust particles, trash, or things like dry leaves that might have found their way in your truck bed.
There are some instances with some models of tonneau covers that require drilling holes or modifying your truck bed in some other way. Still, I’d highly recommend you keep that for when the tonneau cover arrives since I once made a mistake of preemptively drilling the holes, and well, that didn’t turn out so great.
So, the things you need to do to prepare your Dodge Dakota for a tonneau cover are mainly clearing out your truck bed and cleaning it afterward.
TOP 10 Best Tonneau Cover For Dodge Dakota
1. Tyger Auto T3 Tri-Fold Truck Tonneau Cover
To start this list, I’ll review one of the most well-known and loved versions of a tonneau cover – a tri-fold.
These truck bed covers are widely known and earn their popularity due to the accessibility they provide their users with and the sheer endurance and durability.
That’s of great importance to most tonneau cover users since a large number of them work jobs that require their cars to be as tough as possible – including the truck bed cover of any sort.
Tyger Auto T3 Tri-Fold Truck Tonneau Cover TG-BC3D1013 Works
The installation process for this Dodge Dakota tonneau cover didn’t take up much of my time, and it probably won’t in your case, either.
I’d say around half an hour is more than enough to get this thing up and running as smoothly as possible.
You should read the instructions first and then get on with the installation process for your own time’s sake. I found this quite helpful.
I often drive around just to see if the tonneau cover is clunky, which was not the case with this one.
I thoroughly enjoyed using this every day and didn’t have any significant concerns about this tonneau cover.
Granted, this tonneau cover might show some wear if you often hit it or bump it with some heavy-duty tools. But other than that, this thing seems indestructible.
| Pros | Cons |
| Durable | Might show some wear after heavy usage |
| Easy to install | |
| Doesn’t move while driving |
It’s clear that if you don’t plan on hitting it often or resting some heavy tools on it, this tonneau cover might be perfect for you.
In other words, I’m not afraid to recommend this to anyone and everyone who wants a good, reliable tri-fold tonneau cover.
2. TruXedo TruXport Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Tonneau Cover
Here you have a completely different option than the one before it. Soft roll-up tonneau covers are on the other spectrum of truck bed covers from the tri-fold ones.
The installation process is not much different, but that doesn’t mean there are many similarities from that point on.
I personally don’t like the installation process for a soft roll-up since you have to be extra careful with the cover itself. And that usually means that the installation process might take longer because of that.
TruXedo TruXport Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Tonneau Cover
It took me around 35 minutes to get it installed, and I’m glad to add that, when I finished, the effort paid off. I was pretty pleased with how this tonneau cover looked on my car since the soft roll-ups give you the sleekest-looking effect out of all of these.
Knowing that something looks pretty doesn’t mean that it’s doing the job. The only problem is that soft tonneau covers can’t withstand much weight on top of them, which is not something you’d experience with hard tri-fold or retracting tonneau covers.
Another thing I’d say is a downside of this tonneau cover is that its water-resistant characteristics are questionable. After heavy rains or melting snow, I’ve found that this truck bed cover has some difficulties keeping the moisture out of the truck bed.
| Pros | Cons |
| Sleek-looking | Isn’t fully waterproof |
| Semi-quick assembly and installation | Doesn’t support much weight on top of it |
| Can make noise while traveling |
This soft tonneau cover for Dodge Dacota is possibly amongst the best soft ones – but that doesn’t mean it’s uncontested by other hard truck bed covers for the same car.
3. BAK BAKFlip G2 Hard Folding Truck Bed Tonneau Cover
Here, I have another hard folding truck bed cover. I’m not trying to start a race for the best hard folding Dodge Dacota tonneau covers but to show you the popularity and the upsides of the tri-fold style tonneau covers.
Knowing all that I said earlier about my first pick on this list, let’s see how this one differs from it.
It’s expected that one tonneau cover exceeds another at some things and gets exceeded in another.
BAK BAKFlip G2 Hard Folding Truck Bed Tonneau Cover
For example, this Dodge Dakota truck bed cover is straightforward to install and takes around half the time as the first one does. That means that this tonneau cover exceeds its competition when it comes to the installation and assembly process.
But, it seems that a few of my friends that ordered this tonneau cover noticed that some parts were lightly damaged.
That doesn’t have to be a huge deal-breaker, but it’s just something that you should take into consideration when ordering it.
One area in which these two tonneau covers are as identical as they could be is their sheer durability. They can both hold a good amount of weight on top of them, and the second thing is that they’re both exceptionally water-resistant.
| Pros | Cons |
| Water-resistant | Might receive with light damage |
| Can hold some weight on top of it | |
| Quite easy to install |
This one is a fantastic example of hard tri-fold tonneau covers for casual users. It’s not heavy-duty or industrial, but it takes care of your belongings and provides you with the sense of security you’re striving for here.
4. Lund Genesis Elite Roll Up, Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Tonneau Cover
With these kinds of covers, there are extreme pros and extreme cons – depending on how you look at it.
Let’s start with the pros.
The accessibility of this tonneau cover is unmatched. The velcro on the sides of it makes for an enjoyable opening and closing experience that you likley won’t get with other types of tonneau covers.
Lund Genesis Elite Roll Up, Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Tonneau Cover
One of the downsides of this type of truck bed cover is that it doesn’t provide you with much – if any – kind of security.
A knife or anything remotely sharp can cut through this with ease, and that means that anyone with a sharp object could gain access to the contents of your truck bed area.
If you’re living in an area that doesn’t have a lot of criminal activity – or you have a safe way to park your car wherever you go – this issue won’t mean much for you.
I’d personally take this into consideration, though. I value my safety – and the safety of the contents of my truck bed – so this is something that I think about often.
Another thing is that you don’t get much water and weather protection from these kinds of covers.
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy to access | Not water-resistant |
| Doesn’t provide any security |
This one is a good tonneau cover for Dodge Dakota that can park their cars somewhere where they have an extra layer of security. Otherwise, the softness of the cover itself leaves your things at disposal to anyone with a sharp object on hand.
5. MOSTPLUS Tri-Fold Hard Truck Bed Tonneau Cover
The ease with which some of these tonneau covers are installed flat-out amazes me. One of those covers is this MOSTPLUS model.
The clamping system required for installing this tonneau cover turned out to be one of the easiest I had the pleasure of using recently.
MOSTPLUS Tri-Fold Hard Truck Bed Tonneau Cover On Top Compatible
These clamps allow you to install this tonneau cover in under 30 minutes – and without any difficulties along the way.
Straightforwardness is the word with which I’d characterize the installation and assembly process.
When you get it installed, you’ll notice all the classic features of a hard tri-fold truck bed tonneau cover. Do those features make it the best tonneau cover for Dodge Dakota?
We’ll see in a bit.
Knowing that this tonneau cover provides you with a good sense of security and the accessibility that tri-fold tonneau covers are known for, is there something that’s making this one stand out from the rest of the competition?
Well, there is:
The way this tonneau cover is designed allows you to feel absolutely no wind resistance while driving on the freeway or the highway.
The speed isn’t obstructed by the way this truck bed cover is made – and that’s something that manufacturers often overlook.
| Pros | Cons |
| Good-looking | |
| Extremely easy installation process | |
| Aerodynamic |
It’s easy to notice that I didn’t write about the negative aspects of this tonneau cover. Well, that’s because I didn’t encounter any. In my personal opinion, this is so far the best tonneau cover on this list.
Soft Top Tri-Fold Tonneau Cover Compatible with Dodge Dakota 5.25FT Fleetside Bed 00-04
For those who are fans of both tri-fold tonneau covers and soft tonneau covers, this might be the perfect combination for you.
You rarely see a soft tri-fold tonneau cover on the market, and when you do – you can’t help but ask questions.
I was skeptical about purchasing and using this Dodge Dakota tonneau cover, but trust me when I say – all my skepticism went out of the window.
Soft Top Tri-Fold Tonneau Cover Compatible with Dodge Dakota
The ease with which this tonneau cover is installed resembles the classic tri-fold tonneau cover installation process – and the softness of the truck bed cover is something well-known to me.
It is a weird combination to have on your truck bed – but for summertime, this might just be the perfect combo.
The only thing I can see wrong with it is that I wouldn’t be so comfortable using it while heavy rain or snowing is going on outside. I’d trust a retractable or a hard tonneau cover to take care of business under those conditions.
The accessibility is also fantastic when talking about this specific tonneau cover since its softness allows you to move it without any unneeded resistance. Still, the tri-fold aspect also allows you to access as much space as you need. Maybe you need the first third of your truck bed, for example – fold it once, and that’s it!
| Pros | Cons |
| Accessible | Made for a specific group of people |
| Easy to install | Isn’t reliable under harsh weather |
| Nice-looking design |
My only concern is that this tonneau cover isn’t for everybody. If you’re someone who thinks they’ll enjoy this combination, though – go for it!
BAK BAKFlip MX4 Hard Folding Truck Bed Tonneau Cover
You might’ve noticed that BAK BAKFlip is back. It’s the same company from a few rows above – but with a different product, of course.
This one is another hard folding truck bed, but with a bit different design. The difference from the tri-folding tonneau covers lies in the four positions that this tonneau cover can be folded in, resulting in even better accessibility of your truck bed.
BAK BAKFlip MX4 Hard Folding Truck Bed Tonneau Cover
For me, this is a definite upgrade. I mean, there’s not much more to do after you provide your users with a fourth folding position that allows them to access their stuff with even more accuracy.
The installation process is not much different, despite the difference in the design of this hard folding tonneau cover.
It takes roughly 25 to 35 minutes to get it up and running, and I didn’t run into any problems while doing so.
Knowing this, I can easily say that this tonneau cover has some advantages over the classic hard tri-folding competitors.
The weather resistance is also on a more than satisfactory level, which only means that your valuables stored inside your truck bed will be left dry and clean.
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy to assemble | |
| Weather-resistant | |
| Extremely accessible |
This one is another tonneau cover for Dodge Dakota that I failed to find a flaw for, which just means that it’s an absolute upgrade from the classic tri-fold tonneau cover that you might have been using until now.
Lund Hard Tri-Fold, Hard Folding Truck Bed Tonneau Cover
Speaking of a classic hard tri-fold tonneau cover, let’s take a look at a competitor that always finds its way onto one of these kinds of round-ups.
The thing that stood out from the beginning of my time with this cover is that I succeeded in installing it in less than 10 minutes. You might not believe me, but if you decide to go with this one, you’ll understand what I’m talking about here.
Lund Hard Tri-Fold, Hard Folding Truck Bed Tonneau Cover
I’m sure that some of you might take a bit longer than that – but I still don’t see how 15 minutes wouldn’t be enough.
This Dodge Dakota hard tri-folding tonneau cover is the gold standard in its class. The water and weather resistance is satisfactory, and the security that it provides its users with is quite good, too.
The only thing I have to say that might count as a downside is that some of the people I know that have used this tonneau cover in the past had a problem with clamps holding on.
But if you think the clamps of your tonneau cover might be starting to loosen up, just give them a quick check.
| Pros | Cons |
| Extremely easy to install | Clamps might untighten |
| Standard weather-resistance | |
| Quite secure |
Lund is the gold standard of these types of tonneau covers. If you want to try out a hard tri-fold tonneau cover, this just might be the product for you.
Extang Trifecta 2.0 Soft Folding Truck Bed Tonneau Cover
The sleek design and the ease of the installation process seem to be the main selling points for this truck bed tonneau cover.
I agree that it looks much better than most of its competition – but you know what they say:
Looks aren’t everything!
I’ve voiced my concerns with the soft types of tonneau covers, but the thing is – it seems that I’m the only one bothered by that in my circle of friends.
Extang Trifecta 2.0 Soft Folding Truck Bed Tonneau Cover
The ease of the installation process really holds up to the manufacturer’s statements. I’ve managed to install this tonneau cover in under 20 minutes without any holdbacks.
Quick fingers might bring that time down to just under 15 minutes, so this might be one of the fastest-to-install tonneau covers out there.
I’m going to repeat myself here, but:
The only thing that might take time is that you need to be careful with the top part during installation not to rip it or otherwise damage it. I mean, that would defeat the purpose of the whole product.
Oh, and one more thing. These soft tonneau covers seem to be no match for their hard counterparts as far as weather and waterproofness go, but this one seems to defy the odds.
| Pros | Cons |
| Water and weatherproof | Isn’t as secure as the hard tonneau covers |
| Quick assembly and installation process | |
| One of the best-looking tonneau covers |
I’ve already said everything I could think of when it comes to soft tonneau covers, but this one seems to be much better than its competitors. I’d recommend this Dodge Dakota soft tonneau cover – if that’s what you’re looking for, of course.
Tyger Auto T1 Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Tonneau Cover
And for the end, another soft roll-up truck bed tonneau cover for Dodge Dakota . It seems unreasonable to compare it to the last one, but let’s give it a fair chance, shall we?
For me, this one might be the classic soft roll-up tonneau cover.
It has all the recognizable features of this style of truck bed covers – ease of accessibility, the softness of the top, and the sleek, minimal design.
Tyger Auto T1 Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Tonneau Cover Compatible
Taking this into consideration, are these all the things you are looking for, or is there something missing?
For me, the hardness of a quality hard or retractable tonneau cover is something I can rely on when, for example, I have stuff in my arms that I don’t want to put on the ground.
Another thing I see missing is the security aspect. I’ve stated earlier that anyone with any sharp object on hand can cut the tonneau cover and access the contents of your truck bed.
That’s a genuine concern for me, and that’s why I don’t prefer soft tonneau covers over their hard counterparts.
If you’re not bothered by this, though, you can ignore my constant disliking of this characteristic.
| Pros | Cons |
| Accessible | Lack of security |
| Easy to install | Not completely waterproof |
| Minimalistic sleek design |
If you’re looking to get into soft roll-up tonneau covers, this just might be the best choice for a beginner.
FAQ
Q: Are Tonneau Covers Easy To Install?
Well, this all depends on what tonneau cover we’re talking about here. There are some tonneau covers that take only 5 minutes to get done with, and there are some that take up to 40 minutes – or more – of your time.
Q: Do I Have To Drill My Truck Bed To Install A Tonneau Cover?
Not necessarily, no. There are some truck bed tonneau covers that require you to drill holes to install them – but not all. The other possibility is to use clamps for the installation that don’t require any drilling or permanent mods to your truck bed.
Q: Is Tonneau Cover Legal To Have?
Tonneau covers aren’t illegal. The only thing illegal would be if a tonneau cover – or any kind of truck bed cover – would obstruct your view of the central rearview mirror. Otherwise, tonneau covers are completely legal.
Conclusion: What Is The Best Tonneau Cover For Dodge Dakota?
If you ask me, there isn’t a singular answer to a question like that. It all depends on what you like and what you’re expecting from a tonneau cover.
For me, that’s security, safety, ease of accessibility, and a straightforward installation process.
That leads me to believe that the best tonneau cover for Dodge Dakota on this list is the BAK BAKFlip MX4 Hard Folding Truck Bed Tonneau Cover.
For those of you who are into soft roll-up tonneau covers, I’d recommend Soft Top Tri-Fold Tonneau Cover Compatible with Dodge Dakota 5.25FT Fleetside Bed 00-04.
As I’ve said earlier, there’s something for anybody, and it just depends on what you’re expecting from the product.
In the end, I’d generally recommend you have patience and be ready to try a few of these truck bed tonneau covers because sometimes that’s needed for you to find the best one for yourself.
Personally, I have tried close to 40 of these – and I’ve found my perfect tonneau cover right at the end of my search.
So, be patient, have faith in the possibility that your perfect tonneau cover is waiting for you, and don’t give up until you find it!
