Ram 1500 Bed Accessories: Covers, Liners, Toolboxes and Racks That Fit

The Ram 1500 has more fitment variables than almost any other pickup. Three Ram features change which version of an accessory you need: the RamBox storage bins built into the bedsides, the multifunction tailgate that splits and swings open, and the Ram 1500 Classic, the previous-generation truck Ram kept selling alongside the new one.

Get any of them wrong and the part won't fit, or it'll leak. This page walks through each one, gives you the bed sizes for both body styles, and summarizes the best gear in every category.

Ram 1500 Bed Sizes

Lengths are inside floor measurements with the tailgate closed, from Ram's published specifications. Both generations have 51 inches between the wheel wells.

The lengths are identical across generations, but the beds, rails and tailgates are not, so accessories are listed separately for the new body and the Classic. The new body dropped the 8' bed entirely.

Which Ram 1500 Do You Have?

New body or Classic?

From 2019, Ram sold two different 1500s side by side: the redesigned new-body truck and the older-design Ram 1500 Classic. Accessory makers ask you to confirm which one you have before ordering, because they take different parts. The Classic generally uses the same accessories as the 2009–2018 Ram 1500.

How to tell: your window sticker or registration says "Classic" if you have one. The Classic also keeps the previous generation's styling, so if your truck looks like a 2018 Ram, it's likely a Classic.

Which bed?

Ram Features That Change What Fits

RamBox

RamBox beds have lockable storage bins built into each bedside, which changes the shape of the bed rails. They need RamBox-specific versions of covers and many other accessories.

There's a catch most buyers miss: BAK and Extang both say their RamBox covers only work with the factory silver cargo rails, not black ones. Check your rail color before you order.

Owners also point to large gaps at the tailgate corners on RamBox beds, which no cover fully closes. Several report that adding weatherstripping there cuts the water dramatically, even in car washes.

The multifunction tailgate

The multifunction tailgate splits 60/40 and swings open like a pair of doors, as well as dropping down. Some covers work with or without it, but others come in separate versions. BAK's standard 5'7" MX4, for example, is listed as not compatible with the multifunction tailgate, while a different part number is listed as compatible. Ordering the wrong one is the most common Ram fitment mistake.

Owners also note a gap between the multifunction tailgate and the top of the bed that can let water in. A tailgate seal kit or weatherstripping helps.

Some owners with the multifunction tailgate mention needing aftermarket replacement bed brackets for certain covers. Check your cover's instructions before you start.

The TRX bed bar

If you have a Ram TRX, its bed bar has to come off before you can install covers like the BAKFlip MX4 or the RealTruck Sentry CT.

Ram 1500 Bed Accessories by Category

Tonneau covers

For most Ram 1500 owners, the BAKFlip MX4 is the best all-round hard cover, and it's sold in clear versions for RamBox beds and for trucks with and without the multifunction tailgate. For a soft cover, the Extang Trifecta 2.0 is one of the few that fits RamBox trucks with or without the multifunction tailgate in a single version. On RamBox trucks, owners report more leaks with retractable covers, so a folding cover is the safer bet.
Full guide: best tonneau covers for the Ram 1500.

Bed liners and mats

Choose between a spray-in liner, a drop-in liner listed for your body style, or a rubber mat. If you have RamBox, check that any drop-in liner or mat names RamBox in its fitment, since the bedsides are shaped differently.
Full guide: best bed liners for the Ram 1500.

Tool boxes

Choose between a crossover box behind the cab and a low-profile box under a closed tonneau cover. On a RamBox truck, check that the box's listing names RamBox, because the bins change the bed rails the box sits on.
Full guides: truck tool boxes · tool boxes that fit under a tonneau cover · tonneau covers that work with a tool box.

Bed racks

Bed racks let you carry ladders, rooftop tents and bikes above the bed. With a tonneau cover, choose a rack that clamps outside the cover's rails or a cover with T-slot rails, and confirm RamBox fitment if you have the bins.
Full guides: truck bed racks · bed racks that work with a tonneau cover.

Bed extenders

Hitch-mounted extenders work the same on any Ram 1500 bed. If you have the multifunction tailgate, check that a tailgate-mounted extender doesn't block the swing doors.
Full guide: truck bed extenders.

Other Rams

• 2009–2018 Ram 1500 and Ram 1500 Classic: see the best tonneau covers for the 2009–2018 Ram 1500 and Ram 1500 Classic.

• Ram 2500 and 3500: heavy-duty Rams have their own bed versions, including RamBox. See our Ram 2500 and 3500 page.