The best pickup bed covers are not necessarily the most expensive. Much depends on how you use and truck and what you need from a tonneau. If cost is a factor, some of the least expensive covers offer good value at a very low entry price. Then again the hard covers offer superior looks as well as high security and great durability. Here are hints for getting a cover that will do the job that needs doing... No tonneau cover is water-tight but many do quite a good job of keeping most of the dirt and water out where it belongs. That also means that the covers work well to keep out prying eyes as well. Covers include seal systems at the front and back of the bed and also at the sides. The side seals may be of several types. One popular style is the hook and loop method. With this style, it is easy to get and keep a tight fit so you get a trampoline sort of fit of the cover to the bed. Some bed covers will not work with cargo that is higher than the side of the bed. A tilt forward lid whether fiberglass or plastic can't close if the load is above the sides. That means a lawn mower won't fit nor will a garbage can or a table. That may be a minor or a major annoyance at the least. On the other hand, soft covers of the roll up kind will get right out of the way and work with any height of load. If it fits in the bed, it fits with the cover. Just remember that the racy looking tilting covers will not close on higher cargo no matter how slick they look. Looking for lower price covers puts you quickly in the soft cover lines. That probably is why a manufacturer like Excel is a leading supplier, their covers are mostly soft covers and mostly very moderate in price. Even the higher cost soft covers cost just a fraction of what the better hard tonneau models cost and yet still offer protection for truck beds and what's in them. And also the look is not much different between some of the soft covers and some hard lids. Personalizing a pickup can be partly accomplished with pickup bed covers. The race look of the hard tilting lids is one popular look. But the all-but-hidden look of the aluminum retractable covers is a quality look too. But on the other end of the price range, even the least costly soft tonneau covers offer looks with good protection for cargo and bed itself but all at a very low entry price.