Canadian Tire Tonneau Covers vs a Specialist: An Honest Look

If you're shopping for a Canadian Tire tonneau cover, you're doing what most Canadian truck owners do first: checking the store that's already five minutes from the house. Fair enough. We sell tonneau covers for a living, so you'd expect us to talk you out of it. We won't, because for some trucks and some budgets it's a perfectly reasonable place to buy.

What we can do is lay out, as fairly as a competitor can, what a big-box retailer does well, what a specialist does well, and the handful of questions that matter more than the name on the receipt.

Short answer: Canadian Tire lists tonneau covers from its MotoMaster house brand and names like Lund: mostly soft folding and roll-up styles, with some hard tri-fold and retractable models. You get local stores and a 90-day return window on unopened items. A specialist adds fitment help for details like RamBox, plus installation. Decide on fitment and support first, price second.

Canadian Tire Tonneau Covers: What's Listed (Checked September 2026)

We looked through the truck accessories section of Canadian Tire's website in September 2026. Here's what was listed. Selection changes, so check their site for what's current.

• Tonneau covers: soft folding covers under the MotoMaster house brand, sold by specific fitment (we saw Silverado/Sierra and Tacoma listings, among others); Lund soft tri-fold, roll-up, hard tri-fold and retractable covers; a Freedom by Extang retractable; and Stampede tri-fold and roll-up covers.
• Running boards and side steps: step bars and side steps from brands including Westin and ARIES, plus universal side and bed steps.
• Other truck gear: truck boxes, headache racks and cargo racks.

We found truck cap clamps but no truck caps. What's actually available to you depends on your truck, because the site's fitment selector narrows the catalogue to whatever exists for your year and bed. We also haven't tested any of these covers, so we won't pretend to review them. Lund, Extang and Westin are long-established names in truck accessories, and a cover from a known brand is a legitimate product.

Where a Big-Box Store Wins

It's close. There are hundreds of Canadian Tire stores across the country. If you live a long way from the nearest truck accessory shop, that counts for a lot.

The return window is long. Canadian Tire's posted policy gives a refund or exchange on unopened items in original packaging, returned with a receipt within 90 days, at any store. Some product categories have shorter windows. Ours is 30 days on uninstalled items, so on the calendar they win.

You can use your rewards. If you collect Triangle Rewards, a few hundred dollars of truck accessory is a good place to spend or earn them.

They carry brands and styles we don't. We sell our own TruckTon covers and nothing else. If you specifically want a Lund, or you want a soft roll-up cover, we can't help you. We don't currently sell a roll-up.

Where a Specialist Wins

A range built truck by truck. A general retailer carries several brands, and what you can actually buy depends on what those brands make for your truck. A specialist builds the range one truck at a time. For a RAM 1500, for example, we list a soft tri-fold, a low-profile hard tri-fold, a hard flip-back and a manual retractable. We also list covers for compact and mid-size trucks like the Ford Maverick and Ranger, and for heavy-duty pickups.

Someone to ask about fitment. Tonneau covers are sold by make, model, year range and bed length, and the exceptions are where people get caught. A RAM with RamBox needs a different cover. A 2021 RAM 1500 Classic takes the older-body fitment. An F-150 came with three bed lengths. A website fitment selector handles the easy cases. A phone call to someone who installs these covers handles the rest. Ours is 1-888-651-3091.

Installation. Order for pickup at our Burlington, Ontario location and we install the cover free. When we checked, Canadian Tire's truck accessories pages didn't mention accessory installation. Their stores are run by local dealers, so it's worth asking the auto service desk at yours. If the answer is no, a cover from either of us is a driveway job. Our RAM 1500 install guide shows what's involved.

One point of contact afterwards. Our covers carry a 2-year limited warranty, and claims come straight to us, the same people who sold you the cover. With a third-party brand bought at a general retailer, the warranty length depends on the brand and the claim may go through the manufacturer. Read the listing before you buy.

Side by Side

We've left prices out deliberately. Both of us run sales, and a number printed here would be wrong by Black Friday. When you compare, compare like with like. A soft folding cover at one store and a hard aluminum cover at another are different products, and the price gap between them tells you nothing about which store is cheaper.

Five Questions That Matter More Than the Store

1. Is my exact truck listed?

You need to match year range, body style and bed length, not just "fits RAM 1500". Measure before you order. It takes two minutes, and our guide to measuring your truck bed for a tonneau cover shows where to put the tape.

2. Soft or hard?

This decision affects your day-to-day far more than the retailer does. Soft covers cost less and keep weather and eyes off your cargo. Hard covers add real security and carry a snow load. We compare them in hard vs soft tonneau covers.

3. Who installs it, and who do I call if it leaks?

Most leaks and rattles come down to adjustment and not to a defect, and they take fifteen minutes to fix once you know where to look. Our guide on how to adjust a tonneau cover covers it. Before you buy, find out whether the seller can talk you through that.

4. What happens once the box is open?

In Ontario, the law doesn't require a store to accept returns. The retailer's own policy decides. Both policies described above depend on the product being unopened or uninstalled, so at either store your realistic window closes once the cover is on the truck. That's one more reason to get the fitment right the first time.

5. What does the warranty cover, and for how long?

Check the length, what's excluded and who handles the claim. Ours is a 2-year limited warranty against defects in materials and workmanship. Like most, it doesn't cover damage from improper installation or overloading.

What About Running Boards?

The same logic applies, with one difference. Running boards bolt to the truck's frame or body mounts, so the install takes longer than a tonneau cover and fitment by cab type matters even more. Canadian Tire lists step bars and side steps from established brands. Ours are aluminum boards sold by truck, cab and year range in the side steps and running boards collection.

If the terminology has you confused, start with running boards vs nerf bars vs side steps. If you aren't sure which cab you have, read how to measure truck cab size before you order from anyone.

So, Which Should You Choose?

Buy at Canadian Tire if you want a basic soft cover for a common truck, you value returning it in person at a store near you, you have rewards to spend, or you want a roll-up or a particular brand they carry.

Buy from a specialist if you want to weigh soft, hard, flip-back and retractable options for your truck with someone who fits them, your truck has a fitment wrinkle (RamBox, a Classic body, a compact or heavy-duty bed), you'd like it installed, or you want one phone number to call before and after you buy.

Either way, measure the bed, match the year range, and keep the box until the cover is on and dry inside after a rainstorm.

Common Questions

Does Canadian Tire sell tonneau covers?

Yes. When we checked in September 2026, its website listed soft folding covers under the MotoMaster house brand, Lund soft, roll-up, hard tri-fold and retractable covers, an Extang retractable, and Stampede covers. Availability varies by truck, so use the fitment selector for your year and bed length.

Does Canadian Tire install tonneau covers?

Its truck accessories pages didn't advertise accessory installation when we looked. Stores are operated by local dealers and services can differ, so ask your store's auto service desk. Most folding covers are designed for a no-drill driveway install in under an hour.

Are MotoMaster tonneau covers any good?

We haven't tested one, so we can't tell you. MotoMaster is Canadian Tire's house automotive brand, and the covers we saw listed were soft folding styles. Judge one like any soft cover: check the frame material, the clamp design, the warranty length and whether your exact year and bed are listed.

Can I return a tonneau cover after opening it?

That depends on the retailer's policy, not the law. Canadian Tire's posted policy covers unopened items in original packaging within 90 days. Ours covers unused, uninstalled items within 30 days. At either store, an installed cover is a warranty conversation and no longer a return.

Is it cheaper to buy a tonneau cover at Canadian Tire?

Sometimes, for a soft cover on sale. Be careful comparing different products, though. A soft folding cover usually costs less than a hard aluminum one, wherever you buy it. Compare the same style, then add shipping, installation and the value of the warranty.

Explore More from TruckTon

• All Tonneau Covers — every style we carry
• Hard Folding Tonneau Covers
• Soft Folding Tonneau Covers
• Retractable Tonneau Covers
• Side Steps & Running Boards
• Aluminum Truck Caps