AUTOSAVER88 Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Cover Review: The Ultimate Budget-Friendly Bed Protection?

As any truck owner knows, the open bed is both a blessing and a curse. It’s an unparalleled cargo-hauling canvas, ready for lumber, camping gear, or the spoils of a weekend project. But leave your truck parked, and that open bed becomes a magnet for prying eyes, falling leaves, and the sudden downpour that always seems to hit when you’ve got something important back there. I’ve personally experienced the frantic rush to throw a tarp over a load of tools as dark clouds gathered, fumbling with bungee cords only to find a puddle in the bed later. It’s not just about security; it’s about peace of mind. An unprotected bed means your cargo is constantly exposed to weather damage and theft, turning your versatile truck into a liability. Finding a cover that balances accessibility, protection, and affordability is the holy grail for most of us, and it’s what led us to take a hard look at the AUTOSAVER88 Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Cover.

What to Consider Before Buying a Truck Tonneau Cover

A truck tonneau cover is more than just a piece of vinyl; it’s a key solution for transforming your truck’s utility. It provides security for your belongings, protects the bed from rust and debris, and can even slightly improve your fuel economy by reducing aerodynamic drag. The main benefits are clear: weather protection, theft deterrence, and a clean, streamlined look for your vehicle. By enclosing the bed, you essentially create the largest, most secure trunk on the road, ready to protect everything from groceries to expensive work equipment.

The ideal customer for a soft roll-up cover like this one is someone facing the everyday challenges of an open bed who values flexibility and affordability. This includes daily commuters who want to keep their gym bag or briefcase dry, weekend adventurers needing to secure camping gear, or homeowners hauling tools and supplies. It’s for the truck owner who needs to quickly switch between a covered, protected bed and full, open access for larger items. However, it might not be suitable for those who require Fort Knox-level security, such as contractors who regularly leave thousands of dollars in tools in their truck overnight in high-risk areas. For them, a hard, folding, or retractable cover made from aluminum or composite panels would be a more appropriate, albeit more expensive, alternative.

Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:

• Dimensions & Fit: This is non-negotiable. An ill-fitting cover will leak, flap in the wind, and fail to provide security. Always measure your truck bed from the inside of the bulkhead to the inside of the tailgate and order the specific model for your truck’s make, year, and bed length. The AUTOSAVER88 model we’re reviewing is specifically for the 2015-2025 Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon with the 5.2 ft bed, and a precise fit is paramount for its effectiveness.
• Security & Weather Resistance: Consider what you’ll be hauling. A soft roll-up cover offers a visual deterrent and is secured by your locked tailgate. It’s great against opportunistic theft but can be defeated by a determined thief with a knife. For weather, look for features like arched crossbars to shed water (which this model has), quality seals along the rails, and a durable, waterproof material like PVC vinyl.
• Materials & Durability: Soft covers typically use vinyl stretched over an aluminum or steel frame. Look for high-quality, tear-resistant, dual-layer vinyl for longevity against sun, rain, and snow. The frame should be lightweight but sturdy aluminum to resist corrosion. While less durable than a hard aluminum or fiberglass cover, a well-made soft cover offers an excellent balance of longevity and value, and you can check the latest price and availability for this one here.
• Ease of Use & Maintenance: How often will you need full access to your bed? A roll-up cover excels here, allowing one person to quickly roll it to the cab and secure it with straps. Installation is another factor; no-drill, clamp-on designs are the standard for user-friendliness. For maintenance, a simple wash with soap and water and periodic treatment with a vinyl protectant will keep it looking great for years.

Making the right choice transforms your truck’s functionality, and understanding these factors is the first step.

While the AUTOSAVER88 Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Cover is an excellent choice, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:

First Impressions: Simplicity and Quality Out of the Box

Upon unboxing the AUTOSAVER88 Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Cover, the first thing we noticed was the efficient packaging. Everything was neatly organized and protected, with the main vinyl cover pre-attached to the front rail. The components felt surprisingly robust for the price point. The side rails are made of lightweight aluminum with a sleek black finish that promised to blend seamlessly with the truck’s bed rails. The star of the show, the double-layer PVC vinyl, had a satisfying texture and thickness, suggesting it could stand up to harsh UV rays and heavy rain without issue. All the necessary hardware—six stainless steel clamps, bolts, and weather-stripping seals—was included.

Compared to some premium brands that can have complex rail systems, this design was refreshingly simple. There were no confusing small parts or intricate diagrams. The included instructions were straightforward, confirming our initial assessment that this was designed for a quick, painless, DIY installation. The overall impression was one of thoughtful engineering aimed at providing maximum value and ease of use, a promising start for a cover in this competitive price bracket. It felt like a product that respected our time and delivered on its core promise of being a no-fuss solution, and you can see its full feature set and user reviews right now.

A Deep Dive into the AUTOSAVER88 Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Cover’s Performance

A tonneau cover’s worth is measured not just by how it looks, but by how it performs day in and day out. From the initial installation to its resilience against a surprise thunderstorm, we put the AUTOSAVER88 Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Cover through its paces on our 2023 GMC Canyon test vehicle. Our goal was to see if its real-world performance lived up to its promising feature list.

Installation: A True 15-Minute, No-Fuss Affair

The biggest claim to fame for many soft roll-up covers is a quick, no-drill installation, and we can confirm that AUTOSAVER88 delivers emphatically on this promise. We’ve installed dozens of covers over the years, and this was one of the most straightforward. As one user noted, they were 62 and installed it by themselves, and we found that to be entirely plausible. The process is intuitive: you simply lay the two aluminum side rails onto the truck’s bed rails, securing them with the provided C-clamps. We took the advice of another user and dry-fitted everything first, laying the rolled-up cover assembly at the cab to ensure alignment before tightening anything down.

The key is to make sure the rails are pushed firmly against the bulkhead and are parallel to each other. We used a measuring tape to confirm the distance between them was consistent from cab to tailgate. Once the rails were in place, we attached the six clamps—three on each side. This is where we encountered a minor point of contention echoed in some user feedback. While the clamps are functional, they don’t feel as robust as those from premium competitors. They require a firm tightening to feel secure. We also noted the feedback from a 2025 Chevy Colorado owner who had to trim the T-handle screws. While this didn’t affect our 2023 model, it’s a critical piece of information for owners of the newest generation trucks. Despite this, the process was seamless. From unboxing to the final tension adjustment, we clocked in at just under 20 minutes. The simplicity is a feature that truly sets it apart for the average truck owner who wants a solution without a trip to the shop.

Material Quality and All-Weather Resilience

For a soft cover, the material is everything. The AUTOSAVER88 Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Cover uses a dual-layer PVC that feels substantial and durable. It’s tear-resistant and designed to withstand exposure to sun, rain, and snow without fading or cracking. Out of the box, it lays flat and looks fantastic, thanks to the integrated tension adjustment system near the tailgate. By simply turning a dial, you can increase or decrease the taughtness of the vinyl, eliminating any wrinkles and ensuring a tight, drum-like surface. This is critical for preventing water from pooling and for reducing wind flap at highway speeds.

The design incorporates built-in, arched crossbars that are part of the roll-up assembly. This slight arch is a simple but brilliant feature that encourages water to run off the sides rather than collecting in the middle. To test this, we mimicked a user’s test and gave the cover a thorough soaking with a garden hose, concentrating on the seams and edges. The results were impressive. The vast majority of the bed remained completely dry. We did find a few drops of water near the tailgate corners, a minor issue that some users also reported. This could likely be remedied with some extra foam weather stripping, but for a cover at this price, the out-of-the-box water resistance is excellent. It provides more than enough protection for keeping luggage, tools, and gear safe from the elements during a rainstorm.

Daily Functionality and Practical Security

A tonneau cover should enhance your truck’s usability, not hinder it. In day-to-day use, the AUTOSAVER88 Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Cover is a joy to operate. To open it, you simply drop the tailgate, pull the spring-loaded latch release on the driver’s side, and the rear bar pops up. From there, you can roll the entire cover, crossbars and all, neatly toward the cab. Two built-in straps with quick-release buckles are there to secure the rolled-up cover, allowing for full, unobstructed access to the bed. This is a crucial feature, as highlighted by a user who easily removed it to haul a large freezer. The entire process of opening and securing it takes less than 30 seconds.

Closing it is just as easy: unbuckle the straps, roll it back out, and press down firmly on the rear bar until the latches click securely into place. The tension system ensures it’s always tight. When it comes to security, it’s important to have realistic expectations. This is a soft cover. Paired with a locking tailgate, it provides an “out of sight, out of mind” level of security. It will stop the casual thief and protect your cargo from view. However, it won’t stop a determined criminal with a knife. This is the fundamental trade-off for the convenience, low cost, and flexibility of a soft roll-up design compared to a heavy, and much more expensive, hard-folding cover. For most daily applications, this level of security is perfectly adequate and a massive step up from a completely open bed. The combination of ease, weather protection, and basic security makes this a highly functional upgrade for any compatible Colorado or Canyon. For those who value this blend of features, you can get more details and check compatibility here.

What Other Users Are Saying

Across the board, the user feedback for the AUTOSAVER88 Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Cover paints a picture of a product that overwhelmingly delivers on its core promises, especially concerning its price. Many users are, in their own words, “better than expected.” The most frequently praised attribute is the ease of installation. One happy customer stated, “This fits perfectly. It’s very easy to install… it only took 15 minutes.” This sentiment is echoed repeatedly, reinforcing our own positive experience.

However, the feedback isn’t without its critiques, which provide a balanced view. A few users pointed out potential weaknesses in the hardware, with one simply stating it “Needs better quality screws/clamps!” Another detailed issue with the corner sealing, noting that the “fastening levers are not in locations where it can pull down the corners tightly leaving spaces.” The most specific, and helpful, critique came from owners of the newest 2025 Chevy Colorado, who found the T-handle screws were too long and required modification to fit correctly. While some experienced defective units, the majority of negative feedback centers on these relatively minor hardware and fitment quirks, which many users felt were acceptable trade-offs for the cover’s affordable price point.

How Does the AUTOSAVER88 Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Cover Compare to the Alternatives?

The AUTOSAVER88 soft roll-up offers incredible value, but it exists in a crowded market. The primary difference between it and the alternatives below is its soft, roll-up design versus their hard, folding construction. This is the key decision point for any buyer: do you prioritize low cost and full bed access (soft roll-up) or maximum security (hard folding)?

1. RealTruck BAKFlip MX4 Hard Folding Truck Bed Cover

The BAKFlip MX4 is a titan in the tonneau cover world, representing the premium hard-folding category. Its primary advantage over the AUTOSAVER88 is security. Made from durable aluminum panels with a matte black finish, it’s nearly impenetrable and can support up to 400 lbs of evenly distributed weight. It offers multiple folding positions, including the ability to fold up against the cab for near-full bed access. Someone should choose the BAKFlip MX4 if their top priority is protecting high-value cargo. The trade-off is a significantly higher price point and a more involved installation process.

2. WHALEMOTOR Tri Fold Truck Bed Tonneau Cover 5.8 FT Short Box

The WHALEMOTOR Hard Tri-Fold Cover occupies a middle ground. Like the BAKFlip, it’s a hard-paneled cover, offering a major security upgrade over the soft vinyl of the AUTOSAVER88. It provides excellent durability and weather resistance with its aluminum construction. However, its standard tri-fold design means that when fully open, it covers the front third of the bed, limiting access compared to the full access of a roll-up or the against-the-cab fold of the MX4. This is a great alternative for a user who wants the security of a hard cover but at a more moderate price than the premium BAKFlip, and is willing to sacrifice some bed access.

3. RealTruck BAKFlip MX4 Truck Bed Tonneau Cover

This is another version of the venerable BAKFlip MX4, designed for Ford Super Duty trucks. The comparison to the AUTOSAVER88 remains the same. It is a top-tier security solution. The panels lock automatically as they are closed, and the entire system operates from a single cable release. It’s for the professional or serious enthusiast who demands the best in durability, security, and functionality and is willing to pay the premium for it. If you’re hauling thousands of dollars in tools or gear, the investment in a product like the MX4 is a wise choice over the more budget-friendly, convenience-oriented AUTOSAVER88.

Our Final Verdict: Is the AUTOSAVER88 Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Cover Worth It?

After extensive testing and analysis, our verdict is a resounding yes. The AUTOSAVER88 Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Cover is an exceptional value proposition. It masterfully balances cost, convenience, and functionality in a way that will appeal to the vast majority of truck owners. While it doesn’t offer the rigid security of a hard-folding cover that costs three or four times as much, it wasn’t designed to. Its purpose is to provide a sleek, easy-to-use, and effective barrier against weather and opportunistic theft, and it excels at this mission.

We recommend it for any Chevy Colorado or GMC Canyon owner who wants to cover their bed without breaking the bank. It’s perfect for the daily driver, the weekend warrior, and the homeowner who needs flexibility above all else. The lightning-fast installation, simple roll-up operation, and clean aesthetic make it one of the best upgrades you can make for the money. If you’re ready to protect your cargo and enhance your truck’s look and utility, you will not be disappointed. You can check the current price and get yours today.