Resources — tacoma mods

If you own a Toyota Tacoma, you already know that you're part of a cult... A cult who loves to dump hundreds, even thousands of dollars into cool mods and accessories for their trucks. For many, including myself, one of the first questions we ask ourselves and probably Google is "how can I make my Tacoma better" or "how can I make my Tacoma look more bad ass", or "what are the best Toyota Tacoma mods" lucky for you, there are hundreds, if not thousands of mods out there for you to make your Tacoma unique to you.

For many, our mods have to be planned out and budgeted financially, so I polled TacomaWorld.com, TacomaForum.com, and several Facebook groups and pulled together this list of awesome Tacoma accessories for those on a budget (like me).

These mods work with all 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 models.

Pop & Lock Power Tailgate Lock ($133)

This tailgate lock led the way in regards to the best Toyota Tacoma upgrades. It not only prevents thieves from stealing your tailgate, but when coupled with a tonneau cover, will protect your valuables as well. Originally designed for the Tundra, this pop & lock will work on your Tacoma and make it easy to lock with a push of button. This is the very first accessory that I add to my trucks. You can buy it here.

TRD Pro Style Grille (Starts at $154)

I've never met a Tacoma owner who doesn't want an aftermarket grille insert for their Tacoma. This is definitely one of the most popular Tacoma mods we see amongst Tacoma owners, so rip out that old, ugly grille and mount up a TRD pro style grille and give your Tacoma the facelift it deserves. If you're feeling crazy, you can change the letter color from standard silver to another one of our four colors and add one of four different colors of raptor lights.

You can buy the traditional TRD Pro grill here.

You can buy our new custom TRD pro grille version here or you can buy the backlit LED version here.

Regardless of which way you go your Tacoma will look amazing.

Anytime Front Camera ($79.99)

When you drive a truck, it's really hard to see what's in front of you on the ground. Adding a front camera helps when pulling into parking spaces or pulling into your garage to make sure you going in straight and not running anything over. You can buy it here.

Center Console Organizer Tray ($12.99)

If you're like most Tacoma owners, you feel like your center console is a catch all for the crap you have laying around your truck. This tray allows the bottom of your console to be the catch all for your crap, while having a nice organized section for the things you use most. If you're looking for more organized storage, this is for you! You can buy it here.

Gator Tri-Fold Tonneau Bed Cover ($249)

As mentioned in the pop & lock section, if you don't have a tonneau cover, you're missing out. A tonneau will allow you to protect what's in your bed from the harshest weather conditions and when coupled with the tailgate lock, secure them as well. There are so many different kinds of covers, some cheap, some expensive, This one is a good budget option and you can buy it here.

Cali Raised LED Side Projection Ditch Lights (Starting at $170.99)

Ditch lights are something I've never really heard of or seen before, but they help off roaders get more light coverage, up to 120 degrees on each side of the vehicle. You can buy them here.

Scotchgard Fabric Protector Spray ($39)

Scotchgard is a no brainer for anyone who has a car, truck, couches, or other fabric based furniture. Spray on 2-3 coats and watch the juice and soda roll right off your seats to your rubber floor mats. You can buy it here.

Vinyl Decal Tailgate Inserts ($12.99)

One quick way to give your truck a facelift is by installing tailgate inserts into the embossed Tacoma logo on the bottom of your tailgate. There are so many different kinds, but I like the ones cut out of vinyl. They are cheap and easy to put on and can be swapped out for different colors in the blink of an eye. You can buy them here.

Redline Hood Struts/Lifts ($99.95)

Why most cars and trucks don't come with automatic, gas spring based hood lifts is beyond me. I mean, it's 2021 people! These hood struts make it easy to prop open the hood of your Tacoma when you need to clean or work on your engine. You can buy them here.

Cali Raised Replacement LED Fog Light Pods (Start at $174.99)

If you hate your round, non LED fog lights, Cali Raised has the most affordable solution for you. Their LED fog light pods make it quick and easy to install a brighter, more powerful light at half the price of their competitors. You can buy them here.

Scosche Magnetic Phone Mount ($12)

One of the best phone mounts I've come across is the Scosche mount. It's good looking and mounts just about anywhere to keep your phone front and center while you're out on a drive. I have these in all of our family cars and everyone loves them. I think you will too! You can buy it here.

Anytime Backup Camera ($69.99)

Tacoma owners who tow a lot love the anytime backup camera. With a little wiring, you can activate your backup camera at anytime to check out your trailer, boat, or whatever you might be hauling. You can buy it here.

Tint

One of the basic mods you can make to any car or truck is adding tint. Tint not only helps keep your Tacoma cool in the summer, but helps keep the inside of your truck private to outside viewers. The tint for my Tacoma cost about $250 and it has held up great for 5 years now. No bubbles, no fading, nothing.

Matt Gecko Under Bed Rail LED Lights ($85 - $90)

If you run any sort of a bed cover, you know it's very dark in the bed of your truck, day or night. These sweet bed rail lights provided by Matt Gecko give you the light you need to see anything and everything while your cover is down. You can read about it here.

AC Drain Mod (Less than $15 and ten minutes of your time)

A lot of Tacoma owners don't realize that where their AC condensation drips out under the truck, hits the frame and causes rust. This handy little mod brought to you by the folks at Tacoma World needs to done this coming spring before you start using your AC again. Better safe than sorry. You can read about it here.

Floor Mat Anti-Slip Fastener Clips ($4.98)

Who else hates that the passenger side and second cab mats slide all around? One easy fix is to superglue heavy duty velcro to them, which works some of the time. A better solution is installing these anti-slip fastener clips. They will hold your mats in place for as long as you own your truck. You can buy them here.

Meso Customs Minimalist Key Fob ($30)

A simple, but cool mod offered by Meso Customs is a replacement key fob. It's very easy to take apart your current, black fob and put the guts into one of their color-matched, more rugged fobs. You can buy it here.

Hood Bulge Glare Blocker Sticker ($29.99)

Many Tacoma owners complain that the bulge on their Sport model casts a wicked glare and makes it hard to see on a sunny day. The solution to this is the hood bulge glare blocker decal. It deadens the rays from the sun and makes it not reflective anymore. Once I added my decal, I could tell right away that it was much easier to see during hot sunny days. You can buy it here.

Cali Raised Behind Grille LED Light Bar (Starting at $346.99)

Light bars are all the rage with serious off roaders. Even a lot of mall crawlers put light bars on their rigs. The Cali Raised behind grille light bar mounts right below your Tacoma grille and with a little wizardry, can be wired right to a push button to light it up... but please do so responsibly. You don't want to be one of those douches who blinds people on city roads. You can buy it here.

Tacoma Raptor Light Kit ($42.99)

Not sure why Tacoma owners want to make their trucks look like the Ford Raptor, but they do. On the top of the grille, the Raptor has three amber lights. This mod makes any Tacoma grille look like a Raptor when the sun goes down. These raptor lights typically come in four colors, amber, smoked amber, white and smoked white. You can buy them here.

OEM Bed Mat Short Bed / Long Bed ($169 - $169)

A bed mat is pretty self explanatory, but for those who want to keep their stuff from rolling and sliding all around the bed of their truck, the OEM bed mat is the perfect solution. It's thick and kinda grippy and does the job right. You can buy the short bed here and the long bed here.

N2 Designs Remote Start ($199)

If you love your Tacoma to always be warm when you jump into it, installing a remote start kit is vital to your comfort. The N2 Designs is affordable and incredibly easy to install. You can buy it here.

Spidertrax Wheel Spacers ($135)

For those who want their Tacoma's to have a wider, more aggressive stance, but can't afford new wheels, wheel spacers are for you. They allow you to keep your stock wheels, but give you a more beefed up look. Die hards think spacers are an idiotic thing to do to your truck, but guess what, many of us have run them for years with zero problems. If you really want a wider stance with your stock wheels, you can't go wrong. You can buy them here.

LED Interior Lights ($14.99)

These days, most of the world is powered by LEDs, so why Toyota didn't equip Tacomas with LEDs all the way around is beyond me. This mod is very easy to complete and gives you more of a daylight look to your lights. You can buy them here.

Premium Audio Upgrade - Tweeters / Front Speakers / Rear Speakers (Less than $250)

Many Tacoma owners complain about their sound system and how their music just sounds awful. I don't necessarily agree, but for those who want an inexpensive way to upgrade your system, this upgrade is for you. Here's the install video. You can buy the tweeters here, the front speakers here and the rear speakers here.

So there you have it. I hope you've been inspired by many of these Toyota Tacoma accessories. Please keep in mind that prices fluctuate daily on Amazon/eBay and the prices represented above are accurate as the day of this posting.

* Please note that some of these links are Amazon affiliate links and we make a small commission if you purchase the product.

When it comes to your Tacoma, your seats are one of the very first things you and your passengers see when the doors are opened. Next to the floor mats, they also are subject to the most abuse, this is why they are one of the most common interior Tacoma mods out there. Works belts, tools, pants, bags, wet clothes, and more all constantly slide into and out of these seats. Cloth or leather will degrade over time. Let’s not forget about what the sun can do.

Seat covers can be a great way to change the way your seats look, cover up damaged seats, or protect your seats from getting destroyed. Toyota Tacomas are built tough, but even the toughest of materials will get damaged over time. Let’s take a closer look at some types of covers and some examples to help find what is best for your ride. 

There are three main types of covers that we will be focusing on: throw, universal, and fitted. Each one can be made from a wide variety of materials such as vinyl, cloth, leather, and more.

Throw Seat Covers

Throw seat covers are basically seat-shaped bags that are designed to be thrown over your seats for quick and effective protection. Generally cheap, these are not fitted to any specific type of seat and therefore are not very attractive. They are ideal for when you know you’ll be going off-roading next weekend, and you don’t want mud on your seats. Throw them on, and when you get home, wash them or rinse them off (if the manufacturer allows), and tuck them away for the next time.

They are great for covering your back seats if you’re throwing things back there, or taking your dog for a ride and want to keep fur and muddy paws off the seats. These are utilitarian only, but do a good job at it, and won’t break the bank. You can get these from around $20 to $150 depending on how many, size, and material.

Universal Seat Covers

Universal seat covers are a tad more form-fitting compared to throw covers, but they won’t give you the snuggest of fits. These are generally purchased by vehicle size, such as “these will fit most small cars” or “these will fit most SUVs and mid-sized trucks.” These tend to have a more pleasing look to them and a wider range of materials, but they cost a bit more for that reason.

If you use your truck for work a lot and want to keep the seats looking good over time, these are a good option. Perhaps your truck is pretty beat up, but you just want it to look a bit nicer, these will take care of that as well. Washing a dirty seat cover, or replacing a ripped one is much cheaper and easier over an upholstery job on your actual seats.  You can find these for around $40 to $170, again depending on the material, size, and how many.

Fitted Seat Covers

Fitted seat covers are for when you want a total replacement or a total upgrade. While they do serve the same function of protecting your stock seats by covering them up, most people get fitted covers when their stock upholstery is really bad, or you want to upgrade to a better or more durable material. An example would be upgrading to leather from cloth seats.

While they take a bit more effort to get them over your seats, they look like they came from the factory. These are generally going to cost around $200 or more, and are usually of higher quality materials.

Popular Toyota Tacoma Seat Covers

Here are some popular options based on search results, forums, and reviews!

Clazzio Tacoma Seat Covers

Clazzio is probably the most popular brand of Tacoma seat covers on the market. They are in no way the cheapest options, but Tacoma owners absolutely love the look and durability of them. Clazzio definitely has the most options available to further customize the look of your interior, including different leather types (perforated leather is my favorite), body color and stitch color. These typically run around $649, but are about a hundred dollars cheaper on Amazon.

You can check them out and purchase them here.

Coverking Tacoma Seat Covers

Another popular brand of Tacoma seat cover is Coverking. While these are also not the cheapest, many owners love the wide range of material options from suede to leather and more, and each material has a few colors to choose from. The lowest price is around $200, and the highest is around $630. They are fitted to your truck for  “guaranteed fit.”

You can get the bucket seat covers here and the rear bench cover here.

Carhartt Tacoma Seat Covers

If you want something for durability, Carhartt not only makes tough clothes, but it makes a popular tough seat cover for our trucks as well. While these are more of a baggy, universal fit, they offer serious protection. They even offer a set cover specifically to protect your seats from your puppy in the back. You don’t get as many options, but for around $250, you get all the protection you need.

You can check them out and purchase them here.

Bartact Tacoma Seat Covers

For a more tactical version, Bartact offers a fitted seat cover with MOLLE attachment systems on the back of the seats. This can give you a great place to store some gear and a good storage option for overlanding when you need to make use of all the space you have. For $320, they are a tad pricey, but the company says it’s the same style they make for the US military, just with color options.

I want to throw you a cheap option, but there are tons out there. This isn’t really a brand, but a category of around $20. Amazon has a ton of Tacoma seat covers for around $20 to $30. They won’t have the best fit or feel, but they will get the job done. Take a look at the options and find what works for you.

Image Credits

Clazzio - Tacoma World User Jacked Burton

Coverking - Tacoma World User lachevron

Bartact - Tacoma World User Chris15sr5

Carhartt - Tacoma World User AntMan408

* Please note that some of these links are Amazon affiliate links and we make a small commission if you purchase the product.