The Best Truck Brush Guards and Grille Guards

Grille Guard and Brush Guard Benefits

So, what’s the point of installing a grille guard, anyway?

Enhanced Front-End Protection

Grille guards, also called brush guards, offer exceptional protection to your pickup’s front end. Unlike other guard styles, grille guards feature comprehensive coverage, including the bumper, grille, headlights, and hood. With robust alloy constructions, grille guards help to protect your pickup’s body against mild impacts, abrasions, and even wildlife, preventing cracked headlights, dents, dings, and mechanical damage.

Accessory Mounting Provisions

In addition to protection, most grille guards include accessory mounting provisions, providing pre-drilled tabs and mounting plates for off-road lights, winches, and recovery equipment.

Improved Aesthetics

Functionality aside, grille guards look great. They’re the ultimate addition to any pickup truck, providing an aggressive, work-ready appearance. Most feature timeless tubular designs and your choice of black or polished finishes, complementing any application.

Grille Guard and Brush Guard Options

Now that we understand the “why,” let’s look closer at the “what.” Grille Guards come in countless configurations, including different styles, materials, and finishes. In this section, we’ll cover some of the most popular options you’ll encounter while shopping for grille guards.

Materials

Though nearly all grille guards feature alloy constructions, the particular alloy varies. The three most common include carbon steel, stainless steel, and aluminum.

While all three materials are relatively durable, each includes pros and cons. For instance, carbon steel is sturdy yet prone to corrosion. Alternatively, aluminum is lightweight and corrosion-resistant but only moderately durable.

Finishes

In addition to a brush guard’s base material, its finish may also vary. While finishes are often mistaken for colors, that’s not entirely correct. A finish refers to the product’s coating, plating, or treatment that informs its corrosion resistance, color, and overall aesthetics.

RealTruck Expert Recommendations

With benefits and variations covered, let’s check out our top-recommended products. We've carefully selected each item on this list to offer the highest quality and level of protection.

Ranch Hand Legend Series Grille Guard

Ranch Hand is one of the most trusted names in the front-end guard industry, specializing in ranch-style bumpers and grille guards. Renowned for its heavy-duty constructions and timeless utilitarian designs, Ranch Hand is the ultimate choice for ranchers and trades workers. 

The Ranch Hand Legend Series Grille Guards is no exception, sporting a heavy-duty, ranch-style design and robust 12-gauge steel construction. All alloy components are fully welded for maximum strength, while the guard’s secure, frame-mounted design provides unmatched impact resistance. Ranch Hand finishes all Legend Series Grille Guards in a corrosion-resistant black powder coat finish for added durability. 

Ranch Hand grille guards are proudly manufactured in the USA. All orders come backed by a 1-year manufacturer’s warranty.  

Features: 

• Heavy-duty, ranch-style grille guard

• Secure, frame-mounted design

• Durable 12-gauge steel construction

• Fully-welded

• Corrosion-resistant black powder coat finish

• Made in the USA

• Simple bolt-on installation

• 1-year warranty

Go Rhino® 3000-Series Black Grille Guard

Enjoy classic styling paired with modern functionality with the Go Rhino® 3000-Series Black Grille Guard, proudly manufactured by RealTruck®. Sporting a robust, fully-welded steel construction, the Go Rhino 3000-Series Grille Guard offers unmatched strength. Its corrosion-resistant semi-gloss powder coat finish complements any application while preventing unsightly rust and scaling. 

Integrated into the brush guard is a 19-in. wide step, enabling quick access to the engine bay for repairs and servicing. For added convenience, Go Rhino also includes pre-drilled holes for auxiliary lights, providing easily accessible and sturdy mounting locations.  

As a RealTruck brand, the Go Rhino 3000-Series Black Grille Guard comes backed by our unmatched customer service. We also include a 5-year warranty for peace of mind. 

Features:

• Heavy-duty, fully-welded carbon steel construction

• Corrosion-resistant semi-gloss black powder coat finish

• Includes all required bracketry, hardware, and vehicle-specific instructions

• Requires no drilling, trimming, or modifications on most applications

• Integrated 19" front step

• Available with or without headlight brush guards

• Pre-drilled mounting holes for optional auxiliary lights (sold separately)

• 5-year warranty

Steelcraft HD Grille Guard

Boost impact protection with the Steelcraft HD Grille Guard. This robust, fully-welded steel front-end guard features a wrap-around design, dual-layer powder coat finish, and sturdy punch-plate grille, offering maximum front-end durability. 

Mounting is quick and easy with Steelcraft’s vehicle-specific hardware kits and no-drill installations (on most applications). Steelcraft grille guards come backed by the dual-layer protection of a corrosion-resistant E-coat base and semi-gloss black powder coat finish. A 1-year warranty provides peace of mind against manufacturing and material defects.  

Features: 

• One-piece, fully-welded design

• Robust steel construction

• Dual-layered black powder coat finish

• Vehicle-specific mounting kit included

• Simple no-drill installation

• Strong punch plate grille

• Wrap-around design

• 1-year warranty

Westin HDX Stainless Grille Guard

Give your truck a stylish overhaul with the Westin HDX Stainless Grille Guard, featuring a modern design and lustrous, fully polished finish. 

The Westin HDX Stainless Grille Guard is manufactured from heavy-duty stainless steel, resisting rust, scaling, and corrosion. Its one-piece, fully-welded design promotes superior strength and durability. With a 2-in. tubular frame and 1.25-in. tubular supports, the Westin HDX Stainless Grille Guard offers more than enough protection for most pickups on the road. 

Other standout features include the grille guard’s wrap-around headlight guards and sturdy punch-plate grille, guarding the headlights and other critical mechanical components against impacts and abrasions. Westin backs each HDX Stainless Grille Guard with a limited lifetime warranty. 

Features: 

• Heavy-duty one-piece design

• Corrosion-resistant stainless steel construction

• 2-in. tubular frame

• 1.25-in. tubular supports

• Lustrous mirror-polished finish

• Vehicle-specific mounting kit included

• Wrap-around design protects headlights

• Sturdy punch plate grille

• Simple no-drill installation (on most applications)

• Limited lifetime warranty

Go Industries Chrome Winch Grille Guard

Classic styling, lustrous chrome finish, and winch-mounting capabilities—what’s not to like? The Go Industries Chrome Winch Grille Guard offers all these features, which are ideal for off-road rigs, vintage restoration projects, and more. 

The Go Industries Chrome Winch Grille Guard sports a robust 16-gauge steel construction with 2.5-in. diameter horizontal tubes. A bright chrome finish provides corrosion resistance and styling. Go Industries offers several optional upgrades, including headlight brush guards and a winch carrier (sold separately). 

All Go Industries grille guards are proudly manufactured in the USA and backed by the peace of mind of a 3-year warranty. 

Features: 

• 16-gauge tubular steel construction

• Lustrous chrome-plated finish

• Vehicle-specific mount kit included

• Optional headlight brush guards (sold separately)

• Optional 9.5 or 16.5 winch carrier (sold separately)

• Simple no-drill installation

• Made in the USA

• 3-year warranty