If you’ve found yourself asking what the best subwoofer for a truck is, you’ve landed on the right page.
Trucks are cool and they definitely come with tons of perks, but they also offer their own unique challenges when it comes to subwoofer installation.
If you own a truck and you’re looking for subwoofers, you probably know what we’re talking about.
Yep, we’re talking about space. You want the nice, deep boom of a subwoofer, but you have no idea how to fit a sub enclosure in your truck’s cab.
The good news is that we’ve got answers for you!
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- Why you should consider a subwoofer for a truck
- What qualities are most important in an subwoofer for a truck
- And much more!
Below is a quick list of my favorite subwoofers for trucks. Keep scrolling to learn more of my top tips to choose and use the best subwoofers for trucks.
| Image | Product | |||
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My Top Pick  | My Top Pick | Rockville RW10CA 10" 800 Watt Slim Low Profile Active Powered Car Subwoofer Sub
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| View on Amazon |
Best High-End  | Best High-End | Kicker 1000W 12" 2-Ohm Slim Shallow Subwoofer Sealed Enclosure | 43TCWRT122
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| View on Amazon |
Top Contender  | Top Contender | Rockford Fosgate R2S-1X12 R2 Shallow Prime Single 12-Inch Subwoofer Enclosure
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| View on Amazon |
 | Rockville RockGhost Hidden Powered 8" Car Subwoofer Spare Tire Sub-No Lost Space
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| View on Amazon | |
 | Alphasonik AS10DF 10 inch 1200 Watts 4-Ohm Down Fire Shallow Mount Flat Enclosed Subwoofer for Tight Spaces
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| View on Amazon |
What's in this Guide?
Our Overall Top #1 Pick: Rockville RW10CA 10″ 800 Watt Slim Low Profile Active Powered Car Subwoofer Sub
The Rockville RW10CA 10-inch speaker is our number one pick because it’s slim, and it comes with its very own built-in enclosure. Additionally, it’s affordable, meaning you can pair two of these 10-inch subs to produce optimal bass.
This subwoofer also has a 2 ohm impedance, meaning it produces louder bass. It’s also CEA-2006 compliant, which certifies that it’s been tested and its stats are not just selling points. These are facts!
Overall, it takes our #1 spot because of its slim structure and impactful sound. Thanks to this, it’s easily the best subwoofer for a truck.
Top 5 Best Subwoofers for Trucks
In a hurry? Check out our top 5 picks below! Keep reading to learn more about these best subwoofers for trucks.
- Rockville RW10CA 10″ 800 Watt Slim Low Profile Active Powered Car Subwoofer Sub (Our Top Pick)
- Kicker 1000W 12″ 2-Ohm Slim Shallow Subwoofer Sealed Enclosure | 43TCWRT122 (Best High-End)
- Rockford Fosgate R2S-1X12 R2 Shallow Prime Single 12-Inch Subwoofer Enclosure (Runner-up)
- Rockville RockGhost Hidden Powered 8″ Car Subwoofer Spare Tire Sub-No Lost Space
- Alphasonik AS10DF 10 inch 1200 Watts 4-Ohm Down Fire Shallow Mount Flat Enclosed Subwoofer for Tight Spaces
Why You Should Consider a Subwoofer for your Truck
The simple answer is that there’s no point in upgrading your truck with aesthetics if your stock sound system is average. Most vehicles come with little to no bass. At best, your truck may have an 8-inch sub unless you opted in for extra customization add-ons.
While subwoofers are often associated with cars, brands are making truck subs more accessible. Between slim enclosure options for under the seat installation, and alternate choices such as spare tire subs, there’s no reason to not upgrade your truck’s sound system.
What Qualities to Look for When Picking the Best Subwoofer for a Truck?
Size
Size is the absolute most important aspect you’ll want to consider when buying a subwoofer for a truck. While trucks have tons of bed space, they don’t have much cab space. While cars have trunks, trucks often have uncovered beds.
So, where can subwoofers even fit in a truck?
There are a few answers. The main location for truck subs is under the seat. However, there’s not a lot of space there. If you’re looking to install subs under your seat, you’ll want a slim setup. If you want guidance on how to install subs under your truck seat, check out the video below!
Lastly, you can also buy specialized single subwoofers that fit in your spare tire. We’ve included the Rockville RockGhost 8-inch spare tire sub in our article as a reliable recommendation.
Enclosure
Typically, the downside of purchasing smaller subwoofers for slim spaces lies within the enclosure. Sealed enclosures work best for tight spaces, but they produce a tighter, quieter bass sound.
However, ported enclosures are larger, causing the bass to hit way harder and deeper. The great news is that truck sub developers have found a happy medium for this.
For example, our Kicker 1000W high-end pick is compact, yet its enclosure includes a passive radiator. Thanks to science and all that fun, geeky stuff, passive radiators are able to produce a lower frequency that’s similar to their ported enclosure friends.
On the flip side, sealed enclosures work great with trucks due to their compact size. Sealed boxes can still produce deep bass, they just take more power to do so.
Some subwoofers come with built-in enclosures. While we understand why you’d want to customize your own subwoofer setup, you can definitely save a lot of money by getting a pre-enclosed sub. Whether you buy the materials and build it yourself, or you hire someone else to build it, it’s a bigger investment.
Further, building your own enclosure is complex and time-consuming. There’s a lot of science to building a subwoofer enclosure. It’s a lot more than just carpentry. Pre-enclosed subs make the installation process a lot quicker.
Warranty
If you’re going through all the effort to install subs under your back seat, you want something that’ll last. No one wants to go through the installation process more than necessary. This is why warranties are important.
Most reliable subwoofers come with at least a 1 to 2 year limited warranty. Some brands like Kicker even include extended warranties when you use their amplifiers or other products alongside your subs.
When a subwoofer doesn’t come with warranty at all, you might want to reconsider your investment. While it probably works just fine, a warranty shows that the developer really trusts their product.
Our Reviews of the Best Subwoofers for Trucks
1. Rockville RW10CA 10″ 800 Watt Slim Low Profile Active Powered Car Subwoofer Sub
This subwoofer is great because of its slim size, along with its adjustable input sensitivity.
If you decide to hook this one up to your own amplifier, the adjustable input sensitivity feature will keep you from overloading your speakers.
Speaking of amplifiers, this Rockville speaker comes with its own. So if you don’t want to, you don’t even have to worry about matching your sub to your amp.
Finally, this sub is CEA-2006 compliant, meaning that its stats are accurate.
Many brands throw large numbers around to impress customers, but that’s not the case here.
In fact, as Rockville states, its 800 watt subs pack a meaner punch than other 2000 watt subs can, thanks to its configuration and high-quality design.
The only con here is that most buyers prefer either 12 inch subs, or two 10-inch subs to achieve their desired sound. Since this one is only a 10-inch, you may need to double up to produce a fuller bass spectrum.
However, we find that its compact structure is worth the 2-inch loss.
| PROS (+) | CONS (-) |
| + Slim design + Built-in amplifier + Adjustable input sensitivity + Reliable, accurate stats | – Only available in 8 or 10 inches |
2. Kicker 1000W 12″ 2-Ohm Slim Shallow Subwoofer Sealed Enclosure | 43TCWRT122
This Kicker may be more expensive than our other options, but its long-term savings and better sound are worth the extra cost.
Since it’s pre-enclosed, you’ll save a lot of time, labor, and extra money that you’d otherwise have to spend on an enclosure.
Further, it includes a 12-inch sub, which provides better bass than 8 and 10 inches without distortion that’s common with 15 and 18-inch subwoofers.
This subwoofer produces a 2-ohm impedance, meaning it offers the most powerful available power output, resulting in a stronger bass response.
Its enclosure is built with MDF material, which is sturdier than plywood, so the powerful booms won’t break it. It uses a passive radiator enclosure which acts like a ported enclosure in regards to sound, but without the bulky size.
Further, if you buy a Kicker amp, the brand can extend your warranty to 2 years.
While its max output is 1,000 watts, its constant wattage (RMS) lands at 500, so you only really need an amplifier capable of handling 500 watts at 2 ohms.
That said, you will likely need to upgrade your speakers or purchase a separate amplifier for this subwoofer though, as most standard truck speakers can only handle around 200 watts on average.
Since you’ll get an extended warranty by purchasing a Kicker amplifier to pair with this sub, and you won’t be spending money on an enclosure, you’re saving money in the end. We believe this one’s worth the investment.
| PROS (+) | CONS (-) |
| + 12-inch subwoofer + Passive radiator enclosure + Extended warranty when brand matching + Uses durable MDF material | – Isn’t likely to work with standard truck speakers |
3. Rockford Fosgate R2S-1X12 R2 Shallow Prime Single 12-Inch Subwoofer Enclosure
Our runner up is by Rockford, and it includes high density carpet, high current binding posts, and most importantly, it’s designed for single-cab trucks.
Its enclosure is wedge-shaped and only has a width of 5.25 inches and a depth of 3.25 inches.
This allows it to easily fit behind front seats in a single-cab truck.
Keep in mind that this subwoofer doesn’t include a warranty. While the Rockford Fosgate R2S-1X12 R2 has great reviews and is very likely to perform just fine, having a 1 to 2 year warranty present is helpful. But truthfully this isn’t a huge issue for this particular subwoofer due to its affordability.
| PROS (+) | CONS (-) |
| + High density carpet + Slim, wedged design + 12 inch subwoofer speaker | – No included warranty |
4. Rockville RockGhost Hidden Powered 8″ Car Subwoofer Spare Tire Sub-No Lost Space
This compact subwoofer is incredibly beneficial for trucks.
If you don’t want your subs under your seat, you can install this one into your spare tire.
It fits into any average spare tire, it comes with a remote for sound adjustment, and it produces a nice SAF sound.
You won’t have to worry about making anyone angry with this sub’s sound.
That said, this speaker is only 8 inches. It definitely makes a difference, but it won’t have your soul shaking. If you’re looking for a boomier bass, the spare tire sub may not be your top pick.
But if you have more than one spare tire, you could always double up to get a fuller bass boom.
| PROS (+) | CONS (-) |
| + Fits into spare tires + Has adjustable sound options + Not painfully loud | – Only 8 inches |
The Alphasonik AS10DF 10-inch subwoofer is a good option if you prefer pre-enclosed subs.
It produces 4 ohms and up to 1200 watts, and it has a 20hz frequency level, producing 95 decibels of sound.
This one is also made with MDF material, and it comes with a 2 year parts and labor warranty.
Despite being compact, this subwoofer is still a little too big for many smaller trucks. However, if you have a large cab, it should fit perfectly fine.
| PROS (+) | CONS (-) |
| + Offers a 20hz frequency level + Uses MDF material + 2 year warranty | – Too large for smaller trucks |
Our Top Pick: Rockville RW10CA 10″ 800 Watt Slim Low Profile Active Powered Car Subwoofer Sub
Our top pick comes with an adjustable input sensitivity, and its slim, compact size is ideal for trucks. Additionally, it comes with its own small enclosure making it much easier to install.
The Rockville RW10CA 10-inch sub also includes its own amplifier. Thanks to this, you won’t have to worry about matching your subwoofers to your amplifier if you don’t want to.
Matching subwoofers to an amplifier can be a difficult process, so getting these subs will help avoid that extra headache.
Final Thoughts On The Best Subwoofer for Trucks
Thanks to innovative brands, buying subwoofers for your truck is not as stressful as you may think. Whether you choose the in-cab route, or something more unique like a spare tire sub, it’s definitely possible to get your truck thumping.
The setup really just depends on your sound preference. Sealed enclosures aren’t typically as loud, but they do fit easier in trucks than ported. However, passive radiator subs are smaller yet similar to ported in terms of sound.
We hope our list helps you decide which subwoofer is best for your truck!
