Best Grille Guard for Deer

This is probably the easiest way to identify as one of the toughest drivers on the streets of your city.

But a Grille Guard on your truck or SUV serves even greater purposes too.

A Grille Guard on your vehicle can mean the difference between massive damage from collision and just a scratch that you can fix with ease.

One of these days, the ruggedness of your truck will take you into rural areas, the woods, or the mountains on one adventure or the other.

You’re going to need protection from the harshness of nature or wildlife (such as deer).

Grille guard, bull bar, or brush bar are great for this, protecting your headlights, radiator, grille, and front bumper.

You will also get options to mount more lights for when the sun goes down and give your truck a customized finished look.

What are Grille Guards?

Grille guards are protection for the front end of your vehicle.

They are designed to be mounted on the front of your truck or SUV via the bumper, frame rail, or both.

They cover the entire front area of the vehicle from left to right, including the grille and the headlights. They are great for when you’re working on a ranch, farm, or going off-road.

Grille guards have many names, depending on the country you’re in.

They are called Push bar, Kangaroo bar, Cattle pusher, Nudge bar, and Brush Guard. They all do the same thing.

What are Grille Guards Made Of?

For that extra layer of protection for your vehicle, grille guards are usually made from metals like mild steel and aluminum. They are also made from plastics like polyethylene and polycarbonate.

Although polyethylene is the common plastic we find in plastic bags and bottles, for a grille guard, they are made so much stronger. They are made thicker and sturdier. The same with polycarbonate that’s a combination of thermoplastic polymers and carbonates.

Steel and aluminum are both durable metals to build a grille guard with. What would make you choose one over the other?

Steel vs Aluminum

Steel proves to be much stronger than aluminum without question. Steel is very dense when compared to aluminum, making it twice the weight of aluminum.

When you go face to face with obstacles, steel bull bars and grille guards turn out to be much more resilient and take less damage than their aluminum counterparts. Because aluminum tensile strength is lower than steel.

Funnily enough, aluminum bull bars cost more than steel off the shelf.

Aluminum isn’t that bad in general. It is rustproof. This is because of a phenomenon in physical chemistry called passivation (it becomes less reactive with its environment as time goes).

However, it loses its luster with time when steel bull bars will continue to be shiny for longer.

Here’s why: during the initial use of aluminum, it will react with oxygen in the air and form aluminum oxide. Aluminum oxide is not so lustrous.

Summary

Reviews of Top 12 Grille Guards, Bull Bars

The best grille guard for your truck or SUV will be the one that provides you the strongest front end protection at the best price and give you the looks you desire for your vehicle.

You would have options to add auxiliary lights, so your adventure doesn’t end when the sun goes down. It’ll also be easy to install.

But the most important factor would be that after it gives you all these benefits, it should be one that is compatible with your vehicle. It can’t be the best if it doesn’t fit.

Here’s the best grille guard, bull bar, and brush guard expert review for your vehicle you will ever need to read. We covered all the important bits and let you know why we like them too.

1. Rough Country Black Bull Bar

As the name suggests, this is what you need on the front of your Toyota Tundra when you go thundering through the rough countryside. Have no fear of running into tree branches or wildlife because this sturdy Bull Bar protects your grille and headlights with 3” thick tubing made of steel!

You can take on the installation project by yourself and with very little sweat. It was designed for easy bolt-on installation. It also comes with pre-drilled holes for your license plate and Rough Country’s very own lighting.

If you are worried about how long it can go without succumbing to rust, you shouldn’t. This Bull Bar was baptized in a corrosion-resistant black powder. The manufacturers are even backing that with a 5-year warranty.

What we like about it:

• Easy DIY installation
• Provision for additional lighting

2. Tyger Auto TG-GD6T60028 Front Bumper Guard

This TYGER front bumper guard makes your Toyota Tacoma look rugged and ready to pounce. And it does so without fuss. The tiger logo on the front of this bumper guard speaks for its incredible strength when face-to-face with a deer.

It was designed with your night adventures in mind with a mounting channel for adding LED lights on the bumper guard included.

And even though you run into strong obstacles, the seamless weld of the heavy-duty 2.5” tubing frame will make sure you always win.

Do you want to relocate your license plate?

Tyger comes with pre-drilled holes for your license plate.

When you buy this, it comes with all the mounting hardware and a manual to help you install it yourself(DIY). And it is actually easy to install with its easy bolt-on installation feature.

What we like about it:

• Seamless weld
• Excellent rust resistance from the E-coating textured black finish

3. Westin 57-2505 HDX Black Grille Guard

This completes the look of your Ford F150. But not just that, it provides your F150 the protection it needs in the face of unexpected collisions on the road or off the road.

Some people have a problem with this because it fits only on the F150, but we see what specializing can do when it comes to upgrading and optimizing this grille guard to its best capabilities.

For example, you get to choose from two options of finish; a stainless finish and a black powder coat finish. Both of them come with different warranty periods.

For the stainless finish, it is a lifetime warranty. For the black powder coat finish, you get 3 years.

Made of mild steel that is 2 inches in diameter and 1-piece welded uprights, expect this grille guard to keep as much harm away from your Ford as possible.

For extra protection and pushing with no damage, Westin gives you heavy-duty rubber pads.

What we like about it:

• Extra protection with the heavy-duty rubber pads
• You can make a choice from 2 options for finish
• You get a 3-year warranty on black powder coat finish and a lifetime warranty on the stainless finish

4. AUTOSAVER88 Bull Bar with Skid Plate Q235A

Ford F150 gets even extra special attention with this Bull Bar that smiles in the face of adversity. Perfectly engineered to fit with your vehicle, this Bull Bar is made out of 3 inches of heavy-duty tubing frame.

Together with the black powder and e-coating finish, you can expect this Bull Bar to last long enough to protect you and your vehicle from mishaps on the road and rust. It has a seamless weld that adds to its glossy finish.

Night riding is even better when you can see clearer. This Bull Bar comes equipped with pre-drilled holes for you to install additional lighting on the front of your vehicle.

The entire installation process has been streamlined for you by thoughtful manufacturers. The pre-drilled holes, mounting hardware, and instruction manual that is included make it so that you only need common home garage tools to install the Bullbar.

What we like about it:

• Removable skid plate
• Glossy finish
• You get a lifetime warranty on this Bull Bar

5. Ranch Hand GGC08HBL 1 Legend Grille Guard

Ranch Hand did Chevy Silverado 1500 a favor with this one. This Grille guard looks impressive and powerful on its Chevy. Apart from being aesthetically menacing, this Bullbar holds its own in the face of road and off-road adversity.

This sturdy bull bar carries extra protection for the front of your Chevy with the angled uprights on the grille area. The wraparound headlights protection will protect your headlights from being broken in case you hit any object.

You won’t even have to worry about the rust because welding was minimized in the design of this grille guard and the black powder anti-rust finish.

The installation is not challenging, with pre-drilled holes, and it fits perfectly with direct-to-frame mounting.

What we like about it:

• Easy installation
• Anti-rust finish and seamless weld
• Fits tightly with direct-to-frame mounting

6. AUTOSAVER88 Bull Bar with Skid Plate Light Mount

Another glossy bull bar from AUTOSAVER88 but this time for Dodge Ram 1500. A knight in shiny black amour standing between your Dodge and dangerous objects.

This bumper bar is built on 3 inches of heavy-duty tubing frame that means strength and protection for the front of your vehicle.

This one was built for adventure in the dark with lighting pre-installed to reach areas your headlights can’t. This is 25 inches of 72W LED lights, and it is removable.

On top of that, you can install additional lighting easily because there are pre-drilled holes for that on this bull bar.

Installing this one won’t cause you much trouble either. The whole process is built for ease, and there’s an installation instruction manual to guide you, along with all the hardware you need for it.

You also get a modular skid plate and an 8-foot long wiring harness.

What we like about it:

• Comes with 72W 25 inches LED light bar already installed on the bull bar
• You can add lighting in addition to the built-in light
• Easy installation

7. Go Rhino! 3160B Black 3000 Series StepGuard Grille Guard

Presenting to you powerful protection against wildlife and unfortunate occurrences for your Chevy Tahoe 2009. This Grille guard has one outstanding feature; it’s patented step pad.

It’s amazing how this is designed to look great and includes a patented feature that affords you easy access to your vehicle’s engine.

Although this grille guard looks impressive with its rust-resistant black powder coat, it is also available for you in chrome color. In case you want to switch things up.

Just like its counterparts listed above, this grille guard comes with all the necessary items to make its installation quite easy to carry on by yourself.

What we like about it:

• Includes a step pad for easy access to the engine and windshield area
• Glossy black finish and chrome finish that stands up in all weather
• Very durable with a black powder finish

8. Aries 35-2004 Stainless Steel Bull Bar

This steel bull bar gives your Toyota Sequoia that look that says, “I’m ready to go!” It’s kind of hard not to notice how ‘confident’ your vehicle looks when you install this brawny bull bar.

It is built from 304 stainless steel that reflects light in a way that makes the front end of your vehicle sparkling, Aries’s bull bar is excellent protection against deer and other obstructions you may encounter.

The reflective nature of this bull bar doesn’t just fade away with time. It was polished so well that it can withstand the washing effect of rain, dirt, snow, and other elements.

The welded stainless steel tubing used to build the bull bar’s frame is thick and 3 inches in diameter, making it rigid and strong in the face of heavy objects.

You can take your adventurous spirit into the night because you get extra lighting options with this bull bar.

There is customizable LED lighting, pre-drilled holes in the crossbar for additional light installation that accepts 2 round lights, 2 square lights, or an LED light bar.

The front end of your Sequoia could get scratched and dented when you drive through rough terrain. A skid plate protects it from the flying debris that causes these damages.

This stainless steel bull bar comes with a removable skid plate also crafted from 304 stainless steel.

When installing, no need to bring your drill. The holes on this one are already provided for you.

What we like about it:

• Removable and brushed stainless steel skid plate
• Reflective finish
• All the light options

9. Dee Zee DZ501819 UltraBlack Bull Bar

This is another sturdy bull bar for the much-needed SUV front-end protection. It has a 3” wide mandrel-bent heavy gauge steel pipe for the frame. It is finished with a glossy black powder coat.

Although it doesn’t come with the lights included in the package, the manufacturers obviously share your fondness for night adventure. They give you this bull bar pre-drilled with holes to help you install auxiliary lights with a few tools.

They even drilled more holes for you to make the installation process much easier for you.

However, you’ll need a little bit more skill when working on the mounting brackets because there isn’t much space there to get enough torque into the hex nuts.

Note that the license plate mount is sold separately.

What we like about it:

• Even more customizable with options for extra lighting
• Its removable skid plate
• Includes pre-drilled holes

10. Lund 47121214 Bull Bar

Almost everyone will feel their truck doesn’t look complete without a bull bar or grille guard of some sort. They could go to the ends of the earth to find the perfect fit for their vehicle.

But when there is one that serves most GM trucks and SUVs, you don’t need to take your search too far.

Especially if that bull bar looks amazing and also gives your vehicle great protection that doesn’t sacrifice your visibility.

Lund Bull Bar is made from heavy-duty steel that’s oval but 3 inches wide still. This is a polished 304 stainless steel finish, so you bet it’s shiny and durable.

It comes with skid plates to protect from flying debris and auxiliary lighting options for better visibility at night beside the one your headlights give you.

The off-road Cree light bar on this bull bar is 20 inches long and installed in a flood beam pattern dealing out 3000 lumens from 54 watts of power.

If you are wondering if this is also easy to install, yes, it is. You don’t need a drill to install it, and it comes with a wiring harness.

What we like about it:

• The light bar has its own 3-year warranty
• The bull bar comes with a limited lifetime warranty
• 2 choices of color: Black and stainless

11. WARN 102355 Jeep JL OE Rubicon Front Bumper Grille Guard Tube

There is a very clear difference between a Jeep with no grille guard and one with WARN Jeep JL OE Rubicon Front Bumper Grille Guard Tube.

Their looks are worlds apart, and odds are you will always choose the one with the Grille guard because it looks amazing.

This one is special because it has a grille guard tube to give your Jeep even more protection in front of 3 styles: low-height, mid-height, and tall-height.

Choose anyone that suits you, your lifestyle, or the level of ruggedness you want to project.

This grille guard tube makes your Jeep look menacing, and it will do so for a very long time. It was built to last, with excellent resistance to corrosion brought by the powder coat.

The WARN Front Bumper Grille Guard is easy to install with tools that are easy to find in any home garage.

What we like about it:

• It looks amazing. No doubt about this.
• Easy to install
• It features 3 stinger styles

12. Polaris 2877813 Front Brush Guard

Here is one brush guard that balances a stylish and sporty look with effective protection from low hanging branches, brushes, and debris on the trail.

The tubing used to build the frame is strong even though it is 1.5” in diameter. It was also built to resist corrosion with a black powder coating finish.

The manufacturers kept the installation easy enough for the average home toolkit to handle.

What we like about it:

• 1-year warranty from the date you bought it
• Sporty look and stylish design
• Easy to install

Things to Consider When Choosing The Best Grille Guard For Deer

Even though looks seem like the most obvious criterion to pay attention to, there are a few other (probably more important) criteria you should consider before you choose the best grille guard for your vehicle.

You want a durable grille guard that fits perfectly on your vehicle while adding to the looks of your vehicle just the way you like it.

Here are 7 things to consider when you make your choice.

Type

We covered the types of bull bars and grille guards available in the market above. From their different functionalities and features, choose the one that suits you the best.

Style

The style of the grille guard or bull bar will relate more to how they are built and how this fits into your type of vehicle and lifestyle. We talked about the various styles in the sections above.

Airflow

When choosing your grille guard, you want to make sure that even though it looks great and is compatible with your vehicle, it doesn’t stop air from going where it needs to go.

By this, we mean that there should still be room for sufficient airflow to the radiator, cooler, air conditioning condenser, and intercooler. If there isn’t enough gap for air to flow through, you may have overheating problems on your hands.

Strength

Next to looks, durability and strength are some of the top properties to look out for.

First and foremost, your grille guard should be designed to be stronger than most of the obstacles you’ll encounter on the road.

Look out for the diameter of the tubing from which the frame is built and if there are any uprights.

Finishing

The finishing of your grille guard should be corrosion-resistant and beautiful. It should match the color of your car in the combination you desire.

There are options out there like chrome finish, black powder, stainless steel, and glossy paints.

Your Budget

The price range of bull bars and grille guards is quite wide, from low cost to borderline luxurious.

You have to consider your budget for these, along with their functionality, and if they could be stolen off your vehicle.

That’s where insurance comes in. Tax, shipping fee, the material used, style, finish, and thickness are all factored into the cost of the product.

Compatibility

This almost goes without saying. If it doesn’t fit, there’s no point in getting it.

You can’t use it. So, when shopping for your grille guard, make sure that it is specified for your type of vehicle.

Also, it helps if the grille guard or bull bar has provision for you to install auxiliary lights and so on.

Other things to look out for in terms of compatibility are:

1. Brush guard and winch: You should be able to install a winch on your brush guard, grille guard or bull bar. There should be provisions for that.
2. Brush guard and parking sensors: Installation of front end protection for your vehicle shouldn’t be a reason why your parking sensors don’t work anymore or lose their sensitivity.
3. Brush guard and bumper: The factory-installed bumper is fragile, so your brush guard will have to replace it.

Types and Styles of Grille Guards

There are grille guards in various shapes, sizes, and styles. They serve different purposes and are used in different situations.

Depending on your vehicle, what it is used for and what you are protecting it from, your grille guard will fall in one of the following types:

Full front end grille guards

This grille guard is big enough to cover the entire face of your vehicle, from left headlight to right headlight. It has solid uprights fastened on the frame and protection for your headlights.

Some of them have pre-drilled holes to mount additional lights, rubber pads to prevent damage when pushing, and a top hood guard bar.

Center grille guards

This is the front-end grille guard but without the curved metal section shaped like protective wings for the headlights. They are not as bulky as the full front end type and provide protection in case of impact, a channel for mounting a winch, and auxiliary lights.

Nudge bars and sport bars

These are smaller grille guards that serve as protection in low-speed collisions. They are not designed to handle substantial impact being low-key in look and style.

Bumper guards

Bumper guards do what they say they do, which is guard your bumper against bad drivers in parking lots or traffic lights.

Bumpers are always the most vulnerable in situations where other drivers are absentminded on the road, costing you repair costs up to $2,000.

Skid plates

The underside of your vehicle is a prime target for flying debris like rock pieces and undergrowth. Instead of having the bottom of your truck scratched and dented, skid plates will take these hits for you. Some grille guards and bull bars come with skid plates already installed.

Taillight guard

These ones are the smallest of them all that protect your tail lights from flying rocks, tree branches, and mistakes when backing out of the driveway.

Instead of spending on replacing your tail lights every time you or someone else makes a mistake that hurts your tail lights, your tail light guard will take the dent or scratch.

Another Point to Note – Best Grille Covers

Grille covers are used to cover the grille area for several reasons according to individual intentions. Some people use it as a sort of “winter blanket”, while others are just focused on the looks.

There are also those who use it to protect the grille from taking in tiny rocks that fly around while off-roading.

Types of Grille Covers

1. Fabric Grille Covers: Made from layered cloth, canvas, vinyl, mesh or leather, these grille covers are used to ‘blanket’ the grille during winter. They are designed to keep the cold out so that starting your truck during cold weather is faster since the engine is kept warm.
2. Metal Mesh Grille Covers: These are attached to the grille area of the vehicle and mostly provide protection for the grille against debris, bugs, etc. that could cause cosmetic damage. They are usually available in black and stainless steel and cost between $20 and $200.

Using Grille Covers in Cold Weather

Some vehicles actually need these grille covers during winter because, at very low ambient temperatures, it is difficult to get them to start.

The grille covers help to keep the freezing air out of the engine and maintain a relatively warm temperature in the engine.

Vehicles with working electric grilles or thermostats do not need to have grille covers because they can heat themselves.

If you use a grille cover on these types of vehicles, you could cause the engine to overheat.

Bull Bars

Bull Bars feature one metal bar that isn’t as bulky as a grille bar but provides protection for the front-end of your vehicle. They usually come with a skid plate and light mounts.

They are made of steel, aluminum, or plastic like grille guards.

In situations where the bull bar covers the license plate, there is provision to relocate the license plate to another position on the front where it is fully visible.

It is easy to install a bull bar, the same way it is to install tow hooks and snowplows.

Types of Bull Bars

1. Baja Bar: The Baja type of bull bar is not for road use. They are employed in off-road situations where they are used for extra and stronger protection mounted right on the chassis and feature a mounting channel for powerful winches.
2. Competition Bar: This is the easily replaceable bull bar used in off-road competitions. They give you full protection.
3. Single Hoop: The single hoop is one hoop that covers the grille area of your truck and is mounted on the bumper. This bullbar type gives you great front-end protection for your vehicle without being too bulky, as well as giving you full visibility.
4. Triple Hoop: This triple hoop bull bar provides maximum protection for the entire front end of your truck. It features 3 hoops. One on one headlight, one on the other, and the third protect the radiator.

Single Hoop vs Triple Hoop Bull Bar

The single hoop is lighter than the triple hoop bull bar if we are talking about weight.

But in terms of protection, the triple hoop bull bar goes all the way, protecting the entire front end of the truck as opposed to the single hoop that protects only the grille area.

However, both are excellent for the purposes they serve according to your needs.

Differences Between Bull Bars, Brush Guards, and Grille Guards?

Going by the way the original manufacturers intended it to be, grille guards and brush guards are the same things. It is the bull bar that is different from the two.

Bull Bar vs Grille Guard

Most of the time, a bull bar is used to provide protection for one particular area of the vehicle and normally comes with a skid plate.

A grille guard, on the other hand, provides full frontal protection for your vehicle, including headlights.

They are usually made from the same kind of materials and finished the same way. But depending on the type of vehicle and what it is used for, you would either go for a bull bar or a grille guard.

Brush Guard

To understand what a Brush Guard is, let’s dissect the word. “Brush” and “Guard”.

Brush: This refers to small plants, undergrowths, and shrubs you will find in the woods.

Guard: A protector.

One of the first imaginations that led to the design of the Grille guard was to protect the front of the truck from getting damaged when driving through vegetation.

Tying all these together, you see that a Brush Guard is the same as a Grille Guard. And its original purpose was to protect the vehicle from high shrubs.

In recent usage, the term “Brush guard” is the part of the Grille guard that protects the headlights.

What Are Brush Guards Used For?

Brush guards are the cage-like parts of the grille guard that cover the headlights.

The headlights are exposed to damage when driving through areas where collision with low-lying tree branches or high shrubs is unavoidable.

They help you to avoid having to replace your headlights too often.

Are Brush Guards Worth It?

There are 3 points to answer this question. These are what installing a Brush Guard can give you:

• Protection for your Headlights: This is the original idea for a brush guard. On those adventurous rides through the country, you’re going to encounter tree branches and wildlife. In those brush guard vs deer situations, brush guard always wins, and you won’t find yourself searching for headlights replacements.
• Spend less in the long run: Even in the short run, brush guards can come through for you. The average cost of a grille guard is $200, but some go as high as $1,000. And you can use it for as long as your car is alive without major damage. On the other hand, a full headlight assembly cost on average $700. If you have to change your headlights each time you run into a tree branch and it gets broken, you know what this means.
• Finished look: Brush guards make your truck look like it has a rugged shade on its eyes. If you want to give your vehicle a finished look, brush guards are worth spending the money for it.

Why Do You Need a Grille Guard?

Many people would buy a grille guard for its aesthetic value, but it is great to have it as an extra layer of protection in case of a collision.

If you work on a farm, ranch, or you’re an off-road adventurer; it is important for you to have a grille guard mounted on your truck or SUV.

It is easy to rack up costs of repairs in several thousands of dollars from a small (and very likely) collision with a deer.

Your headlights, grille, and windscreen could get damaged in the event of an accident. A grille guard costs just a fraction of that cost of repair. It’s a simple case of “prevention is better than cure”.

Turns out this prevention also gives your vehicle a great look in several styles that suit you and the lifestyle your vehicle is living with you.

For example, your job or lifestyle makes it so that you typically find yourself in situations where you need to push things or pull things.

Or you got into a sticky situation from which you have to pull yourself.

A winch on your grille guard is going to be the answer to your prayers. It is designed to sit in the frame and give you all that point power to get your vehicle out of that sticky situation.

Note: A winch bar is a bull bar that has a slot for a winch. Most bull bars come with openings to house winches, so in a manner of speaking, they are winch bars.

What are Grille Guards Used For?

Here are some uses of grille guards:

Protection for the front end of your vehicle

The majority of people who use grille guards are those who find themselves in off-road situations. Mostly in the countryside, farms, ranches, or just thundering down the mountains.

There’s going to be a lot of debris flying off the road that could hurt the bumper of the vehicle.

There are shrubs, bushes, and trees with low-lying branches that could whip your headlights and crack them.

Then in some situations, you could run into a deer, damage your grille, shatter your headlight and crack your windshield badly.

Fixing these damages can cost a lot of money. The best way to avoid this is to add another layer of protection designed to withstand these impacts, and that’s what a grille guard is for.

Mounting channel for auxiliary lights, winch, and other accessories

Many grille guards are designed with pre-drilled holes and channels for mounting auxiliary lights, winches, and other accessories (like a tow hook) that make your experience off the beaten path much more pleasant.

The auxiliary lights give you more sight in the dark, and the winch helps you pull your vehicle out of a sticky situation, which is common when the road isn’t tarred.

Rugged style and look

Yes, the main reason to install a grille guard is for protection.

But a grille guard can do more. They are designed for functionality without sacrificing great looks.

A good grille guard will give your vehicle a rugged and finished look.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

It is important that when choosing which Grille guard to buy, you go for the one compatible with your vehicle.

We covered a dozen of them and the vehicles they’re compatible with. With the right grille guard for deer, you can go into the wild with bravery.

Your powerful truck can make it out of such situations unscathed.

Get total protection for your truck and that finished look that makes you stand out from others.

Last update on 2023-06-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API