The right truck gun safe depends on your cab: a crew cab can take an anchored back-seat safe, a console safe or an under-seat lockbox, while a regular cab has no rear seat, so it comes down to the console or a mounted box. A handgun fits any of these. A rifle does not fit a console safe or a back-seat safe. Our page on the gun safe for trucks covers the anchored option, and this guide covers the whole choice, cab by cab. Our guide to choosing a car handgun safe goes through it step by step. Our console safe guide covers that choice.
Key takeaways
- Pick by cab first. Crew, extended and regular cabs have different seats, different anchors and different options.
- FMVSS 225 covers trucks up to 8,500 lb GVWR. Heavier pickups fall outside it, so check the seat crease and the manual.
- In a 2026 survey of owners whose firearm was stolen from a vehicle, pickups were among the most common vehicles, often in driveways or nearby streets (Prevention Science).
- Long guns need a full-width under-seat box or a locked case. No console safe or back-seat safe holds a rifle.
- With enough time and tools nothing is secure. The job is to raise the time and the tool count.
Which truck gun safe fits which cab
Maker facts below come from each maker's own page, read Nov 1, 2026. We make the anchored safe in the second column, so weigh our view with that in mind. For a console safe next to ours, see Boosted Safe vs Tuffy.
| Cab | Anchored back-seat safe | Console safe | Under-seat or behind-seat box |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crew or double cab | Fits most, on the rear LATCH anchors. Confirm in your truck. | Yes, by console type | Yes, including full-width boxes that take longer gear |
| Extended cab | It depends. Some small rear benches have anchors, and jump seats may not. | Yes, by console type | Depends on the space under the seat |
| Regular cab | Not on its own, as there is no rear seat. A Universal Anchor Adapter or the cable, which is not equal to the anchors. | Yes, if your console is listed | Behind-seat boxes where there is room |
| Heavy duty, over 8,500 lb GVWR | Check first. Outside FMVSS 225. | Yes, if listed | Yes, if listed |
The anchors are the steel LATCH bars (called ISOFIX outside the US), welded to the truck's body to hold a child seat. US passenger vehicles from model year 2003 have them, under FMVSS 225, which applies to trucks of 8,500 lb GVWR or less. Not sure about yours? Check your vehicle. Our fit guides for the Ford F-150, the Silverado and Sierra and the Tacoma and Tundra go model by model.
Three truck safes and what each is for
The console safe: for a handgun and pocket things
Tuffy says a console safe holds a handgun and everyday items and that most of its models need no drilling, with about 30 minutes of hand tools. Some vehicles do require drilling, and fit goes by console type and year. Console Vault sells by make, model and year too. Read our under-seat vs center console comparison before you choose. Both are for the owner who keeps the truck. Change trucks and you buy again.
The under-seat box: for longer gear
Tuffy calls a full-width under-seat lockbox the crew-cab option for longer gear. TruckVault builds a SeatVault under the rear seat to fit the vehicle. DU-HA sells lockable under-seat storage by truck. These are the options that can take a long gun, so measure before you assume. They cost a day of fitting or a phone call, and they stay with the truck.
The anchored safe: for what moves between vehicles
Two steel latches grab the anchors, and the release is inside the safe. It comes off only after it has been opened. No tools. No drilling. No change to the truck. If you run a work truck and a family car, it goes between them. It takes a rear seating position, and it holds nothing longer than 15 inches. Pull on it and you see the difference from a cable: in the pull test, cable-held boxes came off the seat by hand in under a minute, and the Basic and Elite stayed latched through 30 seconds of pulling.
Why trucks are a particular problem
A pickup has no trunk. In a national survey published in Prevention Science in September 2026, firearm thefts from vehicles came most often from pickups, sedans and SUVs, often in driveways or nearby streets and often late at night. That rests on 53 people who reported a theft, so read it as a pattern and not a rate. A separate survey in Injury Epidemiology found that rural owners had about 2.2 times the odds of leaving a firearm in a vehicle more often than metropolitan owners, and that among those who do, 24.6% use the center console and 16.7% the glovebox.
What we do not know is how trucks compare with other vehicles per mile or per truck owned. Nobody publishes that. Compare your options on our Boosted Safe vs Kwick Strike page, which is the truck-focused head-to-head.
Rifles and shotguns
No back-seat safe or console safe holds one. Full stop. Our interior is 15.1 x 13.6 x 4.25 inches. For a long gun, the choices are a vehicle-fitted under-seat box or drawer, or a locked hard case kept out of sight, with whatever your state requires for transport. Firearms are stored unloaded. Our hunting season truck prep guide covers the season, and your state's rules are worth reading before you decide. This is not legal advice.
What we would do
In a crew cab, for a handgun, we would use the Golden Gate Elite. It is 12-gauge steel, 37.4 lb, and it opens by fingerprint, keypad or key. The Golden Gate Elite is certified for firearms and is a CDOJ certified gun safe (California DOJ listing). It holds a handgun, optics, tags and a wallet, not a rifle. It is not fireproof or waterproof, and a safe in a hot truck gets as hot as the truck. With enough time and tools nothing is secure. The job is to raise the time and the tool count.
In a regular cab, we would look at the console first. Ours is a back-seat product, and that truck has no back seat. For a long gun, look at a fitted under-seat box.
Golden Gate Elite
Certified for firearms. Stored unloaded, in 12-gauge steel.
Preorder the Golden Gate Elite
Preorder. Shipping: November. Or see every car gun safe.
Questions
What is the best gun safe for a truck?
It depends on the cab and what you store. For a handgun in a crew cab, an anchored back-seat safe or a console safe. For a regular cab, a console safe or a mounted box. For a long gun, a fitted under-seat box or a locked case. Check fit by year, cab and console before you order.
Do trucks have LATCH anchors?
Most crew cabs from model year 2003 do, in the rear seat. Extended cabs vary, and regular cabs have no rear seat. FMVSS 225 applies to trucks of 8,500 lb GVWR or less, so heavier pickups need a look. Check the seat crease and the owner's manual, and use our fit page.
Can a truck safe hold a rifle?
A console safe or a back-seat safe cannot. Our interior is 15.1 by 13.6 by 4.25 inches. Long guns need a full-width under-seat box, a fitted drawer or a locked hard case. Measure the firearm and the box. Then check what your state asks for during transport.
Can I move a truck gun safe to another vehicle?
An anchored safe moves to anything with anchors: open it, release the latches and lift it out, no tools. Console safes and most under-seat boxes are made for one vehicle or console, so you buy again when you change trucks. Portable cable boxes also move, with the limits of a cable.
Keep reading
- Truck gun storage ideas: console, under-seat and disguised options in practice.
Sources
- 49 CFR 571.225, FMVSS 225, S2 Application, read Nov 1, 2026. ecfr.gov
- Tuffy Security Products, "Best Truck Gun Safe and Console Safe by Truck", Jul 10, 2026, checked Nov 1, 2026. tuffyproducts.com
- Console Vault, Frequently Asked Questions, checked Nov 1, 2026. consolevault.com
- TruckVault, SeatVault post, Jul 19, 2021. truckvault.com
- DU-HA, lockable under-seat storage, checked Nov 1, 2026. du-ha.com
- Testa et al., "Firearm Thefts from Vehicles in the United States", Prevention Science, Sep 7, 2026. YouGov survey of 1,976 firearm owners, 53 of whom reported a theft. link.springer.com
- Testa et al., "Prevalence, correlates, and patterns of leaving firearms unattended in vehicles among US firearm owners", Injury Epidemiology, May 24, 2026. YouGov survey of 1,856 firearm owners, Feb to Mar 2026. doi.org
- Boosted Safe, filmed pull test on a mock car seat with child-seat anchors, published Jun 30, 2026. The pull test
- California DOJ, Roster of Firearm Safety Devices Certified for Sale, Golden Gate listing. oag.ca.gov
