Best Winter Side Steps for 2019-2023 Ram 1500 Compared

When the first ice storm hits Tampa's northern customers and the salt trucks roll across the Midwest, the cheapest way to hurt yourself on a 2019-2023 Ram 1500 is a slick factory rocker and a long step up into the cab. The right winter side steps fix both problems at once: a wide, grippy step plate for icy boots and a corrosion-tough bar that shrugs off road salt and brine. This guide compares the five best side steps and running boards we actually sell and install for the fifth-generation (DT) Ram 1500 Crew Cab, from the N-Fab Podium LG at $549.99 to the Go Rhino RB30 at $799.98, so you can pick the one that survives a salt-belt winter.

Why Winter Side Steps Matter on a 2019-2023 Ram 1500

Winter side steps solve two cold-weather problems on a fifth-generation Ram 1500: safe entry on ice and corrosion protection for the lowest, most salt-exposed part of the body. A 4x4 Crew Cab DT weighs roughly 5,000 to 5,400 lbs and stands about 77 to 79 inches tall with around 8 inches of ground clearance, so the climb into the cab is a real reach, especially on a leveled or lifted truck. Add a glaze of ice to a smooth factory rocker and that climb becomes the single most common slip-and-fall point of the season.

The second problem is rust. Road crews spread sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, and calcium chloride brine that cling to the underbody and the rocker pinch-seam, the lowest sheet-metal section of the truck. Salt accelerates electrochemical corrosion wherever moisture sits, and the rocker is exactly where slush packs and refreezes. A quality step bar does double duty here: it gives you a grippy platform to climb on and it takes the brine spray that would otherwise blast the paint. That is why material and finish matter far more in a salt-belt winter than they do in Tampa. Whether your Ram runs the 3.6L Pentastar V6 eTorque (305 hp / 269 lb-ft) or the 5.7L HEMI V8 (395 hp / 410 lb-ft), the step hardware is the same, and it takes the same winter abuse.

How We Picked These Step Bars for Winter

At our Tampa shop we install dozens of step bars a season for customers who tow north for ski trips or ship trucks to family in the snow belt. For a winter buyer, we rank four things above all: corrosion resistance (does the material red-rust when salt sits on it?), step-pad grip (will a snowy boot bite, or slide?), fitment confidence (does it bolt to factory points with no drilling?), and clearance (does it hang low enough to scoop snowbanks?). Every product below is a confirmed fit for the 2019-2023 Ram 1500 Crew Cab, mounts to existing body points, and ships ready to bolt on. Prices run from $479.99 to $799.98, and there is at least one strong option under $600.

Ram 1500 Side Step & Running Board Comparison

Here is the quick, side-by-side view. All five fit the 2019-2023 Ram 1500 Crew Cab (the DV8 and Go Rhino extend through 2025). The "Winter Edge" column is the single feature that matters most once the roads turn white.

The 5 Best Side Steps for the 2019-2023 Ram 1500

1. N-Fab Podium LG - Best All-Around Winter Side Step

The N-Fab Podium LG is our top winter pick because it is built from stainless-steel tube finished in textured black, so the bar cannot red-rust from the inside out the way painted mild-steel steps do once salt finds a chip. The patented hoop design uses an expanded, enclosed sure-grip step plate that gives a snowy boot real bite, and the drop-down step sits low enough to be useful on a stock or leveled Ram 1500. It is a fully welded, one-piece 3-inch-tube bar that mounts tight to the body for a clean look. N-Fab backs it with a 5-year finish warranty on the textured black coating and a lifetime craftsmanship warranty.

2. N-Fab EpYX - Best Value Under $600

The N-Fab EpYX delivers a wide, slotted drop-down step plate and the same textured-black look as the Podium for $70 less, at $479.99. Each door gets a 15-inch by 4-inch slotted step pad whose openings channel snow, slush, and water off the surface instead of letting it pack and freeze. It is built from angular, all-steel welded construction with closed end caps that keep moisture out of the tube, so it is the value play rather than the lifetime-stainless play, but the two-stage powder coat and modular brackets make it a fast, clean install and an easy budget winner for a daily-driven Ram 1500. If you want the biggest, grippiest step surface for the money, the EpYX is the smart buy.

3. N-Fab Podium SS - Best Polished Stainless Look

If you want the brightest finish and the longest finish warranty, the N-Fab Podium SS is the polished-stainless version of our top pick at $699.99. It shares the identical patented hoop step, enclosed sure-grip plate, and 3-inch stainless tube, but the mirror-polished surface carries a lifetime finish warranty instead of five years. The trade-off for winter drivers is cosmetic: polished stainless shows water spotting and salt film, so it needs more wipe-downs to stay looking new. Mechanically it is every bit as corrosion-proof as the black Podium.

4. DV8 Offroad OE Plus - Best Factory-Flush Look (Fits 2019-2025)

The DV8 Offroad OE Plus Side Steps are the pick for owners who want a clean, factory-style flush step rather than a tubular hoop bar. Built from 3mm and 4mm steel finished in Micro-Texture Black powder coat, they bolt to the body and pinch-weld for a subtle OE-plus profile with an anti-slip step surface, and cover the widest year range here, confirmed for the 2019-2025 Ram 1500 Crew Cab. Plan on about a 90-minute install. At $799.99 and currently carrying an Extra 10% off promotion, they are a solid choice if you prefer a running-board aesthetic that does not shout aftermarket, while still adding a usable, salt-tough step.

5. Go Rhino RB30 - Best Snow-Shedding Running Board

For the harshest winters, the Go Rhino RB30 is the running board we recommend. Its open flow-through design is engineered to keep mud, ice, and snow from accumulating on the step, which is exactly the problem a solid running board has in a blizzard: it turns into a frozen shelf. The RB30 is a 7-inch-wide, 87-inch cab-length, bolt-on board made from corrosion-resistant 16-gauge steel with a bedliner-style coating, and each stepping surface is rated to support 300 lbs. The kit pairs the board with vehicle-specific mounting brackets that bolt to the factory rocker points. At $799.98 (down from $1,039.97) it is the most aggressive, highest-traction option in this comparison.

Textured Black vs Stainless vs Steel: What Survives Road Salt

The material under the finish decides how your steps age in a salt-belt winter. Stainless steel is the gold standard because it will not red-rust even when salt sits on a scratch, which is why the N-Fab Podium LG and Podium SS are the most future-proof bars in this guide. Powder-coated or painted mild steel, like the DV8 OE Plus and Go Rhino RB30, resists corrosion well as long as the coating stays intact, but a deep chip from a kicked-up rock lets brine start surface rust, so touch-up and an occasional rinse matter.

Finish color matters too. Textured black powder coat, used on the N-Fab Podium LG, EpYX, DV8, and Go Rhino, hides road film and is far more forgiving of winter grime than polished stainless, which shows every water spot and needs regular wipe-downs to stay bright. That is the practical reason we steer most snow-state Ram 1500 owners to a textured-black bar: it looks clean longer with less effort. The grippy, perforated or enclosed step surface is the final winter factor, because a flat, smooth board glazes over with ice while a drilled or flow-through step keeps bite. For a quick salt rinse, keep a budget option like the EpYX in mind for a second truck or a plow rig.

Installation & Fitment Notes for the 2019-2023 Ram 1500

All five kits are no-drill, bolt-on installs that use the factory rocker mounting points, and most take about 45 to 90 minutes per truck with hand tools. The single most important fitment check is body style: these fit the 2019-plus fifth-generation DT Ram 1500, NOT the "Ram 1500 Classic," which is the older DS-body truck Ram kept selling alongside the new one. If your truck shows the big new interior screen and the current grille, it is a DT and these parts fit; a Classic needs different hardware. Also confirm your cab: every product here is cut for the Crew Cab, so Quad Cab owners should pick the matching Quad Cab part number.