Running Boards With Lights and Add-On LED Strips: Wiring, Length and Fit

Shoppers search for "lighted running boards" and "LED running boards" as if it were one product. It is two different purchases with two different jobs attached. Decide which one you are in the market for before you compare anything.

Fit sheetOur pick: power steps, 2022+ GMAd

AMP Research

AMP PowerStep (2022+ GM)

The powered step with the clearest paperwork in our data: a maker install guide that names cabs, tools and time.

Why here: Of the steps with lights in our data, this is the only one where a maker guide explains how the lights are fitted and when they come on.

Fits, according to the listing and maker sheet

Listing: 2022-2026 Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra. Maker sheet 76255-01A: Silverado 1500/Sierra 1500, All Cabs, 2022-2026 (as of November 2, 2026)

Style

Powered retractable step (as titled)

Material

Not stated in the title

Weight rating

Not stated in the title

Install

Guide 76255-01A: 3-5 hours, professional installation recommended, drill 19/64-inch holes through the pinch weld, OBD II plug

Warranty

5-Year Limited Warranty (guide)

Price class

Premium

Check your exact year and cab on the listing before you buy.

Why it makes the list

• RealTruck's install guide states a 5-year limited warranty and connects through an OBD II plug
• The guide lists every cab: 79-inch board for Crew, trimmed for Double and Single Cab

Watch out for

• The guide calls for drilling through the pinch weld and rates the job skill level 4 (experienced)
• Professional installation recommended; the guide states 3-5 hours
• The title gives no part number, so match 76255-01A on the listing
• Premium price class

Best for: Owners of a 2022-up Silverado or Sierra 1500 who want a step that folds away and accept a harder install.

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Built-in lights or add-on strips?

Every step with lights in our data is a power step. That does not mean a fixed board with lights does not exist, only that none of the fixed running boards we list names one. If that is what you want, the strip kits are your way there.

Which one for which truck?

What do you want lit?

• If you drive a 2022-up Silverado or Sierra 1500 and want a power step with lights → AMP PowerStep (2022+ GM)

  Fits, according to the listing: Listing: 2022-2026 Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra. Maker sheet 76255-01A: Silverado 1500/Sierra 1500, All Cabs, 2022-2026. Check your exact year and cab on the listing before you buy.

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• If you drive a GM crew cab and want LED lights named in a power step title → Rough Country Power (GM) · Listing data only

  Fits, according to the listing: Chevy Silverado & GMC Sierra 1500/2500HD/3500HD (2019-2026) Crew Cab. Check your exact year and cab on the listing before you buy.

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• If you drive a Ram 2500 or 3500 crew cab and want the same → Rough Country Power (Ram 2500/3500) · Listing data only

  Fits, according to the listing: Ram 2500/3500 (2010-2026) Crew Cab. Check your exact year and cab on the listing before you buy.

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• If you drive a 2021-up F-150 SuperCrew and want the same → WOLFBOX Power (2021+ F-150) · Listing data only

  Fits, according to the listing: 2021-2027 F150 Supercrew Cab | 2021-2027 F150 Lightning EV/F250/F350/F450/F550. Check your exact year and cab on the listing before you buy.

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• If you already have a step and want a strip with every wire spelled out → Nilight 60" LED strips · Listing data only

  Fits, according to the listing: Trucks Pickup SUV (title); Universal Fit (listing details). No year or cab stated. Check your exact year and cab on the listing before you buy.

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• If you measured a longer run and want a longer strip → OPT7 Sidekick 86" LED strips · Listing data only

  Fits, according to the listing: Universal Fit (listing details). No truck, year or cab in the title. Check your exact year and cab on the listing before you buy.

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• If you do not need lights at all

  Fixed running boards

Comparison: AMP PowerStep (2022+ GM), Rough Country Power (GM), Nilight 60" LED strips, OPT7 Sidekick 86" LED strips

Spec sheet	Our pick: power steps, 2022+ GMAMP PowerStep (2022+ GM)	Listing data onlyRough Country Power (GM)	Listing data onlyNilight 60" LED strips	Listing data onlyOPT7 Sidekick 86" LED strips
Fits, according to the listing	Listing: 2022-2026 Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra. Maker sheet 76255-01A: Silverado 1500/Sierra 1500, All Cabs, 2022-2026	Chevy Silverado & GMC Sierra 1500/2500HD/3500HD (2019-2026) Crew Cab	Trucks Pickup SUV (title); Universal Fit (listing details). No year or cab stated	Universal Fit (listing details). No truck, year or cab in the title
Style	Powered retractable step (as titled)	Powered retractable step (as titled)	LED strip kit, 2 pieces, 60 inches (as titled)	LED strip kit, 2 pieces, 86 inches (as titled)
Material	Not stated in the title	Not stated in the title	Not stated in the title	Not stated in the title
Weight rating	Not stated in the title	Not stated in the title	Not stated in the title	Not stated in the title
Install	Guide 76255-01A: 3-5 hours, professional installation recommended, drill 19/64-inch holes through the pinch weld, OBD II plug	Not stated in the title	Peel and stick with no drilling, plus 12V wiring, according to the seller	3M tape, plus wiring to the vehicle's front circuits, according to the seller
Price class	Premium	Premium	Budget	Mid-range
Best for	Owners of a 2022-up Silverado or Sierra 1500 who want a step that folds away and accept a harder install.	GM crew cab owners shopping powered steps in the same premium tier as AMP.	Owners who already have a step or rocker to light and are willing to wire four circuits themselves.	Owners who measured a run longer than a 60-inch strip covers and can tap signal wires near the front of the truck.
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Steps that come with lights

AMP PowerStep 76255-01A (2022-2026 GM)

Here is something the marketing skips: the lights are not built into the board. RealTruck's guide has you stick four LED lamps to the rocker panel, then drill 19/64-inch holes through the pinch weld to run their wires. You crimp the wires red to red and black to black, heat-shrink them and pull them up out of harm's way so they do not snag. All four lamps light when any door opens. They stay on until both steps stow, or until 5 minutes pass with the doors open. Close and open a door to bring them back. Check your exact year and cab on the listing before you buy.

Rough Country and WOLFBOX

The Rough Country GM^* and Ram 2500/3500^* titles say "LED Truck Step Lights". The WOLFBOX F-150^* title says "LED Lights". That is all we can read about them, so we cannot tell you where the lights sit or how they are wired. Rough Country's own site would not load for us. Check your exact year and cab on the listing before you buy.

Westin Pro-e

Westin describes "integrated LED lighting for a visible stepping surface" on the Pro-e, and it lists a limited lifetime warranty on the LEDs against 5 years on the board. We have no Amazon listing for it in this comparison. If it interests you, Westin covers the brand. The bigger question of a powered step is on power running boards.

Add-on LED strips

Fit sheetStart here: add-on stripAd

Nilight

Nilight 60" LED strips

A pair of 60-inch add-on LED strips with white courtesy light and sequential amber signal, according to the seller.

Why here: The listing spells out all four wires, which is the thing you need most when you wire a strip yourself.

Fits, according to the listing

Trucks Pickup SUV (title); Universal Fit (listing details). No year or cab stated (as of November 2, 2026)

Style

LED strip kit, 2 pieces, 60 inches (as titled)

Material

Not stated in the title

Weight rating

Not stated in the title

Install

Peel and stick with no drilling, plus 12V wiring, according to the seller

Warranty

2 years warranty (listing, 2 November 2026)

Price class

Budget

Check your exact year and cab on the listing before you buy.

Why it makes the list

• The listing spells out all four wires: black ground, red parking lights, green door assist, white turn signal
• According to the seller, it is peel and stick with no drilling, with mounts and screws as an extra hold

Watch out for

• A light kit, not a step
• The title names no truck, year or cab; the listing says Universal Fit
• Nilight's own page refused our reader, so this is listing data only

Best for: Owners who already have a step or rocker to light and are willing to wire four circuits themselves.

Listing data only: We only have the Amazon listing title for this one, no maker sheet. It is an option, not a recommendation.

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The Nilight title says 2 pieces, 60 inches, white courtesy light and sequential amber turn signal. According to the seller, that is 72 white and 72 amber LEDs, peel-and-stick with no drilling, and mounts and screws if you want extra hold, with a 2-year warranty. Its title says "for Trucks Pickup SUV". It names no year or cab, and the listing says Universal Fit. Nilight's own page refused our reader, so all of this is the seller's wording.

The OPT7 Sidekick^* is the longer one at 86 inches per its title. The seller lists sequential amber turn signals, white door-assist light, IP67, 3M tape and a 1-year warranty. Its listing carries the most useful wiring notice we read, covered below. As written, its stated temperature range stops at 40F, so ask the seller if your truck sees winter.

The wiring

This is the real work, and the wire colors are not the same across kits.

The OPT7 column comes from a manual for a related Sidekick with a warning-light switch, not for the 86-inch kit. Use your own kit's sheet. That manual does give a sequence worth following on any strip: bench test it first, clean the surface thoroughly, wipe it with the adhesive booster, stick the bar down, then use the brackets and screws if you want a stronger hold.

The OPT7 listing for the 86-inch kit adds three points. Signal wires must come from the headlights, fuse box or front-side running board wiring. Additional wiring may be needed on longer vehicles. Do not wire from the rear of the truck, because the seller says that causes incorrect light function.

If you are not sure which wire is which on your truck, stop and ask a shop, or check your truck's manual. Neither listing lists circuits by truck. Do running boards void your warranty explains why damage from an add-on is a separate question from the add-on itself.

Length

Neither strip title names a cab, so here is what to do: measure the run where the strip will go, on your own truck, and compare it to the 60 or 86 inches in the title. Do not go by a chart that says what suits a crew cab, because we have none from a maker. According to ARIES, cab-length boards run along the cab, and wheel-to-wheel boards run from the front wheel to the rear wheel, so a longer board is a longer run to light. Ask the seller if a strip can be cut before you assume it can. If you are starting from a truck rather than a strip, all trucks is the way in.

What to check before you order

• Your circuits. You need parking, door and turn signal sources you can reach. Tap them per your kit's sheet.
• Your step. The Nilight listing and the OPT7 manual both say to clean the surface first, and RealTruck's guide asks for a flat, clean surface for its lamps. A rounded tube may not give you that, so ask.
• A moving step. If you have a power step, ask before you stick a strip or run a wire near the linkage. RealTruck's guide has you pull lamp wires upward to avoid snagging.
• Your state's rules. We did not review lighting law. Added amber and sequential signals are a question to check locally.

Mistakes people make

• Thinking a light kit is a step. It adds no step, and it has nothing to do with load.
• Buying by "fits all". Universal fit means no truck was named, not that yours was checked.
• Assuming one color code. The wire colors above differ, so go by your kit's sheet.
• Wiring from the rear. The OPT7 listing warns against exactly that.

Bottom line

If you want a new powered step, and the lights are part of the reason, take the AMP PowerStep^* on a 2022-up Silverado or Sierra 1500. If you already have a step and just want light at the door, start with the Nilight 60-inch^*, measure first, and budget time for the wiring. If you still need the step itself, best running boards sorts them by truck, and how to install running boards covers the bolt-on side. Check your exact year and cab on the listing before you buy.