Bike racks mounted on your trunk are a handy extra accessory to have available if you’re looking to take your bike with you on a long car journey, but finding the best trunk bike rack can be challenging. There isn’t really another option if you’re trying to move a bike on your car, as most cars are too small to fit a bicycle inside.
Fortunately, it’s easy enough to fit a trunk bike rack to most cars, making long one-way bike rides and holidays simpler and more straightforward than they might be otherwise, and always being easier than the hassle of dragging a bike with you on public transport. They’re not a completely essential part of your toolkit, but if you’re planning on long journeys with a bike in tow, they’re an important accessory.
We’ve chosen 10 of the best trunk bike racks on the market in 2022 to make your life a bit easier. Below, we’ve broken down the specifications and features of our top 10 for you to help you make an informed decision with confidence.
View The Best Trunk Bike Rack Below
1. MaxxHaul (70210) 4-Bike Deluxe Hitch Mount Rack
The MaxxHaul (70210) 4-Bike Hitch Mount Bike Rack is a durable trunk bike rack made from strong steel tubing that is exceptionally easy to mount securely onto the back of your car. Unfortunately, this design of trunk bike rack only supports bikes with horizontal bars; women’s bikes and others with slanted crossbars are not supported, and are incompatible with this type of bike rack.
It is also worth noting that it is not possible to mount the MaxxHaul (70210) 4-Bike Deluxe Hitch Mount Rack onto all types of vehicle, as it is not compatible with RVs. Most other types of vehicle should be fine, however. This trunk mounted rack has adjustable straps to keep your bike safe and stable once it has been installed; it is a well-designed bike rack for the majority of models of bikes and cars, with a couple of worthwhile bonus features.
The bike rack enables easy access to the back of the car, as it can be easily swung down when needed and then swung back up into place for transport.
Pros:
+ Easy to install
+ Adjustable straps
+ Durable construction
+ Easy car access
+ Holds 4 bikes
Why We Liked It – There might be a few limitations to the MaxxHaul (70210) 4-Bike Deluxe Hitch Mount Rack, but the simplicity of design and easy trunk access balances that out comfortably. It’s a great choice for most types of car and most bike models, and definitely worth considering.
If you have an SUV, you may be interested in our review of the top bike racks for SUVs.
2. Allen Sports Premier Hitch Mounted Bike Rack
The Allen Sports Premier Hitch Mounted Bike Rack is a highly flexible, foldable trunk mounted hitch bike rack that can securely hold up to 4 bikes at a time. The carry arms can be folded flat against the back of your car when no bikes are being transported, reducing the drag impact on your driving and improving fuel efficiency.
It’s still worth removing the rack completely unless you’re expecting to transport more bikes in the very near future, as even the folded rack will have an impact on your fuel efficiency, but this collapsible design can help to alleviate this a little.
Pros:
+ Easy to install
+ Dual fastening
+ Easy car access
+ Holds 4 bikes
+ Folds flat
Why We Liked It – The collapsible nature of the Allen Sports Premier Hitch Mounted Bike Rack makes it stand out from the crowd and does not compromise the structural integrity of the rack at all. Your bikes will be held securely when needed, and the rack can be packed away to an unusually small size when there are no bikes to carry.
3. Yakima Products Ridgeback Hitch Bike Rack
The Yakima Ridgeback Hitch Bike Rack features some neat extra bits of technology to help it stand out from the crowd of a trunk mounted hitch bike racks. The rack features specially designed anti-sway cradles to keep your bikes firmly in place, with the added bonus of sturdy ZipStrips to fasten them securely to the rack.
It is also notably easy to attach to the trunk of your car, and, unusually for a bike rack, can be used straight out of the box, as it comes fully assembled to make your life as easy as possible. The Yakima Ridgeback folds away easily for compact storage when it isn’t immediately needed, and can also be folded smoothly down from the trunk of your car when in use for easy access to the trunk.
The Yakima Ridgeback is easy to use, unobtrusive trunk mounted hitch bike rack that is focused on protecting your bikes in transit, reducing the potential for damage from casual bike to bike contact by holding them securely enough to prevent bike on bike impacts.
Pros:
+ Holds 4 bikes
+ Versatile
+ Easy car access
+ Easy to install
+ Secure bike cradles
Why We Liked It – The Yakima Ridgeback Hitch Bike Rack might be at its best when transporting 2 bikes, but it can comfortably support 4 at once with no issues. This is an excellent bike rack for carrying variable numbers of bikes securely without ever getting in the way.
4. Allen Sports Deluxe Hitch Mounted Bike Rack
The umbrella of the Allen Sports Deluxe Hitch Mounted Bike Rack covers a wide range of different products that fit different needs. A range of models featuring different types of machines are available, with each providing different levels of security and strength of grip, but all being made from the same durable steel tubing. Numerous different sizes are also available within the range, fitting 3-5 bikes in a wide range of different frame dimensions.
As such, the Allen Sports Deluxe Hitch Mounted Bike Rack offers a remarkable level of versatility and utility. All of these various models held under the Allen Sports Deluxe brand feature Allen’s special lockable bike straps, ensuring the security of your bike in all situations.
Pros:
+ Easy car access
+ Easy to install
+ Range of sizes available
+ Durable construction
+ Securely lockable straps
Why We Liked It – More a range of models of bike rack than a single product, the Allen Sports Deluxe Hitch Mounted Bike Rack covers enough different racks that it should be easy enough to find the ideal bike rack for your needs, no matter what your personal cycling preferences may be.
5. Yakima Products Ridgeback Hitch Bike Rack
The extra security of the Yakima Ridgeback Hitch Bike Rack is notable, as its bike cradles offer a number of features to help protect your bikes as well as possible in transit. This is a simple trunk mounted hitch bike rack that is designed to provide as much security as possible to your bikes in transit, holding them securely in place and reducing the risk of damage caused by loose bikes crashing into one another or the rear of your car.
This is achieved by a combination of anti-sway bike cradles to hold your bikes securely and sturdy ZipStrips that clasp them firmly against the rack, preventing any unnecessary movement without being difficult to lock. The Yakima Ridgeback Hitch Bike Rack can be used straight out of the box, letting you get out and on the road as fast as possible, and also folds down into a small space when packed away, allowing it to be easily stored in a compact storage space without getting in the way.
Pros:
+ Versatile
+ Easy to install
+ Compact and foldable
+ Secure bike cradles
+ Easy car access
Why We Liked It – The Yakima Ridgeback Hitch Bike Rack is an exceptionally secure trunk mounted bike rack, protecting your bikes from damage very effectively while remaining compact and unobtrusive.
6. Tyger Auto TG-RK4B102B Deluxe 4-Bike Carrier
The Tyger Auto TG-RK4B102B Deluxe 4-Bike Carrier is a compact, folding bike rack that holds 4 bikes with a level of comfort and is usually reserved for single bike carriers in a smaller space than the majority of 4-bike trunk racks. The lower part of the bike rack’s frame is well padded in order to protect your bikes and your car from impacting against one another, and the bike cradles are secure enough to minimize the risk of the bike on bike impact damage.
The frame itself is coated with rust-resistant materials, keeping it in good condition throughout its lifespan, and the construction beneath this is made from sturdy hollow steel tubing, ensuring a high level of durability without adding an unnecessary amount of weight.
Pros:
+ Holds 4 bikes
+ Easy to install
+ Rust resistant coating
+ Compatible with most bikes
+ Padded lower frame
Why We Liked It – The amount of padding on the Tyger Auto TG-RK4B102B Deluxe 4-Bike Carrier helps it to look after and protect your bikes and car from one another very effectively. This is a more protective and luxurious trunk mounted bike carrier than many alternatives on the market.
7. Thule Vertex Swing Away Bike Rack – 4 Bike
The Thule Vertex Swing Away Bike Rack – 4 Bike is a strong, sturdy bike rack designed to fold down against the back of your car when not in use, reducing the drag effect and improving fuel efficiency. While it’s still worth removing the rack unless bike transport is needed in the immediate future, this feature helps to reduce the impact on the fuel efficiency of a large bike rack attached to the back of your car.
It offers a high level of bike security, featuring bike locks that collapse into the frame itself when not in use, and Thule also offers adapters to ensure that this rack can also hold bikes with slanted crossbars such as most women’s models.
Pros:
+ Holds 4 bikes
+ Easy car access
+ Maximum bike security
+ Bike adapters available
+ Folds down when not in use
Why We Liked It – The Thule Vertex Swing Away Bike Rack combines foldability with a high level of security to ensure that your bikes are safe, but the rack never feels like it’s in your way. This is a sturdy, well-designed product that effectively makes your life easier when transporting bikes.
8. Bell Hitchbiker 450 4-Bike Hitch Rack with Stability
The Bell Hitchbiker 450 4-Bike Hitch Rack with Stability is an unprepossessing object that offers far more security and value than the design suggests. This is a trunk mounted bike rack made from strong steel with a powdered coating to resist rust and other weathering that also happens to fold down to a relatively compact size when not in use.
It is one of the easier models of 4 bike rack to collapse and has been designed to be easy to use in all situations. It also features reflective end caps on the bike holding arms, increasing your visibility and helping to keep you and your bikes safe in poor conditions.
Pros:
+ Folding design
+ Sturdy construction
+ Holds 4 bikes
+ Simple and easy to use
+ Rust resistant coating
Why We Liked It – The simplicity and security of the Bell Hitchbiker 4-Bike Hitch Rack with Stability are notable. This is a rack that will hold your bikes firmly in place without needing complex extra features that take time and effort to fully understand.
9. Road-Max RMBR4 4 Bike Carrier
The Road-Max RMBR4 4 Bike Carrier is larger and more awkward looking than many other trunks mounted bike racks, but this is due to its extra security features. Unlike most bike racks, which only hold bikes by the frame, the Road-Max RMBR4 features wheel holders to prevent your bikes from wobbling and swinging in transit.
These are easy to adjust, and can comfortably hold a range of different wheel and frame sizes with a high level of security. In addition to this, the bike carrier can be folded down for easy access to the trunk of your car despite its apparent large size.
Pros:
+ Holds 4 bikes
+ Secure wheel holders
+ Fits a range of bike sizes
+ Easy car access
+ Durable construction
Why We Liked It – The Road-Max RMBR4 4 Bike Carrier’s wheel holders help it to stand out from the crowd. These enable it to offer a greater level of security, as well as easily holding women’s bikes and other models with slanted crossbars.
10. Yakima DoubleDown 4-Bike Hitch Mount Rack
The Yakima DoubleDown 4-Bike Hitch Mount Rack takes the folding arm design of many other trunks mounted bike racks, but makes it even easier to use, adding a simple button with TriggerFinger technology for the smoothest, easiest fold possible. It also offers a high level of security for your bikes, holding 4 at a time in firm anti-sway cradles to prevent them from banging into one another in transit and risking damage.
These cradles are compatible with a wide range of sizes of bike, ensuring that this is a versatile bike rack that’s easy to use no matter what size of bike you prefer to ride.
Pros:
Easy to install
Space for 4 bikes
Compatible with a wide range of bikes
Anti-sway design
Folds down easily
Why We Liked It – The simplicity and ease of use of the Yakima DoubleDown combine with the exceptional security of most Yakima trunk mounted bike racks to make this an impressive piece of equipment that’s well worth considering no matter what your bike use may be.
Trunk Bike Rack Buyers Guide
Extra accessories
Bike racks can have a major impact on your visibility when driving, and there are a number of extra accessories you may want to consider to mitigate that risk. Many trunks mounted bike racks can obscure your license plate, and in order to remain road legal, you’re going to need an extra license plate mounted on the back of your bike rack to make things easy to read.
Similarly, many models of trunk bike rack can obscure your rear lights and make you harder to see in the dark, meaning that you should buy an extra set of lights to mount over the top. If you’re lucky enough to have found a bike rack that doesn’t obscure things, it’s still worth considering buying some extra reflectors to boost your visibility. Some bike racks feature these as built-in components, but that’s a rare bonus, and the added visibility of such things is definitely worthwhile.
Conclusion
The bike rack market can seem confusing at first glance, as most bike racks look extremely similar and their important features can be difficult to distinguish just from looking at them. This can make it hard to determine which trunk mounted bike racks are the best available, and therefore our list aims to narrow the wide and confusing market down to 10 of the very best trunk bike racks on the market in 2020.
All of the trunk mounted bike racks above are good choices, supporting a large number of bikes and being easy to use. As such, your decision should be based on personal preference within this list. These 10 bike racks are the best available, and none of them are likely to disappoint. You can buy any from this list in full confidence that it’s a great choice that will reliably help you in your cycling life.
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