20 Best Bike Rack For Car Trunk (2022 Updated)

Very nice bike rack for 1,2 or 3 bikes. It is 21 lbs, which isn’t too bad and very sturdy. Following the guide I was able to install (1st time) in 30 min, but it should be much faster next time. Online Yakima has fit guide for many cars – my 2016 volt was listed with details and photos even.

I was impressed with the quality of the design. Will be testing with 1000mile trip next week and 2 bikes, but I don’t foresee any issues. It replaced a flimsier rack that was starting to worry me ;-).

The integrated lock is nice, but only locks the outmost bike, or just buy a cheap loop cable to use in conjunction to lock all the bikes. They didn’t have directions for included lock strap, and you need to install that first! Everything is adjustable and fit the Volt perfectly.

I’m sure I will use on other vehicles in the future. Good job Yakima!.

I bought this spring/summer this year, and I love how my bike is held solidly in place with no bouncing around. It takes 3 ratcheting clamps, simple to put on and take off. There is also a locking cable which is a little short, not impossible to secure, can’t seem to use ratcheting clamp an locking cable simultaneously.

At least I had trouble. They are at same area. The rack is a little heavy, but I like it just the same. It folds up and I keep it in back of vehicle.

I decided to purchase this rack because of the two security features – the ability to secure the rack to the car via a reinforced strap thru the trunk and a cable that extends from the end of the rack to lock the bike to the rack.

Despite doing all the necessary research to ensure that the rack was compatible with my car (a standard issue 2018 Subaru Crosstrek) before buying this, I had to return it because while the rack fit the car, the security features did not work.

The reinforced strap with a loop on one end and a plastic/foam barbell on the other, is supposed to secure the rack to the car by sliding between the two hinges on the hatchback. No matter how hard I (or multiple friendly REI staffers) tried, this strap does not fit through the gap between the vehicle and the hatchback.

That means that while the rack itself is compatible with my vehicle, the security strap is not. One security feature down. When fully extended the cable lock, which retracts into the right-hand tube where the bike rests, is so short it really can’t even wrap around the outermost bike frame to properly secure the bike.

Again the friendly REI staffers confirmed what I had tried dozens of times on my own – it just wont lock because its too short. Second security feature down. I did like the hub feature, and the fact that it store standing up on its own.

It seemed like the ZipStrip Cradle system was easy enough to use (although you can definitely lose ZipStrips as they are fully removable). This is a very solid bike rack that is in fact quite heavy. Trying to put this on a hatchback is difficult but doable as long as your strong and have long arms.

Just don’t expect the security features to work.

On how to install, use the YouTube video provided on the product page, it works better than the paper instructions. Once installed the rack really works nice, the lock of the components is a plus (it locks the bike too).

It’s a bit weird in regards of aerodynamics, as the bikes stand above the car top and side ways (sometimes you can feel it on the will depending on the wind speed). It can be a bit tricky to fit more than one bike, as the 2 grabbers are not flexible and have fixed sizes (did actually put a dent on my wife’s bike frame because it moved a bit with the road holes).

One thing that is not mentioned anywhere is about the weight of it in regards to the trunk door even when it has no bikes on it. You might need stronger trunk lifter to keep it open, mine can’t just hold anymore and that’s the main reason why did not get a 5 star.

Overall is a good and solid product.

Why Saris would even make something like this blows my mind. The only thing that this rack is good for is to practice returning products to the place of purchase for a refund in preparation for Christmas.

My hopes were to find a rack that was quick to setup and safely secured. This rack fails in the latter category. This might work if you’re bike weighs >15 lbs, but I have a steel Salsa Marrakesh (without racks installed) that weighs above 20 lbs.

It’s scary how much this rack moves with it installed. Plus with all of the side to side movement the paint of the car becomes damaged. If used on an SUV like my Ford Escape, the bike rides to close to the rear hatch, the anti-sway strap can’t even be secured, and if your bike has flat bars then they bang on the rear glass.

Save your self the time and hassle and buy the bare bones rack. The solo rack is a flawed design.

Bought for a trip to Scotland. I have a decent adult trail bike and a Vauxhall Corsa. It holds the bike securely enough but the overall structure is far too flimsy. After two mins on dual carriageway it was obviously not up to the job.

Had to remove both wheels from the bike and stow them in the car as the wind resistance was making the whole frame of the rack twist and the struts come away from the boot. It’s not complicated to set up and I definitely had it done up tight as possible.

Without the wheels on it was fine. Additionally, instructions do not specify exactly where to set it on the car. presumably because it fits a variety of cars. I set it where it made most sense, with top struts on the rear window and bottom ones just below it on the boot.

This has led to the paint under the bottom rubber supports being scratched pretty badly by grit. Perhaps put a cloth or something in between or perhaps its intended to be mounted entirely on the rear window which doesn’t seem sensible.

Overall will probably work for you if you’re taking a kids bike down the park or a light bike somewhere local but no good on motorways or for a mountain bike.

So I saw this on offer and as I needed one extra bike rack (already at capacity on the roof) I thought I’d give it a go. Purchased and mounted on 30 seconds and bike attached within a minute, all secure enough.

We then set off on a 300 mile round trip to Cumbria. Travelling there in the dark I was conscious there was a bike on the back and checked everything I braked, the brake lights illuminating the bike.

It was there, safe and secure. Throughout the week the bike rack performed well, no glitches, no slipping, bike secure (even when I got up to 70mph on the motorway, no movement at all. I’d recommend this to anyone, either at the discounted price or full price.

Yes it’s only for one bike but its exactly what I needed!.

I bought this rack about 5 years ago. I would buy it again without question. The rack is easy to use and located up on the rear gate of the car. The rack is great in that it does not have lots of straps that you have to keep tightening.

The rack was not recommended for my 2010 VW Golf because of the problem with the upper straps coming over the little spoiler at the top of the back window. Apparently the little spoiler was not considered to be strong enough to support the straps.

To work around this, I made two wooden blocks that were located at the top of the window and the base of the spoiler (see photos and pardon the dirt!). The straps go over the blocks and distribute a small amount of stress on the glass but most importantly allow the straps to clear the spoiler and not damage the paint.

I have had no problems with any window damage. I have put down transparent mylar tape at any place where the wrack contacts paint. Two layers of mylar tape protect the finish very well. Saris has been very helpful in obtaining replacement parts for the horizontal bars and the tie-down straps for the lower parts of the bike.

I just purchased this bike rack and so far I am pleased. The product comes assembled in the box and is relatively easy to install. It does take some getting used to and only gets easier with practice.

It’s a little on the heavier side compared to other racks (not a bad thing), so be prepared. The ratchet system definitely secures the rack to the car and is very stable. Just remember to be cautious with the ratchets or you will damage your car.

I did put some minor scratches in my bumper but they will easily buff out. I’ve only gone on a short trip with it (about 10 miles) but at higher speeds and winding roads and the two bikes held fast. My Giant XTC2 went on with no issues and my son’s BMX went on will a little more difficulty but it did fit securely.

On the way home he had a new mountain bike that fit on just as easily as mine. It seems that three bike will be a bit of a squeeze but I won’t know until I try to get my wife’s bike on. The only improvements I might suggest are wheel straps included in the box, the left hand key facing outboard instead inboard and maybe cable channels in the cradle.

All in all, my initial impression is that this is a quality product and I made the right choice. Hopefully after some use I won’t change my mind.

I bought this rack to travel to Acadia National Park. The rack performed solidly, keeping 3 adult mountain bikes solidly locked in for the 6 hour trek. Over the week of biking our group had many different bikes from Cruisers to kids BMX to Adult mountain bikes on this rack all of which tightly attached and strapped on with ease using the the system of pulls and swivel stops.

I love this rack. I never felt comfortable with my older aluminum rack which rested on the glass of my Toyota Hatchback. Be sure to latch the straps onto the hinges and not use the spoiler body molding to fasten the straps.

There is a bit of play in one of the arms that bothers me a bit as it seems loose and shifts up and down a bit when not loaded. Once everything is on, the bikes rest solidly and the rack stays in place.

Sweet piece of equipment.

First fault is with Ford; they make a really nice SUV (Escape 2018) but didn’t think of the “people who will use it,” bikers, paddle boarders, kayakers, etc. We are having a devil of a time putting the Bike Porter bike rack on because the “loaded Titanium Escape 2018” has an auto lift gate (wave your foot).

If you incidentally get too close with your foot it opens (while installing Bike Porter). We also had to purchase “hatch huggers” as an add on to the Bike Porter 3 because the Ford Escape 2018 has “no bumper” and the weird lift gate has a wide/thick bottom – conventional clips do not work.

Yes, this is partly our fault (for not thinking ahead and buying the Escape); who woulda thunk that we would have so much trouble finding a bike rack that (kinda) works. I am seriously thinking of starting a blog about “what engineers could do to make life easier rather than more difficult, and suggest they start thinking about “users and function,” not just cutesy ideas that don’t really do anyone any good.

This product I am very unhappy with. I have a Ford Escape and it fits very poorly. Every time I need to fold the arms down the entire rack collapses so basically I have to re adjust the whole thing, and its the same process to get it ready for a bike.

I have to loosen all the straps uncollapse the rack and then tighten it all over again. It is a pain and time consuming. Also there is NO WAY this will fit 3 bikes on it. None of the holders are adjustable at all.

Lastly, two of the nylon straps that are supposed to be held tight with the teeth. decided to no longer work. So there goes that stability.

Let me say first that it’s a solid, well-made, quality product. The only thing I want to point out is that when I drive at highway speeds, I noticed the bike and rack swaying up, down and sideways as I went over rough spots.

My friend was driving in front of me, and his rack was rock-solid. I didn’t see his bike move at all, no matter what the road conditions were. He has a Yakima, and the difference between mine and his is, mine has one padded stability cushion (the “lower foot pad”) resting on the fender, whereas his Yakima has one resting on the fender and one on the trunk.

The “upper foot pad” on mine seems to be undersized. It should have been a wide, thickly padded support like the lower foot pad, not just an arm resting on the trunk. By the way, I had the straps cinched as tightly as possible.

I was pretty anxious driving at 60-65 mph. and looking in the mirror and seeing the rack and bike bouncing along. Maybe I’m not used to it yet, and need to make adjustments. Overall it is a very well engineered product.

Plastic straps are difficult to use and do not lock easily. Bike slips out of the cradles that hold it and falls. Straps attached to the car loosen easily, no mechanism on strips to stay tight. Lost bikes on the interstate.

Finally, got a $68. 00 bike rack at Walmart that was such a better product. Wish I could get my $ back!.

We bought our Sentinel 3 rack to carry our sons bike back home from school, a trip from Connecticut to central North Carolina. Following the instructions and using the correct accessory straps, we were able to mount it on the Kia van we had to come home.

I checked it every 30 minutes at first then each stop we made ever 2 hours. It never budged. It was solid as it could be. Because the pads are foam and all the strap hooks are coated, it did no damage at all to the vehicle.

We were very happy with it. We only used it that one time but that was a trip of over 600 miles.

On the whole, owning this rack makes me wish I’d never sold my Saris Bones carrier. My choice of carriers was limited by budget, and from previous experience I knew Saris is company I can trust. GOOD: The tube and nylon strap design is great (although the metals buckles appear to be flimsy).

I love how simple this carrier was to install on my 2015 Hyundai Elantra SE with rear spoiler. The spoiler doesn’t get in the way at all, and there’s no contact. The manual recommends the #3035 hatch hugger, but since I’m limited to short trips because of the poor hold-downs, I don’t see the point.

) The rack provides a sturdy platform to hold the bikes that, once initially adjusted, can be installed in 2 minutes. (The rear straps always require retightening after mounting one or two bikes. The weigh of the bikes introduces so much slack that the rear straps dangle loosely.

I don’t tighten them at all now until the bike(s) is/are mounted. ) Seemed like a greate value (I have the Graber-badged version of this rack, purchased from Dick’s Sporting Goods. ) BAD: (1) The little 4-hole & nub hold-down mechanism has proven so unreliable that I will not use this rack on the highway, which keeps me from ever taking my bikes out of town.

I have not driven over 40mph using this rack, and even at low to moderate speeds, the hold-downs have come undone at random times. I wish I still had the box so I could return it to where I purchased it.

Maybe I can? I’ve only had it 2-3 weeks. The hold-down fit is so tenuous, that it appears the oncoming wind at only 30mph is strong enough to push the hold-downs loose. Luckily at 30-45mph, the weight of the bike alone keeps the bike in place when unstrapped, but I fear what hitting an unexpected bump could knock both hold-downs off and allow the bike to slide loose on the support bars.

The hold-down plastic seems too rigid because when it’s curled over the bike frame, it springs back to its flat/uncurled state. Maybe a different plastic or even rubberized plastic would help keep the holes from slipping up and over the nubs.

(2) Women’s hybrid-style bicycle frames can be accommodated with this carrier, but next to a men’s frame, the pedals and crank from one bike are positioned in a way that makes mounting the men’s bike.

Best used with bikes that have a straight cross tube, not a curved one.

Worked very well on my ford grand tourneo connect

This rack doesn’t fit an Alfa Romeo 159 sport wagon

I bought this item to replace the one that was broken in an automobile accident. That unit sustained damage to the lower legs but it’s clearly protected my car and I couldn’t wait to get a replacement rack.

This is a great value vs the cost. Love the way I can move it from car to car.

High quality, solid, heavy duty, stable, reliable and good looking. All the good virtues you can ask is in this Bones 3 rack. Excellent design too.