Best Bike Racks for Electric Bikes

Are you planning for a big trip soon, and want to take your e-bike along with you?

A good bike rack will carry your bike safely and securely. It will avoid damage to both your bike and your car. It also makes loading and unloading easier for you,

Bike racks for E-bikes are different from regular bike racks because E-bikes are a lot heavier. E-bike carriers should be able to carry at least 50 pounds of weight per bike. In this article, we will talk about some of the best bike racks for electric bikes.

If you are just looking for the best one to buy immediately – we suggest the KAC overdrive sports K2. It can carry two fat-tire e-bikes (Upto 5-inch tires) over 60 pounds, so unless you are traveling with a large group, it should be suitable for a family trip. The best part is that it’s mostly pre-assembled, straightforward to install, and it’s excellent for wobbly roads and mountain trails. The bike will remain securely in place.

KAC Overdrive Sports K2 2″ Hitch Mounted Rack

The KAC K2 is a well-designed hitch e-bike rack for cars, trucks, or SUVs. It can effortlessly carry up to two e-bikes weighing 60lbs each. Its adjustable foam padded hook arms and heavy-duty tire cradles help in securely carrying your e-bikes. Its quick-release lever makes it easier for rear cargo access.

Features and Benefits

Heavy duty: It is made up of heavy-duty powder-coated steel. Its solid build helps carry a weight of 120lbs.
Smart tilt: This hitch bike rack has a quick-release tilt design. The tilt feature allows lowering the rack away from the back of your vehicle. Providing easy access to the trunk and fold up the bike rack when not in use.
Protection and safety: It comes with tire straps and a safety strap to secure your bikes. Its anti-wobble technology keeps your bikes sturdy. The rear reflector provides enhanced visibility at night.
Space-saving: You can fold the entire bike rack to save space when not in use. This compact folding feature helps garage parking and saves time and effort in removing the rack between uses.

Why should you buy it?

This hitch bike rack provides safe transportation of your e-bikes. It is easy to install, as most parts come pre-assembled. It has a safety strap to secure your bike to the rack. The rack is then locked to the hitch by a locking pin. It works well for bikes having tire fenders.

Thule T2 Pro XT 2 Bike Rack

The Thule pro XT rack is easy to use, quick to set up, and reliable. It comfortably holds up to 2 bikes with generous space that they do not contact with the frame. It easily folds towards the vehicle when not in use. Its load capacity is up to 120lbs, or up to 60lbs per bike. It is easy to install and remove the rack with its tool-free AutoAttach system.

Features and Benefits

Bike clearance: The Thule bike rack offers generous spacing between bikes. To ensure that your e-bikes do not come into contact with each other, significant space has been kept with the ability to adjust bike mounts side to side, minimizing interference.
Ratcheting arm: It has a mechanical arm that secures the bike by holding it in place. Your e-bikes can be placed and retrieved safely, without any frame contact.
Bike compatibility: It is perfect for a carbon frame, fat tire electric bikes. It can accommodate wheels up to 20″ – 29″ having 5″ width. It can carry up to 4 bikes with Thule T2 Pro XT Add-on.
Folding and tilting ability: It is easily foldable while not in use. It can be tilted away from your vehicle towards the rear compartment with the help of a hitch-switch lever.

Why should you buy it?

This bike rack offers easy assembling. You can install this rack on your vehicle without needing any additional equipment. It has generous space to ensure that if two of your bikes are positioned side by side, they do not come into contact with the frame even while traveling through bumpy roads.

Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE 2″ Hitch Bike Rack

The sport-rider is designed to carry your heavy e-bikes with ease. It can easily accommodate two electric bikes, with each weighing 80 lbs. Its heavy-duty wheel holders provide heavy load carrying capacity. You can tilt it down to the back of your vehicle as per your requirement. It is easy to assemble and doesn’t require any tools. You can fold up the rack.

Features and Benefits

Anti-theft locking feature: It has hooks for locking bike frames. It secures your bike in position on the rack. Locking hitch pins secure the rack to your vehicle to prevent bike theft.
Foldable and tilting design: The rack can be folded up when not in use. For loading bikes onto the rack, you can tilt it down. The tilting mechanism also helps while accessing the trunk.
Heavy load-bearing capacity: This rack can carry two of your electric bikes. It supports a maximum weight of 80lbs per bike. It also has secure wheel holders for accommodating the heavy fat tires of your e-bike.
Anti-wobble: This rack has a built-in anti-wobble feature. This feature helps in eliminating the chances of damaging your e-bike. Anti-swinging makes sure that your bike doesn’t sway from side to side while traveling.

Why should you buy it?

Electric bikes are heavily weighted. This heavy-duty hitch bike rack will carry 2 of your electric bikes, each weighing 80lbs. It includes heavy-duty wheel holders for accommodating fat tires. It has an internally reinforced base system. The rack tilts down for loading e-bikes on while accessing the trunk. You can fold the rack for better parking.

Saris Superclamp Bike Hitch Car or Truck Rack

It has a robust construction, eye-catching style, and compact design. It is lightweight, weighs only 35lbs. It is sturdy enough to carry two bikes, up to 60lbs each. No more unloading your e-bikes to use the trunk. Its tilting feature allows back access, even fully loaded. You can fold it up to a compact size.

Features and Benefits

Fastest loading bike rack: Saris hitch bike rack is the fastest loading bike rack. The dual wheel-clamping hooks held the bike by the top of both wheels. It results in no frame contact.
Tilting feature: It comes with a tilting feature. This feature allows hatch access, even when e-bikes are loaded. It also helps in folding the rack when not in use. No more unloading bikes to take something out of the back.
Lightweight but sturdy built: It weighs only 35lbs. Lightweight means it is easy to assemble. Less weight also means ease of movement and storage of the rack. However, it still is strong enough to carry two bikes, each of 60lbs.
Security and safety: It has a locking cable that secures bikes to the rack. Locking hitch pin then secures rack to hitch. It comes with reflectors on outside wheel trays for extra visibility while driving at night.

Why should you buy it?

While you’re carrying your e-bikes, the super clamp provides a truly secure ride. Its tilting feature lets you access your trunk even when it is loaded. It has integrated locks, a built-in bottle opener, and reflectors to ensure your safety.

Leader Accessories Platform Style Hitch Mount Bike Rack

It is a tray-style e-bike carrier rack for cars, trucks, SUVs, and minivans with a 2″ hitch receiver. It has a smart tilting design used to fold the rack up and down more quickly. You can fold up the rack when not in use. It transports up to 2 bikes at a time with a capacity of 60lbs per bike.

Features and Benefits

Quick-release tilt-back design: This hitch e-bike rack has a quick release handle that is easy to operate. The tilting feature enables you to open the rear gates without removing the hitch bike rack. The tilt-back design helps to fold up and down the rack more easily.
Multiple hitch receiver and fold-up design: The bike carrier quickly mounts into any 2″ hitch receiver. It is also suitable for a 5/8″ regular pin or locking hitch pin. The hitch bike rack is structured to fold up and down for ease of storage when not in use.
Adjustable wheel hoops: The hitch bike rack comes with adjustable wheel hoops. You can adjust the hoops at each end to accommodate various tire sizes.
Anti wobble system: It has an anti-wobble bolt designed to eliminate movement of the rack inside the hitch. It has adjustable cushioned hooks and can be moved up and down for a tight fit.
Enhanced safety: It comes with a safety reflector and tie-down strap. A safety reflector is used to ensure safe driving at night. The tie-down safety strap is used to carry bikes more safely.

Why should you buy it?

This leader accessories hitch bike rack is made up of durable and robust material. It comes with an abrasion-resistant technology to prevent rust. It supports multiple hitch receivers and has a fold-up design. It has adjustable straps to provide better stability for your heavy e-bikes. It includes easy-to-use knobs for quick adjustments to ensure proper fitment of bikes.

Swagman A-SPEC Hitch Mount Bike Rack

The E-SPEC hitch mount bike rack is made for e-bikes or heavier bikes that require stability. E-spec bike rack can carry two bikes that can weigh up to 70Ibs. It has sturdy construction with 63lbs of rack weight. It is safe to use your vehicle or RV with a robust pin for more versatility of usage.

Features and Benefits

Easy to assemble: This hitch bike rack is easy to assemble. Once assembled, load your bike, and you are ready to go.
Secure locks: This rack comes with locking ratchet hooks and a locking hitch pin. With the hooks holding the frame in place and the wheels secured, make sure that your bikes are safe.
Foldable rack: It comes with an easily foldable rack. It can be folded against the rear of the vehicle when not in use. This feature makes accessing your trunk conveniently.
RV rated: The E-spec rack is well built. Its robust construction makes it perfect to use on your RV or 5th wheel. It includes a more robust pin, which makes it more versatile to use.

Why should you buy it?

Electric bikes can often weigh twice as much as a regular bike. With the increasing popularity of electric bikes, you need to make sure your bike rack can handle the additional weight. With this hitch bike rack, you can carry two bikes, each weighing 70lbs. It can accommodate 20″-29″ wheel sizes. It is rated for use with RV and 5th wheel. It can be used with a class 3, 2″ hitch receiver and fits most of the frame sizes.

Buzzrack Approach Platform Hitch Bike Rack

Buzzrack approach hitch bike rack is well built and sturdy. It comes with a low platform design. Its sturdy construction and a total 110lbs capacity make it a perfect choice for hauling e-bikes. With its ‘approach fat bike kit,’ it can carry fat-tire bikes up to 4.6″. The hitch mount is easy to take on and off, with very little assembling required.

Features and Benefits

Foldable wheel trays: This hitch bike rack has foldable wheel trays. A foldable design makes it compact for storage. You can fold wheel trays to the center. This feature helps in easier parking and storage when the rack is not in use.
Tilt-able platform: It comes with a tilt-able platform. It is a nice feature for when you need to access the trunk. The rack tilts down for quick, convenient access to the back of the vehicle.
Adjustable arms and security lock: This rack has adjustable arms with padded clamps and locking knobs. The knobs are rotatable up to 360°. Two keys are provided. The keys lock the clamps holding the bikes and prevent them from being loosened. Security is further enhanced with a hitch bolt lock.
Quick releasing straps: It has a quick-releasing ratchet straps wheel tightening experience. Your e-bikes are secured with an anti-sway strap at the front and ratchet straps on each wheel.

Why should you buy it?

Approach sturdy construction and a total 110lbs capacity make it a perfect choice for hauling heavier e-bikes. It can still accommodate bikes of almost any frame design or wheel size. You can secure your bike with ratchet straps and an anti-sway strap. You can fold the bike platforms to the center while the rack is not used for easier parking and storage.

Buyer’s Guide

Built

The e-bike hitch bike rack must be made of rust-resistant metal to avoid wear and tear. It should have a sturdy built to carry heavy loads.

Weight

The weight of the rack is an essential factor to consider while buying one. If you have oversized vehicles like SUVs, then the weight of the rack doesn’t matter much. However, if you are looking to hitch the rack to a small car, the rack’s weight can severely impact your balance.

Bike holding capacity

There are several options available in hitch bike racks for e-bikes according to the bike holding capacity. Bike racks can hold 2 to 5 bikes at a time. You should choose one which fulfills your requirement.

Load carrying capacity

Ebikes are considerably heavier in weight, hence before you buy a hitch rack, consider its weight holding capacity. The weight of most of the e-bikes is somewhere between 50 to 65 pounds. Hence, select a rack that can easily support such high weights.

Receiver

The hitch bike rack fits into your vehicle’s receiver. It mostly comes with a 2″ hitch receiver but the 1.25″ variant is also available in some racks.

Fold and tilt

The hitch bike racks should have a tilt and fold feature. The tilt-able racks provide easy loading of bikes and ease of accessing the trunk. Simultaneously, the folding feature helps in space-saving by folding the racks when not in use.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which hitch bike rack to choose from?

Everyone’s requirement varies according to the e-bikes they own. There are several options of hitch bike racks available. Each of them differs in some ways. Several things are to be considered while buying a rack- capacity, load, locks. You can choose one according to your needs and your budget.

Are hitch bike racks better?

If you need to carry more than 2-3 bikes and are a frequent user, then a hitch bike rack is a better option for you. Hitch bike racks are easy to install and remove. They are sturdier than other racks. Hitch bike racks come with some locking mechanism to ensure the security of your bikes.

Can you carry an electric-bike on a hitch bike rack?

Absolutely! Several hitch bike racks are made precisely for carrying electric bikes. However, it is suggested that you should carry the battery separately as it adds on the weight. The battery can get harmed in the wind or bad weather.

Wrap Up

If you’re looking to go on a family trip, taking your e-bike is a great idea for local travel. E-bikes are safe, smart, and many of them are made for mountain biking as well.

Among the ones we mentioned, the KAC overdrive sports K2 is the best option for nuclear families traveling with kids. It can support two fat-tire bikes up to 60 pounds each.