Are Bike Racks Universal? (No, but here is how to figure out which work with your car)

When I was choosing my bike rack it was important to understand are bike racks universal. I didn’t want to have a bike rack that didn’t fit on my car – or on my roof rack that already was fitted for snowboard and ski racks. I also wanted a bike rack that was easily removable in case I needed a gas tank, spare tire, or extra storage to put on top of the car. I have two cars also, so I wanted to make sure that it fit on my Jeep and my smaller sedan. Well, to get the first question out of the way, certain roof racks do not fit on every car. But let’s focus this post on bike racks – because bike racks and roof racks are typically sold separately, and they are different option types.

In this post we will discuss all things bike racks for fitting onto your car. We will discuss how to tell if a bike rack will fit on your car.

We will help you decide if you want a roof rack, a hatch rack, a bed rack, or a trunk rack.

We will then walk you through step by step the easiest way to tell if this rack will fit in your car – because not all bike racks are universal.

What type of Bike Rack should I use?

1. A Roof Rack: A roof bike rack is mounted on the roof of your car. It is the most common bike rack because a roof rack can be combined with many accessories for extra storage, gas storage, spare tire, tent, and you can keep getting more and more creative.
2. A Hatch Rack: This is the second most popular rack by enthusiasts. The main reason why people choose a hatch rack is that it is easier to access a hatch rack rather than reach on top of a roof to access the bicycle rack. The hatch rack is attached to the backside of your SUV.
3. A trunk rack: A trunk rack is placed on the backside of a sedan trunk. It is also useful if you do not want to mount the bicycle on the top of your car, or do not have a roof rack attachment. The main reason why I chose to work with a roof rack is that I don’t have very many concerns about being rear ended and not only damaging my car and more than likely myself, but the bicycle as well.
4. A Bed Rack: A Bed Rack is used for those that have pickup trucks and the bicycle rack will be universal to fit into most pickup trucks. This is excellent because it takes advantage of the bed space that you have and does not block the access into your hatch to have more storage underneath the rack.

What type of Bicycle rack brand should I use?

The most trusted bike racks are made by Yakima and Thule. I have a Thule Bicycle rack that I have been very proud of. Click here to learn more about it. The Thule brand is known for making the most trusted, durable car racks, hitch racks and roof racks and I am confident that mine will outlast the car – and possibly me.

How do I know what bike racks work with my car?

When I want to check if a car part works on my car, I will always go on eBay. eBay’s online merchandise stock has been rising substantially in the years as they have been courting many sellers with easier to work with terms. One of the biggest changes that eBay has done to help buyers is their car part compatibility checker.

There are too many options on eBay, so the way that I use it is to research the specific type of mount that I want online. For instance, I came up with my Thule Bike Rack through eBay’s Guaranteed Fit program.

It is simple:

1. When you log in, you search the specific bike rack that you like.
2. After finding that specific bike rack, eBay will tell you on the buy-it-now if the bike rack will fit on your car or not.
3. If it comes and still does not fit your car, which is very atypical, then the return process is very simple. I have had one return ever and I wrote that the specific part didn’t fit and within 4 hours the seller and eBay had accepted my return request and paid for the return shipping.

Conclusion

Are bike racks universal? No, bike racks are not universal. The best steps are to go through eBay’s Guaranteed Fit program to check to see if your specific bike rack will fit your car. If it does, then that is great. You now have the option to buy it from eBay, or any other option you have found online. Outside of that, you also now know a good option for a quality used or new part from another retailer. Do your research and you will come with a bike rack that fits well. If you are interested in Thule Bike Racks, we do have a review for the brand as well: click here.