In this article I’ll be covering the best 5 bike hitch racks for your vehicle.
I tested 14 different 5 bike hitch racks and have found the YAKIMA Tilt-Away Hitch Rack to be the overall best when looking at the quality of design, usability and price.
The YAKIMA Tilt-Away Hitch Rack comes fully assembled requiring a tool-free setup, provides plenty of protection for your bikes and has a neat anti-theft feature to keep it safe.
Find more about it below, as well as a few others I’ve tested.
RidgeBack Tilt-Away 5 Bike Hitch Rack
Overall Best
You can use the YAKIMA Bike Hitch Rack to transport up to 5 bikes of any style, shape or size. It can easily be secured to the hitch receiver of your vehicle in just 5 minutes due to the tools-free “SpeedKnob” installation process.
This hitch rack also has a locking feature, discouraging theft – a unique benefit compared to many hitch racks on the market.
This rack has been designed as a one size fits all bike rack. It can be mounted to many styles of sedans, hatchbacks, minivans, and SUVs, fitting receiver hitches from 1-¼” or 2” comfortably.
YAKIMA RidgeBack Bike Rack features durable and stable straps that will make securing your bikes effortless.
Each bike also sits in its own anti-sway cradle bed, helping to reduce wobbling at high speeds and minimising bike-to-bike contact, preserving the finish and preventing frame damage.
YAKIMA RidgeBack Tilt-Away 5 Bike Hitch Rack features a “tilt down” feature, controlled by simply pulling a lever at the top of the rack, providing access to the rear cargo of your vehicle.
I would not recommend tilting the rack when you have bikes mounted, this could damage both the rack and your bikes.
This tilt-down feature helps to make the rack flat, making storage and transport easier. Although this is one of the heaviest I’ve tested (39lbs), it can be very hard for one person to manoeuvre.
This is by far the best 5 bike hitch rack on the market and definitely one you should pick up no matter the vehicle you drive.
Pros
- Holds 5 bikes
- No tool setup
- Out of the box ready
- Theft discouraging feature
- Designed for different vehicles
- Attaches to 1-¼” or 2” receiver hitch
- Durable and stable straps
- Anti-sway cradle beds
- Minimal bike on bike contact
Cons
Heavy (39lbs)
Allen Sports 5-Bike Hitch Rack
Best budget
The Allen Sports Hitch Rack is the best budget bike rack if you need to transport up to 5 bikes. It has been made from light-alloy steel, and as it comes fully assembled it will take just 5 minutes to set up.
The hitch rack has also been made with a no-wobble bolt to prevent the rack from moving inside the hitch at high speeds.
The only downside with this rack is it only fits 2” receiver hitches, unlike other racks on this list that can fit on to 1-¼” hitches.
The sturdy Allen Sports 5-Bike Hitch Rack is scratch and ding resistant due to the black powder-coat finish. This also prevents rusting.
The rack has been designed with 28” long carry arms that enable you to secure a range of bikes in place using the cradle beds provided, no matter the design or size of the frame.
Each cradle bed has its own set of individual straps that will help to secure the bike in place preventing them from falling off.
Getting all 5 bikes on the rack can be quite a challenge. The key to mounting them safely is to sit them at different angles as they all can’t be placed straight from left to right.
It’s just like a jigsaw puzzle and will take time to figure out based on the size of your bikes.
The bike that sits at the back of the rack sits quite close to the rear of your car, I suggest placing a soft material between the two to prevent scratching and denting.
One of the best parts of this bike rack is the “tilt-away” feature which allows rear access to your boot regardless if you have bikes mounted or not – no need to go through the hassle of taking the bike rack off to get to your rear cargo.
The 28” long arms can even be folded down, keeping the rack in a compact state when not in use.
When the arms are in the fold-down state, they rattle and swing slightly like a wind chime in a thunderstorm. While this isn’t a hazardous problem, it can be very annoying to listen to when driving.
Tying bungee cords around the arms will prevent this.
Overall, this is the best budget hitch rack for your money, it even comes with a lifetime warranty making purchasing it risk-free.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Made from alloy steel
- Transport 5 bikes
- Fully assembled
- No tool setup
- No-wobble hitch bolt
- Ding and scratch resistant
- Anti-corrosion finish
Cradle beds protect and secure bikes - Straps to prevent bikes from moving
Cons
- Only fits 2” receivers
- Can be hard to get 5 bike on
Thule Apex XT 5 Bike Hitch Rack
Premium Choice
Thule Apex XT 5 Bike Hitch Rack has been made from high-quality metal and can carry up to 5 bikes (150lbs) in total. This rack comes fully assembled out of the box, weighing just 35lbs, and will fit on 1.25″ & 2″ hitches.
The hitch rack features a locking knob that helps connect/disconnect it to the vehicle much easier than other racks. Thule recommends you check on this knob every few hours to ensure it has not come loose during travel.
Each of your 5 bikes can fit comfortably into the anti-sway cradle beds, this keeps them stable during travelling and prevents bike-to-bike contact to avoid finish damage.
There is also 5.5” spacing between each bike to further minimise contact.
Unlike other hitch racks on this list that feature simple strap tie-downs, the Thule Apex XT 5 Bike Hitch Rack features integrated padded cable locks that secure your bikes both vertically and horizontally, reducing sway.
This also discourages theft and makes life easier when mounting bikes to the rack.
Thule also provides 2 replaceable locks and keys.
The HitchSwitch lever allows you to tilt the rack away from the vehicle, providing easy access to the trunk. You should not use this feature when you have bikes mounted as this could damage them and the rack.
The arms that hold your bikes can be folded down when not in use, making the entire rack compact so that storing and transporting it is very easy.
The Thule Apex XT 5 Bike Hitch Rack is designed to fit a range of vehicles, if your budget can stretch it is well worth a purchase.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Carry 5 bikes
- Up to 150lbs
- Connecting/disconnecting is easy
- No tool setup
- Anti-sway cradle beds
- Padded straps
- 5.5” space between bikes
- Secure bikes horizontally and vertically
- Lock feature discourages theft
- 2 replaceable locks and keys
- Can tilt rack away from the vehicle
Cons
- Rack can fall off if not checked every few hours
