5 of the Best Car Racks for Electric Bikes - eBike Choices (2024)

With summer fast approaching, more e-bike owners will be thinking of taking their bikes on holiday or away for day trips and short weekend breaks. Due to the increased popularity of e-bikes, car rack manufacturers have needed to design specific racks that can take the extra weight associated with e-bikes. In this article, I will be looking a 5 of the best car racks for electric bikes currently available.

Summary

A few years ago it was difficult to find a car rack suitable for transporting e-bikes, but due to their massive rise in popularity there has been a surge in demand for e-bike-specific car racks capable of handling the extra weight involved.

Electric bikes can typically weigh anything from 13kg up to nearly 30kg – this extra weight means that a car rack designed for carrying regular bikes may not be suitable, unless you own one of the latest generation of lightweight electric bikes.

Another important consideration is tyre size – a lot of new e-mountain bikes have ‘plus size’ tyres, meaning you will need to factor this into the equation if you own such a bike. This is especially important if you own an electric fat bike.

Below I have compiled a list of 5 of the best car racks for electric bikes from some of the top manufacturers including Thule and Westfalia.

What type of Car Rack is Best for Electric Bikes?

Generally, there are three kinds of car racks available for transporting bikes: Roof-mounted, towbar-mounted and boot/tailgate mounted. In my opinion, the only type of rack suitable for an electric bike is the towbar-mounted option. I would advise against the other types, as these have weight limits that may not be suitable for heavy e-bikes. If you have a lightweight electric bike, then you’ll have more options, but I would still recommend something heavy-duty and high-quality.

The Top 5 Best Car Racks for Electric Bikes

So on with the list. I’ve hand-picked the small selection of bike racks below based on their quality, price and customer reviews. I also happen to know a couple of people who use the Thule racks listed below for transporting e-bikes on day trips and short holidays.

Peruzzo Pure Instinct 2 Bike Towbar Carrier

ThePeruzzo Pure Instinct 2 Bike Towbar Carrieris a durable towbar-mounted carrier rack that’s ideal for two electric bikes with the most modern wheel sizes and a maximum load weight of 60kg.

This rack can be tilted forwards away from the vehicle whilst fully loaded so you can access the boot of your car, it also easily folds down for storage when not in use. The fitting system allows you to secure the bikes quickly and is also lockable. The carrier has been finished in a tough, scratch-resistant powder coating and comes with a 13-pin plug and rear light board.

Buy from Tweeks Cycles

Thule Easyfold XT 2-Bike Towbar Carrier

Best for transporting electric mountain bikes and fat bikes

The Thule Easyfold XT is designed to transport E-Bikes and heavy mountain bikes thanks to its 60kg load capacity. The mounting of bikes is straightforward thanks to detachable bike arms which also feature Thule’s AcuTight torque limiter knobs that ‘click’ when optimal torque is reached.

This model features adjustable pump buckles with extra-long wheel straps to ensure the easy fastening of wheels up to 4.7″ wide, which allows the transport of fat bikes, as well as including a large distance between its wheel holders. Another great feature of the EasyFold XT is that even when the bikes are mounted to the rack, you can still access the boot thanks to the smart foot pedal tilt (as seen in the video).

It’s also easy to transport the bike rack thanks to its integrated carrying handles. And when it comes to safety and security, you can lock your bike to the bike rack and your bike rack to the towbar with the assistance of the included locks.

Buy on Amazon

Shop all Thule towbar-mounted e-bike carriers on Amazon

Westfalia BC 60 Towbar Mounted Bike Carrier

The Westfalia B60 Bike Carrier is another towbar-mounted rack that is suitable for electric bikes thanks to its 60kg weight capacity. The carrier mounts onto your towbar at waist height without the need for tools.

It folds away neatly when you’re not using it for storage and has a handle, making it easy to carry it to and from your car. The B60 Bike Carrier can hold 2 bikes, or 3 with an extension rail, and the robust design means it’s perfect for carrying e-bikes. When the bike rack is mounted to your towbar, you can move your number plate onto the integrated number plate holder, connect the lighting board to your vehicle electrics with the 13-pin electric plug and tilt the rack forwards so you can still access the boot. With locking mechanisms on the bike rack and towbar and straps to secure your bikes in place, you can be safe in the knowledge your bikes will be okay on the back of your car.

Buy from eBay

Also available from Amazon

Thule EUROPOWER 915 Towbar Mounted Bike Carrier

The Thule EuroPower 915 is an excellent quality car bike rack. Designed to carry two bikes of 30kg each, the EuroPower 915 is ideal for carrying heavier e-bikes. The levers have also been improved to make it even easier to mount your bikes.

The space of 25cm between the bikes makes it easier to position the bikes without them touching each other. It has an adjustable one-hand coupling with low closing force for easy mounting of the carrier. The foot pedal makes it possible to rotate the carrier in such a way that you can still access the boot. A built-in stop prevents the bikes from hitting the ground.

Both the carrier and the bikes are lockable and it’s suitable for almost all bikes and wheel sizes. The carrier is designed to easily fold and keep in the boot when not in use.

Buy the Thule Europower 916 from Decathlon

Shop all Thule towbar-mounted e-bike carriers on Amazon

Halfords Advanced 2 Bike Towbar Mounted Bike Rack 🥇

Best Value for Money

TheHalfords Advanced 2 Bike Towbar Mounted Bike Rack is designed to transport heavy E-bikes and has a high load capacity of 60kg. It’s easy to use with great stability, this Bike Rack also offers durability and a touch of simplicity in design.

Buy from Halfords £289.99

E-Bike loading ramp

The Thule loading ramp is a useful accessory to save you from trying to lift a heavy e-bike and getting a hernia! This lightweight aluminium ramp is designed for Thule car racks.

Buy on Amazon

The Verdict

This list contains some of the best car racks for electric bikes currently available – what you decide to purchase boils down to your budget and the type of bike you have. The best value rack by far is the Halfords Advanced 2 rack – it is the cheapest rack specifically designed to carry heavy e-bikes.

All of the Thule racks featured above are excellent – Thule are a market leader in towbar-mounted bike racks and I can testify to their suitability. Quite frequently I have customers come to collect their newly built electric bikes from me and they nearly always have a Thule rack fitted.

Westfalia is another brand associated with great car racks and their BC 60 rack is also designed with electric bikes in mind. Finally, the Preruzzo Pure Instinct 2 is excellent value for money and it is the second cheapest on this list.

If it was my money, I would be inclined to go for one of the Thule models, that’s not to say the others aren’t as good, it’s just that Thule towbar-mounted bike racks are the best in the industry and the amount you see on the back of cars is a testament to their popularity.

Shop all Thule towbar-mounted e-bike carriers on Amazon

For more towbar-mounted carriers that are suitable for electric bikes, visit my other website ebikepricecomparison to check prices and availability.