Bike Racks
The Best Budget Bike Racks
Cheap bike racks are fine. Cheap mounting is not. Here is where the money matters and where it does not.
Roof & Route is funded by affiliate commission. If you buy through a link on this page we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never decides what we recommend or the order we recommend it in — read the full disclosure.
The budget pick is the Allen Sports Deluxe 102DN-R: a two-bike strap-on trunk rack for a fraction of any hitch rack’s price, and the right answer for anyone carrying two bikes a few times a year on a car without a hitch.
Spending less on a bike rack is mostly a sensible decision. A platform hitch rack costs many times what a trunk rack does, and most of that money buys convenience — faster loading, no frame contact, better security, less bike-on-bike rub. None of it buys a fundamentally safer journey if the cheap rack is fitted correctly and loaded within its limit.
What you must not economise on is the attachment. A trunk rack transfers its whole load into painted sheet metal through four straps and six rubber feet, so strap condition, hook placement and a genuine retension stop twenty minutes in are not optional. Below: the picks, then what each price step actually buys, then the three failure modes that put cheap racks in the road.
Quick picks
Tap any row to jump to the full write-up below. Scores are our editorial judgment on published specifications — not a star rating, and not a product we claim to have tested.
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Allen Sports Deluxe 102DN-RThe long-running budget two-bike trunk rack — folding carry arms, strap mounting, and a price nothing else here matches. | Cheapest rack worth buying | 7.0 | |
| 2 |  Saris Bones EXInjection-molded legs shaped for hatchbacks and spoilers, with no metal touching the paint anywhere. | Best trunk rack, worth the step up | 7.4 | |
| 3 |  Thule OutWay Hanging 2A hanging two-bike rack from a brand that documents its fit coverage — the sane ceiling on trunk-rack spending. | Best hanging rack for two bikes | 7.4 | |
| 4 |  RockyMounts MonoRailIf you have a hitch, this is roughly where platform racks start — wheel-mounted, no frame contact, and a different class of convenience. | Cheapest platform hitch rack | 8.0 |
Prices checked October 11, 2026. Product photographs come from Amazon and are refreshed with the prices. Affiliate disclosure.
#1 · Cheapest rack worth buying
Allen Sports Deluxe 102DN-R
The long-running budget two-bike trunk rack — folding carry arms, strap mounting, and a price nothing else here matches.
- Type
- Strap-on trunk rack
- Capacity
- Two bikes
- Arms
- Folding
- Hitch needed
- No
What works
- The lowest price at which we would put bikes on a car
- No hitch, no crossbars, no vehicle-specific parts
- Folds down small enough to live in the trunk between rides
- Arms fold flat when the rack is on the car but empty
What doesn’t
- Frame contact on painted tubes — pad the contact points
- No security beyond a cable you supply yourself
- Blocks the trunk or hatch while fitted
- Not for carbon frames or for bikes with unusual top-tube shapes
Our scoring
7.0overall
#2 · Best trunk rack, worth the step up
Saris Bones EX
Injection-molded legs shaped for hatchbacks and spoilers, with no metal touching the paint anywhere.
- Type
- Strap-on trunk rack
- Construction
- Injection-molded
- Paint contact
- No metal against the body
- Shaping
- Legs profiled for hatchbacks and spoilers
What works
- No metal-on-paint anywhere, which is the trunk rack's usual failure
- Fits awkward rears — spoilers and steep hatches — that flat racks do not
- Molded arms are kinder to frames than bare steel tubes
- Still a long way below any hitch rack
What doesn’t
- Several times the price of the cheapest trunk rack
- Still blocks the hatch, and still contacts the frame
- No integrated lock
Our scoring
7.4overall
#3 · Best hanging rack for two bikes
Thule OutWay Hanging 2
A hanging two-bike rack from a brand that documents its fit coverage — the sane ceiling on trunk-rack spending.
- Type
- Hanging trunk rack
- Capacity
- Two bikes
- Fit data
- Published per vehicle
- Hitch needed
- No
What works
- Published vehicle fit coverage rather than a universal claim
- Better finished and better padded than the budget racks
- Thule's strap and hook hardware is a clear step up
What doesn’t
- The most expensive non-hitch option here
- Hanging design still means frame contact
- Fit list is specific — check your car before ordering
Our scoring
7.4overall
#4 · Cheapest platform hitch rack
RockyMounts MonoRail
If you have a hitch, this is roughly where platform racks start — wheel-mounted, no frame contact, and a different class of convenience.
- Type
- Platform hitch rack
- Capacity
- Two bikes, expandable on some variants
- Frame contact
- None — wheels and tires only
- Hitch needed
- Yes
What works
- No frame contact at all, so carbon and odd frame shapes are fine
- Bikes load at waist height instead of being lifted onto a trunk
- Does not touch the paintwork anywhere
- The cheapest honest entry into platform racks
What doesn’t
- Needs a receiver hitch, which many cars do not have
- Several times the price of a trunk rack
- Heavy, and it blocks the tailgate unless it tilts
Our scoring
8.0overall
What each price step actually buys
| Step | What you gain | What you still give up |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest trunk rack | Two bikes on a car with no hitch, for very little | Paint and frame contact, no lock, hatch blocked |
| Better trunk rack | No metal on paint, fits spoilers and steep hatches | Still frame contact, still no lock |
| Branded hanging rack | Published fit data, better hardware and padding | Still frame contact, still blocks the hatch |
| Entry platform hitch rack | No frame contact, waist-height loading, security | Needs a hitch, costs several times as much |
Read that table as a convenience ladder rather than a safety one. Every rung is safe when used as specified; the money buys speed, paint protection and peace of mind. The full type-by-type comparison is in hitch vs trunk vs roof.
Three savings that are never worth making
- Old or sun-damaged straps. Webbing loses real strength to UV, and it does so invisibly. Faded and stiff means replace, not inspect. A new set of straps is the cheapest safety upgrade available to anyone.
- A rack over a bike’s stated weight. E-bikes are the common version of this mistake. A 50 lb e-bike on a rack rated for far less is a failure waiting for a pothole — see bike racks for electric bikes.
- Skipping the retension stop. Twenty minutes in, pull over and retighten everything. No amount of money spent on a rack substitutes for this, and no amount saved excuses skipping it.
A fourth, honourable mention: do not economise by hanging a third bike on a two-bike rack. The arms, the straps and the rating are all for two.
Protecting paint on a cheap rack
Trunk racks damage cars in one of two ways: grit trapped under a rubber foot grinding the clear coat, or a strap hook working against a painted edge. Both are preventable in five minutes.
Wash the contact area before fitting, every time — it is the grit, not the rack, that does the sanding. Put a strip of clear protective film or even a microfiber cloth under each foot. Site the hooks on bare structural metal inside the trunk lip rather than on a painted outer edge. And check that no pedal, bar end or skewer is resting against the body once the bikes are on.
The same logic is why the roof is not automatically the kinder option — a roof rack has its own paint and clearance issues, which we cover in do roof racks damage your car.
When the budget rack is the wrong answer
- You carry bikes most weekends. The time saved loading a platform rack is worth real money over a season.
- Carbon frames. Clamping a carbon top tube is a risk nobody needs to take; buy a wheel-mounted rack.
- E-bikes. Weight rules out almost every cheap rack immediately.
- Three or four bikes. Budget racks top out at two — see racks for four bikes.
- You leave the car parked at trailheads. An integrated lock stops being a luxury.
If none of those apply, buy the cheap rack, buy fresh straps with it, and spend the difference on the trip.
Common questions
Are cheap bike racks safe?
What is the cheapest way to carry two bikes on a car?
Will a trunk bike rack damage my paint?
Is a budget hitch rack better than a good trunk rack?
Sources
Not sure it fits your car?
Our vehicle pages carry the published roof load limit, the roof type by model year, and what actually mounts to it — cited, and honest about what the manufacturer does not publish.
Read next
The Best Hitch Bike Racks
Platform hitch racks ranked on fit range, weight rating, loading and security.
Hitch vs Trunk vs Roof Bike Rack
The three ways to carry a bike, compared on cost, loading, capacity and fuel.
The Best Bike Racks Without a Hitch
Trunk racks and roof carriers for cars with no receiver, and what each costs your paint.
Do Roof Racks Damage Your Car?
The three habits that cause rack damage, and how to avoid all of them.