Bike Racks
The Best Bike Racks for Electric Bikes
An e-bike is not a heavy bike. It is a different load class, and it breaks assumptions that held for thirty years of bike racks.
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.
A full-power electric mountain bike can weigh 70 lb. Two of them is 140 lb of bikes, before the rack. That number breaks two things at once.
First, the rack’s per-bike rating. Mainstream platform racks rate 60 lb per bike, which is under a heavy e-MTB. Second, and more often missed, your hitch’s tongue weight rating — two e-bikes plus a 55 lb rack is nearly 200 lb of downward force on the receiver, and plenty of Class II hitches are not rated for that.
Then there is the lift. Getting 70 lb of awkward, greasy bicycle up to hitch height is genuinely hard, and it is why ramps exist in this category and nowhere else.
Do the arithmetic before you shop: two bike weights, plus the rack weight, against your hitch’s tongue weight rating. Our hitch classes guide has the figures.
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 |  Thule EasyFold XT 2Built around e-bike weight from the ground up, folds flat for storage, and takes a loading ramp. | Best e-bike rack overall | 8.6 | |
| 2 | Yakima StageTwo70 lb per bike is the highest mainstream rating, which covers most e-bikes without buying a dedicated rack. | Best non-specialist rack for e-bikes | 8.5 | |
| 3 | Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SEA heavy-duty frame-clamping rack built for weight, with a ramp option — the industrial answer. | Heaviest bikes and a ramp | 8.3 | |
| 4 |  Black Widow AMC-400-FNot a bike rack — a ramp carrier. For a single heavy e-bike or a dirt bike, it is the easiest loading of anything here. | One very heavy bike, rolled not lifted | 8.1 |
Prices checked September 25, 2026. Product photographs are representative stock images, not the exact unit. Affiliate disclosure.
#1 · Best e-bike rack overall
Thule EasyFold XT 2
Built around e-bike weight from the ground up, folds flat for storage, and takes a loading ramp.
- Type
- Folding platform, 2 bikes
- Designed for
- Electric bikes
- Ramp
- Available accessory
- Storage
- Folds flat
What works
- Rated for e-bike weight rather than adapted to it
- The ramp accessory removes the lift entirely
- Folds flat enough to store in a car trunk
- Straps and clamps sized for heavy bikes
What doesn’t
- Expensive
- Heavy itself, which eats into your tongue weight budget
- The ramp is a separate purchase
Our scoring
8.6overall
#2 · Best non-specialist rack for e-bikes
Yakima StageTwo
70 lb per bike is the highest mainstream rating, which covers most e-bikes without buying a dedicated rack.
- Type
- Platform, 2 bikes, expandable
- Per-bike rating
- 70 lb
- Receiver
- 2-inch
- Weight
- About 66 lb
What works
- Highest per-bike rating of the mainstream platform racks
- Staggered trays give heavy bikes room to sit properly
- Also excellent for normal bikes, so it is not a single-purpose purchase
What doesn’t
- No ramp option — you are still lifting
- About 66 lb, which is a lot of tongue weight before any bikes
- Its own weight makes fitting a two-person job for many people
Our scoring
8.5overall
#3 · Heaviest bikes and a ramp
Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE
A heavy-duty frame-clamping rack built for weight, with a ramp option — the industrial answer.
- Type
- Platform, frame clamping
- Built for
- Electric and heavy bikes
- Ramp
- Optional accessory
- Receiver
- 2-inch
What works
- Designed for weight rather than rated up to it
- Ramp accessory removes the lift
- Very solid construction
What doesn’t
- Frame clamping is not ideal for some carbon and unusual frames
- Heavy and bulky
- Less refined than the premium platform racks
Our scoring
8.3overall
#4 · One very heavy bike, rolled not lifted
Black Widow AMC-400-F
Not a bike rack — a ramp carrier. For a single heavy e-bike or a dirt bike, it is the easiest loading of anything here.
- Type
- Hitch carrier with ramp
- Rated capacity
- 400 lb
- Shank
- Folding
- Receiver
- 2-inch Class III or IV
What works
- You roll the bike up rather than lifting it
- Very high capacity, well beyond any bike rack
- Folds up against the vehicle when empty
What doesn’t
- Generally one bike at a time
- Not shaped to hold a bicycle as securely as a purpose-built tray
- Requires Class III or IV
Our scoring
8.1overall
The arithmetic to do before you buy anything
Three numbers, in this order.
- Your bikes’ actual weights. Not the catalog figure for the frame — the whole bike with battery, pedals and accessories. Weigh them.
- The rack’s per-bike rating. It must cover your heaviest bike individually, not on average.
- Your hitch’s tongue weight rating. It must cover both bikes plus the rack’s own weight.
It is the third that catches people. Two 65 lb bikes on a 60 lb rack is 190 lb, and a Class II hitch commonly rated at 350 lb is fine — but the Class I hitches fitted to many small crossovers are not. Find the sticker on your receiver before you order a rack.
Ramps: worth it or not
A ramp turns a deadlift into a push. Whether you need one depends less on the bike’s weight than on how often you load and who loads it.
Loading once a month, two people, a 55 lb e-bike: probably not. Loading twice a week, alone, a 70 lb e-MTB: absolutely yes, and it will be the difference between using the bike and not.
Ramps are usually a separate accessory and they need somewhere to live when not in use. Racks whose ramp stores on the carrier itself are worth seeking out for exactly that reason.
Take the battery off
Remove the battery before transporting an e-bike, every time. Three reasons, all of them practical.
- It takes several pounds off the bike at the exact moment you are lifting it.
- It removes the most expensive and most stealable component from the back of your car.
- It keeps the battery out of road spray, salt and vibration.
Carry it inside the car in its case. It is the single easiest thing on this page and almost nobody does it.
Common questions
Can I carry two e-bikes on a bike rack?
Do I need a special rack for an electric bike?
Should I remove the battery before transporting an e-bike?
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.
The Best Hitch Cargo Carriers With a Ramp
Ramp-equipped carriers for e-bikes, scooters and dirt bikes, and the capacity limits that apply.
Hitch Classes Explained
Classes, receiver sizes and tongue weight ratings — and why tongue weight is the number that matters.
Kuat vs Thule vs Yakima Bike Racks
Three premium platform brands compared on rating, fit range, loading and price.