Van owners mostly struggle with finding the right bike rack for van and end up building some carrier on their own. But why risk the safety of your bikes when different types of bike racks are available for your van? Finding a bike rack for a van is not as simple as for other vehicles because of the vehicle design.

There are different types of vans and each has unique dimensions. They are larger, higher, and heavier than regular cars which means they are subject to wind resistance.  Minivans are quite popular and there is a high demand for bike racks for minivans. Minivans are longer because it offers more space as compared to an SUV but not higher. On the other hand, sprinter vans provide convenience as well as keep up with the luxury factor. They are smaller than RVs but larger than minivans.

So if you own a minivan such Toyota Sienna or Honda Odyssey, or a sprinter van like Ram Promaster or Mercedez Benz Sprinter, or even RV, this article would help find the best way to carry bikes on it. In this article, we have presented a step-by-step guide to selecting a bike rack that is best suited for your van. In the end, we have shortlisted our top picks for vans along with Rack Scores that have been calculated on the base of features, bike carrying capacity, security, aesthetics, customer response, etc.

Bike rack	Why we love it	R score
Thule Elite Van XT Bike Rack	Best rear door bike rack for sprinter vans	7.8
Saris Bones EX	Best trunk mount rack for van	8.2
Kuat NV 2.0	Best e-bike hitch rack for van	9.0
Surco Ladder Mounted Bike Rack	Best ladder mount rack for van	7.7
Thule ProRide XT	Best roof bike rack for van	7.9
Swagman Around the Spare	Best spare tire bike rack	8.6

Step 1: Shortlist the compatible types of racks for your van

The first step to landing on a great bike rack for a van is to be clear about the type of bike racks to look for. Once this is clear, you can move on to the next step and search for only relevant rack types.

Hitch bike racks for vans

The hitch bike racks are mostly compatible with vans and other vehicles as long as the required hitch receiver is present. Some vans have a factory-installed trailer hitch and for them, you can go for hitch bike racks because of the numerous benefits. But even if your van does not have a trailer hitch, you can buy and install it separately and then get a hitch bike rack. Class 2 hitches are mostly found on minivans while classes 3-5 are usually present on most larger vans such as a Ford E350. We suggest you look for the towing capacity of your van and then buy the hitch receiver accordingly. While searching for a hitch bike rack for van, you will find the details mentioning the required hitch receiver, you can check the compatible class and opening size of the hitch receiver and check if it matches the towing capacity of your vehicle.

Roof bike racks for vans

Moving onto the bike rack for minivan no hitch Roof bike racks require roof rails or crossbars for installation on the roof of vans. Most vans have them factory installed because of the luggage that comes along with multiple passengers. If your van does not have roof rails or crossbars, that is not a reason to rule out the use of roof bike racks for vans. This is because you can buy them separately as accessories and install them on the roof of your van. But there are some concerns associated with the roof bike racks. For example, loading the bikes on top of a vehicle can be very difficult if you own e-bikes or if your van is higher. Bikes installed on the roof are also a reason for low fuel efficiency due to greater wind resistance. Also, they are not recommended for minivans because they are lightweight, and adding the load of the bike(s) can affect the stability of the vehicle. Even after all these limitations, roof bike racks suit people with certain biking requirements. They allow you to open the rear door of vans easily and do not have frame contact with bikes.

Rear door/ Trunk bike racks for vans

When looking for trunk bike racks for vans, you might have come across some rear door mount bike racks as well. These racks are basically a sub-class of trunk mount racks and are more common for larger vans and RVs. Getting these racks for vans is a good choice if you do not own very heavy mountain bikes or e-bikes. Trunk bike racks have the benefit that they are cheaper as compared to hitch mount racks and also they are usually light in weight. This means that they would be easy to install.

Step 2: Decide the number of bikes and types of bikes you would be carrying on your bike rack for van

After deciding the type of rack, you should start looking for specific bike racks that meet your biking requirements. This means looking for racks that carry the number of bikes you want to carry on your van at a time. Other factors to look for include the weight carrying capacity of bike racks and compare with the weight of bikes you own. If you own heavier bikes such as e-bikes, you should look for a rack with 60 lbs above capacity. This would make it easier for you to shortlist the specific products from the already decided bike rack type.

Step 3: Select from the shortlisted bike racks for vans based on compatibility and biking requirements

Thule Elite Van XT Bike Rack

You would be familiar with platform bike racks that are hitch-mounted but Thule Elite Van XT is a platform bike rack for vans that mounts on the door of vans. This rear-door bike rack is also quite popular among van owners looking for a biking adventure. Now you must be thinking mounting on the rear door would make it difficult to open or access but that is not true because even when loaded with bikes, the Thule Elite Van XT still allows you to open the rear door. You can get it if you own two bikes with a total capacity of 75 lbs. But with a per-bike allowed load of around 35 lbs, you will not be able to carry e-bikes since they are heavier. A good thing about this rack is that unlike other rear door-mounted bike racks for vans, Elite Van XT does not require drilling into the door. Instead, you have to glue the mounting rails on the back doors of the van. The bike trays have a decent gap of 7.5 inches in between that allows for the safe transport of bikes. However, a problem with this rack is although Thule mentions the adjustability of the frame height, you would still require a stool or ladder while loading bikes because the rack is too heightened. You should also know that when loaded with bikes, the side door would only swing for 90 degrees. Secondly, you must purchase the adhesive for installation and bike and rack locks separately. But as compared to most hitch bike racks, Elite Van XT costs less, does not wobble, and keeps the bike safe from road grime or any harm. This rack is compatible with most sprinter vans and RVs such as Volkswagen Crafter, Mercedes Benz Sprinter, Pleasure Way Lexor, Ford Transit, Ram Promaster, and more.

Saris Bones EX

If you do not want a hitch or rear door mount rack for your minivan or mid-sized van, you can go for Saris Bones EX. This premium quality rack is the most versatile among trunk mount racks and might also be the right bike rack for your van. You can carry a maximum of three bikes with each weighing, not more than 35 lbs. But unlike Thule Elite Van XT, you will not be able to open the hatch or rear door of your van when Bones EX is installed. Apart from that, it is a great rack that would not damage the paint on your car, the rear wiper, or the window. Due to the high compatibility, it would fit any minivan that has a lift rear door. You can use it for minivans such as the Dodge Grand Caravan and Honda Odyssey, mid-sized vans such as Mercedes-Benz Metris, and some MPV vans. In terms of bike compatibility, you cannot carry heavy mountain bikes and e-bikes, but the bikes are distributed on different levels of the rack which prevents the chances of any scratches. This unique arc-based design from Saris makes it suitable for different geometries of vehicles. Moreover, you can rely on the strength of this rack even when driving your van at a high speed. Also, among all the racks reviewed in this article, it is the lightest and easiest to install and costs less than Thule Elite Van XT.

Surco Ladder Mounted Bike Rack

Some large vans and almost all RVs have a ladder fixed on the back side to access the roof of the vehicle. So, if you own a van and are looking for suitable racks to carry your bikes, you may consider a ladder mounting rack. The Sucro ladder mount bike rack is one such example with some useful features. The bikes are loaded vertically so that the bar, below the seat post, rests on the cradles while the arms of the rack are pivoting which means you can use the ladder when the rack is not in use. If your van or RV has a ladder tubing of 1 inch, this rack would fit perfectly and if it is thinner then you can wrap duct tape to get the required diameter. This will also save the ladder from scratches which is a common complaint from users who do not wrap the ladder surface. Apart from that, this rack has cradles for two bikes, but the manufacturers do not mention the load capacity. However, it has been used for carrying two mountain bikes or even heavy tandem bikes which means that the rack can easily carry up to 75 lbs. It also works for kid’s bikes and bikes with fenders but loading two bikes on this rack are not as easy as a hitch bike rack for van. Because when you load bikes, it is difficult to adjust the handlebars and due to this you will have to remove the front wheels so that the handlebars do not collide. Another way to avoid the handlebars from coming in contact is by varying the heights of the two mounting bars. But remember that mounting them higher would make it harder for you to unload them. This rack is suitable for RVs, sprinter vans, and camper vans and overall it has a high value for money.

Kuat NV 2.0

A popular 1 1 4 hitch bike rack, Kuat NV 2.0 is a suitable hitch bike rack for van. The compatibility of vans with hitch bike racks solely depends on the presence of a trailer hitch. We recommend Kuat NV 2.0 for e-bikes because firstly, it can carry 60lb per bike, and secondly, it is a hitch bike rack that would allow you to easily load heavy e-bikes. The rear door and ladder mount racks have a difficult bike loading procedure and that would be impossible for e-bikes because they cannot be lifted to such a height because of the huge weight. So, as traditional as it may sound, there is no better option to carry e-bikes than hitch-mount racks. Kuat NV 2.0 is also very easy to use because the tire cradles are adjustable, and it can be set up by just using the foot-assisted lever. Also, you can be carefree about the protection of your bikes because the rack comes with integrated locks. You can use it for any van type as long as it has a 1.25- or 2-inches hitch receiver.

Swagman Around the Spare Deluxe Bike Rack

Most vans have a spare tire hanging at the back. This tire can also be utilized for mounting a bike rack specifically built for it. The Swagman Around the Spare is a spare tire mount rack with some good features. This rack is approved for use on RVs which shows that it can handle the stress of being at the back of large vehicles thus you can use it for any van that has a spare tire at back. It would be most suitable if your van has a 4 or 4 ½ inches steel bumper that is continuously welded. You can get this rack if you own a maximum of two bikes but make sure that they do not weigh more than 30 lbs each. It is also compatible with many bike frames because the cradles can rotate and can fit a bike of any geometry. In this way, the bikes would hang from the cradles but since the rack has anti-sway features it will not let the bikes collide. Installation of this rack will not mean you cannot use the spare tire anymore because you can remove the upper half of this rack easily by releasing pins. This would allow the access to rear mount spare tire on your van. Although not as convenient as hitch bike racks, this spare tire mount bike rack for van would be easier to use as compared to the rear door mount racks. This is because, unlike door mount racks, it is not installed at elevation so you can easily load the bikes without the use of a stool or ladder.

Thule ProRide XT

Thule ProRide XT is a roof bike rack that we recommend for minivans but not for larger vans. The reason behind it is that minivans are not very heightened so mounting a bike on the top would not be a problem. For larger vans, you might have to face over-the-head clearance issues due to the extended height because of bikes. Like most roof-mount racks, ProRide also requires roof rails or crossbars. Without them, installation of the rack is not possible. But that is not a problem minivans with roof rails are a common sight. Even if your vehicle lacks roof rails, you can buy and install them on the roof of the van to attach this rack. The Thule ProRide is made to accommodate one bike but keeps it upright and grips from the wheel which means that your valuable bikes would not be damaged in the process. Also if you install it on the roof of your minivan, you will be able to position it wherever you want because it allows you to switch sides. Moreover, mounting the bike is very easy thanks to the wheel holders that position the bike automatically. So, overall ProRide XT is a useful bike rack if you possess a minivan and want to carry a single bike. You can use it if your minivan does not have a trailer hitch or if you are using it for some other purpose.

FAQs for bike racks designed for Vans

How to build a bike rack for van?

You can build your own rack if you do not find a suitable bike rack for a van or if you do not want to purchase it by spending a hefty amount. But for that, you will have to analyze the dimensions of your bikes and van. For making a slide-out bike rack do the following:

• Make a tray of wood, keeping in view the number of bikes, length, and width of the bike(s).
• This tray would fit on the floor of your van but fix it on extension slides for easier unloading of bikes.
• Then to the tray, fix a fork mount structure that will grip your bike without frame contact.
• Lastly, you can throw in some paint or a protective layer for the durability of your bike rack.

How much is a bike rack for van?

The cost of purchasing a bike rack depends on the type and brand you go for. You can find a premium as well as an inexpensive bike rack for van. Generally, hitch bike racks cost more than trunk or roof mount bike racks. But if you are looking for value for money, they will not disappoint. When looking for bike racks, it is better to compare the per-bike cost because buying a rack with multiple bike capacities while owning only one or two seems a waste of money. But one thing is obvious, you cannot expect high-end features at a low price.

Where to buy a bike rack for van?

You can buy a bike rack for van from the nearest store after you have shortlisted the rack and brand. If they are not available near you, you can search for them on Amazon and get the racks are a reasonable price.

Best bike rack for a minivan?

Hitch and trunk mount bike racks are the best suited for vans. Minivans are not as heavy as larger SUVs and camper vans and thus roof bike racks are not recommended. These racks alter the aerodynamics which leads to extra pressure on the engine and since the roof rack and bike(s) have the additional weight it disturbs the center of gravity and could lead to accidents when driving at a fast speed. Among the hitch bike racks, the ones that fit 2-inch receivers are preferred for minivans with up to 3 bikes’ loading capacity. While trunk bike racks are usually adjustable and fit minivans easily.