What Car? guide to bike racks - Introduction

Whatever the size or shape of your car, there's a bike rack out there for you. While there are scores of brands and models to choose from, there are just three main types of rack to consider, which should help narrow down your task.

Roof racks
Roof-mounted racks are the most practical. Once fitted, all you need to do is load the bikes up and you're off - and you can still get at the boot. You'll need roof bars fitted to your car to mount them on, though.

Strap-on racks
While roof-mounted racks start at around £40 each, a more affordable type is the 'strap-on' - a solid frame secured to the tailgate with a set of plastic-coated metal hooks, held in place with webbing straps. Extra straps are provided for you to tie the bikes securely to the rack, and as most of these racks are at chest height, it's fairly easy to lift your bikes onto them.

Rear-mounted racks also start at around £40, but work out cheaper because they can carry up to four bikes on a single rack. Strap-on types are even available for 4x4s with the spare wheel mounted on the back.

However, fitting strap-on racks can be fiddly and, as they usually stop you being able to get at the boot, there is the added hassle of fitting and removing it at each end of your journey if you want to reach your luggage.

Use your bar
For cars with a towbar, you can get a rack which attaches onto or behind the towball - though this does mean you can't attach anything else to the towball at the same time, such as a trailer or a caravan.

Although some mean you still won't be able to get at the boot while the bikes are in place, and you'll still need to strap your bikes onto the rack itself, the benefit is that it's very quick and easy to put the rack on and remove it once the towball coupling is fitted. At £60 to well over £100 these racks aren't the cheapest option, but the cost doesn't seem too bad when you consider you can fit up to four bikes on them.

Before you start shopping, check that the carrier you're interested in will fit your exact model and year of car - your car manufacturer or bike rack supplier should be able to confirm this with you, and tell you which type of roof bars you'll need for your particular car in order to take a roof-mounted rack.