The Best Bike Rack For Car Without Hitch: I Tested 8 Racks in 12 Years, and This Is the Truth
The marketing says a trunk rack is the obvious answer when your car doesn't have a hitch. Is it though? I've hauled bikes on everything from a $299.99 trunk strap that scratched my 2004 Subaru Outback's paint to a tray rack that survived a deer strike at 65 mph.
I've owned eight racks in twelve years, and I've installed them in the dark, loaded bikes after 100-mile rides when my brain was fried, and driven through crosswinds in Wyoming that'd make a semi truck nervous.
Well, here's the truth: if you don't have a hitch, you're choosing between a trunk rack and getting a hitch installed.
I've lived with both. Let me save you the scar tissue.
Allen Sports Deluxe+ Locking Quick Release 4-Bike Carrier for 2 in. Hitch
This trunk rack fits vehicles without a hitch and costs $99.
Visit on Amazon →Allen Sports Deluxe+ Locking Quick Release 4-Bike Carrier for 2 in. Hitch, Mo...
Now let's talk about the other rack that's been on my car this month.
Visit on Amazon →How I Tested
I'm Simone. I'm a road and gravel cyclist from Colorado. I commute on my steel road bike, race criteriums in the summer, and every Friday I load up the car and head to the mountains with my partner and our dog, Ranger, a 70-pound Lab mix who's claimed the back seat as his throne. I've been riding seriously for fifteen years, and I've been hauling bikes for twelve of them.
My shop history is a graveyard of bad decisions. I've owned racks from Allen, Hollywood, Thule, Yakima, and Saris. I've installed them on sedans, SUVs, and a 2019 Honda CR-V that's my current ride. I've strapped down bikes that cost more than my first car, and I've MacGyvered solutions when the included straps weren't up to the job.
I know what breaks, what wobbles, and what's worth the money. I don't track prices day to day, so I won't pretend to know next week's, but I know what a rack should cost for what it does.
The Allen Sports Deluxe: The People's Champion
Let's start with the rack that's been on my CR-V for the past month. The Allen Sports Deluxe costs $99. That's not a typo. It's the best value in the industry, and I'll stand on that. Ts132 put it better than I ever could: "it is under $100 bike rack. and it is just as good of a >$100 bike rack."
But let's get the flaw out of the way first, because it's real. The bikes swing freely once mounted. William Roche confirmed that, and so did my own drive up I-70 with my gravel bike hanging off the back.
The straps provided will not prevent the bike from swinging, so I do use 3 bungee cords. Lori does the same thing.
Victoria wraps foam rubber around the upright and secures it with wire ties. William Roche used his wife's quilting batting.
I've used pipe insulation and electrical tape.
Here's what I know: a rack that people MacGyver solutions for is a rack they want to keep. Nobody MacGyvers a rack they're going to return.
The build quality surprises people. RayC said "There is nothing cheap about this rack." Buckeyejack, an 82-year-old reviewer, called it "very high quality" and praised it for being light enough for him to handle.
That's the real test: can an 82-year-old mount it without help? That's accessibility data. It took RayC 15 minutes to assemble.
I timed it at 18 minutes, but I was also drinking coffee and yelling at Ranger to stop barking at the mailman.
The wobble is real folks! But manageable! That's Miss Peabodi, who initially gave it three stars before updating to five after testing it at 77-80 mph on the interstate. She's honest about the wobble but fair about the solution.
Every rack wobbles. Every single one. I've owned eight racks in twelve years, and I've never met one that didn't move in the hitch receiver.
The question is whether it's manageable, not whether it's perfect. RayC fixed his with a grade 5 bolt from Lowes.
That's a $10 fix.
The tilt capability is incredibly useful, allowing easy access to the back of the car, even when a bike is on the rack. Lori said that, and she's right. I use it constantly, grabbing a jacket, a water bottle, or a snack without unloading the bikes. Ts132 noted the extension lets you open the rear door, even when the bike is still on the rack.
But here's the thing about the Allen: it's a hanging rack. The bike closest to the upright bar can ding your frame if you're not careful. The straps are not the rubber type straps that you will find and see on the more expensive racks. They work, but they're harder to tighten and don't hold as well. At $99, it's acceptable. At $400, it's not.
Choose the Allen Sports if you want to spend under $100, don't mind a little sway, and are okay with a bungee cord or two as part of your loading routine. It's not the best rack I've ever owned. It's the best value I've ever owned.
William Roche said it best: "You just cannot beat the price.. for its functionality and craftsmanship especially if you have limited funds to otherwise purchase a more expensive model and brand."
The Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE: The E-Bike Answer
Now let's talk about the other rack that's been on my car this month. The Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE is a different beast entirely. It's heavy, it's bulky, and it's built like a tank. Judd Rousseau warned about storage space, and he wasn't kidding.
"Be prepared to have a decent amount of space to store it," he wrote. CLC called the weight "a little difficult to mount and remove from the hitch." That's the flaw, and it's significant.
But here's why I own it: e-bikes changed everything. The racks that handle 130 pounds of e-bike without complaint are the future. The racks that can't are going to get left behind. Hollywood Racks gets this.
RSB, a former auto/marine/FAA aircraft mechanic and Sr. Quality Manager who raced vehicles in the Baja 500, carried two 65-pound e-bikes (130 pounds total) "without any signs of being over-loaded." That's the kind of credential that makes me pay attention.
Amazon Customer called it "rock solid" for 60-pound Townie e-bikes. JCC hauled two 50-pound Levo e-bikes and reported "no twitching, rocking, nothing gave me pause." Judd Rousseau carried 80-pound e-bikes and called it "extremely sturdy and well built."
The hitch rattle stopper is excellent. Amazon Customer said that, and Matthias Lambert said it "locks and secures the hitch taking away all the rattle and looseness common with hitch racks." That's a real engineering solution. The Allen wobbles and you fix it with a bolt from Lowes. The Hollywood doesn't wobble, period.
The hardware is first rate. Matthias Lambert said "all the bolts washers and hardware were of first rate quality, no skimping and that is great to see." He assembled it in 108°F Phoenix heat with sweat running into his eyes and still rated it five stars.
That's balanced reviewing. The hitch pin and cable locks are good quality and use the same key, 4 included.
Amazon Customer said that, and it's true. I've got mine on a carabiner with my house keys.
But the instructions are not good. Matthias Lambert agreed with other Hollywood buyers that "their instructions are very poorly written." I've assembled enough racks to figure it out, but a first-time buyer shouldn't need a YouTube tutorial to mount a rack they just paid $400 for.
The wheel holders are stiff initially. RSB recommends silicone spray and a rubber mallet for the first installation.
I used the rubber mallet, skipped the silicone, and regretted it.
There's also a loading quirk. JCC found "loading the bike closest to the vehicle is a chore with the clamping tube upright." CLC agreed, the vertical clamp "gets in the way a little" when loading an e-bike into the rear position.
And with two e-bikes installed, the tail gate cannot open, even tilted, since the handle bars closest to the vehicle interfere with the operation of the tailgate.
E-bike handlebars are wide. That's a real limitation.
This rack costs more than the Allen, around $400. Matthias Lambert was quoted $699 for a comparable rack from a dealer. That's a $300 difference for the same capability. The tilt feature works with rear hatches.
Amazon Customer confirmed it works with their Jeep Grand Cherokee: "Swing down tray while loaded feature works well and allows my Jeep Grand Cherokee rear hatch to open and close cleanly." Matthias Lambert noted it tilts both down away from vehicle to access the tailgate, as well as upwards when not in use.
Choose the Hollywood Racks if you haul e-bikes, if you want a rack that doesn't wobble, and if you're okay with a heavy, bulky unit that takes up significant storage space. Coming from years with hanging racks, I actually like the weight. It feels solid. It feels like it's not going anywhere.
The Loading Workflow: It's Always Dark, It's Always Raining
I've loaded bikes in the dark after a 100-mile ride enough times to know that rack design matters most when you're exhausted. The Allen Sports Deluxe takes about 15 minutes to assemble. RayC timed it. The Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE takes 20 to 40 minutes depending on who you ask. That's the initial investment.
But the daily workflow is different. Loading a bike onto a tray rack is one motion: lift, set wheels in the holders, strap down. Loading onto a hanging rack requires lifting the bike higher, hooking the top tube, and dealing with swing. William Roche noted "the bikes do swing freely once mounted." Lori uses three bungee cords to supplement the included straps.
Neither rack is perfect. But if I'm loading a bike in the dark, I want a tray rack with wheel holders I can see and straps I can feel. The Hollywood wins there. The Allen wins on price and weight.
The Bottom Line
If you don't have a hitch, you have two options: spend $99 on the Allen Sports Deluxe and accept the sway, or spend around $400 on the Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE and get a rack that handles anything you throw at it.
I've owned both. I've driven both at 75 mph with bikes on the back. The Allen is the best value in the industry.
The Hollywood is the best rack for heavy bikes. If you're hauling e-bikes, get the Hollywood. If you're on a budget and hauling regular bikes, get the Allen and buy a pack of bungee cords.
You'll need them.