Location of carrier. There are three main styles of rack: roof, trunk, and hitch. Roof racks attach to the top of your car. Hitch racks are installed using a vehicle’s receiving tube and then locked into place. Trunk racks attach to the back of your car using straps and hooks. Compatibility. You might like hitch racks the best because you don’t want to lift your bikes up onto your roof. But does your car even have a hitch? Thankfully, many systems can work with all sorts of vehicles, and finding one that can be moved from one car to another isn’t too tough. Number of bikes. Racks come in a variety of sizes, with larger models designed to hold up to four bikes. If you’ve got a family or you’re part of a racing team, going big makes sense. That said, smaller racks are convenient if you don’t need extra space.