The Best Roof Rails and Roof Racks

The best roof rails, cross bars, and roof racks should be high on the list for anyone looking to add storage capacity to their car, truck, or SUV. You can put any odd-shaped cargo that won’t fit inside—or that’s dirty and you don’t want inside—up and out of the way, and still have all your interior room. You can use roof racks and rails to attach a secure, weatherproof cargo carrier; use as a rooftop attachment for kayaks, surfboards, snowboards, skis, fishing rods, bicycles, or just about anything else you can think of.

What we end up using a set of car roof bars for most is trips to the home improvement store. Even big SUVs (or most modern pickups) don't really have room for an eight-foot piece of lumber or pipe, and even if you do, you don’t want to tear up your interior or have a large, heavy, unsecured object pointing at your windshield. Strap that small load of lumber right on the roof and it's safely out of the way.

The best roof rails and roof racks are easily removable, and you should take them off when you’re not using them frequently because they’ll cost you a few MPG in wind resistance. Modern aero bars have much less wind resistance than square or even round bars, but the best aero bars are more expensive. They also tend to have convenient quick-release towers that mount semi-permanently to attachment points built into your car’s roof.

Some vehicles roll off the assembly line with roof rails, making it much easier to install a roof rack or cross bars, and you can almost always order a car with them already installed. The downside is you may have a more limited selection of aftermarket crossbars, or even be locked into the manufacturer or dealer for accessories.

Before you start shopping for roof rack cross bars, you’ll need to know two things: What width you need; and your vehicle’s capacity. Many modern cars have tapered roofs, and you might need different widths front and back. And while crossbars are often rated at 165 pounds, owner’s manuals often give you a 100-pound maximum. Also, don’t expect to be able to use your sunroof or moonroof, no matter what the description might say.

We have some tips on selecting the right set of roof rails and roof racks, and there are some important safety issues to consider, as well, so for more information on the best roof rails and roof racks, refer to our table of contents.

Photo credit: David Traver Adolphus / AutoGuide

If you’re an outdoor enthusiast or often travel with sports gear, roof rails and roof racks are almost an essential accessory for your vehicle. You’ll likely need expanded cargo capacity for all your gear, but there are a lot of things to take into consideration when shopping for roof rails and roof racks. For starters, the type of accessory you can use will be limited by your vehicle. Some cars will come straight from the factory with roof rails installed by the automaker, but some vehicles aren’t compatible with roof rails at all.

A good general rule is to look at the roof of your vehicle and check to see if there are two rubber or plastic strips. If there are, that means you can likely install roof rails on your vehicle. However, if your car doesn’t have those strips as standard, you’ll have to shop for certain aftermarket options that can be installed onto your car’s roof.

When it comes to installing the accessory, it will depend on whether you’re opting for roof rails or a roof rack. For either product, the install can be done at home, but generally installing roof rails will require power tools, while most roof racks do not. If you’re not familiar with using power tools, it’s highly recommended to seek professional help with installing aftermarket roof rails.

"Roof rack" and "cross bar" are often used interchangeably, but while cross bars are only what they sound like, bars that go from one side of your roof to the other, roof rack can mean many things.

We usually think of a roof rack as installed on top of roof rails or on top of crossbars, serving as a mounting point for gear such as bikes or skis. Roof racks are typically the primary option for people who lack space to carry sports equipment inside their car. Here are some other benefits of roof racks:

Great for transporting large outdoor gear such as bikes and skis

Unlike hitch-mounted racks, roof racks usually leave easy access to the trunk

Able to lock sporting equipment to the rack to prevent theft

Expanded versatility for cargo transportation with the ability to add cargo boxes

Can easily be removed and placed in storage when not being used

Offers summer and winter outdoor gear transportation

Of all the options, solid roof rails are the most durable since there is no gap between the car and the rail. In theory, that means they can handle increased weight (although your car's roof might not). But as for functionality, they are not really that different from any type of rail, but they do have a sleek design which means you’ll often find them on today’s modern cars.

Raised roof rails have a slimmer profile and are rails that have a space between them and the car. These aren’t as popular these days, but you can still find them on wagons. In terms of functionality, they work using the same principles as other roof rails.

Typically covered by plastic, rubber, or a metal strip, fixed point roof rails are often found on many cars, regardless of their size. Installing roof rails on fixed point rails tend to be the most difficult to install.

There are a few cars that have just a plain roof, which means no roof rails, no raised roof rails, and no fixed points. It’s a valid question on whether you can add a roof rack to a vehicle with a plain roof, and the good news is that there is one possibility—it requires you to fix crossbar-style raised bars or racks on the door jamb.

Choosing the best roof rails will often come down to what fits. Some cars already come with roof rails as standard, while others you’ll have to add your own roof rails or you may even want to replace the factory-mounted units.

Photo Credit: In Green / Shutterstock

Unlike roof rails, choosing the roof rack isn’t as straightforward. There is a large variety of options available in the market, so here are a few of the features and characteristics you should pay attention to when narrowing down your choice:

Fit

This may sound like common sense, but you’ll want to start by seeing which roof racks fit your vehicle. Most manufacturers use straps or adjustable clips, which work on a variety of roof and square roof racks. There are also factory standard and aerodynamic racks you can purchase, just make sure they actually fit your vehicle.

Ease of installation

Although it’s not an accessory you’ll often need to uninstall, ease of installation is an important factor to consider when choosing a roof rack. Certain products will require the tightening or securing of straps for the roof rack to be properly installed onto roof rails or crossbars. But some products, like those offered by Thule or Yakima, use a universal mounting system that tightens with a turn of a knob. It’s up to you to decide if convenience is worth the price difference.

Height

Naturally adding a roof rack to your vehicle means you’ll have to consider overhead clearance. Not only will the rack increase the height of your car slightly, but carrying equipment on top of it will limit the areas you can reach with your car. You’ll want to make sure you’re still able to fit in garages or underground spaces with the addition of a roof rack.

Weight

You’ll also want to take into consideration how much weight a roof rack will add to your vehicle, in addition to how much weight it supports. Check your car’s guidelines as to how much weight can be loaded onto the roof of your vehicle, and keep in mind how the weight is distribution is important as well. It’s not the same for a car’s roof to carry 150 pounds of evenly distributed weight compared to all the weight being concentrated on a small area.

Shape

If you’ve done any sort of shopping for roof racks, you may already be aware that they come in a wide assortment of shapes and styles. The bottom line is that not all roof racks are the same, and you’ll want one that works as a solution for what you plan on transporting. Typically people are familiar with roof racks for sporting equipment, such as bikes, but there are also solutions designed for cargo boxes that can help maximize your vehicle’s capacity. Choose the right option for what you plan on carrying with your vehicle.

When installed correctly, a roof rack is not a dangerous accessory. They can however, be dangerous if you don’t take overhead clearance into consideration. In addition, driving at high speeds in windy conditions with a roof rack may make your vehicle less stable. Pay careful attention to the tips from the manufacturer of the roof rack to help reduce those risks. Conditions will vary depending on where you live, so consider your driving speed when traveling with a roof rack and cargo.

And of course, you can never be too careful securing your cargo. A good set of ratchet straps, combined with cam buckle straps, will secure almost any load.

If you're lucky, your car will have built-in attachment points, located under a rubber strip along your roof. In that case, roof rails (or towers like our Editor's Pick Yakima), will bolt directly into them, using either an allen wrench or socket, usually included as part of the kit.

If you're installing roof rails into a solid metal (naked) roof, you'll at least need a drill, drill bit, measuring tape, and marker. Some are designed so you don't need to do anything inside the car, and seal themselves against water during installation. We'd advise against a kit that required more than that, unless you're an experienced mechanic.

If you do go that route, you should plan on needing screwdrivers, needle nose pliers, Torx drivers, a file, drill, drill bits, pushpins, jigsaw, and plastic trim tools, as well as extra sealants.

Installing roof rails on factory mounting points will be unlikely to void your warranty, as you're not modifying your car any more than adding a decorative license plate bracket—you can just unbolt them and return your car to the way it was. You'd still want to check, and those you need to screw in may be a different matter.

If warranty is a concern, you will want to check with your dealer if it can install roof rails under warranty, or if you can have a professional install them while retaining your car’s warranty.

Adding a roof rack and subsequent cargo to the roof of your vehicle will affect it’s overall aerodynamics. This results in lowered fuel economy and more drag on your vehicle. Overall vehicle performance can also be affected due to added weight. Most importantly however, you’ll want to keep in mind that traveling with a roof rack and cargo may mean driving at slower speeds to be safe. Some products claim to be more aerodynamic than others, so if fuel economy is a concern, pay close attention to a roof rack’s aerodynamics.

In our experience, teardrop-shaped cross bars are much quieter than square or round tube, and that almost certainly equates to better mileage.

Not all roof rails will be installed with the same process, so follow the instructions carefully. But if you’re looking for an idea of how roof rails are installed in factory brackets, here is a general overview of the steps involved if your vehicle came with rubber roof strips.

1. Remove the rubber strips on the roof

This step is fairly straightforward, as removing the rubber strips on your roof shouldn’t be very complicated. On most vehicles, this can be done by hand by pulling on the strips to raise them from your vehicle. Once a section of the strip has been lifted, you can remove it by pulling it towards the front of the vehicle.

2. Remove the rear hinge bracket

Some vehicles will have a rear hinge bracket, especially on larger cars. This bracket normally can be easily removed, but may require some extra force. Some cars will require you to open the trunk so the bracket can slide out unobstructed. A rubber mallet is recommended for this step, since you don’t want to accidentally break the bracket.

3. Modify the hinge bracket

For some roof rails, the bracket will end back up on the roof of the car, but not before you make some modifications to it. This is where a jigsaw can come in handy so you can cut the hinge bracket down to the necessary size and shape. And this doesn’t have to be a perfect job, since the bracket will be covered by the roof rails once they’re installed.

4. Modify the roof rubber strips

The rubber strips you removed from the roof of your car in the start may need to be shortened. The length required is typically noted in the roof rail installation instructions. Measure the strip and mark where it needs to be cut before you do the actual cutting.

5. Install the trim piece

Start from the front of the car to reinstall the shortened trim piece back onto the roof of your car. For most vehicles, this piece is made from plastic and will clip into position.

6. Remove the remaining plastic clips from the roof

If there are any remaining plastic clips that are exposed on the roof, you’ll want to remove these with a flathead screwdriver or similar tool.

7. Reattach the plastic hinge cover

You can now reinstall the plastic hinge cover to the back of the roof rail. Pay close attention as you’ll have to position the cover so that it attaches to some of the plastic clips. To make it easier, you can remove the plastic clips from the roof of the car first and attach it to the plastic hinge before snapping it all back in.

8. Install the mounting bracket and roof rail cover

Depending on the roof rail, your next step will be to line up the bolts and install the mounting bracket into place. All roof rails should come with the necessary hardware for install.

Compared to installing roof rails, installing a roof rack is generally much simpler. In fact, most products won’t require any special tools since modern roof racks come pre-assembled. That means you’ll likely have to just mount them onto your roof rails or crossbars.

1. Place the rack on the crossbar

Most roof racks will come with securing straps or clamps already mounted to the unit. Start by placing the front piece on the crossbar, towards the front of the car, and the rear piece towards the rear of the car. Make sure they are centered with equal spacing to the edges of the crossbars.

2. Lock the rack into position

In order to secure the rack onto the crossbars, you’ll need to tighten the straps that are included. Most racks come with adjustable straps that can be tightened into by position by simply turning a knob.

3. Test for sturdiness

Once your roof rack has been installed, check and make sure it’s nice and secure. Since you’ll likely be driving at high speeds, wind resistance could possibly move the rack, which is something you will want to avoid. Make sure everything is sturdy before adding cargo to the roof rack.

January 3, 2023: Removed promoted product recommendation.

December 28, 2022: Added product links.

November 22, 2022: Updated product descriptions and photography for Yakima and Thule crossbars. Added additional product links.

June 9, 2022: Removed Reese Explore, Sport Rack, and Apex Legends cross bars and Perrycraft roof rails due to poor reviews. Added Stay There Roof Rack Crossbars.

June 03, 2022: Removed link; vendor no longer stocked item.

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