Bicycles

Bicycle racks and carriers

Find out what the rules are for installing and using a bicycle rack or carrier on a vehicle.

If you don't follow the road rules for bicycle carriers, you may be fined.

Types of bicycle carriers

There are several ways you can transport a bicycle in your vehicle.

Bicycle carrier typeDescription
Car bootA bicycle may fit in a car boot, especially if the rear seats fold down. You may need to remove the front wheel to make it fit.
Rear mount

Rear-mounted bicycle carriers usually attach to the towbar or the car's boot/hatch. These carriers may fit up to six bicycles, depending on the manufacturer's instructions.

Rear-mounted bicycle carriers can't be longer than 60% of the wheelbase, or 3.7m (whichever is smaller). They also can't stick out more than 150mm from either side of the vehicle.

Roof mountYou can use specially designed racks to fit two bicycles on the roof. Make sure you can lift the bicycles on to your roof before buying a rack.

View overhang limits on trucks and cars.

Bicycle carrier checklist

Follow the checklist before using your bicycle carrier:

  • Your bicycle carrier or attached bicycles may block your car’s brake lights, tail lights or indicators. In this case, you must reposition it or fit portable, rear lights.
  • Rear-mounted bicycle carriers must not exceed rear overhang limits. If your bicycle carrier or bicycle sticks out more than 1.2 metres from the rear of your vehicle, the rear edge of the carrier or bicycle must be fitted with a warning signal. In the daytime, this warning signal may be a brightly coloured piece of material at least 30 centimetres long and 30 centimetres wide. If you’re driving at night, the warning signal must be a red light that can be seen for at least 200 metres. View more on overhang limits for your vehicle.
  • Don’t exceed your vehicle’s gross vehicle mass, which you can find by consulting the owner’s manual for your vehicle.
  • Ensure your bicycle carrier and attached bicycles don’t have any sharp or dangerous edges.

Your rear number plate must be visible

If your bicycle carrier blocks your rear number plate from view, don't attach a hand-painted number plate to your bicycle carrier.

Instead, you should either:

Road rules for carriers

The rules for bicycle racks and carriers are published in Vehicle Standards Information Sheet No.34 (PDF).

The rules for number plates are published in Road Safety (Vehicles) Regulations 2021.