What Roof Racks Fit My Car?

Are you wondering ‘What roof racks fit my car?’ 

Roof racks are a great way to increase your vehicle’s carrying capacity and free up room in your car, or if you’re a little adventurous at heart, a good pair of roof racks can easily transform the roof of your car into a bike, kayak or paddleboard hauling machine.

While the benefits of adding roof racks to your vehicle are obvious, trying to work out which roof racks will fit your vehicle can be confusing. Here we’ll fill you in on everything you need to know to work out which roof racks will fit your vehicle.

How Roof Racks Work

Roof rack systems consist of three main components:

• Crossbars: The bars that run horizontally across the width of your vehicle's roof on which you load your gear onto.
• Legs (otherwise known as feet): These attach to the crossbars and provide the height required to allow them to clear the vehicle's roof.
• Fitting Kit: The specific components required to securely attach the crossbar legs to the vehicle. The kit required will depend on the make, model, and year of your vehicle.

Once installed, you can then add various attachments or accessories to the crossbars which allow you to carry specific items like cargo boxes, bags or baskets, bike racks, canoes or kayaks, paddleboards, skis, snowboards and a range of other gear.

What Are The Options When It Comes To Roof Rack Types?

Choosing the right roof rack is all about what you want to carry and the look you wish to achieve. You also want this to line up with the type of vehicle you are driving. SUVs, Vans and Utilities can often cope with bulkier, heavier loads while smaller vehicles, like sedans and hatches, are useful for lighter gear, say for a weekend away camping or for carrying sports equipment. At Yakima, we have a range of roof racks to suit your needs.

Discover Our Great Range Of Roof Racks today!

Yakima SmartFoot - Ultimate Rack Mounting System

This truly modular mounting system is suitable for almost any car and will seamlessly fit your vehicle. The Yakima Smartfoot will attach to many different roof types including:

• Naked
• Raised rail
• Flush rail
• Fixed point
• Factory fitted tracks

To ensure the most secure fit, the fitting kits are designed specifically for the year, make and model of your car. So no matter what you drive the Yakima Smartfoot technology does all the work for you. 

Choosing Your Crossbars

Once you’ve worked out which mount you need, you’ll need to choose your crossbars. 

You need to consider two main things when choosing your crossbars:

• Your preferred type of crossbar, and
• The most suitable length.

Through Bar - For Extra Carrying Width

This rack is suitable for carrying those extra-wide items. The Through bar also gives you the quietest ride with the lowest drag. Available in silver and black, with Yakima SmartFill technology and T-Slot design, carrying a maximum load of up to 75 kg, depending on your vehicle’s roof rating

Flush Bar - Premium Factory Look

Keeping the premium factory look, the Flush bar will blend with your car's design seamlessly. Coming with  Yakima SmartFill and T-Slots your maximum load is up to 75 kg and also available in silver and black. Load ratings again are dependent on your vehicle’s roof rating.

Rail Bar - Premium Look For Vehicles With Raised Rails

If you’re after a sleek look to compliment your existing roof rails then the Rail bar is the way to go. Similar to the Flushbar, the Rail bar sits neatly between each rail to provide a premium factory-installed look.

HD Bar - Tough, Quiet and Ready For Heavier Loads

For that extra heavy load, the HD Bar is our strongest crossbar and can hold up to 100 kg if compatible with your vehicle’s roof rating. The engineered aluminium construction provides even more support so all you have to worry about is what you want to load on there. As well as the integrated tie-down points the HD bar includes SKS locks. 

If you’re looking for extra carrying capacity our LockNLoad Platform is great for tough conditions, giving you additional positions to mount accessories with the built-in perimeter channels. Alternatively, our LockNLoad Crossbar is the ultimate system for the heavy-duty tourer or those needing extra commercial carrying capability. 

Mounting the Roof Rack To Your car

Once you’ve found the perfect roof rack you then want to ensure you can safely and easily mount it to your car. Your vehicle’s roof type will determine the options available to you.

Raised factory rails are the easiest to mount roof bars, as you can easily attach the crossbars to the factory rails without the need for a separate fitting kit. Even if your car is not fitted with raised rails, there are other options that may be available to you depending on your specific vehicle. These include flush rail, track, gutter, and track mount options.

When installing roof racks yourself always read the instructions carefully and be sure maximum load ratings are not exceeded. Remember, the maximum load rating takes into account how much weight your vehicle's roof can carry without causing damage. So be sure the weight of the roof rack components, as well as the weight of whatever you are carrying, do not exceed these limits.

What If My Car Has A Sunroof?

Most cars with sunroofs can have roof bars fitted. However, it is always a good idea to check your vehicle's user guide and the installation instructions to ensure compatibility before purchasing. One thing to keep in mind is whether you have enough clearance to operate the sunroof while the roof racks are installed.

Yakima Are Here to Help

At Yakima, we understand with all of the options available, choosing the right roof rack for your vehicle can be confusing. Once you have an idea of the gear you want to carry you can use the weight limit as a guide. At this point consider the look and design of the roof rack. Finding the perfect roof rack for your car should then be an easy process. As always, our friendly team is available to help you out with any of your roof rack questions. 

Check out our Fit My Car vehicle finder for our customised fit options or Contact Us to find out more about roof racks or any of our other products.