Carrying 4 Bikes on a 2015 Kia Soul that has a Class I Hitch Limited to 2 Bikes

Question:

Hi there. I bought my Kia Soul last year BEFORE I knew I would be hauling bikes. We definitely have to be able to take 3, sometimes 4. Two kids and two adults, definitely always 1 adult and 2 kids. Can you haul 4 bikes with a Kia Soul? If so, what do I need to purchase for my Soul to make that happen. Thanks!

asked by: Shawn

Expert Reply:

All of the trailer hitches for the 2015 Kia Soul are Class I hitches and Class I trailer hitches are limited to 2 bikes maximum. It isn't a matter of the weight of more bikes but how far that weight is from the receiver. It puts too much leverage on a Class I hitch so they are limited to 2 bikes.

To carry 3 bikes you can use a trunk mount bike rack like the Thule Passage # TH911XT. But there are no 4-bike trunk mount racks that I would recommend. So what you could do is use the trunk mount bike rack and a roof rack to carry that 4th bike. There are several possible roof configurations for your Soul so I have linked the roof rack main page for the vehicle so you can select the version that matches your roof to view the rack options.

expert reply by: Michael H