What’s the Best Way to Transport an E-Trike? Transporting Your Electric Trike Made Easy

How to transport your electric trike. Stick around to find out. Hey everyone, I'm Dustin. I have 20 years of experience in the bike and e-bike industry. Today, we're going to answer the question of how to transport your electric trikeI've got the Easy Transit Folding e-trike, a great compact transportable e-trike. We have a lot of customers who come out to San Clemente, and many want to transport their E-Trikes. They want to drive to a particular trail that may be a little bit too far away from their home for them to ride to. And they want something that can be transported. I actually just had a customer here right now, a few minutes before we started making this video. And I demonstrated how we could load it into the back of their RAV4 because he wants to, you know, ride on some trails that are not super close to his house. Now, I wanna touch on a few things with transporting an e-trike and the simplicity of it, the difficulty of it, and some of the options that are available out there. So number one, I think a lot of people are drawn to trikes that are foldable and transportable. So one thing I'll talk about with folding e-trikes is they're not necessarily going to be light, okay? So I've got our EZ Transit here. As you see them pictured, they weigh 78 pounds and 80 pounds. Now, you can take the battery off to reduce it by eight pounds. So now we're down to 70 pounds for this one. Also, our trikes come with front and rear baskets. So if you remove those, you reduce it by another six pounds. You can take the seat off, which is two pounds. So now you're down another eight pounds, and you're down to 62 pounds. And this one would be 64 pounds.

A lot of the other trikes out there, they advertise their weight, it may not be with the basket, it may be with the basket, but if you have any kind of electric motor on a trike, it's gonna be hard pressed for it to be below 55, 50 pounds. And if it is, they're going to have to make up that weight somehow, and the way they do that is by shrinking the trike down. What I find is that a lot of the brands out there have smaller trikes that may be a little bit lighter; they're very small. So I don't think they're going to be very comfortable to ride. They may be, but you're going to have to compromise something, obviously, if you want to reduce the weight and have it be compact and easy to load. So, something to think about. Now, the Easy Transit is a folding trike. It can fold up easily, and it can go in the back of an SUV or a hatchback. As I said, I just loaded it into the back of a RAV4. I've also put it into the Subaru crossovers before as well. So it's possible. Now you do have to lift it. So you have to think about whether you'll be able to lift it 24 inches off the ground to get it into the back. The other option is to use ramps. So if you have a smaller compact trike, you can use a ramp and lift the front end and push it into the back end of your car. You just have to make sure you have a high enough hatch or an SUV in order for it to slide in. On these two, I can slide them easily in the back of a RAV4. We could use a ramp for that as well. So just keep in mind, if you are someone who wants a folding e-trike, think about whether you can realistically load it, lift it by lifting it. And if you can't, you can explore a ramp option. Now, if you find an e-trike that's ultra comfortable and it's not foldable, in my opinion, the best way to transport an e-trike is definitely a hitch rack.

Now, rewind, the best way would be a pickup truck. If you do have a pickup truck, really easy to get in the back of a pickup truck with a ramp, easy to tie down to transport, things like that. But if you don't have a pickup truck, a hitch is the next best option, especially because a lot of these hitch racks If you are gonna load your trike, you only have to lift it maybe 12 inches off the ground to get it onto the rack, or there's a lot of racks out there that also come with ramps where you can roll it onto the rack. So that's really, in my opinion, the best and the easiest method is a hitch rack. They will be a little bit more expensive. A good setup might cost $1,000 to $2,000, but again, if you plan to use it really frequently, you're gonna want it to be easy to load your trike in and out of your car. If it becomes too difficult, I know from experience, you're probably not gonna wanna use it a lot. So, something to think about when you get an e-trike is to make sure that you can transport it the way that is best for you. And if you've seen our YouTube channel before, there are a few companies I know about. One called Let's Go Aero makes some good racks. And also, the Emojo Caddy is another rack, but I do think the Let's Go Aero is of a higher quality. There are also Thule and other rack companies that make platform racks that are meant for scooters, electric scooters that you can wheel onto. Those are really, really great options and the best in my opinion. So something to think about.

The customer we have right now, as an example, really liked our Simple Glide, but he wants to be able to fit it in the back of his car and have it be easy to transport. And he's really torn because He wants something foldable and compact, but he found the comfort of the Simple Glide to be what he really likes. So that's up for you guys to decide what's best for you. There are options to transport both types. Again, the Hitchrax might be a little more expensive, but there are many options out there for transporting your electric trike to your favorite trails or paths. So any other questions on the topic at all, reach out to us at theteam@sixthreezero.live, or call us at 310-982-2877. Also, we offer a 30-day test ride of your e-trike policy. If you don't love it in the first 30 days, send it back. No questions asked, the money out of your pocket. Also, we're gonna warranty everything for one year. Anything goes wrong in the first year, we'll take care of it, parts and labor. And in addition to that, if you wanna come out for a test ride, we're here in San Clemente, California, at 1046 Calle Rocoto, Unit K. Come test ride any of our e-trikes before you purchase to ensure you're making the right choice. Then, when you have yours, post in the group and make friends. Oh, sorry. And secondly, join our community. We have a Facebook group called Sixthreezero Pedalers. Thousands of members in the group join before you purchase to talk to existing riders to ensure you're making the right choice. Then, when you have yours, post in the group and make friends. And finally, download our app to track your rides and compete on the leaderboard. So thanks for sticking around, and don't forget, it's your journey or experience. Enjoy the ride.

Want a couple more tips before you head out? Here's what else you should know about hauling your trike.

Other Ways to Transport Your Trike: Trailers and Roof Racks

Hitch racks and pickup trucks cover most riders, but they're not the only options if you're figuring out how to transport an electric trike. Depending on your vehicle, how often you travel with your trike, and whether you're moving one trike or several, two other methods are worth knowing about.

Utility trailers work well if you don't want to lift your trike at all — you simply roll it on and off using a low ramp built into the trailer bed. This is especially useful if you're transporting more than one trike at a time, taking a passenger-style trike with extra length, or dealing with a trike that's simply too heavy or bulky for a standard rack. Small utility trailers can typically be rented if you only need one occasionally, or purchased outright if you travel with your trike often. The main trade-off is storage: a trailer takes up space in your driveway or garage when it's not hooked up, and towing one adds a bit of extra care to parking, turning, and backing up compared to driving without one.

Roof racks are the least common choice for trikes, and for good reason — most electric trikes are simply too heavy and too wide for a standard bike roof rack, and lifting the full weight of a trike overhead isn't practical or safe for most riders on their own. That said, some trikes that disassemble or fold down significantly can work with a roof-mounted platform rack, provided you check the rack's rated weight limit carefully before relying on it. If your trike weighs anywhere close to 60-70 pounds, a roof rack is generally not the right call.

For most riders, a hitch rack still ends up being the easiest middle ground between these two methods and a full pickup truck bed — it requires less lifting than a roof rack and less ongoing storage than a trailer. But if you regularly transport your trike solo, don't own a truck, or need to move more than one trike at once, comparing a trailer against a hitch rack is worth the extra few minutes of research before you buy either one.

How to Secure Your Trike for the Ride

Whichever method you choose, how you secure the trike once it's loaded matters just as much as how you got it there in the first place. A trike that shifts, bounces, or leans mid-drive can damage the frame, the rack, or your vehicle and in the worst case, it can come loose entirely.

• Use hard straps, not bungee cords. Bungee cords can stretch, snap, or lose tension over a long or bumpy drive. Ratchet straps or cam-buckle straps hold consistent tension for the entire trip and are far less likely to fail unexpectedly.
• Pad any contact points. Wherever a strap, rack arm, or trailer wall touches the trike's frame, a bit of foam padding or an old towel prevents scratches, dents, and paint damage that can build up over repeated trips.
• Do a dry run before a long trip. Load and secure the trike once at home, then drive around the block and check everything again. This is the easiest way to catch a loose strap, a bad angle, or a rack that needs re-tightening before you're committed to a highway drive.
• Check your straps partway through longer trips. Straps that felt tight at the start can loosen slightly after the first hour of vibration and road movement, especially on rougher roads. A quick two-minute check at a rest stop is cheap insurance.
• Cover the display and battery terminals. A simple cover or cloth over exposed connectors keeps road dust, rain, and moisture out during longer trips, which matters more the further and longer you're traveling with the trike exposed to the elements.

Getting your trike from home to the trailhead — or across the country — doesn't have to be complicated once you know which method fits your setup. Whether that's a hitch rack, a trailer, or the back of a truck, the right choice comes down to how often you're transporting the trike and what your vehicle can realistically support.