Should I give up on a hitch-mounted bike rack for my Prius v (lowercase v)?

You can get a 2" hitch but toyota does not approve any hitch. Here's a link:

Can I safely trailer with a Yakima Rack n Roll? | PriusChat

 

Torklift has a 2" hitch for this vehicle:
2012-2015 Toyota Prius v (lowercase v) EcoHitch

 

I've got a 4-bike setup on my Prius PHV using just a 1.25" hitch. It's no big deal if you aren't loading it down with heavy bikes & gear.

 

I've been using a 1.25" receiver and a 3 bike rack on my 2010 liftback for a couple of summers. I often have 2 bikes on it, rarely 3, but these are hardtail mountain bikes. I understand your concern over the mfg recommended limits but after installing the hitch myself, I am not at all concerned that the unibody is in any danger. The hitch and mounting points are very stout and overbuilt. The only part that worries me is the bike rack that I bought. It seems sort of skimpy compared to a rack I had previously on a 2" hitch receiver. I'm quite certain the bike rack will fail long before the hitch falls off!

 

I have a Quality S 2" receive hitch that I used on my 2010 Prius liftback for three years. It has been sitting in the garage for two years and then I installed it on our new 2015 Prius v last Wednesday. Installed with no problems at all. I put my Saris CycleOn (no longer made) two bike hitch rack on at 4:00 am Saturday morning and then drove two hours for a 6 hour mtb race.
Hitch worked great! Rack worked great!
I have a 2 bike addition to the CycleOn and used that on the 2010 Prius liftback with no problems. Don't be afraid of a hitch rack. It's much more convenient than a roof rack and you don't get a hit in mileage.
Below is a pic of the Saris rack on my 2010 Prius liftback and a link to discussion about it: 2" hitch on a 2010 Prius- Mtbr.com

 

The ONLY 2-inch hitch I have found is from Torklift Central. Expensive, but they have the only 2-inch hitch available... so dealer/installer wrong on that one. But correct about adapters... they are a bit sloppy. e.g. if you need a 1.25 In. receiver, buy a 1.25 In. receiver. If you need a 2-inch receiver, but a 2-inch receiver! And tons of posts on this site (even this post!) and other sites (hitch manufactures) about people that have installed a hitch to haul bikes on a Prius w/o any problems. Even search for pulling a trailer with a Prius and you will find people doing that... although I wouldn't suggest that!!!! I would say not an issue, unless you are maxed out with people & gear! Please let us know if you find another 2-inch hitch manufacture.

 

I have put receiver hitches on a 2003, 2010, and BMW i3 and never had a problem as they use the tie-down anchor points that keep them from bouncing around the inside of a ship in a storm. There is serious body strength there.

When Toyota offers a tow package in the USA, I would pay attention. Until then, money talks and the rest can walk.

Bob Wilson

 

I've got a 2015 Prius v with the 2" Torklift installed. I use it with a Thule T2 rack. This is a nice 2" rack that holds the bikes upright and is quite heavy (close to 50 pounds). It works fine. My challenge is that we sometimes need to haul 4 bikes. Thule makes an extender for that rack that lets it handle 4 bikes but then it becomes quite long and there would be a lot of leverage on the hitch. I've been afraid to try one of those because of the potential for damaging the vehicle. If you are talking about using one of the racks with the bars that the bikes hang from in an upright position I think you would be fine with three bikes. Those racks are quite light compared to ours and they aren't that long so the leverage should be minimal. Many of the upright racks are made for 1.25" receivers, too.

 

Saris 'Bones' rack. No need for hitch.

 

I'm running a Seasucker with the suction cope on the roof of my V with the Pano roof. Sticks like glue and you can run 3 bikes on the roof. Looks totally cool and saves on the hassle of the hitch.

 

Check out the seasucker suction mounts.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Here is my Seasucker with 2 bikes on it. It also works with 3.