The 10 Best Hitch Steps
Special Honors
Gen-Y GH-0069 At over thirty pounds, this is not a lightweight addition to your vehicle. Made of solid steel, it's capable of towing a 50,000-pound load, so there's little risk of it breaking when you stand on it. summitracing.com
ZRoadz Z390010-KIT This is one of the wider models you'll find on the market, as it stretches across a good portion of your SUV's rear hatch. It has two bright LED lamps to alert other drivers to your presence, as well as a universal wiring harness for hooking them up. autoanything.com
Heininger PortablePET Twistep If you have a dog that's getting on in years, you can still take him along on car rides with this unit. It gives your pooch a wide base to use to step up into your SUV, so you won't throw your back out lifting him — or worse, have to leave him behind. chewy.com
Editor's Notes
August 27, 2019:
An important consideration when deciding on a step hitch is whether or not you'll ever need to do any towing. While each of the models listed here is easy to remove and install, having to do so repeatedly to swap out your tow hitch can be a pain, so if you pull trailers often you might want to consider something like the Reese Towpower 7060200. It can be used with a ball mount, allowing you to both protect your truck and haul cargo without any extra effort. If you want to tow other cars or pull up tree stumps, the TGL Tow Hitch can come in handy, as it works well with cables or straps.
Of all the options shown here, the Bully CR-600L comes the closest to having bells and whistles, as it has an LED bar that can serve as an early warning system to other drivers. You'd better hope that it works, however, as the step is made with a lot of plastic, so it won't offer as much protection in the event of a crash as other models do.
Given that many of the steps on our list are made of huge hunks of steel, the Weathertech 81BS1 may seem like a curious choice for the top spot. However, it's seriously resilient, and can work in any weather conditions. It won't necessarily add much aesthetic value to your vehicle, but it's an inexpensive, well-made model that may just save your bumper someday.