Best Car Ramps for Oil Changes 2023

We looked at our car service ramp offering to determine what features you should look for in a ramp, and which ramps are the best based on certain criteria such as specs, affordability, strength and material.

	UR6500	6009-V2	PSR295	RR-56-DR	ML-1066	CARLIFT-3000	CR-7214
Capacity per Pair	6,500 lbs.	4,400 lbs.	10,000 lbs.	3,000 lbs.	1,500 lbs.	3,000 lbs.	3,000 lbs.
Weight	14 lbs.	4.5 lbs.	18 lbs.	10 lbs.	50 lbs.	136 lbs.	96 lbs.
Lift Height	7.25"	2.25"	6.25"	8"	10"	15"	9.5"
Approach Angle		9.05		10.75	11.5		7.6
Material	Steel	Plastic	Plastic	Foam	Aluminum	Steel	Aluminum
Key Benefit	Most Affordable	Lightest	Holds Most Weight			Highest Lift

Most Affordable

If you’re changing your oil regularly that just need a little bit of extra clearance, the UR6500 ramps are an affordable option. Considering they’re made of steel, it’s no wonder they hold up to 6,500 lbs. per pair. They’re fairly steep, so they won’t be a good option for cars with low front ends or low profiles.

Highest Quality

It’s hard to find something to complain about with Race Ramps. They’re undoubtedly the gold standard when it comes to high quality car service ramps, and every one of them is made in the USA in their Escanaba, MI, facility. Although not the most affordable, they will always be among the most lightweight options without compromising on strength. The solid expanded foam core is so strong that it almost looks and acts like painted concrete.

The 56” L Race Ramps only weigh 10 lbs. yet support 3,000 lbs. per pair and offer a lift height of 8” with a raised stop to prevent roll-offs.

Highest Lift Height

The foot-operated Black Widow Car Service Ramps might look like bare-bones ramps at the start, but once the tires are in the cradles and they start to lift, they look more like mini jack stands. They also support 3,000 lbs., however they offer 15” of lift height, making them great for other projects besides the occasional oil change. Think about the convenience for front end or underbody work – no cribs or stands required.

Car service ramp features to look for

Weight Capacity: Per Ramp, Per Pair or Per Axle?

Although it sounds straightforward, take the time to determine whether the weight capacity of the ramps is outlined as capacity per ramp, capacity per pair, or capacity per axle. For oil changes, it’s most common to have your vehicle up on the two front tires, or the front axle, so looking at the capacity per pair or per axle will be the most relevant format for you.

Lift Height

Depending if you drive a lowered Toyota Supra or standard sedan like a Ford Taurus, your lift height needs will vary. You might need to raise your car up a lot to gain enough underbody access to finagle the drain plug and get to the oil filter, or perhaps a few inches will make all the difference. Estimating how much additional height you want will help you narrow down your options.

Approach Angle

For most vehicles, approach angle for a service ramp is probably an afterthought, or something you can eyeball. On sedans, muscle cars and sports cars that are naturally lower or intentionally low-profile, approach angle is critical to making sure your car will clear the ramp without hitting the bumper. It’s simple geometry - the shorter and higher the ramp, the largest the approach angle and the likelihood that you might not clear it.

If you want to quickly find your car’s minimum approach angle, Race Ramps offers a quick and easy car ramp calculator that doesn’t require trigonometry; just a good old-fashioned yard stick.