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We’ve been testing the best running shoes available for well over a decade, but we still get very excited when we come across a new shoe that shines. 2026 has already seen a slew of incredible new shoes launched, from impressive updates to existing favourites like the Asics Novablast 6 to brand new shoes that have become instant classics like the Kiprun Kipstorm Tempo and Puma Deviate Pure Nitro.
But with so many running shoes available, how do you find the ones that’ll work best for you?
Looking for a PB? Check out our list of the best carbon plate running shoes
Well, this article is a great place to start. From the hundreds of pairs that The Run Testers have tested, we’ve selected the shoes that stood out most. If it’s made this list it’s a great shoe and well worth consideration.
Here’s our video outlining the best running shoes available in several key categories, as voted on by our team of testers. Note that a shoe doesn’t have to be new for 2026 to make the list – several of our favourites from 2025 remain the best available, in our view.
We’ve broken our picks down into these categories in the video:
- Best Daily Trainers For General Use
- Best Fast Daily Trainers
- Best Cushioned Running Shoes
- Best Racing Shoes
- Best Value Running Shoes
Below you’ll find more info on the shoes picked in the video, plus a a few more categories we didn’t cover in the round-up, including the best shoe for beginners and best value running shoes. We’re confident that if you make it to the bottom of this list, you’ll have found a great shoe for you.
Who Are The Run Testers?
The Run Testers are a group of journalists based in the UK who have been testing and reviewing the best running shoes, watches and all manner of other kit for decades. We’ve written a wide range of websites and magazines, and if you’ve ever searched for a review or buying advice about running gear, the odds are you’ve stumbled across our work.
As experienced journalists all of our reviews are completely independent and impartial, and because we’ve tested such a wide range of shoes we’re confident that our selections really do stand out from the crowd as some of the best available. There’s more info on the core Run Testers team here.
Best Daily Trainers
New Balance 1080v15
Price: £170/$170 | Weight: 262g/9.2oz (UK 9) | Drop: 6mm
The New Balance 1080v15 is the latest model of a tried-and-tested line that has always proved popular with runners for easy and steady daily training runs, and the new Infinion midsole foam on the shoe makes it our favourite version of the 1080 yet.
Check out more of the best New Balance running shoes
It’s highly-cushioned, but still quite lightweight and has a smooth, rolling ride that makes the miles fly by each day. It also has a little pop for faster efforts, though we’d use one of the best daily trainers for fast training (our next category) for those runs, ideally.
Read our full New Balance 1080v15 review
Asics Novablast 6
Price: £140/$155 | Weight: 253g/8.9oz (UK 9) | Drop: 8mm
The Asics Novablast 6 is the best Novablast yet, which is saying something given how highly we rated the previous models of the shoe. It retains the comfort of past versions thanks to the FF Blast Max foam used for most of the midsole, but the addition of FF Turbo Squared foam under the forefoot makes the Novablast 6 more responsive and better-suited for faster runs than most cushioned options.
Though not cheap, the Novablast 6 is also pretty good value given how quickly the price of max-cushioned shoes is rising at the moment. When it comes to a reliable running companion that you can grab each day for training, the Novablast 6 is an impeccable option.
Read our full Asics Novablast 6 review
Best Fast Trainers
Asics Megablast
Price: £210/$225 | Weight: 241g/8.5oz (UK 9) | Drop: 8mm
The Asics Megablast is a shoe we sometimes struggle to recommend because of its incredibly high price, but it’s an undeniably brilliant all-rounder that combines comfort and speed perfectly.
It’s very light given how high its stack height is, and the responsive FF Turbo Squared foam in the midsole delivers enough speed for everything from track intervals to races, while also providing a supportive and comfortable ride for easy and long runs.
There’s really nothing we’ve found the Megablast can’t do well with regards to types of run – Tom ran the Loch Ness Marathon in it and Nick took it away for his summer holiday last year and did every run on the trip in the shoe.
Read our full Asics Megablast review
Of course not everyone wants to spend so much on one shoe, even one as good as the Megablast, and there are some excellent alternatives that are more affordable. One is the Adidas Evo SL is you don’t mind its instability, and other options that also offer a lot of versatility include the Kiprun Kipstorm Tempo and Dynafish Xiaonian, with the latter proving one of the sleeper hits of 2026 so far.
Looking for the best running accessories to go with your shoes? Click here for our top 20.
Adidas Adizero Evo SL
Price: £130/$150 | Weight: 224g/7.9oz (UK 9) | Drop: 6mm
The Adidas Adizero Evo SL is one of the best shoes we’ve tested in several years and offers outstanding value for money as well as a high level of performance. Adidas has launched the Evo SL Woven as a new model in the line with a different upper, but otherwise the shoe is the same as the original Evo SL.
It’s a relatively simple shoe with a springy Lightstrike Pro midsole, a lightweight upper and a minimal outsole that provides good grip without adding too much weight. The result is a shoe that feels fantastic for faster training runs, but still has enough comfort for easy runs thanks to the soft midsole foam.
Read our full Adidas Adizero Evo SL review
Earlier this year we did a full round-up for the best daily running shoes, and while some picks are already a little out of date now it still contains a wealth of great options.
Best Cushioned Shoes
Hoka Clifton Pro
Price: £150/$165 | Weight: 270g/9.5oz (UK 9) | Drop: 8mm
The Hoka Clifton Pro is a new launch for 2026 and a big upgrade for the popular Clifton line thanks to a new midsole foam made from supercritical EVA, that delivers a beautifully balanced ride that’s perfect for ticking through easy and long runs in comfort.
Check out more of the best cushioned running shoes
It’s not an especially versatile shoe, despite the Pro in its name, but you can push the pace a little in the Clifton Pro. It’s best-paired with one of the daily trainers above though, and reserved for days when you want to roll along in relaxed fashion.
Read our full Hoka Clifton Pro review
Kiprun Kipride Max
Price: £120/$160 | Weight: 300g/10.6oz (UK 9.5) | Drop: 8mm
The Kiprun Kipride Max is one of several new shoes that have impressed us from the Decathlon-backed band in 2026. It’s a max-cushioned shoe that’s lighter than most similarly-stacked shoes that uses a blend of foams in its midsole to create a comfortable, lively ride.
It’s outstanding value in the UK as well, which is always welcome as the price of highly-cushioned shoes rises, and Kiprun is a brand rightly-renowned for the durability of its shoes, so you can expect to get many hundreds of happy miles out of the Kipride Max.
Read our full Kiprun Kipride Max review
Nike Vomero Plus
Price: £155/$180 | Weight: 300g/10.6oz (UK 9) | Drop: 10mm
Nike reshaped its running shoe range in 2025 and put all its most cushioned options into the Vomero line. The Vomero Plus is the middle child in that line-up, offering a lighter design and more bounce than the Vomero 18, while being more affordable than the outlandish (but excellent) Nike Vomero Premium.
For such a highly-cushioned shoe the Vomero Plus is quite versatile thanks to the springy ZoomX foam in the midsole, and it’s certainly extremely comfortable as well. It’s a great option for new runners to handle every run, and perfect as the cushioned shoe in a rotation alongside faster options.
The Vomero Plus rarely tops our rankings in group round-ups, mainly because only one of the team has tested it, but certainly merits its place as one of the finest cushioned options available.
Read our full Nike Vomero Plus review
Best Racing Shoes
Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3
Price: £260/$250 | Weight: 187g/6.6oz (UK 9) | Drop: 8mm
The Puma Fast-R 3 was launched in the first half of 2025, so the fact it remains our top pick for racing demonstrates what an outstanding shoe it is. Every element of the shoe is tuned to produce the most efficiency possible, with the pronounced rocker, extended carbon plate and responsive aliphatic TPU foam all combining to produce an outrageously fast and aggressive ride.
Check out more of the best carbon plate running shoes
We’ve PB’d in all kinds of races using the Puma Fast-R 3, and heading into the autumn race season 2026 it’s still the shoe we reach for first when we’re fit and firing, because it helps you to keep pushing and maintain your pace deep into races when you get close to your limit.
Read our full Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3 review
Asics Metaspeed Sky/Edge Tokyo
Price: £240/$270 | Weight: 169g/6oz (UK 9) | Drop: 5mm
Both of Asics Metaspeed Tokyo carbon shoes are outstanding options for races of any distance, and we’re equally split in the time as to which we prefer. Both offer a blend of Asics’ FF Leap and FF Turbo Plus foams in the midsole to create an incredibly energetic and bouncy ride that also protects the legs well over long distances, while the lightweight design of both shoes means they’re terrific for shorter events as well.
Picking between the Sky and Edge will come down to personal preference in ride feel, but either way you’re getting an outstanding racing shoe and both shoes have been used by the team to set PBs in the marathon and shorter events.
Read our full Asics Metaspeed Sky Tokyo review
Read our full Asics Metaspeed Edge Tokyo review
Best Value Running Shoes
Kiprun Kipstorm Tempo
Price: £119/$170 | Weight: 232g/8.2oz (UK 8) | Drop: 8mm
The Kiprun Kipstorm Tempo launched to relatively little fanfare in early 2026, but quickly established itself as one of our favourite new shoes of the year. It’s a bona fide super-trainer that’s around half the price of rivals like the Asics Megablast, here in the UK at least, and has a fun, fast and comfortable ride thanks to the high stack of aliphatic TPU in its midsole.
While it’s true that the Kipstorm Tempo is not as big a bargain in the US as the UK, it’s still good value given the high level of performance it offers. An affordable super-trainer alternative for the US would be the Dynafish Xiaonian, which is now directly available in America at a great price.
Puma Deviate Pure Nitro
Price: £130/$150 | Weight: 7.7 oz / 217g (UK 8.5) | Drop: 8mm
The Puma Deviate Pure Nitro is a shoe that pops up in multiple categories in our best shoes round-up, being a terrific all-round daily trainer at a great price. It has a simple, lightweight design that impressed us from upper to outsole, with the PEBA-based midsole offer a winning blend of comfort and spring.
It’s not quite as accomplished for your fastest runs as shoes like the Megablast and Evo SL, but it’s not far off, and the Pure is also surprisingly comfortable for long, easy efforts in our experience. It’s also fairly stable and has a natural ride that will suit almost any runner well, making it an easy shoe to recommend at its reasonable price.
Read our full Puma Deviate Pure Nitro review
Best For Beginners
Asics Novablast 6
Price: £140/$155 | Weight: 253g/8.9oz (UK 9) | Drop: 8mm
The Asics Novablast 6 is an excellent daily trainer for runners of all levels thanks to its comfortable, enjoyable ride, but it’s a shoe we regularly recommend to beginners in particular because it’s perfect for getting started with the sport.
It offers plenty of protection thanks to the high level of cushioning in the midsole, but is also quite light and the combination of foams in the midsole creates a lively ride for faster runs as well, even if the Novablast 6 is not an out and out speedster.
Compared to other popular beginner shoes like the Nike Pegasus 42 and Brooks Ghost 18 the Novablast 6 is lighter, more cushioned and more fun to run in. It’s not quite as springy and cushioned as the Nike Vomero Plus, for those who want even more foam underfoot, but the Novablast 6 offers an excellent balance of support and speed for new runners.
Read our full Asics Novablast 6 review
Best Marathon Running Shoes
If you’re planning to run 26 miles (and a bit), then you need a great pair of running shoes to do it in, but the best shoes for you will depend on your goals for the race, along with other factors like your running experience, budget and preferences.
In our best marathon running shoes round-up we broke our choices down into six categories: the best racing shoes, best value shoes, best for beginners, most comfortable options, and the best all-rounders for training and racing.
Hopefully one of those categories speaks to you, and in each we give a winner plus some alternative options.
Best For Stability
Hoka Arahi 8
Price: £140/$150 | Weight: 270g/9.5oz (UK 9) | Drop: 8mm
The Hoka Arahi 8 has been one of the most pleasant surprises of 2025, with all of our testers loving its smooth and supportive ride. The foam in the midsole is not the most energetic or lively, but it is comfortable over long distances, and the H-Frame stability feature provides support on both sides of the foot.
Read our full Hoka Arahi 8 review
It’s also pretty light for a stability shoe, and we all agree it’s our standout in this category so far in 2025 as a versatile daily trainer with added support. However, there are more cushioned options for stability-seekers that we also rate highly, such as the Saucony Hurricane 25, Puma ForeverRun Nitro 2 and Asics Gel-Kayano 32, but they don’t have the easy, lightweight feel of the Arahi 8.
The Top 10 Running Shoes Available Right Now
We recently lost our minds on our monthly podcast and attempted to trim a list of 70 shoes down to 10 favourites worth buying. If three men slowly going through a spreadsheet of shoes while arguing about padlock-based animations sounds like your bag, then it’s worth watching. If that sounds dreadful, then you can skip to the end for a list of 10 excellent running shoes.