The best treadmills for walking, running and cardio workouts in 2024, recommended by experts

The best treadmills for home use are compact (sometimes even foldable) and have smart screen technology, say our expert trainers and physios

2024's best treadmills include NordicTrack, Peloton and JTX Fitness
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At-home fitness has shot up in popularity over the past couple of years and the best treadmills have evolved at a similar rate. According to Research and Markets, the global treadmill market is worth $3.59 billion, which is equivalent to around £2.94 billion. That makes them the most lucrative product in the fitness industry, with famous names like Peloton, Nordictrack and Proform taking the lion’s share.

The home fitness industry was on the cusp of a breakthrough even before the pandemic, thanks to advances in technology and a desire for exercise to fit into our lifestyles, rather than the other way round. Lockdown put rocket-boosters under that. Before you knew it everyone was following Joe Wicks workouts, yoga-ing with Yoga with Adriene or investing in a rowing machine or exercise bike. None of these come cheap – and treadmills are one of the most expensive investments you can make. It’s important to choose the best.

We asked experts from the world of sport and physiotherapy to recommend the best treadmills currently available. Their full reviews are further down this article, followed by some advice on how to lose weight on a treadmill. But if you’re in a hurry, here’s a quick look at our top five:

Which are the best treadmills in 2024? At a glance

How much should I spend on a treadmill?

Treadmills can cost between £600 and £3,500. How much you spend should depend on how regularly you’ll use it and whether you want live classes, like with Peloton or NordicTrack. Look for one which monitors your time, pace and incline. It will need to be wide and long enough and have a motor powerful enough to maintain a consistent speed for someone of your weight, size and power output, says Matt Roberts, celebrity personal trainer to Adele and David Cameron. 

“In the most basic terms,” Matt says, “a treadmill should not leave you feeling that your foot is close to the end if you have a long stride length. The motor needs to be a minimum of around 2.5 horsepower if you intend to run at all, and should be that same level for walkers in order to retain a consistent speed. Lesser motors will alter their output as the foot strikes.”

Ready to be put through your paces? Whether you’re looking for the crème de la crème of studio-standard treadmills or a budget model to get you started, these are the best treadmills available for your home gym. 

Best treadmills

 

1. NordicTrack Commercial 1750

£2,499, NordicTrack

NordicTrack Commercial 1750 best treadmills
  • Max speed 19km/h
  • Incline between -3 and +15
  • 14” Pivot HD touchscreen
  • Foldable
  • Real time classes with iFit (30 days free, then £11 per month)

For the best all-round training experience – with a price to match – look to NordicTrack. Its Commercial 1750 model has ‘Runner’s Flex’ cushioning on the deck that can be adjusted to offer extra impact support or to simulate a real road-running experience. It has an impressive incline range of  -3 to +15 per cent and a max speed of 19km/h (roughly 12mph – plenty fast enough, unless you’re Mo Farah). 

NHS and Aston Villa FC physiotherapist Alex Boardman recommends the NordicTrack due to the ease of the programmes being built in. “Treadmills that provide interval training sessions can be really beneficial for providing structure to workouts. They allow you to progress mobility and fitness in a controlled environment.”

With this treadmill you also get a month’s subscription to iFit, which offers immersive on-demand and live training classes (delivered via a 14” HD touchscreen) that automatically adjust your speed and incline as you go – there’s no space to slack. It has other fun features, like Google Maps integration which means you can mimic outdoor running anywhere in the world.

£2499
Price at
NordicTrack

2. JTX Sprint-3 Electric

£599, JTX Fitness

Best budget treadmill

JTX Sprint-3 Electric best treadmills
  • Max speed 16km/h
  • Incline between 0 and 12
  • 5” LED screen
  • Foldable
  • 40 programmes

This is a good quality, compact treadmill for a reasonable price. It comes with 40 pre-programmed workouts and has a max speed of 16km/h and an adjustable incline up to 12 per cent. The belt folds up for easy storage but thanks to the robust steel frame, it feels sturdy to run on. The 5” backlit display is intuitive and easy to use and links to a reasonably good heart rate monitor.

It does almost everything the more expensive machines do, except live and on-demand workouts. As celebrity personal trainer Matt Roberts says, “Screens aren’t a necessity: most smartphones will give you more and are more accurate with data.”

“A good treadmill can be used for a variety of different exercise programmes,” adds Alex Boardman, stating that as a priority over high technology screens.

The downsides are that, while it has a phone/tablet holder, it doesn’t have any Bluetooth connectivity to link it up to smartphone apps like Strava. It’s also slightly awkward to lubricate. However, it’s a great value option for everyday use at a reasonable price.  

£599
Price at
JTX Fitness

3. Peloton Tread 

£3,045, Peloton

Best Peloton treadmill

Peloton Tread best treadmill
  • Max speed 20km/h
  • Incline between 0 and 12.5
  • 24” HD screen
  • Not foldable
  • Real time classes with Peloton (from £39 per month)

For a premium, studio-style treadmill experience, the Peloton Tread is hard to beat. It’s exceptionally well-built. Speed and incline controls are on handy adjustable panels by your side. It has a wide speed and incline range of 0-20km/h and 0 to 12.5 per cent respectively and feels sturdy yet smooth to run on, with ample cushioning on the deck. 

Peloton’s key strength is its incredible array of classes, so the treadmill comes with a 23.8” touchscreen and front-facing speakers so you can join in in HD. According to Alex Boardman, these live and on-demand classes can help users stay on course with their fitness. 

Peloton instructor Hannah Frankson explains: “There are classes of different lengths and workout types, whether you want to enjoy a fun music run or go for long intervals. The smooth treadmill belt is easier than running on the road or tarmac, reducing impact on your joints.”

The motivation of a class atmosphere, a leaderboard and a great playlist is certainly Peloton’s biggest selling point. Remember you will have to pay monthly for a class subscription, on top of the one-off cost of the treadmill – which is already very expensive at £3,045 (or £278.85 per month for 12 months with Peloton’s 0 per cent finance deal). 

But if you like bootcamp-style HIIT classes and are happy to splash out, you’ll be be getting a very good running machine. 

£3,045
Price at
Peloton

4. ProForm Carbon T7

£1,299, John Lewis

Best foldable treadmill

ProForm Carbon T7 best treadmills
  • Max speed 16km/h
  • Incline between 0 and 10
  • 7” HD touchscreen, built in speakers
  • Foldable
  • Real time classes with iFit (30 days free, then £11 per month)

The ProForm folding treadmill is a compact option with smart features. Featuring a SpaceSaver design (it folds in half) and the trademarked Proshox cushioning for comfort and less noise, this is the best option here for flats. It can still reach up to 16km/h and the incline can be adjusted up to 10 per cent.

It may be missing the extra features and large screen of the likes of Peloton and NordicTrack, but it sets an excellent precedent as a mid-range treadmill - most others on this list are either at the budget end (relatively, of course), or extremely expensive. 

Dan Blackhall, gym format and equipment manager at PureGym says you only need to splurge on an expensive treadmill if you’re looking to carry out long distance runs. “Save yourself some money. There are lots of good home treadmills on the market these days and some even fold away to save on space. Whichever treadmill you choose, make sure it suits your needs.”

Celebrity trainer Matt Roberts is slightly sceptical about the value of home treadmills, saying, “It’s really a matter of which (treadmill) you will frequently use.” If you’re less likely to use a treadmill that stays folded up in a room, perhaps this isn’t the one for you. However, if you’re a motivated individual or athlete with a smaller space, this makes a good compromise. 

£1,299
Price at
John Lewis

5. Reebok FR20 FloatRide Treadmill

£699.99, Very

Best compact treadmill

Reebok FR20 FloatRide Treadmill best treadmills
  • Max speed 18km/h
  • Incline between 0 and 15
  • LED screen
  • Not foldable
  • Smart device dock for phones and tablets

The Reebok FR20 Floatride Treadmill is the one to go for if you’re worried about a big treadmill becoming an eyesore in your home - it still has the solid dependability of a big treadmill, in a more compact design. The eco-Kinetic motor also means it’s quiet to use, making it another good option for flats. 

Despite the size, this treadmill can still reach an incline of up to 15 per cent, one of the highest on this list, and reaches 18km/h. Incline is one of the most important features a treadmill can have, according to physiotherapist Alex Boardman. “You are looking for a treadmill that can reach a good high speed and has the ability to change incline to progress exercise programmes,” she says.

It also comes with 24 programmes, as well as options to reach targets of distance, time and calories. 

£700
Price at
Very

6. Matrix Fitness TF30 Folding Treadmill

£2,609, Fitness Superstore

Best treadmill used in gyms  

Matrix Fitness TF30 Folding Treadmill best treadmills
  • Max speed 20km/h
  • Incline between 0 and 15
  • 8.5” LCD screen
  • Foldable
  • Viewfit connectivity to connect with apps

Back to the luxury end, the Matrix treadmill blurs the boundaries between home and commercial treadmills. Matt Roberts favours an expensive commercial machine over the smaller at home treadmills, and this is the perfect compromise. “To be honest, it’s hard to find a home treadmill that is going to be good enough to justify buying,” he says.

His biggest concern is that motors on at home treadmills are generally low, citing 2.5 horsepower as the lowest acceptable level. This Matrix level far outdoes that, with a 3.25 motor. 

Matrix is also the brand used in PureGyms. “We use treadmills from Matrix which provide all our cardio machines. This is a robust treadmill with an efficient and user-friendly LED display. It provides all you would expect from a commercial treadmill, such as heart rate sensor, pre-set workouts, a good incline percentage and a broad range of speed options,” says Dan Blackhall, manager at PureGym.

Amazingly, this Matrix treadmills even folds up, so it can be stored vertically when not in use. It’s perfect for someone looking for an in between of home and commercial treadmills.

£2,609
Price at
Fitness Superstore

FAQ

 

How to lose weight on a treadmill

“Alternate between walking, running and sprinting on a variety of inclines,” advises celebrity trainer Matt Roberts. “This will provide a good variety of cardio challenges. Anything you do will burn calories, which all goes towards weight loss.”

Roberts explains he prefers HIIT sessions for his own clients. He says, “Generally, I don’t ask people to do long durations on treadmills. They are used instead for shorter more intensive periods within training sessions. This is not to discount long duration treadmill runs, but they don’t form part of training sessions in general.”

Which treadmill is best for home use?

The Nordictrack Commercial 1750 tops our list as the best home treadmill, as recommended by our experts. Not only does it have a high-powered motor, highly variable speed and incline and excellent cushioning, it also has a 14” screen from which you can run live and on demand classes via iFit.

For more ways to improve your health, read our guide to the best fitness trackers, gym leggings and protein powders.