If you’re looking for a cheap treadmill, you’ve come to the right place. While the best treadmills used to be gigantic and have a hefty price tag, nowadays, there are plenty of top-quality models that are far more compact and won’t break the bank.
That being said, there are hundreds of machines on the market, so where do you start? I’ve been hitting the gym consistently for four years now and, despite weightlifting being my speciality, the treadmill is an important part of my aerobic training. My top pick would be the DOMYOS Run500 – not only is it affordable, but it has a great speed variety, decent incline options, app compatibility, and it’s a folding treadmill.
If you’re on a very tight budget and are just looking to increase your daily step output, then it may be worth checking out our best under-desk treadmills. These are very inexpensive and can still get you fit at home. Whatever equipment you choose to improve your fitness, make sure you stay consistent; that's the most important thing! Now, let’s take a look at our top cheap treadmills…
The top three
The DOMYOS Run500 is a fantastic all-rounder for walking, jogging and light running. It goes up to a max speed of 16km/h, has a 10% incline option and 30 built-in programmes. Plus, it folds up, so it's ideal for small spaces.
The ProForm 305 is just ever so slightly speedier than the Run500, which is why it takes top spot for runners. It also goes up to a 10% incline, has 16 built-in programmes and is compatiable with iFit for live or on-demand classes
This treadmill will set you back less than £200. It's slightly slower than our top pick, with a max speed of 10km/h, making it more suitable for gentle jogging. It also has 12 built-in programmes and three incline options.
Bryony is the Active Writer for T3, covering fitness, wearable and outdoor content. She has been hitting the gym for over four years now, and running is an important part of her training (especially when she was training for HYROX). She's always ready to offer the latest news, recommendations and advice on the best pieces of home gym equipment.
Best cheap treadmills to buy right now
1. Best overall
Although we only spent an hour with the DOMYOS Run500 at Decathlon’s headquarters, we were very impressed during testing. Although this treadmill is slightly more expensive than some of the others in our guide, it’s still cheap compared to bigger treadmills on the market and offers plenty of brilliant features.
It has an impressive max speed of 10mph and even has a 10% incline option to crank up the intensity. We definitely worked up a sweat on it, and it's ideal if you’re looking to walk, jog, or run. It also includes a small, round magnetic controller that you can hold, allowing you to easily adjust the speed without needing to touch the screen buttons. We found the running deck had a nice amount of energy return and is a good length, even for those around 6ft. Overall, this treadmill felt sturdy, even at its top speed, but it is pretty noisy.
There’s also 30 built-in programmes, from endurance training to calorie burn, so there’s plenty of variety to help you reach your fitness goals, and it’s compatible with apps, like Kinomap and Zwift. The LED touch-screen will also track metrics, like time, distance, speed, cadence, calories and bpm. When you’re finished, it can fold down horizontally (it has a soft drop), so you can easily store it under your sofa, or bed—out of sight, out of mind!
For a slightly cheaper, but still brilliant alternative, check out the Domyos Comfort Treadmill T520B
2. Best for running
This treadmill sits at the higher end of the ‘cheap’ category, but for the extra pounds, you’ll get extra power. Those who run regularly should take note: this unit goes up to 10mph and hits inclines of up 10%. It comes loaded with 16 pre-set workouts, and thanks to the Bluetooth connection you can add more to this with online workouts or replicate real runs on Google Maps.
It’s also compatible with iFit for live or on-demand classes (subscription is extra) that will automatically adjust the incline during the workout. In addition, the heart-rate grips mean you can measure your heart rate mid-run if you do not have an HR monitor or fitness watch.
3. Best affordable
The main selling point for the Nero Sports Pro treadmill – aside from the price – is the fact that you can connect it via Bluetooth to the Nero app which logs your workouts, both indoor and outdoor, as well as offering the ability to race live against other users around the world. You can also control the treadmill via your phone, which is a handy feature at this price point.
There are 12 pre-set programmes and three levels of incline, and, like the similarly priced Confidence treadmill, the top speed of 6.2mph makes it more suitable for those looking to walk or jog gently rather than pound the belt at high running speeds. It also has a smaller belt size (the smallest in this guide), so consider it carefully if you’re tall with a long stride or close to the belt’s maximum user weight of 110kg.
4. Best for high incline
Mobvoi's latest accessibly-priced running machine, the Home Treadmill Incline, might be too big for an under-desk treadmill and too small for indoor sprint workouts, but there is a broad spectrum of potential workouts you can perform on the machine, thanks to the comparatively powerful motor, incline capabilities and pre-set programmes.
For the most accurate results, you might want to pair the treadmill with a Wear OS watch (like the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS); better still, buying both is still cheaper than purchasing one 'big' treadmill, even for a discounted price. If you're after a decent, affordable incline treadmill for walking, jogging and occasional running indoors, check out the Mobvoi Home Treadmill Incline.
Read our full Mobvoi Home Treadmill Incline review
5. Best for standing desks
The JTX MoveLight Walking Treadmill is highly recommended for people who prefer to move around at home but haven't got the fitness/motivation/money to use a full-size treadmill. The MoveLight provides just enough features and power for a walking treadmill, and it's more accessibly-priced than even the best cheap treadmills.
Sadly, it's only available in the UK and by no means fast enough to help you significantly improve cardio fitness – you'll need a 'proper' treadmill for that. However, if health maintenance, low-impact exercise and keeping fit indoors are your main goals, you'll be happy with the JTX MoveLight.
Read our full JTX MoveLight Walking Treadmill review
Also consider the Mobvoi Home Treadmill, especially if you live outside the UK: Mobvoi Home Treadmill review
6. Best for accessories
The Viavito LunaRun treadmill is a great contender among its equals to existing foldaway models on the market. It has a great surface area to run on, is easy to operate, and is a real space saver. It has features that allow you to get the most from your workouts, as well as pre-built HIIT programmes to encourage and motivate you.
It is designed with attention to detail for consumer satisfaction, including the running belt, which is grey rather than the standard black. This is a clever little touch to combat the annoying footprints that get left behind on the deck by trainers. Meanwhile, the two-year parts and labour warranty is a real bonus.
Read our full Viavito LunaRun Fold Flat Treadmill review
7. Best for a variety of training
The Astroride A2.0 features two incline levels which you adjust manually by moving the treadmill deck at the base rather than pressing a button and the treadmill moves automatically. The deck features Astroride cushioning tech, which provides a forgiving platform on which to run, so if you’re suffering joint issues or rehabbing a lower-limb injury this model could be worth considering.
The Astroride A2.0 comes with 36 pre-set workout programmes, which at this price is a good number to provide plenty of variety to your training, along with the option to add three custom programmes of your own.
The unit folds vertically, but unlike some of the others in this guide it does not have the smallest footprint once folded, so if space is at a premium you might want to consider a flatter folding unit.
How we test the best cheap treadmills
We test cheap treadmills the same way we test standard and folding treadmills: by running on them. We always test running machines in a home environment to ensure we get a sense of how they would perform in real-world conditions.
For more info on how we test at T3, click on the link now.
How to choose the best cheap treadmill for you
When you think of treadmills, you might immediately think that you need to spend at least a grand to get a decent model, but that’s no longer the case. Treadmills are now packed with advanced tech at smaller sizes for well under that amount, and if you’re looking to jog and walk, you can go even cheaper.
At these lower prices, though, there are certain factors you should bear in mind. Firstly, if you’re tall, you should pay close attention to the treadmill’s belt size, especially on cheaper models where dimensions are often reduced, so you end up having less space on which to run. Taller runners might want to get a full-size treadmill.
Another thing to note is that if you want to run faster, you should look for a beefier motor with at least 1 horsepower, preferably 1.5HP, as that will power the belt to faster speeds. Many feature limited incline options, and if they do, they are manual (eg you have to stop the treadmill and lift the belt itself onto a higher notch) rather than automatic incline adjustment.
Other features are likely to include a basic number of pre-set programmes, remote controls and Bluetooth speaker connections, but that’s the extent of it. These treadmills won’t connect to third-party training apps such as Zwift or Kinomap (both retailer links) to automatically adjust the incline to match the onscreen incline as you run. Equally, access to live or in-demand classes is rarely included as an option the lower you go in price.
FAQs
Is it worth buying a cheap treadmill?
If you’re not a fan of walking or running in the rain/sleet/hail/gales/insert other horrendous type of winter weather system, and you’re limited in both space and budget, then a cheap treadmill could be the ideal solution if you want to exercise regularly indoors. Some of the treadmills recommended here can be found online for under $400/£300, and would work well for those looking to walk or jog regularly indoors without any bells or whistles.
Is a treadmill good for losing weight?
Weight loss largely comes down to your diet and eating in a calorie deficit (where you consume less calories than you burn). Walking or running on a treadmill can certainly support weight loss as, if you do it consistently, you will burn calories which will help you lose weight. However, relying on this alone, without making any other lifestyle changes, probably won’t be enough to help you lose weight.