The 7 Best Cheap Sunglasses of 2025

This is not a comprehensive list of everything we tested in previous iterations of this guide, just what’s still available.

Aviators

The metal frames of the angular I-Sea Brooks aviators were flimsy-feeling and noticeably lopsided.

The oversize lenses of the I-Sea River aviators were so massive that when we wore them in bright sunlight, distracting reflections were visible around their interior edges.

The extra-large, metal-framed J+S Classic Aviator Sunglasses are a former pick. They have a classic aviator shape and are well priced, currently around $20. But despite their adjustable nose pads, they sit unevenly on the face and slide down the nose; also, their lenses create distracting interior reflections. They’re the widest frames we tested, and though they’re too large for most faces, if you have an especially broad head, they might be worth a try.

A former pick, the wire-framed Kent Wang Sunglasses Aviator pair is modern, angular, and large (though not as large as the J+S Classic Aviator). Unfortunately, less than a month into our retesting, one of the lenses popped out; for a pair costing nearly $60, we expected better.

Testers didn’t find the big, metal-framed Knockaround Mile Highs flattering: The aviators’ long, drooping lenses gave faces of all shapes and sizes a hangdog look.

The large Luenx Aviator Sunglasses felt especially cheap, and there are numerous comments about them online from customers who complain about their warped or otherwise defective lenses.

The inexpensive plastic Sojos Retro Polarized Aviators fit smaller faces better than most other aviators we tried. Sadly, they felt stiff and cheap, and they were too basic for our taste.

The large, plastic-framed ZeroUV Retro 1980s Fashion Plastic Aviator sunglasses look similar to the Goodr Mach Gs we recommend in our other good styles section. However, this pair is not as light and comfortable—the frames are chunkier, the temples (arms) are bulkier, and they don’t have non-slip nose pads.

Cat-eye sunglasses

We tried three different cat-eye models from EyeBuyDirect; prescription lenses can be added to any of them (starting at $20), and polarized lenses cost an extra $40. The EyeBuyDirect Cartel sunglasses, a pair of small plastic cat-eyes, are a former pick. One of the temples (arms) on our two-year-old pair snapped off; we were willing to forgive that, given their age, but the new ones we retested had visibly warped lens coatings. The medium-size, acetate EyeBuyDirect Calypso sunglasses cost around $15 more than the Cartel pair, but they felt especially delicate; also, we wished their cat-eye shape had been more pronounced. Finally, the medium-size EyeBuyDirect Fern sunglasses had ultra-light plastic frames that slipped down on low nose bridges, and they come only in (not-so-versatile) red and purple.

The small Sunski Miho sunglasses have chunky plastic frames with a subtle cat-eye shape. While testers praised their style and quality, almost everyone said that they were uncomfortably tight around the temples. But if you have a narrow face, these could be a nice option.

In addition to being too big, the Sungait Oversized Vintage Polarized Cat Eye Sunglasses had a peculiar shape.

Round sunglasses

We tried two round styles from EyeBuyDirect. Both pairs can be filled with prescription lenses (starting at $20); polarized lenses are an additional $40. The medium-size acetate EyeBuyDirect Safari sunglasses are attractive, but the hinges felt creaky and stiff. The EyeBuyDirect Taylor sunglasses have large, close-set round lenses and thick, matte plastic frames, giving them an unappealing goggle-like appearance.

The narrow, metal-framed Hawkers Moma sunglasses have small, perfectly round lenses and big John Lennon energy. Alas, everyone who wore them looked like a beetle (of the insect variety).

At around $35, the medium-size Knockaround Mai Tais round sunglasses don’t offer the knockout value of our far cheaper Sungait Vintage Round pick, nor do they have the luxe feel of our pricier Kent Wang Keyhole pick.

The slim, round Nooz Optics Cruz sunglasses have ultra-light (0.4-ounce) TR90 plastic frames that fold flat; they used to be our pick as a compact option for travel. But the small, close-set lenses look absurd on all but the tiniest faces. And, at nearly $70, they’re also the priciest pair we tested.

The Sojos Small Round Polarized Sunglasses are cheap (around $15), and it showed. The small plastic frames felt flimsy, with stiff, tough-to-open hinges.

The smallish Sunski Yuba sunglasses are nearly identical to the Sunski Dipsea sunglasses we recommend in our other good sunnies section (though the Yuba’s lenses aren’t quite as large or round). Both were promising, but we decided to have our panel test the Dipsea pair over the Yuba, because the Dipsea sunglasses come in more colors and have slightly higher customer ratings.

The medium-size Tifosi Svago sunglasses—made from durable TR90—are sporty and lightweight. It’s too bad these sunnies have hinges that open and close abruptly, and there’s unattractive branding on both the temples and the left lens.

Square and Wayfarer-style sunglasses

The medium-size, square plastic Blenders Sydney sunglasses used to be a pick. However, when we retested them in 2024, panelists complained that they sat lopsided, and nearly everyone preferred the shape of our I-Sea Cove square pick, which costs about $10 less.

We tried one square and one Wayfarer-style pair from EyeBuyDirect; both can be purchased with prescription lenses (starting at $20); polarized lenses add an extra $40. With their oversize plastic frames, the square EyeBuyDirect Kauri sunglasses didn’t seem especially sturdy, and the hinges were stiff and difficult to open and close. Meanwhile, the large, Wayfarer-style EyeBuyDirect Frasier sunglasses come in just two colors—bright teal and black—which is fairly limiting.

Readers told us they were interested in wraparound sunglasses, and we listened. The I-Sea Greyson 2.0 sunglasses are a large, square-lensed pair made from tough TR90 plastic. Multiple testers from our panel seemed somewhat pleasantly surprised by these, noting that, as wraparounds go, these are pretty much as good as it gets. But ultimately, we just couldn’t get past their aggressive, goggle-like styling. As one panelist put it: “I look like Robocop in them. Negative two out of 10.”

The acetate Kent Wang Sunglasses Knox frames are more rectangular in shape than they are square: Their skinny horizontal lenses weren’t very flattering, and they let in more sunlight than other pairs.

Though the Foster Grant Hugo plastic frames are wider than most Wayfarer-style shades, they didn’t offer enough vertical coverage.

The large, Wayfarer-style Knockaround Premiums sunglasses are sturdy and come in lots of colorways (you can even build your own). That said, the similarly shaped Goodr OG sunnies are comfier and less expensive, and they feel just as solid.

The PolarSpex Polarized Classic Sunglasses—a large, plastic Wayfarer-style pair—are inexpensive, and the quality reflects that. The hinges were stiff and creaky, and the lenses scratched easily.

The Shady Rays Classic Original sunglasses are a well-built, medium- to large-size pair of plastic Wayfarer-style sunnies, with a limited lifetime warranty. But the branding, on the temples (arms) and right lens, was just too prominent for our taste.

The TR90 plastic Tifosi Swank sunglasses—a sporty-looking, medium-size square pair—had lenses that scratched easily in our stress tests. And the branding, on the temples and left lens, is conspicuous.

We looked silly in the large, plastic ZeroUV Classic Large Polarized Lens Horned Rim Sunglasses: They sat too high on the face, covering the eyebrows. We also had difficulty opening and closing the temples.

This article was edited by Ingela Ratledge Amundson and Jennifer Hunter. Justin Krajeski contributed reporting and wrote an earlier version of this article.