The 2 Best Treadmills of 2025
Many of the treadmills we’ve tested over the years have been discontinued or replaced by newer versions. The following are treadmills we’ve tested that remain available.
The Horizon Fitness T202 showed promise early on, with testers enjoying its belt, which had little to no give but wasn’t too soft, either. The main dealbreaker was that after three weeks of use, this machine’s belt became noticeably squeaky to a point that it distracted several runners. (A Horizon spokesperson said that if a customer is covered under the product warranty, the company will send out a service provider to fix this kind of issue on any of its treadmills.) Also, two testers felt electrical shocks when touching the handles while running.
Life Fitness treadmills are ubiquitous in gyms and hotel exercise rooms. We like the size, the easy-to-use features, and the strong warranty coverage of the Life Fitness T3. In our performance tests, however, it started out feeling sturdy but became more wobbly after repeated use over several weeks. The 3.0-horsepower motor took a while to ramp up to top speeds, and some testers reported there was more shaking the faster the belt went.
The NordicTrack EXP 7i, which we recommended as a lower-cost treadmill with a smaller footprint, has been discontinued. We still think it’s a worthwhile buy if you find one used. It has a soft deck and a 7-inch touchscreen that streams iFit programming, and it quickly adjusts up to a 12% incline and speeds of up to 12 mph.
The NordicTrack Commercial X22i incline trainer is extreme in every way—it inclines to a whopping 40%, declines to -6%, and sports a 22-inch color touchscreen that, though large and lovely to look at, was wobbly in our tests. We also found this treadmill to be loud: During testing, a colleague remarked from across the room that the Commercial X22i was significantly noisier than a different model he had heard a few minutes earlier. In addition, we noticed that its sled grips, which extend up from the arms and in toward the screen, blocked access to its water-bottle holders and platforms for holding a phone. (One tester wrote: “It felt like a Game of Thrones–style torture device with a space-age immersion screen.”) The deck was springy and made us feel as if we were wearing especially responsive running shoes. All in all, it’s a lot.
The ProForm Carbon TLX is a budget treadmill with good reviews, but we found that it shook far too much. One tester said: “I think I would rather run around my apartment in circles than run on this. It’s so unsteady, my phone fell off and my Stanley [tumbler] was rattling as though it were in an earthquake.” Some testers with mobility challenges appreciated the sturdy bar across the front of the machine, and they found that the treadmill adjusted speeds nicely. But the fan was not ideally placed for shorter testers (5-foot-5 and below), with the air hitting those runners right in the face. This model doesn’t have a fancy screen, just a basic digital readout indicating the time, pace, speed, and other metrics, but you can connect a device to the treadmill to access iFit workouts (with a subscription).
The Sole F63 disappointed us with a confusing display and slow responsiveness. The deck made a disquieting, off-and-on-again cracking noise while we ran, and the belt—which is two-ply, in contrast to the three-ply belts on most competitors—felt the hardest of the bunch. As on the Sole F80,on the F63 the front kickplate seemed to be oddly positioned, and we kept kicking it during our runs.
The Sole F80, formerly a pick in this guide, has a 10.1-inch touchscreen, a comfortable belt, and a 15% incline. We enjoyed this model’s tactile controls for speed and incline, as well as the handy wireless-charging station on its ample item-storage area. Some testers with balance issues appreciated how the belt started and stopped slowly. But a majority of our testers did not like the placement of the front kickplate, since many repeatedly hit their feet against it during their runs; this prompted some testers to run more closely to the edge of the belt than they preferred. Because the screen is angled away from the runner and is not adjustable, many testers had to reach forward to use the touchscreen and other controls—and this also led to more kicking of the front plate. “If I’m not running fast enough, or if I try to touch the console while I’m running, it feels like a tripping hazard,” one tester said. The Sole F80 also has a tablet holder on top of the touchscreen, but testers found that if they went over 5 mph, it shook to a point where their devices didn’t feel secure. Several testers also noted that the fan felt weak.
Although the Spirit XT485 has a 4.0-horsepower motor, in our tests it took longer than we expected to reach higher speeds. We also frequently hit the kickplate on this model, and we found its phone/tablet holder to be inconveniently placed (most devices cover up a good portion of the console’s screen, blocking the readouts). But the belt on our test unit was smooth and provided an enjoyable ride.
Shannon Palus and Ingrid Skjong contributed reporting. This article was edited by Tracy Vence and Kalee Thompson.
