Independent review aggregator RunRepeat.com looked at 134,867 reviews of 391 running shoes and found that expensive running shoes are rated worse than more-affordable ones.

Based on 134,867 reviews and 391 running shoes from 24 running shoe brands, the study found:

  • The higher the list price, the lower ratings the running shoes get.
  • The 10 most expensive running shoes (average list price: $181) are rated 8.1 percent worse than the 10 cheapest running shoes (average list price: $61).
  • Running specialist brands are rated 2.8 percent higher than running shoes from broad sports brands.
  • The top three best rated brands are: #1 Skechers, #2 Saucony and #3 Vibram FiveFingers, while the three worst rated are #22 New Balance, #23 Adidas and #24 Reebok. Adidas Group owns both Reebok and Adidas.
  • The three most affordable brands are #1 Skechers, #2 Vivobarefoot and #3 Puma, while the three most expensive brands are #22 On, #23 Newton and #24 Hoka One One.

Jens Jakob Andersen, founder of RunRepeat.com, said the finding “makes me question the consumerism we are experiencing towards premium running shoes.”

“We did the study to inform consumers, not to promote or hurt any specific brands,” he added. “We are an independent institution that pursues the vision of sharing the truths of the running shoe industry, and to help consumers choose the right running shoes.”

Jakob Andersen was formerly a competitive runner and lecturer in statistics at Copenhagen Business School.

This study claims to be the first to compare the correlation between the list price of running shoes and reviews.

The full study incl. graphics is available at: http://runrepeat.com/expensive-running-shoes-are-not-better-than-more-affordable-running-shoes-study.

RunRepeat.com, an ad free and cost free website, has more than 100,000 user reviews and 2,500 expert reviews.