New Balance FuelCell Rebel v4

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 6.3 oz · 6mm drop · 34/28mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The New Balance FuelCell Rebel v5 replaced it

How it ranks

The New Balance FuelCell Rebel v4 rates in the 99th percentile overall among daily trainers. Its strongest dimension is looks (99th percentile); its weakest is durability (59th). Of 14 runners who came to it from another shoe, 14 preferred it to what they ran before.

Based on 19 runner reviews here plus retailer ratings.

New Balance FuelCell Rebel v4

/ 5

Exceptional

Overall rating

We estimate how this shoe ranks by combining runner ratings, whether reviewers say they'd buy a shoe again, and direct comparisons to other shoes they've run in. We also consider related product-line performance and trusted external ratings. More review data helps narrow the likely rating range.

Better Shoes Rating

Exceptional (99/100)

Compared To Other Shoes

Scores better than 99% of shoes

Compared with all shoes

The shaded band shows the rating range we think is most likely.

99/100
Overall

Overall rating

We estimate how this shoe ranks by combining runner ratings, whether reviewers say they'd buy a shoe again, and direct comparisons to other shoes they've run in. We also consider related product-line performance and trusted external ratings. More review data helps narrow the likely rating range.

Better Shoes Rating

Exceptional (99/100)

Compared To Other Shoes

Scores better than 99% of shoes

Compared with all shoes

The shaded band shows the rating range we think is most likely.

99
Value

Value rating

We estimate how this shoe ranks by combining runner ratings, whether reviewers say they'd buy a shoe again, and direct comparisons to other shoes they've run in. We also consider related product-line performance and trusted external ratings. More review data helps narrow the likely rating range.

Better Shoes Rating

Exceptional (99/100)

Compared To Other Shoes

Scores better than >99% of shoes

Compared with all shoes

The shaded band shows the rating range we think is most likely.

99
Appearance

Appearance rating

We estimate how this shoe ranks by combining runner ratings, whether reviewers say they'd buy a shoe again, and direct comparisons to other shoes they've run in. We also consider related product-line performance and trusted external ratings. More review data helps narrow the likely rating range.

Better Shoes Rating

Exceptional (99/100)

Compared To Other Shoes

Scores better than 99% of shoes

Compared with all shoes

The shaded band shows the rating range we think is most likely.

99
Comfort

Comfort rating

We estimate how this shoe ranks by combining runner ratings, whether reviewers say they'd buy a shoe again, and direct comparisons to other shoes they've run in. We also consider related product-line performance and trusted external ratings. More review data helps narrow the likely rating range.

Better Shoes Rating

Exceptional (97/100)

Compared To Other Shoes

Scores better than 97% of shoes

Compared with all shoes

The shaded band shows the rating range we think is most likely.

97
Cushioning

Cushioning rating

We estimate how this shoe ranks by combining runner ratings, whether reviewers say they'd buy a shoe again, and direct comparisons to other shoes they've run in. We also consider related product-line performance and trusted external ratings. More review data helps narrow the likely rating range.

Better Shoes Rating

Excellent (94/100)

Compared To Other Shoes

Scores better than 93% of shoes

Compared with all shoes

The shaded band shows the rating range we think is most likely.

94
Durability

Durability rating

We estimate how this shoe ranks by combining runner ratings, whether reviewers say they'd buy a shoe again, and direct comparisons to other shoes they've run in. We also consider related product-line performance and trusted external ratings. More review data helps narrow the likely rating range.

Better Shoes Rating

Good (76/100)

Compared To Other Shoes

Scores better than 59% of shoes

Compared with all shoes

The shaded band shows the rating range we think is most likely.

76

What runners say

“EVA+PEBA mix of the midsole gives the shoe a unique snappiness that you can feel in each stride.”
5/5 Full review
“Feels super light for the amount of cushion and has enough stability and rubber to feel planted at speed.”
4/5 Full review
“Fast enough for tempo, but cushioned enough for easy/long runs.”
5/5 Full review
“Great cushioning. Wide toebox without being a sloppy fit.”
5/5 Full review
“Well cushioned, very roomy, but sloppy upper and arch support that gets in the way.”
HarrierStu 3/5 Full review
“Cushioning is forgiving but also springy.”
5/5 Full review
“Sweet spot on 10K to 21K pace runs with perfectly balanced cushioning and responsiveness.”
5/5 Full review
“Feel extremely light on the feet and lots of energy return in every step.”
5/5 Full review
“Upper is very roomy and comfortable, but is so roomy that it makes it hard to get a good lock down.”
HarrierStu 3/5 Full review
“Soft on the back of the heel and the wide size is plenty wide in the toes.”
5/5 Full review

Prefer this shoe over another

88% 14/16

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • A majority of reviewers like this shoe more than their last shoe.
  • Reviewers rate this shoe better than the FuelCell Rebel v3.
  • One of the most popular shoes among LetsRun.com readers.
  • Rated among the top 5% of shoes overall.
  • Rated among the top 10% of shoes on comfort.

Cons

  • Rated below average on durability.

Reader Ratings

38 reader ratings
5/5
26
4/5
10
3/5
2
2/5
0
1/5
0

Runner reviews

Write a review

Showing 16–19 of 19 written reviews

Almost a 10/10 all around

Anonymous runner · Apr 12, 2024

5/5

Overall

The New Balance Rebel v4 are one of the most fun shoes I've run in lately. One of my favorite features of this model is the EVA+PEBA mix of the midsole, which gives the shoe a unique snappiness that you can feel in each stride. I've run all type of trainings with this shoes: easy runs, tempos, intervals and even all out repetitions, and they responded pretty well in most cases, finding their sweet spot on the 10K to 21K pace runs, in which the combination of cushioning and responsiveness of the v4's was perfectly balanced. I'll say that de Rebel v4 are intended to fill the gap on those not-so-hard-but-still-somewhat-hard runs. If you've run with the Asics Novablast, think of the v4's as a less firmer version of those shoes.

Comfort
5/5
Cushioning
5/5
Durability
4/5
Appearance
5/5
Value
4/5

NB Rebel V4: Why keep the Rebel name?

HarrierStu · Mar 29, 2024

3/5

Overall

Well cushioned, very roomy, but sloppy upper and arch support that gets in the way.

All 3 previous iterations of the NB rebel line wear light snappy and were shoes that didn't get in the way.  

While sill light, the snap is gone, and the arch of the shoe gets in the way of any foot strike.  

Upper is very roomy and comfortable, but is so roomy that it makes it hard to get a good lock down.

The worse fitting spot for me was the heel.  Gaps on either side of my heel in both 10 and 9.5.

While the Rebel 2 and 3 ran a bit "short" the Rebel 4 runs true to size of typical NB shoe, think 880, 1080, etc.

This is no longer an performance trainer, but a light extremely cushioned easy day shoe.

If I were in charge of NB I would have retired the Rebel name and given this shoe a new name.  Perhaps, the law abiding citizen???

Comfort
3/5
Cushioning
5/5
Durability
4/5
Appearance
5/5
Value
4/5

Improved take on a favorite

Anonymous runner · Mar 28, 2024

5/5

Overall

So far I love the Rebel v4. The cushioning is forgiving but also springy. Upper feels like a racer. Appreciate the rubber on the sole for durability. Feels good at an easy jog but also picks up well.

Comfort
5/5
Cushioning
5/5
Durability
5/5
Appearance
5/5
Value
5/5

The Rebel V4 is A Winner

Anonymous runner · Mar 2, 2024

5/5

Overall

All around improvement over the Rebel V3. Closer to the V2 when it comes to overall comfort, great appearance, and a fast feel. The improvement over both the Rebel V2 & V3 making it the best Rebel yet is more stable, more cushion, and more pop.

Comfort
5/5
Cushioning
5/5
Durability
4/5
Appearance
5/5
Value
5/5

Where to buy

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Compared to other shoes

See how this shoe compares to others like it.

New Balance FuelCell Rebel v4
New Balance FuelCell Rebel v5
ASICS SUPERBLAST 2
FuelCell Rebel v4
FuelCell Rebel v5
SUPERBLAST 2
Current shoe
Choose a model
Lightest / Best appearance / Best value
Newest
Best overall / Best comfort / Best cushioning
Shoe properties
Type
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Pronation
Neutral
Neutral
Neutral
Weight
6.3 oz M Lightest
6.9 oz M
—
Stack
34/28mm
35/29mm
—
Drop
6mm
6mm
7mm
Release
2024 Q1
2025 Q2 Newest
2024 Q2
MSRP
$139.99 Lower MSRP
$159.99
$200
Best price
—
—
$149.99
Ratings
Overall
Exceptional (99%)
Excellent (95%)
Exceptional (>99%) Best overall
Comfort
Excellent (97%)
Excellent (95%)
Exceptional (99%) Best comfort
Cushioning
Excellent (93%)
Very good (85%)
Exceptional (99%) Best cushioning
Durability
Average (59%)
Bottom tier (15%)
Exceptional (99%) Best durability
Appearance
Exceptional (99%) Best appearance
Above average (62%)
Exceptional (97%)
Value
Exceptional (>99%) Best value
Excellent (94%)
Very good (87%)
Specific shoe

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Where the New Balance FuelCell Rebel v4 sits

The FuelCell Rebel line

Compare every FuelCell Rebel version

Reviewers came to it from

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