Type a shoe name, like Pegasus, Clifton or Kayano.

HOKA Gaviota 2

Daily trainer · Stability · Road · 10.9 oz · 5mm drop · 32/27mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The HOKA Gaviota 3 replaced it

How it ranks

The HOKA Gaviota 2 ranks among the stronger daily trainers in our data. Cushioning and durability are its strongest sub-ratings. The rating rests on 7 runner reviews and 5 other rated shoes in the Gaviota product line. Another 5 reviews would set the confidence on this shoe's own reviews.

HOKA Gaviota 2

of 5

Very good

91/100
Overall
91
Cushioning
98
Durability
92
Comfort
87
Appearance
65
Value
60
Confidence

Confidence

How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence will score low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

79/100

79

What runners say

“Used these for marathon training and feet still felt okay with 90 mile weeks”
5/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a marathon came from the HOKA Bondi 6
“Feels too stiff, cushioning seems different from the first version and is definitely not as comfortable”
2/5 Full review
“Standard width felt a little too narrow in the store, so I ordered the wide width”
4/5 Full review 15 mpw came from the HOKA Bondi 5
“This shoe has kept me going 4-5 miles a day at 74 years old”
5/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Beast
“Gaviota still has great cushioning but a little more stability”
4/5 Full review 15 mpw came from the HOKA Bondi 5
“Great combo of stability, light weight and cushion”
5/5 Full review 22 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Gaviota

Prefer this shoe over another

60% 3/5

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.


Pros

  • Reviewers praise the cushioning, including one logging 90-mile weeks in marathon training.
  • Every reviewer rates durability 4 or 5 out of 5.

Cons

  • One reviewer finds the standard width too narrow and orders the wide.
  • Value is among its weakest scores, at 3.6 out of 5.
  • Appearance is its lowest-rated dimension, and one reviewer headlines a review calling it ugly.

Rating & Confidence vs. other shoes for sale

Each dot is one rated shoe for sale, placed by its rating and by how much evidence sits behind it. Shoes toward the top right are both well rated and well established.

Confidence
50 60 70 80 90 100 25 50 75 100

Better Shoes Rating

Gaviota 2 rates 91. This shoe has moderate certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the HOKA Gaviota

Each dot is one version of the Gaviota, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

Release year

We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating. See why.
  • Gaviota 6

    2025 · 0 reviews

    90 Very good

    43 Confidence

  • Gaviota 5

    2023 · 15 reviews

    93 Excellent

    84 Confidence

  • Gaviota 4

    2022 · 4 reviews

    98 Exceptional

    86 Confidence

  • Gaviota 3

    2021 · 1 review

    88 Good

    44 Confidence

  • Gaviota 2 This shoe

    2018 · 7 reviews

    91 Very good

    79 Confidence

  • Gaviota

    2017 · 4 reviews

    97 Excellent

    84 Confidence

Reader Ratings

7 ratings
5/5 4
4/5 2
3/5 0
2/5 1
1/5 0

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight
10.9 oz
Release
2018 Q4
MSRP
$150
Stack Height
32mm heel - 27mm toe
Drop Height
5mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Showing 1–5 of 7 written reviews

Mad Dog's Assessment

5/5

Overall

I love this shoe. Years of running (60 years and over 150k logged) I need plenty of support and stability without sacrificing weight. This shoe has kept me going 4-5 miles a day at 74 years old.

HUMBOLDTOLBOY · Jan 28, 2020

25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Beast

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

Needed more stability in my life

4/5

Overall

My prior Hoka's were the Clifton and Bondi, which were used mainly for walking with a a few short runs sprinkled in. Now I'm over some injuries and able to run a little more, and I felt the Bondi was just a little too soft. Gaviota still has great cushioning but a little more stability. Standard width felt a little too narrow in the store, so I ordered the wide width.

Anonymous runner · Dec 29, 2019

15 mpw came from the HOKA Bondi 5

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

fabulous

5/5

Overall

Very comfortable ;“When we ignore or fight our bodies’ natural movement pattern,such as by trying to control pronation, the risk of injury rises.”

Anonymous runner · Aug 10, 2019

50 mpw came from the Saucony Triumph 3

Comfort
4/5
Cushioning
5/5
Durability
5/5
Appearance
2/5
Value
5/5

Ugly, but great cushioning and surprisingly light.

5/5

Overall

Used these for marathon training and feet still felt okay with 90 mile weeks.

Anonymous runner · Jul 26, 2019

60 mpw training for a marathon came from the HOKA Bondi 6

Comfort
5/5
Cushioning
5/5
Durability
4/5
Appearance
1/5
Value
2/5

Reader review

4/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Jul 13, 2019

35 mpw training for a marathon

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

Alternatives

Other shoes worth considering.

More from HOKA

Compared to other shoes

See how this shoe compares to others like it.

Current shoe
Choose a model
Best durability
Newest
Lightest / Lowest price / Best overall
Shoe properties
Type
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Pronation
Stability
Stability
Neutral
Weight
10.9 oz M
8.5 oz M Lightest
Stack
32/27mm
40/35mm
Drop
5mm
5mm
Release
2018 Q4
2025 Newest
2023 Q1
MSRP
$150
$180
$145
Best price
$152.06
$149.99 Lowest price
Ratings
Overall
Very good (91)
Very good (90)
Exceptional (99) Best overall
Comfort
Good (87)
Good (88)
Exceptional (99) Best comfort
Cushioning
Exceptional (98)
Exceptional (97)
Exceptional (99) Best cushioning
Durability
Very good (92) Best durability
Good (87)
Very good (92)
Appearance
Below average (65)
Decent (74)
Very good (91) Best appearance
Value
Below average (60)
Below average (70)
Good (88) Best value
Specific shoe

Search for the exact model to add to this comparison.