New Balance 880 v5

Name: New Balance 880 v5
Brand: New Balance
Rating: 4.6 (12 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The New Balance 880 v7 replaced it

How it ranks

The New Balance 880 v5 ranks above most daily trainers in our data. Comfort and durability are its strongest sub-ratings. The rating is based on 12 runner reviews and 13 other rated shoes in the 880 product line.

Decent

Overall

Decent 79

Durability

Good 89

Comfort

Good 88

Value

Good 86

Appearance

Good 82

Cushioning

Good 81

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 is low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

91 High

High 91

Based on

The bars show roughly how much each source contributes to this shoe’s rating. Their influence depends on how many reviews we’ve collected, how many earlier versions are in the product line, and the external ratings available.

Product line track record
Our ratings
External ratings

What runners say

“The tongue slides down your foot within the first few minutes of running”

4/5 Full review 70 mpw came from the Nike Air Pegasus+ 30

“The soles wear down like butter on a hot day”

4/5 Full review 55 mpw training for middle distance came from the New Balance 680 V4

“Will reasonably last about 300 miles, but above 350 the quality diminishes quickly”

4/5 Full review 70 mpw came from the Nike Air Pegasus+ 30

“Runs 1/2 size smaller than Fresh Foam 1080”

4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon

“Upper mesh is tough, comfortable while providing a snug fit and seems to wear well”

4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon

“When worn down, protection from sharp objects is nonexistent”

5/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 11

“The lack of bulk and weight allow it to be an effective speed trainer”

5/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 11

“The treads and uppers have lasted longer and look great”

5/5 Full review 28 mpw came from the Brooks Ghost 12

“As someone who pronates, the sides wear out quickly”

5/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 11

“Cushion is sufficient for comfortable long runs up to 18 miles”

5/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 11

“A solid, neutral shoe that protects feet from wear and tear day in and day out”

4/5 Full review 55 mpw training for middle distance came from the New Balance 680 V4

“Still going strong at 400 miles”

5/5 Full review 28 mpw came from the Brooks Ghost 12

“Comfortable and smooth, particularly for a shoe with an 11mm+ heel-to-toe drop”

4/5 Full review 70 mpw came from the Nike Air Pegasus+ 30

“Consistently reliable go-to shoe for the neutral runner”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Cumulus 15

“Feel a little clunky, in part due to a wider toebox”

4/5 Full review 70 mpw came from the Nike Air Pegasus+ 30

“Love it because of its appearance, durability, and cushioning”

5/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 23

“Great cushion and comfort, holding up great over the miles”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw came from the Saucony Kinvara 9

Prefer this shoe over another

56% 9/16

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 23.

Pros

Reviewers call it comfortable and well cushioned for long runs and daily miles.
It is the highest-scoring version of the 880 line we cover.
Two reviewers use it for tempo runs and intervals as well as easy miles.

Cons

One high-mileage reviewer finds the tongue slides down within the first few minutes of a run.
Two reviewers say the outsole wears down quickly, one putting the practical limit at 300 to 350 miles.
Three of twelve reviewers report an injury while running in it.

880 v5 rates 79. This shoe has high confidence. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the New Balance 880

Each dot is one version of the 880, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

40 60 80 100

66 2012 67 63 79 2016 72 65 65 2018 75 71 2020 82 85 2022 68 77 2025 75

Release year

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

Fresh Foam X 880 v15

2025 · 3 reviews

75 Decent

71 Confidence
Fresh Foam X 880v14

2025 · 7 reviews

77 Decent

86 Confidence
Fresh Foam X 880 v13

2023 · 14 reviews

68 Below average

91 Confidence
Fresh Foam X 880 v12

2022 · 13 reviews

85 Good

91 Confidence
Fresh Foam 880 v11

2021 · 3 reviews

82 Good

80 Confidence
Fresh Foam 880 v10

2020 · 6 reviews

71 Decent

85 Confidence
880 v9

2020 · 22 reviews

75 Decent

94 Confidence
880v8

2018 · 3 reviews

65 Below average

88 Confidence
880 v7

2018 · 11 reviews

65 Below average

90 Confidence
880 v6

2018 · 1 review

72 Decent

78 Confidence
880 v5 This shoe

2016 · 12 reviews

79 Decent

91 Confidence
880 v4

2016 · 7 reviews

63 Below average

90 Confidence
880 v3

2013 · 10 reviews

67 Below average

88 Confidence
880 v2

2012 · 4 reviews

66 Below average

84 Confidence

Runner Ratings

12 ratings

5/5 7

4/5 5

3/5 0

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Release: 2016

Runner reviews

Write a review

4/5

Overall

I recently purchase the 880v5 to add to my rotation of running shoes. As a distance runner, I am a huge fan of any running shoe with some extra toe box space. I was already running in the new Fresh Foam 1080s and love my New Balance trails shoes (Leadville and 910 Goretx version) but i needed a high mileage road shoe so I gave these a try. I find them to run 1/2 size smaller than my normal size 9 in the Fresh Foam 1080. The upper mesh is tough (in a good way), comfortable while providing a snug fit and seems to wear well. The treads are much better than the Fresh Foam and because of the stiffness in this shoe I find myself running on both dirt roads and paved roads comfortably. I find there to be less toe box space in the 880 vs the Fresh Foam 1080 and the fit is slightly narrower.

Anonymous runner · Jun 16, 2016

35 mpw training for a half marathon

Comfort: 5/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

4/5

Overall

The New Balance 880v5 is a good trainer for people looking to run high mileage on an old-school platform in the age of dropped heels. It's comfortable and smooth, particularly for a shoe with an 11mm+ heel-to-toe drop, and it survived reasonably well. I am a semi-pro runner (i.e. I get free stuff from my local running store and get free race entries, usually) so I put in around 70-80 miles per week. These shoes will reasonably last you about 300 miles, but once you hit above 350 the quality diminishes quickly. You'll notice tears in the lining and feel like the cushioning has effectively worn through, so be prepared to replace them after 2 months of use. They are light enough that you can make use of them during longer, slower workout efforts like tempos or fast-paced longer runs, but I don't recommend them for standard intervals or shorter speedwork. They feel a little to 'clunky', in part due to a wider toebox. The New Balance 880v5's have a fatal flaw, however; the shoe's tongue was designed in a manner that causes it to slide down your foot within the first few minutes of running and requires that you either, a) Stop to retie it, or b) Tie the laces tight and ignore the slippage when it happens. While this seems like a small issue, it makes a big difference in finding your rhythm with the shoe. Even walking around in these at work causes the tongue to slip down and the shoes to lose their snug feeling. The tongue issue is such a problem that I recommend looking for a different pair for people looking at trainers with a similar profile to the 880. Unless New Balance changes the material of the tongue, it will continue to be too slippery against a sock.

Anonymous runner · Dec 11, 2015

70 mpw came from the Nike Air Pegasus+ 30