Great trainer for everything on a road or track.
5/5
Overall
Sum dude · Sep 11, 2025
45 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the Nike Vomero 17
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 5/5
- Durability
- 4/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 5/5
New Balance FuelCell Rebel v4
Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 6.5 oz · Men's 34/28mm · women's 30/24mm stack · 6mm drop
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 is one of the strongest daily trainers in our data. Value and looks are its strongest sub-ratings. Durability scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating is based on 38 runner reviews and 4 other rated shoes in the FuelCell Rebel product line.
Exceptional
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.
Confidence
96 Very high
External retailer ratings
We break apart ratings from mass-market retailers and specialty running shops since they serve different audiences.
The middle of the bar marks the typical shoe at each type of retailer. The dot shows where this shoe ranks in comparison.
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.
- Our ratings
- Product line track record
- External ratings
What runners say
“EVA+PEBA mix of the midsole gives the shoe a unique snappiness that you can feel in each stride.”
“Feels super light for the amount of cushion and has enough stability and rubber to feel planted at speed.”
“Fast enough for tempo, but cushioned enough for easy/long runs.”
“Great cushioning. Wide toebox without being a sloppy fit.”
“Well cushioned, very roomy, but sloppy upper and arch support that gets in the way.”
“Cushioning is forgiving but also springy.”
“Sweet spot on 10K to 21K pace runs with perfectly balanced cushioning and responsiveness.”
“Feel extremely light on the feet and lots of energy return in every step.”
“They are not the most stable shoe nor comfortable.”
“Soft on the back of the heel and the wide size is plenty wide in the toes.”
“Perfect balance between price and performance and cushion.”
“Upper is very roomy and comfortable, but is so roomy that it makes it hard to get a good lock down.”
“Lightweight daily trainer with the ability to handle threshold and hill repeats.”
“The arch of the shoe gets in the way of any foot strike.”
“Wide platform and stable neutral.”
“Gaps on either side of my heel in both 10 and 9.5.”
“Use it up to 10 miles but it would probably be fine going longer.”
Prefer this shoe over another
88% 14/16
Where to buy
No offers available
Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.
Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 22.
Pros
- Light at 6.3 oz, and reviewers use it for easy runs and workouts alike.
- Three reviewers call it a clear improvement over the Rebel v3.
- Many runners describe a springy, responsive ride at faster paces.
Cons
- Durability is its lowest-rated dimension at 4.2 out of 5.
- Three reviewers find the fit roomy, with loose heel lockdown.
- One reviewer says the arch gets in the way of any foot strike and that the snap of earlier Rebels is gone.
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.
Better Shoes Rating
Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the New Balance FuelCell Rebel
Each dot is one version of the FuelCell Rebel, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.
Release year
-
2025 · 7 reviews
92 Very good
79 Confidence
-
FuelCell Rebel v4 This shoe
2024 · 38 reviews
98 Exceptional
96 Confidence
-
2022 · 45 reviews
88 Good
97 Confidence
-
2021 · 9 reviews
87 Good
86 Confidence
-
2019 · 13 reviews
76 Decent
92 Confidence
Specs & fit
Sizing and ride details at a glance.
- Weight
- 6.5 oz
- Men's / women's
- Men's 6.9 oz · Women's 6.0 oz
- Release
- 2024 Q1
- MSRP
- $140
- Stack
- Men's 34/28mm · women's 30/24mm
- Drop
- 6mm
Runner reviews
Very comfortable neutral trainer with soft heel counter
5/5
Overall
I have chronic insertional Achilles issues and I need a shoe with a very soft back of the heel, which is somewhat hard to find. I also have very wide forefeet but fairly narrow heels. This shoe is extremely comfortable--soft on the back of the heel and the wide size is plenty wide in the toes. A neutral shoe with enough but not too much cushion. Not particularly light, but fine for training and racing half-marathons. So far durability seems good but I haven't put enough miles on them to know. The bright orange color is grating but I don't buy shoes based on looks. I bought mine on Amazon for well under $100.
Anonymous runner · Mar 26, 2025
25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 14
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 5/5
- Durability
- 5/5
- Appearance
- 4/5
- Value
- 5/5
great value for all around
5/5
Overall
fast enough for tempo, but cushioned enough for easy/long runs
Anonymous runner · Dec 12, 2024
20 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the On Cloudsurfer 6
- Comfort
- 4/5
- Cushioning
- 4/5
- Durability
- 4/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 5/5
Runs a little big
4/5
Overall
Great shoe for speed work/repeats on the track as a 400-800 runner, feels super light for the amount of cushion and it has enough stability and rubber to feel planted at speed. It does fit very large, I have a wide fit and even the normal width feels a little loose.
Anonymous runner · Dec 7, 2024
15 mpw training for middle distance came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 40
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 5/5
- Durability
- 4/5
- Appearance
- 4/5
- Value
- 4/5
Nice lightweight trainer
4/5
Overall
Enjoy it for moderate-length and moderate-pace runs, and works fine for shorter hills and uptempo runs.
Anonymous runner · Dec 3, 2024
8 mpw training for 5K and 10K
- Comfort
- 4/5
- Cushioning
- 4/5
- Durability
- 3/5
- Appearance
- 4/5
- Value
- 4/5
More from New Balance
Compared to other shoes
See how this shoe compares to others like it.
New Balance FuelCell Rebel v4 In Context
More on the New Balance FuelCell Rebel
- New Balance FuelCell Rebel v5 next version
- New Balance FuelCell Rebel v3 previous version
- New Balance FuelCell Rebel v2
- New Balance Fuelcell Rebel v1
Reviewers Also Ran In
- ASICS Novablast 4 2 runners
- Saucony Kinvara 14 2 runners
- New Balance FuelCell Rebel v3 2 runners