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 among the stronger daily trainers in our data. Comfort and durability are its strongest sub-ratings. The rating rests on 12 runner reviews and 13 other rated shoes in the 880 product line.

Very good

92/100

Overall

Very good 92

Comfort

Excellent 95

Durability

Excellent 95

Cushioning

Very good 90

Value

Good 90

Appearance

Good 87

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

89/100

High 89

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

“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

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 Sep 14.

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 92. This shoe has high certainty. 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

73 2012 72 66 92 2016 76 66 78 2020 70 79 2021 90 60 2023 72 64 2018 78

Release year

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

Fresh Foam X 880v14

2025 · 6 reviews

78 Decent

74 Confidence
880v8

2018 · 3 reviews

64 Below average

81 Confidence
Fresh Foam X 880 v15

2025 · 2 reviews

72 Decent

53 Confidence
Fresh Foam X 880 v13

2023 · 13 reviews

60 Bottom-tier

85 Confidence
Fresh Foam X 880 v12

2022 · 13 reviews

90 Good

84 Confidence
Fresh Foam 880 v11

2021 · 3 reviews

79 Decent

53 Confidence
Fresh Foam 880 v10

2020 · 6 reviews

70 Below average

75 Confidence
880 v9

2020 · 22 reviews

78 Decent

90 Confidence
880 v7

2018 · 11 reviews

66 Below average

81 Confidence
880 v6

2018 · 1 review

76 Decent

36 Confidence
880 v5 This shoe

2016 · 12 reviews

92 Very good

89 Confidence
880 v4

2016 · 7 reviews

66 Below average

85 Confidence
880 v3

2013 · 10 reviews

72 Decent

78 Confidence
880 v2

2012 · 4 reviews

73 Decent

73 Confidence

Reader 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

Reader 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

Reader review

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