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

New Balance FuelCell Propel v4

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 10.7 oz · 6mm drop · 34/28mm stack

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

How it ranks

The New Balance FuelCell Propel v4 trails most daily trainers in our data. Comfort and value are its strongest sub-ratings. The rating rests on 12 runner reviews and 3 other rated shoes in the FuelCell Propel product line.

New Balance FuelCell Propel v4

of 5

Bottom-tier

46/100
Overall
46
Comfort
63
Value
58
Cushioning
55
Durability
51
Appearance
51
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

94/100

94

What runners say

“Saved from the abyss of foot injuries caused by high arches and supination”
5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a marathon came from the HOKA Rincon 3
“Awful sizing—runs 1 size small”
3/5 Full review 16 mpw training for 5K and 10K
“Rubber is a bit thin; mediocre durability expected (~350 miles)”
5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a marathon came from the HOKA Rincon 3
“Too squishy/heavy to pick up the pace”
3/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Endorphin Speed 2
“Feels like Nike Pegasus in give, but more stable for underpronators”
5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a marathon came from the HOKA Rincon 3
“Started hurting after 4 months/200 miles”
3/5 Full review 16 mpw training for 5K and 10K
“Plate rolls up on lateral side, acts as guard against overpronation”
5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a marathon came from the HOKA Rincon 3
“Cheaper upper construction leads to inadequate lockdown”
4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the HOKA Clifton 9
“Kept up great through 350 miles”
4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the HOKA Clifton 9
“Upper is overly roomy”
5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a marathon came from the HOKA Rincon 3

Prefer this shoe over another

33% 3/9

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

  • Reviewers rate comfort 4.5 out of 5 and cushioning 4.2 out of 5.
  • It lists at $110, below the $150 median for daily trainers on sale, and three reviewers call it a bargain for a plated shoe.
  • Two reviewers say the TPU plate firms up soft foam, one finding it steadies their supination.

Cons

  • Averaging 10.1 oz across the men's and women's builds, it is well above the 8.9 oz median for daily trainers on sale, and two reviewers find it heavy and squishy at pace.
  • Reviewers rate durability 3.6 out of 5, and two expect about 350 miles from the thin outsole rubber.
  • Reviewers rate appearance 3.5 out of 5, its lowest dimension.

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

FuelCell Propel v4 rates 46. This shoe has high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the New Balance FuelCell Propel

Each dot is one version of the FuelCell Propel, 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.

  • FuelCell Propel v5

    2024 · 1 review

    68 Below average

    37 Confidence

  • FuelCell Propel v4 This shoe

    2023 · 12 reviews

    46 Bottom-tier

    94 Confidence

  • FuelCell Propel v2

    2020 · 1 review

    61 Below average

    23 Confidence

  • FuelCell Propel

    2019 · 3 reviews

    48 Bottom-tier

    80 Confidence

Reader Ratings

12 ratings
5/5 3
4/5 3
3/5 6
2/5 0
1/5 0
See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight
10.7 oz
Release
2023 Q1
MSRP
$110
Stack Height
34mm heel - 28mm toe
Drop Height
6mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Showing 1–5 of 8 written reviews

Good brand, Good shoe, Not for me

3/5

Overall

This is a good shoe, but not for me. I am a beginning runner with a heel strike and the highest archers ever. This shoe is nice, with excellent cushioning, and a nice color scheme. This shoe has awful sizing, a mens 9 when I normally wear 10. I also do not like the styling, but that is just me. Trained and raced in these shoes. Started hurting in them after 4 months, or 200 miles. If you are a plain neutral runner without a heel strike, excellent shoe.

Anonymous runner · Feb 6, 2025

16 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the ASICS GEL-Contend 9

Comfort
5/5
Cushioning
4/5
Durability
3/5
Appearance
2/5
Value
3/5

Good brand, Good shoe, Not for me

3/5

Overall

This is a good shoe, but not for me. I am a beginning runner with a heel strike and the highest archers ever. This shoe is nice, with excellent cushioning, and a nice color scheme. This shoe has awful sizing, a mens 9 when I normally wear 10. I also do not like the styling, but that is just me. Trained and raced in these shoes. Started hurting in them after 4 months, or 200 miles. If you are a plain neutral runner without a heel strike, excellent shoe.

Anonymous runner · Feb 6, 2025

16 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the ASICS GEL-Contend 9

Comfort
5/5
Cushioning
4/5
Durability
3/5
Appearance
2/5
Value
3/5

Good brand, Good shoe, Not for me

3/5

Overall

This is a good shoe, but not for me. I am a beginning runner with a heel strike and the highest archers ever. This shoe is nice, with excellent cushioning, and a nice color scheme. This shoe has awful sizing, a mens 9 when I normally wear 10. I also do not like the styling, but that is just me. Trained and raced in these shoes. Started hurting in them after 4 months, or 200 miles. If you are a plain neutral runner without a heel strike, excellent shoe.

Anonymous runner · Feb 6, 2025

16 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the ASICS GEL-Contend 9

Comfort
5/5
Cushioning
4/5
Durability
3/5
Appearance
2/5
Value
3/5

Good brand, Good shoe, Not for me

3/5

Overall

This is a good shoe, but not for me. I am a beginning runner with a heel strike and the highest archers ever. This shoe is nice, with excellent cushioning, and a nice color scheme. This shoe has awful sizing, a mens 9 when I normally wear 10. I also do not like the styling, but that is just me. Trained and raced in these shoes. Started hurting in them after 4 months, or 200 miles. If you are a plain neutral runner without a heel strike, excellent shoe.

Anonymous runner · Feb 6, 2025

16 mpw training for 5K and 10K

Comfort
5/5
Cushioning
4/5
Durability
3/5
Appearance
2/5
Value
3/5

Reader review

3/5

Overall

A touch too squishy/heavy to pick up the pace in.

Anonymous runner · Feb 9, 2024

30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Endorphin Speed 2

Comfort
2/5
Cushioning
3/5
Durability
4/5
Appearance
3/5
Value
4/5

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Nike Quest 6

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Nike Free Run 5.0

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Compared to other shoes

See how this shoe compares to others like it.

New Balance FuelCell Propel v4
New Balance FuelCell Propel v5
HOKA Clifton 9
FuelCell Propel v4
FuelCell Propel v5
Clifton 9
Current shoe
Choose a model
Reference shoe
Newest / Lowest price
Best overall / Best comfort / Best cushioning
Shoe properties
Type
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Pronation
Neutral
Neutral
Neutral
Weight
10.7 oz M
8.5 oz M
8.5 oz M
Stack
34/28mm
37/31mm
40/35mm
Drop
6mm
6mm
5mm
Release
2023 Q1
2024 Q2 Newest
2023 Q1
MSRP
$110
$120
$145
Best price
—
$59.97 Lowest price
$149.99
Ratings
Overall
Bottom-tier (46)
Below average (68)
Exceptional (99) Best overall
Comfort
Below average (63)
Below average (69)
Exceptional (99) Best comfort
Cushioning
Bottom-tier (55)
Decent (70)
Exceptional (99) Best cushioning
Durability
Bottom-tier (51)
Below average (66)
Very good (92) Best durability
Appearance
Bottom-tier (51)
Below average (69)
Very good (91) Best appearance
Value
Bottom-tier (58)
Decent (76)
Good (88) Best value
Specific shoe

Search for the exact model to add to this comparison.

New Balance FuelCell Propel v4 In Context

More on the New Balance FuelCell Propel

Compare every FuelCell Propel version

Reviewers Also Ran In

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