Nike Air Zoom Elite 5

Name: Nike Air Zoom Elite 5
Brand: Nike
Rating: 4.3 (9 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Nike Air Zoom Elite 6 replaced it

How it ranks

The Nike Air Zoom Elite 5 ranks below most daily trainers in our data. Looks and cushioning are its strongest sub-ratings. Comfort scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 9 runner reviews and 4 other rated shoes in the Air Zoom Elite product line. Another 3 reviews would set the confidence on this shoe's own reviews.

Below average

69/100

Overall

Below average 69

Cushioning

Decent 79

Appearance

Decent 80

Value

Decent 71

Durability

Decent 70

Comfort

Bottom-tier 56

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

71/100

Moderate 71

What runners say

“Love the higher arch in the shoe - gives some support without a dual density post”

5/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a marathon

“The upper support around the midfoot tended to dig in to my foot a bit”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon

“Upper is too small and not pliable enough”

4/5 Full review training for a half marathon

“I think the 5 is the best”

5/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a marathon

“Midsole has fast responsive ride”

4/5 Full review training for a half marathon

Prefer this shoe over another

25% 1/4

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

One reviewer calls the midsole fast and responsive.
One reviewer who has worn about twenty-five pairs across the Air Zoom Elite line calls the 5 the best of them.
Comfort is among its best-rated dimensions at 4.3 out of 5 across nine reviewers.

Cons

Two reviewers find the upper tight, or digging in at the midfoot.

Air Zoom Elite 5 rates 69. This shoe has moderate certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Nike Air Zoom Elite

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

Rating

40 60 80 100

69 2012 93 2013 85 2014 90 2016 84 2017

Release year

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

Air Zoom Elite 9

2017 · 20 reviews

84 Good

89 Confidence
Air Zoom Elite 8

2016 · 11 reviews

90 Good

88 Confidence
Air Zoom Elite 7

2014 · 27 reviews

85 Good

93 Confidence
Air Zoom Elite 6

2013 · 38 reviews

93 Excellent

92 Confidence
Air Zoom Elite 5 This shoe

2012 · 9 reviews

69 Below average

71 Confidence

Reader Ratings

9 ratings

5/5 3

4/5 6

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: 2012

Runner reviews

Write a review

Reader review

4/5

Overall

texasrunner527 · Sep 20, 2014

30 mpw training for a half marathon

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

Reader review

4/5

Overall

midsole has fast responsive ride but upper is too small and not pliable enough.

Anonymous runner · Sep 19, 2014

training for a half marathon

Comfort: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 4/5

Reader review

4/5

Overall

I pretty much wore this shoe for everything. The only thing I didn't like was the upper support around the midfoot; it tended to dig in to my foot a bit.

Anonymous runner · Sep 18, 2014

40 mpw training for a half marathon