Track your workouts like an expert with the best running watches we’ve tested

Train more effectively, race stronger, and recover quicker with our pick of the best running watches on the market.

A good running watch is a powerful tool. The coaching elements can help fine-tune your training, measure your performance and progress, and boost motivation. Even the cheaper options now cover the basics, with reliable GPS, wrist-based heart rate tracking and loads of training, coaching and recovery insights to help you hit any goal.

What is the best running watch?

The Garmin Forerunner 965 is the best running watch I’ve tested. The ultra-crisp AMOLED touchscreen adds some user-friendly smartwatch style to Garmin’s market-leading training, performance and recovery insights. Accuracy across the board is generally impressive, and the week-long battery life caters for just about every level of runner. 

Other running watch recommendations

Best running watch on a budget	With the COROS Pace 3, COROS has added things we love to see like longer battery life, better GPS accuracy and some navigation smarts. For me, the Pace 3 builds on the bang-for-buck strength of the Pace 2 and I’d definitely recommend this highly for new runners, those on a budget or people looking for an unfussy watch that ticks the basic boxes – and goes a bit further to boot.
Best Polar running watch	The Polar Vantage V3 delivers a bright, smartwatch-style AMOLED display, multiband GPS with an upgraded chip, plus Polar’s new Gen 4 heart rate sensor setup that promises to boost the optical accuracy. The result is Polar’s best ever running watch.
Best AMOLED watch on a budget	The Suunto Race is an excellent watch for the price. The AMOLED screen is crisp; the breadth of training, navigation and health features is good; battery life is competitive; and GPS accuracy is largely on point
Best running smartwatch	The Apple Watch Ultra 2 sets the benchmark for smartwatches with running credentials. The native running experience now offers quite a lot of the training insights you’ll find on Garmin and if you’re willing to beef that up with third party apps it’ll do almost everything your Garmin, Polar or Suunto can do – just not in the same integrated fashion.

1. Garmin Forerunner 965

Display	AMOLED (optional always-on mode)
Display resolution	454 x 454 pixels
Display size	35.4mm (diameter)
Connectivity	Bluetooth, ANT+, WiFi
Weight	52g

Garmin has been top of the running watch tree for a little while, and for my money it stays there with the Forerunner 965 – the best running watch I had the pleasure of testing. It may be a lot more expensive that its predecessor but the host of upgrades make that extra outlay well worth it.

The large AMOLED touchscreen display looks great and makes the interface experience a dream. That’s partnered with big battery life, accurate GPS and a host of performance metrics that can genuinely enhance your running.

• Read more: Garmin Forerunner 965 review

2. COROS Pace 3

Display	Touch screen always-on memory LCD
Display resolution	240 x 240 pixels
Display size	1.2 inches (diameter)
Connectivity	Bluetooth, WiFi
Weight	39g with silicon band; 30g with nylon band

It doesn’t boast the crystal-clear AMOLED display of the other running watches featured in this guide, but the COROS Pace 3 is more budget-friendly for it. And what it lacks in crispness it more than makes up for with a suite of run-boosting features. There aren’t many sub-£300 running watches where you’ll find features like blood oxygen level monitoring or a barometric altimeter.

Building on the impressive foundations of the COROS Pace 2, the Pace 3 brings in bigger batter life – I got 15.5 hours of GPS training out of it on a single charge – and accurate GPS in Dual Frequency Mode.

• Read more: COROS Pace 3 review

3. Polar Vantage V3

Display	AMOLED
Display resolution	454 x 454 pixels
Display size	1.39 inches (diameter)
Connectivity	Bluetooth, ANT+
Weight	57g

Polar is back with a bang with the Vantage V3, a great-looking running watch that does the basics very well, and introduces a few useful extras. Free Strava and Komoot subscriptions aren’t to be sniffed at either.

Wrist-based heart rate tracking still has a way to go, but I found the Vantage V3 provided one of the most reliably accurate heart rate measurements of any of the running watches I tested. The AMOLED display is big and bright, and the interface intuitive. Battery life is an improvement on previous models too.

• Read more: Polar Vantage V3 review

4. Suunto Race

Display	AMOLED
Display resolution	466 x 466 pixels
Display size	1.43 inches (diameter)
Connectivity	Bluetooth, WiFi
Weight	83g

If Suunto has struggled to make a mark with its recent running watches, the Suunto Race represents a big step in the right direction. It’s a beast of a watch, with a huge display that’s easy to read and navigate on the run. Speaking of navigation, performance is a definite improvement over previous models thanks to multiband, dual frequency GPS.

Battery life is impressive, too, especially given the size of screen that needs powering, and it’s considerably cheaper than the other AMOLED options in this list.

• Read more: Suunto Race review

5. OnePlus Watch 2

Display	AMOLED
Display resolution	466 x 466 pixels
Display size	1.43 inches (diameter)
Connectivity	Bluetooth, WiFi
Weight	80g

OnePlus has to be the first WearOS to provide us with usable multi-day battery performance in the Watch 2. It’s perhaps the most stylish looking watch on test and works in two modes to optimize battery life. In Smart mode you have access to all its fitness functionality and to third-party apps with a four-day batter life. In Power Saver mode that life extends to 12 days, with access to the watch’s built-in apps, sports modes and tracking features.

Sleep and heart rate tracking are decent and despite its svelte appearance it’s robust enough to withstand the rigors of adventurous workouts too.

• Read our full OnePlus Watch 2 review

6. Apple Watch Ultra 2

Display	Retina LTPO OLED, 3000 nits (peak)
Display resolution	502 x 410 pixels
Display size	1.92 inches (diameter)
Connectivity	Bluetooth, WiFi
Weight	61.4g

If you want a smartwatch you can do a bit of running with, and have a big budget to play with, look no further than the Apple Watch Ultra 2. For day-to-day tracking and smartwatch features, Apple continues to be well out in front.

However, there are better – and cheaper – watches available if you want to go deep diving into your running metrics. And not many people buy Apple Watches for their battery life. But for smartwatch features and the best screen in the business, Apple still takes some beating.

• Read more: Apple Watch Ultra 2 review

7. Garmin Forerunner 165 Music

Display	Color AMOLED touchscreen
Display resolution	390 x 390 pixels
Display size	1.2 inches (diameter)
Connectivity	Bluetooth, WiFi
Weight	39g

With the Forerunner 165 Music, Garmin looks to be setting a new benchmarks for budget running watches. For under $300 you still get most of the significant training insights found on its pricier watches, as well a bright, crisp 1.2-inch AMOLED screen – not to mention the ability to play music offline.

The one concession is a rather average battery life, which you might need to manage, especially if you plan on playing music on most of your runs. But if your running routine can cope with that, you’re getting a great value running watch with plenty of high-end features.

• Read more: Garmin Forerunner 165 Music review

8. Polar Grit X2 Pro

Display	AMOLED
Display resolution	466 x 466 pixels
Display size	1.43 inches (diameter)
Connectivity	Bluetooth, WiFi
Weight	83g

The Polar Grit X2 Pro is Polar’s top-end, toughened, adventure-ready GPS sports watch. It’s built to handle all your training, racing and exploring endeavors on and off the grid. This latest upgrade adds a punchy AMOLED display, accuracy-enhancing dual frequency GPS, Polar’s latest biosensors and a snappier performance.

Throw in new navigation skills with offline maps, Strava route sync and breadcrumb navigation and improved battery life over the OG Grit and you’ve now got a strong rival to the like of the Garmin Fenix. 

• Read more: Polar Grit X2 Pro review

How we tested the best running watches

Kieran Alger is an ultramarathon runner and professional product tester. He ran with each of these watches for a minimum of four weeks, across a range of distances near his base in West London.

What makes a good running watch?

The best running watches get the basics right, with accurate heart rate, fast satellite link-up and reliable GPS tracking for pace and distance. Along with good runtime GPS battery life, these are the non-negotiables. The good news: you can now find these essentials in even the cheapest running watches. 

A good running watch boasts a bright, clear, crisp screen that’s easy to read in all light conditions, particularly on the move. There’s a big trend for AMOLED screens, with all the major brands, Polar, Suunto and Garmin adding these Apple-esque super-sharp displays to their mid-to-premium watches. Though you might sacrifice the longest battery life for that pleasure. 

Customization of your mid-run stats and post-run watch faces is also very handy. And the best watches offer zippy interfaces and responsive controls and touchscreen. You don’t want to be jabbing at unreactive buttons when you’re trying to take your splits.

When it comes to training insights, the best watches now track a huge array of metrics and offer up a broad sweep of feedback. That ranges from post-run training effect, the build-up of fatigue and recovery time recommendations, to heart rate variability, blood oxygen levels, daily stress, sleep and even ECG.   

You might look for lifestyle health tools like sleep tracking and training readiness scores, but be warned: almost all of the sleep trackers lack accuracy, and the readiness scores that often rely on sleep data are fallible, too. 

Rugged design options

If you’re heading off grid onto the trails, or you plan to run an ultra, the bigger, rugged adventure running watches like the Garmin Fenix 7 and COROS Vertix 2 offer more robust design, longer battery life and more powerful navigation tools. 

If navigation is a priority, route planning with breadcrumb navigation is a given. But more capable watches offer turn-by-turn navigation, offline topographical maps and clever features like back-to-start, elevation profile and waypoint marking. 

Smartwatch skills are improving and most watches now let you read notifications, text and call alerts. If music is important, some let you control your smartphone music players, but the better watches offer offline music storage, and play nice with streaming services like Spotify and Deezer. 

The app and web training tools are also important, and Polar Flow differs greatly from Garmin Connect or the COROS and Suunto apps. If you’re a first-timer with these, it’s smart to download them first (they’re free) and have a play with them before you buy the watch. These partner training tools can be a big part of the overall experience so it’s worth the time invested.