The 5 Best Budget Treadmill Under $300 - A Helpful Guide - Best Physical Therapy Product Reviews

Maintaining your health in the modern world is becoming an increasingly glaring problem. With many people having to work two, or even three jobs just to make ends meet, health eventually takes a back seat.

The constant work and stress take its toll on motivation and often when people end their day they simply don’t have the energy or time to go to the gym, work out, go home, and shower.

Having at-home equipment such as a treadmill is a great way to make working out easier and more convenient.

It’s an efficient use of time, readily available, for whenever you have time and have the energy to exercise.

People often think that having home exercise equipment has to be expensive but this isn’t always the case. Some of the budget treadmills under 300$ can offer a great way to stay healthy at home.

Comparison Table for Budget Treadmills

Name	Price	Best Feature	Our rating	Best Price
Sunny Health and Fitness Budget Treadmill	$$$	Has many of the same bells and whistles as more expensive treadmills	9.5/10	See Current Price
Weslo Cadence G 5.9i Cadence Folding Treadmill	$$	Goes up to 10 mph, has an excellent place for an ipad, and folds up nicely when not in use	9.2/10	See Current Price
SereneLife Budget Treadmill	$$$	Has 12 Preset modes, goes up to 6 mph, and folds up to save space	9.2/10	See Current Price
XTERRA Fitness TR150 Folding Treadmill	$$$	One of the best budget treadmills on the market. Large belt, goes up to 10 MPH, and 12 preset programs.	9.7/10	See Current Price
Best Choice Products 800W Folding Electric Treadmill	$	Least expensive option on the list, easy to use display	9.2/10	See Current Price

About Budget Treadmills

There are all manners of treadmills that are available in the market that have features such as heart monitoring, calorie counting, belt resistance, and adjustable grading.

All of this is designed to make these high-end features seem like a worthwhile investment, often reaching prices of over $1,000. For higher-end treadmills see our post on the best treadmills for low back pain here.

At the very end of the day, the point of a treadmill is to run, burn calories, build conditioning, and cardio. So if you are looking to make a solid investment in a treadmill, a lower-cost treadmill will do the job just fine.

In fact, the higher-end treadmills with complex sensors and systems may be more likely to break and result in a costly repair.

What’s the Biggest Difference Between Budget and High-End Treadmills?

Budget treadmills typically do not have the features and benefits found on higher end models. They are designed to help you maintain an active lifestyle without the burden of owning a high-end treadmill, which can cost upwards of $3,000 or more.

While it is true that budget treadmills lack some of the bells and whistles found on the higher priced models, they are ideal for users who want to walk and jog a few times a week.

Their affordability also makes them an attractive option for those looking to test out the treadmill experience, especially since it costs far less to purchase a budget machine than it does a high-end treadmill.

Before you make your final decision, it is important to understand how budget treadmills are different from high-end models.

Why Are Budget Treadmills More Affordable?

There are several reasons why budget treadmills are generally less expensive than their higher end counterparts.

The first has to do with what goes into manufacturing and assembling the machine itself.

There is simply less technology and more machine to make a budget treadmill. High-end treadmills require both superior components and assembly to deliver the type of ride you expect, while cost efficient models need less from each.

Additionally, because they are designed for users who want to maintain an active lifestyle on a limited budget, they tends to be fewer features included which helps keep the cost down.

Features that you may not find or have less features are:

touchscreen display
larger belt size
larger motor
shock absorbing
amount of incline
noise level

Budget Treadmill Design

When it comes to treadmill design basic features are generally enough. When it comes to treadmills that cost less than $300 you want to look for a few features to make sure you are getting what you need for your home and exercise needs.

Does this model fold and is it easy to move? Since this is an at-home piece of equipment being foldable and movable is pretty important. Allowing you to go about your day without constantly having to move around the large piece of equipment.
Does the model come with handrails for safety?
What speed is the model capable of?

While the lower-cost models of treadmills may not be as aesthetically pleasing, this is all the functionality a person needs in order to get a quality piece of exercise equipment for the home.

Budget Treadmill Motor

One of the deciding factors of cost in a treadmill is its motor. Besides just the feature of being foldable and having rails, the motor determines how much exercise use you can get out of the machine. The treadmills in this price range can reach speeds of more than 6-7 mph. This is about the speed of a fast jog and more than enough for a good workout.

While Usain Bolt has a phenomenal record of 28mph while sprinting, a sustained fast jog will do more than enough to maintain cardio and muscle strength, burn calories, and improve heart health.

Budget Treadmill Belt

Another thing to take into consideration when purchasing a treadmill is the width of the belt.

Different people have different running patterns, and many people have different sizes. The belt width in this price range can be anywhere from 14” to 40” in width.

A good rule of thumb here is to use your shoulder width. This should determine how wide you need a belt to be on a treadmill.

Budget Treadmill Accessories

Some of the common accessories the budget treadmills may have and that you can look for are:

Touchscreen: You can expect models in this price range to include a touch screen for ease of use and control, and to quickly review your statistics.
Heart Rate Monitor: Models of this price range have a Heart Rate Monitor.
Ability to Incline: These models can incline, naturally increasing the effort needed and calories spent.
Ability to Fold Up: Folding is one of those features that makes at-home treadmills truly useable.
Wheels for Transportation: Having wheels allows these devices to be quickly and efficiently stored in between exercise sessions.
Easy to Lubricate: Being able to access the moving parts of the device and maintain them is crucial to the long-term life of the device. Here is a video on how to lubricate a treadmill belt.
Safety auto-stop feature: Mistakes happen, and on a treadmill having a safety auto-stop helps to prevent injury

The Best Budget Treadmill Under $300

Budget treadmills are still a great way to get in a quick run at home, especially when the weather is bad. Most of the name brand treadmill manufacturers have a budget treadmill and we do recommend staying wth the brands that are known for quality in their other equipment.

Note: Some of these treadmills retail for over $300 but are on sale at this time.

Sunny Health & Fitness Budget Treadmill

Summary: The Sunny Health And Fitness budget treadmill is another highly compact budget treadmill built to really save space in the home. Sunny Health has a reputation for providing quality exercise equipment and excellent prices. We’ve heard great things about their customer service and love their products.

Pros: The Sunny Health & Fitness Exercise Treadmill is designed to be easily folded and moved. The whole machine comes in at a weight of 103lb, easily being one of the lightest treadmills on this list.

Cons: Unfortunately, due to the lightweight and compact design, this machine may not be suitable for those bigger than a medium build or with a long stride.