Best running sunglasses to keep your eyes protected in 2025

Running sunglasses are an utterly crucial tool for runs in all manner of light levels. A good pair can help you see better, worry less about dust or dirt and keep you from squinting or straining your eyes.

Quality sunglasses that are specifically designed for running are also tested for comfort, meaning they should stay glued to your face, allowing you to put in the hard work without worrying about slippage or bounce.

Below, we run through our top picks for you to consider. We’ve tried to pick a pair for every budget, as well as ensuring that all of the glasses claim to offer 100% UV protection.

Best running sunglasses in 2025

1. SunGod Forty2s

Price	$140 / £110
Weight	0.9oz / 26g
Visible light transmission	11%
Special features	8KO high-clarity lens, multiple nose bridges, 100% UV protection

The SunGod Forty2s take their name form the number of kilometres in a marathon in an indication of their intended use.

Thanks to their wraparound, half-frame lens, the Forty2s’ field of vision and eye coverage are extensive. But it’s not so broad that I felt self-conscious wearing them.

The lens material itself is SunGod’s high clarity 8KO nylon which is claimed to be shatterproof. Tinted grey, the lens tones down glare without distorting what I looked at. 

Very light at 28g, the SunGod Forty2s didn’t move around on my face as I ran. To perfect your fit, you have a choice of three nose bridges. 

SunGod ships them in a cardboard box with a microfibre cloth bag recycled from plastic bottles.

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2. SunGod Ultras

Price	$230 / £190
Weight	0.9oz / 26g
Visible light transmission	16-43%
Special features	Photochromatic lens, multiple nose bridges

As the Ultras are designed especially for runners, the lens isn’t quite as ‘oversized’ as some others on the market that also target other sports.

Despite that, I found the size and shape more than adequate to offer decent coverage against wind, bugs and sunshine.

These sunglasses are available with multiple different lenses, but I opted for the 8KO Iris Smoke, a photochromatic option slated to adjust its tint to light conditions.

The lens looks see-through, but it promises a VLT (visible light transmission, ie how much light it lets through the lens to your eyes) of between 16-43%.

In testing, it offered adequate protection in most conditions, though with bright, direct light ahead of me I did find myself squinting slightly. In all other conditions, clarity and protection are excellent.

Fit was also exceptional, feeling secure throughout run testing (and even a few rides, too), while there are four nose bridges to choose from for an optimum fit.

3. Smith Motive

Price	$219 / £179.99
Lens	ChromaPop, interchangeable
Style	Aviator, wraparound
Case	Hard and soft case included

The Smith Motive sunglasses impress on the run with great clarity, solid wind protection, and a secure fit. The ChromaPop lenses enhance colour and detail in bright light, though the 12% tint makes shaded paths harder to read.

They stay put while running, but the nose piece may sit too close for some, causing lens smudging from eyebrow contact. That said, a quick adjustment can help, though it may reduce wind coverage.

Stylish enough for casual wear, they’re a versatile option. At $219/£178, they’re pricey but come with a hard case and spare lenses.

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4. Goodr Bolt G

Price	$35 / £40
Visible light transmission	UV400 protection, blocks 100% rays
Special features	Half frame, polarised and mirrored

Several pairs of Goodr sunnies have made their way through my hands since they launched a few years back with their collection of whimsically-named, brightly-coloured sports glasses.

Case in point? These sports ones are named “Tentacle Tag Champion” (three other colourways are available if the pink and purple isn’t for you!).

A smaller design than the brand’s larger sports sunnies, I really liked how the Bolt G looked and felt. They hit that sweet spot between being a style designed for functionality in sports, but without making me look like I took a wrong turn looking for a peloton when I’m out riding or running.

It is nice to have the open frames for visibility and although the top frame and purple nosepiece were visible when on the face, it wasn’t an annoyance.

Goodr claim a ‘no slip, no bounce’ pledge on their sunnies and that was true in testing. The wrap-around design sat snugly on the face with slight compression behind the ears (a little less may have been preferable, for me) and grippy pads on the inside of the arms.

The inner nose piece is wired too and can be moved to get the perfect fit. The mirrored and polarised lenses did a nice job of cutting glare while keeping colours true.

Previously I’ve found the coating on the lenses scratched easily, but Goodr tell us these lenses are scratch-resistant and shatterproof with a scratch and saltwater-resistant coating and in testing, I didn’t experience any problems.

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5. Goodr OG

Price:	$25 / £30
Sizes:	One size, designed for medium heads
Hard case?	No
Lens:	Amber polarised, UV400 protection blocks 100% of UVA and UVB rays

The Goodr OG sunglasses offer a cheerful yet understated style with a tortoiseshell frame and brown lenses. This $25 / £30 pair comes with a soft case, providing good value.

Comfortable and stable during runs, they stay put no matter how much you sweat. The polarised amber “Bosley’s Basset Hound Dreams” lenses enhance contrast and clarity, particularly in varied light conditions like dappled woods, which is a significant benefit for the price. 

While previous mirrored versions were prone to lens damage, the Goodr OG are a solid choice for those seeking versatile, budget-friendly sunglasses. The styling doesn’t scream ‘performance’, so it suits both everyday wear and running.

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6. Oakley BiSphaera

Price:	$202 / £168
Sizes:	One size fits all
Hard case?	No
Lens:	Prizm Black lenses

The BiSphaera employs a twin-lens design with a shorter profile than others on the market, making them suitable for use during sport and daily life, as well as for those with smaller faces. 

That being said, these sunnies sit assuredly in the high-performance category when it comes to running. The dark Prizm Black lens offers high protection in strong sunlight where it boosts contrasts and highlights details on the road. 

That being said, they’re not a pair for overcast runs. The BiSphaera also lack that wraparound coverage and wider field of vision of other eyewear on test, making them best suited to running over cycling.

Read my full review of the Oakley BiSpharea here.

7. Tifosi Vogel SL

Price:	$39.95 / £55
Sizes:	One size fits all
Hard case?	Yes, and soft
Lens:	One large polycarbonate shield lens, tinted or mirror options

Tifosi’s Vogel SL offers impressive value at $40/£55, making it a strong contender in this test for affordability. The frameless design is sleek and provides a mostly clear field of vision.

The smoke lens performs well in bright sunlight but feels somewhat too dark in overcast or shaded conditions. Contrast is good, enhancing vision to highlight ground features while running.

The smaller lens size allows some wind to sneak through when cycling, making this pair the most suited for running. The Vogel feels secure and comfortable to wear. However, they don’t come with a case.

8. Koo Nova

Price	$200 / £190
Weight	0.7oz/21g
Visible light transmission	11.5-73%
Special features	Super lightweight, photochromatic lenses, hydrophobic coating

Like the SunGod Ultras, the Novas have been designed for trail runners but they coped very well across both cycling and running.

The lens offers more than adequate coverage, keeping any wind and dust at bay.

Clarity is also good, and the photochromatic tech allows you to wear them in a range of lighting conditions, though regular tinted competitors here fare a little better in bright, direct sunshine.

While comfortable, I found the fit around the nose to be looser than I’d like, even after switching nose pieces. Of course, fit is subjective.

I also found the arms to be rather long, so they clashed with one of my helmets, but this will likely depend on what helmet you wear.

I’m a fan of the style, but would love a hard case to be included, too.

8. Oakley Radar EV Path

Price	$221 / £191
Weight	1oz/28g
Visible light transmission	12%
Special features	Prizm lenses boost clarity, Unobtainium earsocks

We live at a time when oversized lenses are more and more common in running sunglasses, but there still is a place for smaller optics, particularly if larger options don’t suit your face shape.

The Radar EV Path sunglasses fall into the latter category and, despite being using a slimmed down lens, there’s decent coverage while running.

Vents at the top help fend off any fogging, while the Prizm Sapphire lens featured here helped create a more vibrant picture and made details on the road or trail a little easier to pick out in a hurry.

The category three lens has 12% VLT (visible light transmission), which means it dealt with bright light well, but things can get a bit dark when you run on a cloudy day or venture through woodland.

Fit is another high point. I noticed zero movement during test runs, with the rubber-feeling arm grips keeping the sunglasses in place well.

It’s comfortable, too, while you get two nose pieces to choose from to ensure you achieve a good fit.

There are a couple of minor negatives, though. For one, that is a very steep price. Secondly, on occasion I found the sun would squeeze through the vents at the top of the lens and into my eyes.

See our full Oakley Radar EV Path review for more.

9. Goodr Astro G

Price	$35 / £40
Visible light transmission	not mentioned
Special features	Gradient lens, frameless top, for larger faces

Goodr’s Astro G are bold, budget-friendly sunnies made for bigger heads. They felt oversized on my face, unlike the sleeker Bolt G, and I was self-conscious wearing them on runs.

That said, they’re lightweight, grippy, and didn’t budge even on long, sweaty outings. The polarised, UV400 lenses offer a graduated tint that handles bright conditions well.

If you like a wide fit and quirky style—this pair is called Kidnapped By A Cyborg—they’re great value. I’d opt for the mirrored lens version next time, but runners who prefer bigger frames will find solid performance for the price.

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Also consider…

10. Oakley Hydra

Price	$184 / £154
Weight	3.2oz/90g
Visible light transmission	12% (Prizm Sapphire lens)
Special features	Bio-matter frame, Prizm lens technology

Industry giant Oakley are no strangers to the world of running glasses. One of the brand’s lines, the Hydra, pays homage to ’90s surf style, harking back to the classic Oakley Razor Blade.

The Hydra features a semi-rimless frame and various neon colour options, a design which probably wouldn’t look out of place on a young Dennis Rodman or Gwen Stefani. There’s also a nod to the brand’s heritage with the Oakley B1B logo at the temples, which fronted the brand from 1975-1993.

In terms of tech, the Hydra is also said to feature a 56% plant-based frame, as well as Oakley’s Prizm lens, designed to enhance colour, contrast and detail, which has earned rave reviews on these pages before.

11. Bollé Bolt 2.0

Price	$220 / £190
Weight	28g
Visible light transmission	13-29% (depending on lens choice)
Special features	Polarised, Thermogrip, Volt +

Bollé says the Bolt 2.0 sunglasses utilise the first sunglasses lens designed by AI, with the latter used to test a series of lens combinations.

Reportedly, this allowed for a 30% improvement to the colour enhancement and improved depth perception based on previous models, a feature Bollé calls ‘Volt +’.Special features However, you’ll need to pay a little extra to get this enhancement.

The Bolt 2.0s also feature Bollé’s ‘thermogrip’, a type of rubber grip that the brand says is engineered to become grippier when in contact with water or sweat. The grips run at touch points across the temples, ears and nosepieces.

12. Sunwise Evenlode

Price	£39.99 (UK only)
Weight	40g
Visible light transmission	Variable (category 0-3)
Special features	Interchangeable lenses with three options included

Sunwise’s Evenlode sunglasses are a budget option that aim to be useful for a variety of weather conditions. The glasses come with three interchangeable lenses: clear, for no light protection; yellow, for low light; and smoke mirror, for strong light.

They’re said to be impact resistant and feature a high optical clarity, with a wraparound style designed to keep them secure while on the move.

The glasses also feature rubber nose pads and ear rests, which are said to offer improved comfort, as well as flat arms to fit under a running cap or hat.

13. Oakley Half Jacket 2.0

Price	$212 / £176
Weight	21g
Visible light transmission	11%
Special features	Polarised, interchangeable lenses

Another option from Oakley, the Half Jacket 2.0 features a more classic, inconspicuous design.

They feature Oakley’s impact protection lenses, which are also said to be removable, allowing you to switch to a different lens if the weather or terrain demands it.

They’re also available with polarised lenses or a prescription, while padded earsocks and nosepads aim to improve comfort throughout your run.

How we tested running sunglasses

All of the running sunglasses featured here have been tested by 220‘s expert gear reviewers, which includes former content editor Rob Slade, who has years of experience testing triathlon kit.

When judging the best running sunglasses, we considered fit, comfort, performance in bright conditions, versatility in different lighting, field of vision, clarity and contrast, value for money, protection against wind and debris, and anti-fog properties.

When it comes to rating, anything with a score of 90% or more indicates an impressive piece of kit that would be pretty hard to beat. Gear scoring 80-89% is still impressive and some of the best on the market, but not quite touching the front runners.

A scoring of 70-79% means it’s s product worth taking into account, since it fills the brief well, but it’ll have a couple of flaws. Anything scoring under 70% has a few more major issues, or several smaller ones, so we’d recommend to consider if these are deal breakers before purchasing.

For more details, see how we rate and test products.

Which features to look for in running sunglasses

UV protection

Ensure your chosen running sunglasses provide 100% UV protection to shield your eyes from harmful ultraviolet rays.

UV categories range from 1-4: with category 2 mainly aiming to blocking glare on overcast days, category 3 being the most common to protect the eyes on bright days, and category 4 sporting a dark lens for extreme sunshine or brightness.

Lens material

Look for lenses made of polycarbonate or another durable material that’s shatterproof and impact resistant.

Many lenses these days also come with scratch resistance and are super lightweight.

Lens style

Most sports sunglasses aim to provide as much coverage as possible, which is why you’ll often see runners wearing futuristic-looking, oversized sunnies.

This is to offer as much protection as possible from the sun’s glare and to prevent wind and airborne debris from reaching the eyes.

If you’re looking to also wear your running sunglasses for cycling, be sure to aim for ones with a large field of vision and high coverage for these reasons.

Lens technology

More expensive lenses may be polarized to reduce glare or photochromatic / photochromic to change their tint according to light levels, or incorporate clarity-boosting technology like Smith Optics’ ChromaPop.

While these features are nice to have because they reduce eye fatigue and help you see more clearly, they can add hundreds of dollars or pounds on to the cost of already expensive sunnies.

Fit and comfort

Measure your face’s dimensions and ensure you’re choosing glasses that fit securely and comfortably on your face without slipping or becoming uncomfortable.

If you have a smaller face, consider glasses with a smaller lens to ensure they fit securely.

Many sunglass brands will provide either several nose bridge options and an adjustable nose pad to avoid any unwanted pressure or red marks.

Ventilation

It’s a good idea to find running sunglasses with proper ventilation to prevent fogging. Look for vents that sit along the top of the sunglasses, and an anti-fog coating to help to avoid this.

Visible light transmission (VLT)

Check the VLT percentage, as this figure refers to the amount of light that can pass through the lenses of sunglasses.

The percentage can vary between 80-100%, for indoor use or cloudy days, 12-43% for glare reduction in stronger sunlight; or under 8%, for extreme conditions.

For running, anywhere between 8-42% is a good benchmark, but it’s worth considering your specific needs and the weather you’re likely to be running in.

How to clean your sunglasses without damaging them

With regular training use, running sunglass lenses quickly collect sweat and grime, so proper cleaning is key. Rinse under warm water, lather gently (using fingers or soft cloth) with mild washing-up liquid (especially around nose pads and grippers), then rinse again.

Use distilled water if possible to avoid streaks. Blow-dry on a cool setting and finish with a microfiber cloth—never paper towels or cotton!

For fog-free lenses, gently buff with shaving foam. Want more detail – check out our breakdown of how to clean your sunglasses by expert tester James Witts.

What are the differences between running and cycling sunglasses?

Running sunglasses need to stay securely in place while you run at speed and on bumpy trails so their designers favour a close, snug fit. To achieve this, they rarely use the wraparound lens design common on cycling sunglasses to give a wider peripheral vision and better protection form higher wind / debris speeds.

Some cycling sunglasses are designed to aerodynamically complement the shape of the brand’s helmet. This is another reason they often have a wider, full-face lens in a frameless design.

The arms of cycling sunglasses can sometimes be more flexible than of running sunglasses so they can slot into a bike helmet’s vents to be carried when not in use.

Running sunglasses are more likely to have have adjustable nose pads and temple tips for added security.

While ventilation is important for both cycling and running sunglasses, the risk of fogging up is higher in dry conditions with the latter. This is because at slower running speeds there is less onrushing wind to dissipate the condensation. Therefore, running sunglasses tend to have more vents.

As a triathlete, you don’t necessarily need to have separate sunglasses for running and cycling. The best sunglasses for triathlon are versatile enough for both sports.