The Best Running Sunglasses of 2024 

The best running sunglasses are necessary tools for runners — their lenses filter out harmful UV rays and prevent a sunburn on the eye, which has to be one of the most painful places one can burn themselves. 

Not only do sunglasses provide optical shade, but they also tell you just about everything you need to know about a fellow runner before you even meet them. We’re not saying to judge a book by its sunglasses, but we’re not not saying that. Sunglasses are a must-have to protect runners from the sun, wind, bugs, and other various disturbances floating in the air. 

However, they also need to give runners a chance to flex their personal style. Running sunglasses come in all shapes and sizes, from the Goodr OG’s wayfarer styles to Article One x Mission Workshop’s frames for lounging at an ocean villa post-run to retro-futuristic shades like the Julbo Frequency. 

In a world with endless variety and new brands coming out of the woodwork each day, we have been testing dozens of sunglasses to help you pick the best ones for you. Read on for our favorites, plus a few more honorable mentions. 

Read on to see our thorough writeups of our favorite sunglasses, or skip ahead to our Buyer’s Guide, Comparison Chart, and Price & Value section.

Editor’s Note: For our November 25, 2024, update, we added the photochromatic Smith Seeker and track-friendly Adidas Dunamis running sunglasses.

The Best Running Sunglasses of 2024

Running Sunglasses Comparison Chart

How We Tested Running Sunglasses

Our Expert Tester

Lead tester Will Porter is a lifelong runner and sunglasses aficionado who really can’t stop collecting any and every frame he can get his hands on. In his testing for this roundup, he wore sunglasses on the sides of mountains in the Tetons, on the roads in Brooklyn, and from the sea to the desert in California. 

Our Testing Process

When we first get our sunnies, we wear them everywhere: To the gym, while we’re walking the dog, while we’re driving. It’s fun to start with the mundane when testing sunglasses. You can learn what the glare looks like on a chrome Dodge Ram or how your eyes adjust as the sun dips in the evening.

Once we get comfortable in our shades, we kick off our actual running tests, and the rest is history. We take our sunglasses on road runs, trail runs, and anywhere our legs can take us. While we rack up the miles, we’re taking note of whether the glasses tend to slip down, if there are any sore points on our ears or noses, and how effective the lenses are at blocking glare. The best of the best make it onto this list.

While this article focuses exclusively on running sunglasses, we’ve got plenty more sunglass roundups. If you’re looking for different shades, check out our roundups of the best sunglasses for the outdoors, the best driving sunglasses, and the best fishing sunglasses.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose Running Sunglasses

Style

Trends in running sunglasses have lately returned to the 1980s and 1990s with loud, windscreen-like shapes that dwarf even those of us with bigger faces. But we have some good news for those who prefer something more standard: there are still so many options with a more subdued shape and profile.

No matter which way you slice it, style is a huge part of picking out a pair of sunglasses — look good, feel good, right? That might be a dorky mantra, but we really do think buying shades that suit your face will make you look forward to putting them on every day. 

Lens Type and Features

Running lenses fall into three categories: standard, photochromic, and polarized. 

Standard is a catchall term that is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Generally, standard just means any lens that isn’t photochromic or polarized. But when it comes to performance sunglasses, and running sunglasses in particular, high-end standard lenses could very easily be better than their more popular counterparts.

For example, the District Vision Kohei Aero Blade Ti we spoke about above has meticulously crafted lenses that use science-based data to prove just how helpful they can be for the wearer. DV is a great example, not only because of its inclusion here but also because of its commitment to creating a better lens that doesn’t have to be polarized to be “better.”

A photochromic lens, like the one on the aforementioned Julbo Frequency, is the gold standard when it comes to running in changing light conditions because of its ability to adapt. While they’re great for those who run from daylight into darkness or from alpine environments into the woods all in one run, they are expensive.

A polarized lens, like that found on the Smith Pinpoint With ChromaPop Polarized Lens, reduces glare and highlights obstacles in the road. This can help you see roots, potholes, and variations in the sidewalk more easily. Polarized lenses appear at both the bottom and top of the price spectrum for sunglasses, but lower-quality polarized lenses are easily damaged and scuffed. Also, keep in mind that polarized lenses can affect your depth perception. 

Fit, Adjustability, and Comfort

As with all running gear, comfort has to be a top priority when choosing sunglasses. A poor fit leads to pressure points and endless distractions throughout your run. Throw on a running hat and some headphones, and suddenly, the space around your head is heavily congested. If you love to wear a hat when you run, make sure the shades you pick can peacefully coexist with your hat or other accessories.

Durability

All the sunglasses in this guide are reliably durable, but even the most bulletproof frames are susceptible to heavy damage. Make sure you really get your hands on a pair of shades before you buy them. Move them around in your hands, play with the temple hinges, listen for squeaks, and try to sneak a peek at how locked-in the lenses are.

As we said, most running sunglasses are at least passable in the durability category and will treat you well for a long time if you pay attention and care for them. 

The component with the widest spectrum of durability is the polarized lens. Cheaper polarized lenses can be scratched with ease and can be distorted or warped over time. Higher-quality polarized lenses still need to be protected from abrasion, but they will last a long time if you pay attention.

Unpredictable Light Conditions

For many of us, a majority of runs take place during the day with stable light conditions. For times like these, you’ll be all set with just one lens. Couldn’t run until the evening? Wear your shades ‘til you see the sun fall below the horizon, and just pop your sunglasses up onto your head.

However, If you’re someone who will run at dawn one day, 2 p.m. the next, and mix in a bandit race on the city streets late at night, it could be worth investing in a pair of sunglasses with a photochromic lens, which will adapt to the light around you. 

Price & Value

Sunglasses have one of the most extensive price ranges of any category, with some of our favorites ranging from $25 to upward of $600 (though there are certainly more at the lower end of that range than the high end). The differences between the most affordable sunglasses and the ones that will break the bank are wide-ranging, so we outlined some of the key features of budget, mid-tier, and premium to make things easier for you. 

Budget

Here, you’ll find sunglasses ranging from around $25 to $75. Goodr and Tifosi are the best in this budget range, but many other brands, including the popular Knockaround, also hit the mark. You’ll mostly find classic styles like wayfarers and aviators, but one of our favorite new standouts is the Goodr wraparounds (we haven’t gotten much time with these yet, but we suspect they could make our list sooner rather than later). You’re sacrificing some quality in both materials and lenses at these prices, but if you’re someone who isn’t very picky about the details or loves to sit on your shades accidentally, you’ll get pretty great value at this price point. 

Mid-Tier

Mid-tier is where you can expect to spend from $100 to $200. There are a decent amount of options in this range, but in our experience, most shades fall in the budget or premium buckets — the middle tier kind of gets left behind, barring a set of premium frames that come with a few affordable lens options. Generally, in the mid-tier, you’ll get a better-quality frame but will sacrifice when it comes to lenses, foregoing advanced features in favor of design and durability. If you don’t need serious lenses or are looking for something that is suited for low-light situations, you’ll be able to find some really good options in this range, like the Smith Seeker with the low-light-ready Rose lens. 

Premium 

If you don’t want to sacrifice on design, materials, or lens technology, you’ll find yourself shopping in the premium range, which starts at around $200 and goes up from there. Here, you’ll find the best, most durable frames, high-quality hardware and hinges, and the best of the best when it comes to actual sun protection. We love a $25 pair of Goodrs, but when the rubber meets the road (or the trail), there’s nothing better for your eyes than lightweight, hard-wearing frames and a lens that boasts all the top R&D in the category.

Frequently Asked Questions