Best Ellipticals Under $1,500

The best elliptical trainers under $1,500 bring especially good value to beginners and intermediate-level trainees. These home fitness machines are comfortable for novices but won’t be mastered too quickly; they offer enough force for experienced elliptical machine users too. Warranties include at least three years of parts replacement and a year of labor . Below we highlight three favorites in this price range, describe typical features of top competitors, and list ellipticals under $1,500.

Three Best Elliptical Trainers Under $1,500

Sorting through our elliptical reviews, we found three top-scoring ellipticals priced from $1,000 to $1,499. These cross trainers earn the highest combined scores for durability, console display, features and manufacturer’s customer service.

Buying Guide to Ellipticals Under $1,500

The best elliptical trainers under $1,500 support smooth striding,  carry confidence-instilling warranties, and have newer technologies such as touchscreens and Bluetooth connectivity. Here's a look at typical specs from this price class.

Performance

Essentials for high quality elliptical performance are appropriate resistance and an ergonomic stride. Here's what to expect from the best ellipticals under $1,500.

Resistance: The resistance on best-value ellipticals under $1,500 provides just the right challenge for beginners and intermediate athletes. It can meet advanced athletes' low-impact cardio needs as well. Popular fitness machines in this price category have at least 25-pound flywheels to support smooth club-quality rides. Typically about 20 resistance levels are available. The resistance level is controlled digitally. On a modern elliptical machine, shifting among challenge levels is virtually silent thanks to friction-free magnetic braking.

Stride Length: Ellipticals in this price class tend not to skimp on stride length. Shoppers seeking fixed 18" to 20" strides for workouts have plenty of choices. Machines with adjustable strides are sale priced under $1,500 too. An ideal elliptical machine for a shorter trainee might be 18 inches, while a taller person would rather stretch out with a 20-inch stride path. With various choices for stride length, an adjustable stride elliptical can fit every household user.

Moving up to the under $2,000 elliptical category you'll see more cross trainers with especially generous stride ranges. These fitness machines let each user develop exceptional tone by working lower body muscles in different ways. Some are called hybrid fitness machines because the workout choices are so varied, the ellipticals work as step machines and treadmills too.

Incline: Adjusting your stride length is just one way to diversify elliptical workouts. Some of the best ellipticals under $1,500 have automated incline. Typically you can choose from ten to 20 incline settings. In this price range the span could be from zero to 10 or 20 degrees. Incline training with an elliptical machine naturally boosts your metabolism and lets you focus on different muscle groups with just one workout session.

Foldable: To conserve floor space in between workout sessions, various ellipticals under $1,500 are foldable. Many use hydraulics to make folding almost effortless.

Durability

The best ellipticals under $1,500 are low maintenance. Unlike cheaper cross trainers, they don't often lead to customer complaints about squeakiness, snapped pedals, flickering screens and other quality issues. Here are some details to help you choose a durable elliptical machine in this price class.

Maximum User Weight: The best ellipticals in this price category are heavy and wobble-free, so they have high weight capacities. With a fitness machine budget up to $1,500 you can easily get a home elliptical trainer with a 300-pound or 350-pound weight capacity. Heavier ellipticals are more durable partly because they have metal components instead of plastic parts.

Warranty: Parts warranties at least three years long are typical of elliptical trainers in this price range. At least one year is standard for labor. These warranties are much better than those for cheaper ellipticals, so choosing a higher quality machine can actually cost less in the long run.

Brand Reputation: Many ellipticals compete with similar prices. When specs seem interchangeable then a brand's reputation can be your deciding point. Machines from the top-ranked manufacturers on our elliptical comparison charts are not only durable but also backed by great customer service. See our fitness brand ratings for guidance.

Features

Favorite home ellipticals go beyond the basics. Features for digital entertainment and workout guidance help make the most of your exercise sessions.

Heart Rate Control: The top rated elliptical machines deliver heart rate data. Choices in any price range provide contact heart rate sensors; you can grip stationary handlebars to get a readout. On the best cross trainers under $1500, wireless heart rate tracking is an option too. Wireless tracking is generally the customer favorite because it's more convenient and more accurate.

Plus, with a constant wireless stream of heart rate data you can actually let your pulse control the elliptical machine! Elliptical trainers with a feature called heart rate control can automatically adjust the pedal resistance and/or incline to help you cross train within a given heart rate zone.

Console Displays with Web Browsers:  Many of the leading ellipticals under $1,500 have full color display screens with touch technology. The most common screen sizes are 7" and 10" wide, and recently a few 22" screens have hit the home fitness scene too.

Workout Programs: When you spend about $1,000 to $1,500 on an elliptical trainer, you can choose a machine with lots of built-in workout programs, sometimes dozens. Many of the machines have Bluetooth and web connections for downloading new programs from fitness apps and websites as well. NordicTrack is a leading fitness brand with literally unlimited elliptical  workout downloads for a flat monthly fee.

In this price class but rarely with cheaper ellipticals, you have the option of saving your own custom-made workouts to the console. at least two user profiles can be saved to the console. Having a user profile improves the accuracy of data feedback and may bring other benefits such as data tracking.

iPod Integration: No matter what quality of elliptical trainer you choose, you can own one with speakers for iPod and other MP3 players. Moving up in price though, the audio fidelity is much improved. Most common on ellipticals under $1,500 are 2” speakers, but 3” speakers are sometimes integrated instead. Some of the best cross trainers provide on-screen iPod/iPhone controls in addition to speakers.

Amenities: A home elliptical $1500 and under isn't quite club quality, but it might include some extras inspired by health club fitness machines. Your favorite elliptical machine might include a water bottle holder, cooling fan and storage area for a phone, towel and other small items.

List of Elliptical Trainers Under $1,500

The best ellipticals under $1,500 provide all-around good value. Top options shown above support healthy strides and smooth rides with at least 25 pounds of resistance. Advanced features easily found in this category are adjustable stride length, automatic incline and touch-screens with web browsers.

The following list shows ellipticals under $1,500 with a wide range of review scores.

Best Ellipticals Under $1,500

Model	Rating	Flywheel	Resistance	Price	Lowest Price
NordicTrack SpaceSaver SE9i	5-stars	18 LBS	24 Digital Levels	Under $1,500	See best price »
Horizon Fitness Evolve 5 Elliptical (2024)	5-stars	23 LBS	20 Digital Levels	Under $2,000	See best price »
Sole E55	4-stars	20 LBS	ECB	Under $1,500	See best price »