Best Ellipticals Under $3,000

Elliptical trainers priced from $2,500 to $2,999 are among the best cross trainers built for home use. Some are sold not only for home gyms, but also for light commercial settings such as hotel fitness rooms. Regardless of your body size or skill level, you can get a comfortable workout and an ideal amount of challenge from an elliptical in this price class. To help motivate regular exercise, many brands supply plenty of bells and whistles on these machines too. Here we highlight three of the best elliptical trainers under $3,000. We also list many other contenders and share tips for choosing a good value.

Three Best Ellipticals Under $3,000

The best home ellipticals under $3,000 might easily be mistaken for health club cross trainers — and as mentioned above, some are indeed produced for light commercial settings as well as for home gyms. For home use generous parts warranties of five to 10 years are standard. In terms of stride, resistance and workout programming these favorite ellipticals can satisfy almost any trainee. Our top choices have premium features such as power-adjustable strides and inclines, cushioned pedals and personalized programming.

Buying Guide to Elliptical Trainers Under $3,000

What should you expect from a $2,500 to $2,999 elliptical machine? The best options in this price class support club-quality training. Here are some elliptical shopping tips related to performance, warranties and more.

Performance

Some of the best home ellipticals are copies of light commercial models. The standard for light commercial use is up to three hours per day. When used fewer hours per day at home, these machines can be expected to serve well for five to ten years before tune-ups are needed.

Resistance: The best home ellipticals under $3,000 provide ultra-smooth resistance. They can challenge athletes in peak condition, yet workout intensity can also be gentle enough for physical rehabilitation. Resistance is typically divided into at least 20 levels. Digital controls for resistance are conveniently built into the handlebars as well as the console.

Stride: Narrow spacing is part of a healthy natural stride, so the best elliptical trainers have no more than a 2” gap between their pedals. Often the strides on ellipticals over $2500 are adjustable too. Besides matching each trainee’s natural stride, some provide enough stride variability to support highly targeted muscle toning from the lower legs up to the glutes.

Incline: Automated inclines are common on $2,500-to-$2,999 ellipticals. These inclines add to the resistance from a flywheel and naturally bring a metabolic boost. Buttons on elliptical handlebars and consoles allow for quick incline adjustments, and maximum tilts in this price class exceed 50 percent. Some of our favorite ellipticals under $3K can be used with virtual reality programming that pairs incline training with real-life video of hilly scenic settings.

Durability

Durability separates cheap ellipticals from our favorites listed above. A $1,000 elliptical might serve well for two years before it's outgrown or needs expensive maintenance. In contrast a $2,500 elliptical could serve trouble-free for 10 years and deliver higher quality workout experiences. Here are some factors separating cheap ellipticals from our favorites under $3,000.

Rear Drive Design: Generally rear drive ellipticals are preferable to front drive ellipticals. The rear drive design is associated with lighter maintenance requirements and more comfortable training. A possible drawback though is that rear drive ellipticals require more floor space.

Maximum User Weight: The best elliptical trainers under $3,000 typically have user weight capacities of 350 to 500 pounds, with 400 pounds being most common. Equipped with powerful resistance systems as well, these machines feel comfortable for heavier users as well as lightweight trainees.

Warranty: Warranties change significantly as we move from low-budget cross trainers to luxury models. Typical residential warranty packages on the best ellipticals under $3,000 include lifetime frame coverage, at least five-year mechanical parts warranties and two-year labor warranties. The electronics are generally under warranty for several years too, whereas with cheaper ellipticals they’re not covered at all.

Features

The best home ellipticals over $2,500 have innovative features to make the most of exercise. Here are some options.

Choice of Console: When ellipticals have high quality components, some brands offer a choice of two or more consoles. Choose a monitor with a standard LED and 20 workout programs, for example, or pay more for a full color HD screen, additional workouts and a web browser. Each console generally includes the accessories typical of health club elliptical trainers, such as cup holders, tablet computer holders and music speakers.

Adjustable Stride: Stride choices for the best ellipticals under $3,000 allow for ergonomically correct exercise by virtually any trainee. While lower-priced ellipticals tend to have fixed settings, many machines in this price class have multiple settings. Each user can get a standard elliptical workout, plus they can target different muscle groups by changing the stride.

Adjustable Incline: For extra resistance to complement the flywheel, many of the best ellipticals have power inclines. While keeping exercise gentle on the knees, these machines let people simulate climbing at different slopes for muscle toning and faster calorie burn. Inclines of at least 20 percent are typical for this price class.

Customized Programs: The exercise programming on high-end ellipticals tends to offer more personalization compared with programming on cheaper cross trainers. For example, some of the best ellipticals can adapt to each user profile and suggest workouts based on goals and history. Some can recalibrate if the trainee gets off track.

Heart Rate Control: The better the elliptical trainer, the better the cardio technology. Some of the best ellipticals have several programs for wireless heart rate control. In other words these elliptical machines adjust resistance in response to pulse data. For example, workout programs are designed to encourage exercise at 60 percent and 75 percent of target heart rate.

App Integration: Top modern elliptical machines can sync with fitness apps through Bluetooth. Some apps are specific to elliptical brands and others work with any Bluetooth fitness machine. Apps can wirelessly track health activities, provide customized workout programs, and help people get comprehensive views of their fitness.

List of Elliptical Trainers Under $3,000

Our top recommendations for ellipticals under $3,000 are shown above (and below). In case another model is your best match, the following list shows a wide range of elliptical trainers priced from $2,500 to $2,999.

Best Ellipticals Under $3,000

Model	Rating	Flywheel	Resistance	Price	Lowest Price
Vision S7100HRT Suspension	4-stars	23 LBS	20 Levels	Over $2,500	See best price »
Life Fitness E3 Elliptical Cross-Trainer	4-stars	N/A	20 Levels	Over $2,500	See best price »