The Best Sports Sunglasses For Every Occasion

While any decent pair of sunglasses you put on should protect your eyes from the sun and make you look and feel like a boss, the best sports sunglasses need to combine style with a no-slip fit—no matter how sweaty you get. And, in truth, sometimes they have to sacrifice some style to deliver the best performance. Style is subjective, of course, and maybe massive wraparound frames with mirrored lenses are about to become the hottest trend for casual use—who knows? 

Below you’ll find the best sports sunglasses for a range of activities. If you’re a runner we have a dedicated running sunglasses round-up.

How I Test Sports Sunglasses

I am a keen runner and mostly test sports sunglasses while running, along with the occasional cycle. The main feature I look out for in sports sunglasses is a secure fit that doesn’t loosen when I get sweaty during longer workouts. Other important features are the variety of lenses available and durability. 

The Quick List

My top picks in several categories can be found here with a brief explanation as to why they stand out. You can click on the links to jump to a more detailed review in the main buying guide.

The Best Sports Sunglasses

Most Versatile

The SunGod Classics have a simple style that will suit most people, and they're ideal for workouts as well as general use. You can customize the frames and lenses when ordering your set, and prescription sunglasses are available, though this does raise the cost to $210/£160. 

As a glasses wearer the SunGod Classics have become my go-to pair of sunglasses this summer, and I’ve used them for hundreds of miles of running along with some cycling. The fit is secure enough, if not as rock-solid as sportier sets like the SunGod Ultras, and the sunglasses are hardy enough that I feel comfortable carrying them in a running backpack on longer runs. They’re also backed up by SunGod’s lifetime guarantee, though this doesn’t cover scratched lenses.

Best For Running

Oakley launched two sets of sunglasses for runners in 2023: the Actuator and Corridor. The Corridor is the sportier of the two and my favorite pair of running sunglasses overall. These glasses have a large lens that provides a wide field of vision, but remain very lightweight and provide an excellent fit, with no slipping or bouncing even on my longest runs. I’m also a fan of the style, and you can select the color of your frame and pick the Prizm lens you want, though there isn’t the level of customization you get with SunGod’s glasses.

Best Value

The Tifosi Vogel SL glasses offer a similar experience to frameless models from Oakley and SunGod at a considerably lower cost. While I didn’t find the lenses as impressive as those on the best sunnies, they offer 100% UVA and UVB protection and the frame is secure and comfortable to wear for long periods—the arms have a little flexibility so they don’t put pressure on your head. 

Best For Cycling

SunGod provides the option to customize your sunglasses at no extra cost, and with its Airas glasses you can change the color of the frames, lenses, earlocks and icons, as well as deciding whether you want to go frameless or have a bottom frame. 

The huge lenses on the Arias provide a wide field of vision for all sports, and I found them great for cycling if you opt against having a top frame, which means there’s nothing blocking your view when leaning over your handlebars. 

Best lightweight sunglasses

Weight isn’t the only thing that matters with sports sunnies but, in general, the lighter the set the better. The SR-1x glasses I tested were just 24g (Roka lists the official weight as 25g). This helps to make them comfortable, and despite the snug fit of the sunglasses I barely noticed them during runs and rides. You can change the lens—though they only come with one—and there is a photochromic option for low-light and changeable conditions. The field of vision is wide and the C3 lenses are impressively clear—and didn’t fog up in my testing. 

More Recommendations

These lightweight, hardy glasses offer an excellent fit for any kind of activity but especially running. There’s a wide selection of lenses and the cheapest option offers great value at just £45 for a set of simple gray sunglasses. I’ve tested a couple of sets of the ND:R sunnies and I’d highly recommend the Ultimate Reactolite lenses to anyone keen on wearing sunglasses all year round.

These lenses are photochromic, so they darken in sunny conditions but remain clear when it’s cloudy, and they have both a blue mirror to reduce glare and a yellow tint to brighten up your view in low light. I’ve used them in blazing sunshine, on overcast days, in heavy rain and even on a treadmill in a garage, and always had a clear view. It’s this versatility that makes these lenses a particularly good option for prescription sunglasses – which ND:R also sells.

The Tifosi Swank sunglasses have a simple, stylish look and are great value. The lightweight frame sits securely in place during vigorous activities. While they’re not as hardy as pricier pairs—I found that the lenses scratch easily if you don’t store them carefully—they’re a great catch-all set of sunnies for active people who don’t like the look of wraparound sunglasses.

The SunGod Ultras can be customized at no extra cost, allowing you to choose the lenses and frame you want, with lenses to suit different conditions including photochromatic options. The sunglasses are lightweight and they sat securely on my nose throughout runs, no matter how sweaty I got.

City cyclists need eyes in the back of their head to stay aware of what’s going on around them, but while they wait for that technology to arrive here’s the next best thing: sunglasses with built-in mirrors. The outer section of each lens on the Hindsight Artemis is a mirror that you can glance at to see what’s coming up behind you without having to turn your head.

I found it distracting when I first used the glasses but, once I got used to it, the Hindsight mirror was useful—and the glasses are stylish enough to wear off the bike too. They come with silicone arm sleeves which you can put on for a more secure fit, but even with these on they can slip down if you get sweaty, so they’re best reserved for commutes and casual rides.

The Engo 2 sunglasses have a heads-up display on the inside of the right lens that shows your stats while running and cycling. This is especially useful on the bike—you can keep your eyes on the road while glancing at stats like your speed and power output—but I also found it helpful during runs, particularly on trails where I wanted to keep a look out for stray roots and rocks while checking my pace or heart rate.

You can link the glasses to a Garmin watch to show stats directly from the watch on the display, which opens up more metrics than you get through the Engo app. One thing that the display can’t yet show is navigation cues from Garmin watches, which would be very handy.

At this price the Engo 2 sunglasses are an extravagance given that a heads-up display really isn’t essential for sports, and it’s also a shame that they only come with lenses for sunny days—they are a bit dark when under cloud cover. The fit is also a bit loose, so I had to use the supplied retainer strap to hold them in place. The heads-up display does work well though, and if you’re keen to have your stats in your eyeline during workouts, the Engo 2 is your best option.

The Endura Shumba II sunglasses set comes with three lenses: a mirrored lens for sunny days, a light bronze one that can handle most conditions, and a clear lens for when the sun completely disappears. You can also get a set with a photochromic lens, which costs a little extra, though it’s still good value given how cheap the Shumba II sunnies are.

Despite being half the price of many sets, the Shumba II sunnies perform well on runs and rides. I found them comfortable and secure, and although they do pick up fingerprints easily and lack the clarity of the best lenses available, they certainly outperform their price.