Is Peloton worth it? As a fitness expert, I give my verdict

Peloton is still one of the most searched-for exercise equipment brands in the UK. But the products are expensive, and the subscription adds an ongoing cost. 

So is Peloton worth it, or should you go cheaper? I tried out a Peloton bike with an all-access membership to give you my verdict.

Find out how exercise bikes fared in our extensive testing on our best exercise bikes page

What is a Peloton?

Zoom. Tiger King. Barnard Castle. Peloton. Some words will forever be associated with the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdowns that came with it. Like me, many people had never heard of Peloton until 2020, when people were stuck indoors for weeks on end – waistlines expanding and fitness declining.

Despite rising to prominence when gyms were shut and only an hour of outdoor activity was permitted per day, Peloton first launched back in 2012, bringing live, instructor-led fitness classes into people’s homes via connected exercise equipment. 

While the brand's popularity inevitably faded as the world reopened post-pandemic, it remains one of the most recognisable names in home gym equipment. In October 2025, Peloton released its first new range of equipment in three years.

After our most recent round of exercise bike testing, I decided to keep the Peloton bike at the Which? office to answer the question: is Peloton worth it?

How much is a Peloton bike?

Not cheap. The new Peloton Cross Training Bike costs £1,599 – the same price as the Original Bike (the one I was using).

The premium Bike+ is claimed to offer 'real-time form feedback and rep tracking, personalised plans, performance estimates and custom workouts', but it costs significantly more, at £2,299.

And if you’re more of a runner than a cyclist, the new Peloton treadmill will set you back a whopping £3,499.

But your payments don’t end there. To access Peloton’s full range of features, you’ll need to shell out £45 a month for the All-Access Membership. For this, you'll get access to all live and on-demand classes, real-time performance tracking, scenic rides, challenges and streaming services.

The cheaper Peloton App One (£12.99 a month) and App+ Memberships (£28.99 a month) don't include access to the classes via your Peloton Bike.

Without an All-Access Membership, you'll lose most of your Peloton bike's extra features.

Bear in mind, too, that the bike is designed to be used with special cycling shoes or toe cages, which you'll need to buy separately.

My experience of using a Peloton

Sweat drips off my forehead as Britney Spears’ Baby One More Time reverberates around Which? testing HQ. I’m pedalling as hard as I can to push into the top 50 on the on-screen leaderboard as the peppy instructor yells to ‘keep up the intensity!’ Thankfully, it’s a quiet Friday in the office, so no one is around to witness this spectacle. 

I’m halfway through a 20-minute high-intensity interval training session and I’m ready for it to end. But the tantalising prospect of climbing up into the top 40 and beyond keeps me going as NSync’s Bye Bye Bye starts. 

I’m not sure why the instructor has chosen cheesy retro pop as the soundtrack to a high-intensity workout, but I’ll have to live with it. Each one-minute rest period comes with an increasing sense of relief. 

But I’m currently battling with Jay1076 on the leaderboard, and I won't be defeated. We’re continually criss-crossing positions, but finally I’m starting to pull away.

‘Keep pushing right to the end!’ the instructor yells. I oblige. The end is in sight. 3, 2, 1. I’m victorious. And by victorious, I mean that I finish in 39th place.

Is a Peloton subscription worth it?

While I was originally sceptical about how Peloton could justify such a steep subscription cost after I spent so much on the bike itself, the truth is that I did find the classes motivating. I was encouraged to push harder than I would have done otherwise, and it feels like having your own private spin class.

Seeing your name rise up the leaderboard also helps to spur you on, and you may even get a shoutout from the instructor if you're doing a live class.

I also enjoyed the scenic rides, which make you feel like you’re riding anywhere from the fjords of Norway to the streets of New York from the comfort of your home.

If you simply prefer to pedal in front of your favourite show, you also have a range of streaming services available.

While I enjoyed the novelty of these features, I'm not sure I'd use them on a regular basis, especially as the subscription cost is roughly the same as an average gym membership.

A subscription is worth it if you own a Peloton bike or treadmill and want to make the most of your equipment.

We've also reviewed a Peloton treadmill – check out our best treadmills page

Can you use a Peloton bike without a subscription?

Yes. But without a subscription, I don't think it's worth buying a Peloton, and you may as well go for a cheaper exercise bike instead. 

If you don't pay for a Peloton membership, you’ll have access to only the most basic features and a couple of demo workout classes. This puts the bike in danger of becoming a very expensive coat rack or getting shunted to the back of your garage to gather dust.

Peloton bike: my expert verdict

If you have the money to spend, and you’re going to use the bike regularly and make the most of its subscription-only features, it could be an excellent addition to your home gym or the centrepiece of your fitness regime.

But if a subscription isn't important to you and you just want a simple exercise bike for moderate or occasional use, there are plenty of cheaper, good-quality exercise bikes out there. 

Ultimately, it comes down to how much you're willing to pay and your own fitness journey.

Looking for something cheaper?

In our test of exercise bikes, we found two Great Value models that performed well for about a tenth of the price of a Peloton. 

Log in or join Which? to find out which ones they are.