The ASICS Novablast line has always leaned towards the softer end of the daily trainer spectrum, and the fifth iteration pushes the dial further in that direction without losing the springy, high-cadence personality that earned the previous versions their following. The headline change for 2026 is the midsole, which swaps the earlier FF Blast Plus Eco foam for a new formulation ASICS calls FF Blast Max — a compound that lab tests have pegged at around 38 per cent softer than the industry average while retaining better rebound than earlier generations of the Novablast. At 41mm of stack at the heel and 33mm at the forefoot, the Novablast 5 sits comfortably within the max-cushion daily trainer category now occupied by the likes of the New Balance 1080v14 and the Nike Vomero 18, but at a retail price of £140 it undercuts most of its natural rivals by a useful margin.
On foot, the shoe feels quieter than its specs suggest. The rocker has been refined to deliver a smoother transition than the Novablast 4, which could feel bouncy to the point of distraction under heavier runners. The reshaped geometry plays particularly well in the 5:00-to-5:30 per kilometre range, where the Novablast 5 settles into an easy, unrushed rhythm that encourages longer easy efforts without the hot-spots that the earlier model sometimes produced around the fifth metatarsal. A thinner engineered mesh upper and a reshaped collar address another long-standing criticism, with testers reporting fewer heel-slip complaints than at any point in the line's history. The tongue is lightly padded and gusseted, and the laces hold position reliably through varied terrain.
Outsole durability has always been the Novablast's soft spot, and ASICS has made visible concessions here. The AHAR Plus rubber pods have been enlarged under the heel and forefoot while the exposed foam through the midfoot remains roughly the same. In testing through wet early-April conditions the grip proved competent on damp pavement and on the kind of light trail that a shoe in this category is likely to encounter, though a dedicated trail outing would still favour a more aggressive lug pattern. After 200 kilometres of mixed running, the heel bevel on both our review pairs showed the familiar Novablast-era smoothing, but far less cracking through the exposed midfoot foam than the Novablast 4 displayed at the same point.
The Novablast 5 is unambiguously best-suited to neutral runners with a relaxed gait and a taste for soft ride. Heavier runners will likely find the high stack more playful than stable, and anyone who prefers a firmer, more ground-connected feel — particularly fans of the Saucony Kinvara or the Brooks Hyperion — will find the Novablast 5 too marshmallowy for their liking. Paired with the ASICS Magic Speed 4 for workouts and the Metaspeed Sky Paris for race day, the Novablast 5 completes a sensible three-shoe rotation for recreational marathoners, and the reduced weight — 247 grams in a men's UK 9 — makes it viable for cruise-pace long runs up to half marathon distance. For heavier tempo days, most runners will still reach for a plated super-trainer.
Value is where the Novablast 5 makes its most convincing case. At £140 it is materially cheaper than the Mizuno Neo Vista (£180), Nike Vomero 18 (£150) and New Balance Rebel v5 (£145), yet its FF Blast Max midsole puts it into the same conversation for softness and energy return. There is no carbon plate and no attempt to masquerade as a race shoe, and that restraint feels appropriate: ASICS has finally produced a Novablast that knows precisely what it wants to be. For runners logging five to seven easy-paced sessions a week, or for newer runners looking for a single shoe to cover all duty outside workouts, the Novablast 5 is the most convincing daily trainer the brand has made since the Gel-Nimbus 26 — and the most bang-for-buck option in its category for 2026.