Cowmew Treadmill Review: 20% Incline, 20km/h and a Big Deck for £425

The Cowmew foldable treadmill costs £424.99 on Amazon UK and lists a motorised 20% incline, a 20km/h top speed, a 130 x 48cm running deck and a 180kg user rating. That combination is rare under £450. Most 20% incline machines at the budget end, like the CURSOR FITNESS 20% incline treadmill, are walkers with short belts and 14km/h ceilings; the Cowmew is pitched as something you can run on as well.

Our view: it's a good treadmill wrapped in some silly marketing. The spec sheet that matters (deck size, speed, incline, weight) is genuinely strong for the money, while the "7HP" motor, "under 40 dB" noise and "200% calorie burn" claims are numbers you should ignore.

Check price on Amazonaround £425

Stock looked thin when we checked (Amazon showed only a handful left), so the price and availability may move quickly.

Who it's for

Two groups get the most out of it. If you want steep incline walking, the 20% ramp gives you more gradient than the 12% or 15% you'll find on most home treadmills, which matters if you've outgrown the popular 12-3-30 routine. And if you also want to jog or run, the 130cm deck and 20km/h speed mean you aren't buying a walking pad that happens to tilt.

Heavier users should take note too. A 48cm belt width is a few centimetres wider than the 40cm to 42cm common at this price, and a 55kg frame is a more believable partner for a 180kg rating than the 35kg machines that claim the same.

It's less suited to small flats. At roughly 157 x 74cm assembled it takes real floor space, and while it folds, it won't slide under a bed. If space is the main constraint, look at our best fold flat treadmill UK picks instead.

Specs and what they mean

The deck is the headline. A 130cm length is the point where most people stop feeling cramped when jogging, and it's a big step up from the 107cm on the CURSOR FITNESS or the 115cm on the GEOTECH incline treadmill. That extra length matters at incline too, because people tend to lengthen their stride and drift backwards on a steep slope.

Cowmew mentions an "eight-layer" cushioned belt. We can't verify the layer count, and cushioning on folding treadmills is mostly modest elastomer pads under the deck, but a longer, wider deck does help you land in the middle rather than near the motor hood.

The claims we'd ignore

7HP

A UK 13A socket supplies around 3kW, which works out to roughly 4HP. A motor can't draw 7HP (about 5.2kW) continuously from a household plug, so the figure has to be a peak or a marketing number. That doesn't make the motor weak. A 20km/h top speed and a 20% ramp still point to a motor sized above a walking pad's, but judge it by those, not by the HP sticker.

Under 40dB

40dB is roughly a quiet library. The brushless motor alone may be fairly hushed, but footfall on a belt, the belt running over the deck and the incline motor all add noise. Expect it to be audible in the next room and through a floor, especially if you're running. Our guide to running a treadmill on carpet covers mats and placement that help.

200% calorie burn

There's no baseline attached, so "up to 200%" can't be tested. The underlying idea is sound, though. A study of obese adults in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that walking slower up a moderate incline produced similar moderate-intensity effort to faster flat walking while cutting peak knee loads by about a fifth. That's the real case for an incline treadmill: comparable effort, gentler on the joints. Just don't expect a multiplier on your calorie readout.

Incline walking at 20%

Most people will spend the bulk of their time somewhere between 8% and 15%. The 12-3-30 routine (12% grade, about 4.8km/h, 30 minutes) became popular for a reason, and a 2025 study in the International Journal of Exercise Science found that, matched for total energy expenditure against self-paced running, it took longer but used a higher share of fat for fuel. The extra headroom to 20% is useful once 12% feels easy, or for short, hard hill intervals.

A few practical notes. Keep your hands off the rails at steep grades if you can, because hanging on cuts the work you're doing. Build up gradually, as calves and Achilles tendons take most of the extra load. And for weekly targets, the NHS physical activity guidelines suggest 150 minutes of moderate activity, which brisk incline walking easily counts towards. If you want structure, our treadmill HIIT workout can be adapted to hill intervals rather than speed.

Build, setup and ownership

Cowmew says the treadmill arrives about 95% assembled and takes one person around 10 minutes to finish. That's typical for folding treadmills that ship with the deck and upright pre-attached; you'll mainly be bolting the console arms and connecting a cable. At 55kg, though, getting the box indoors is a two-person job.

The 2-year warranty is reasonable for the price and longer than some rivals' parts cover. What we can't tell you is how well Cowmew handles claims, because the brand doesn't have years of UK owner history behind it. Keep your order details and register the warranty straight away.

Lubricant comes in the box, and you should use it. Belt and deck friction is one of the main reasons budget treadmills start slipping or straining, so follow our how to lubricate a treadmill guide every few months.

How it compares

Against the cheaper 20% option, the CURSOR FITNESS at around £240, the Cowmew costs £185 more but gives you a 23cm longer, 8cm wider belt and an extra 6km/h of top speed. If you only ever walk, the CURSOR does the uphill job for less. If anyone in the house wants to jog, the Cowmew is the far better machine.

The GEOTECH at around £300 sits in between, with a 15% incline and a 115 x 42cm belt. It's a fine walker and light jogger, but it can't match the Cowmew's gradient or deck. For the wider field, our best incline treadmill UK roundup and best treadmill under £500 guide cover the alternatives.

Check the Cowmew price on Amazonaround £425

Recommended reads

• Best incline treadmill UK
• CURSOR FITNESS 20% incline treadmill review
• GEOTECH incline treadmill review
• Best treadmill under £500
• How to lubricate a treadmill