UMAY 20% Incline Treadmill Review: Steep Walking for £240

The UMAY 3.5HP folding treadmill costs around £239.99 on Amazon UK at the time of writing, and for that you get a motorised incline that climbs to 20%, a 14km/h top speed and 12 built-in programs. Most treadmills at this price stop at 12% or 15%. On steepness per pound, it sits right alongside the CURSOR FITNESS 20% incline treadmill, which costs the same and shares a near-identical spec sheet.

Our verdict is simple: it's a decent buy if you want steep walking sessions at home without spending £400, and a poor buy if you want to run. The belt is 108 x 40cm, which is short and narrow, and a 25kg frame rated for a 180kg user is a figure we'd treat with care.

Budget treadmill prices move around, so check what it's selling for today before you read on.

Check price on Amazonaround £240

Who it's for

Incline walkers. If your sessions look like 30 to 45 minutes at 4km/h to 6km/h with the deck somewhere between 8% and 20%, the UMAY covers that for less than most rivals. It works well for the 12-3-30 workout, which asks for 12% at roughly 4.8km/h, and you'll have plenty of gradient left to grow into once 12% stops feeling hard.

People with small homes may also like it. At about 25kg it's light enough for most adults to tip onto its transport wheels and roll into a corner.

Runners should look elsewhere, and so should anyone over about 6ft who wants a natural stride. Heavier users can use it, though we'd want them walking rather than jogging, and the reasons are below.

Key specs

Why a 20% incline is the whole point

The gradient is what you're paying for, and the case for steep walking is better than most people expect. A 2024 study matched 20 minutes of walking at a 20% grade against level jogging at the same calorie target, and oxygen uptake, heart rate and energy burn came out almost identical, with participants preferring the jog (International Journal of Exercise Science, 2024). So steep walking does the job; it just feels harder on the calves.

A follow-up at the same gradient found lower foot and sacrum accelerations during incline walking than during level jogging at matched effort (International Journal of Exercise Science, 2025). That's the real argument for a machine like this if you've got grumbly knees or are carrying extra weight: similar effort, less pounding.

It also matters because of the belt. On a 108cm deck you can't safely chase intensity through speed, so slope becomes the dial you turn instead, and the UMAY has plenty of it. Half an hour of brisk uphill walking five days a week hits the NHS target of 150 minutes of moderate activity.

Design and build

Amazon records the UMAY at roughly 132 x 65 x 18cm and about 25kg. The 18cm height suggests that's the folded footprint rather than the working size, and if so it'll slide under some beds and most sofas with legs. Measure first. We can't confirm from the listing whether folding is a lift-and-latch job or a screws-out job like the CURSOR FITNESS, so ask the seller if you plan to fold it after every session.

The weight cuts both ways. Twenty-five kilos is easy to move, and that's a genuine plus in a flat. It's also very light for a treadmill that claims to carry 180kg up a 20% slope, lighter even than the 35kg CURSOR FITNESS with the same rating, and the listing's "reinforced alloy-steel construction" doesn't come with any detail on frame gauge or deck thickness. A light frame isn't automatically weak; seven times its own weight in user at full incline is still a lot to ask. We'd read 180kg as a ceiling, not a comfortable working figure.

Motor, belt and speed

"3.5HP" is almost certainly a peak number. UMAY doesn't publish a continuous rating, and budget folding treadmills usually run somewhere around 2HP to 3HP continuous. For walking up a steep slope at 4km/h to 6km/h that's normally fine, but expect the motor to work harder, and get louder, near 20% with a heavier user on board.

The belt is the real limit. UMAY calls 108 x 40cm "wide, long", which it isn't: it's about the smallest deck among the incline treadmills we've covered. The Neezee runs 115 x 46cm, and the Cowmew gets you 130 x 48cm. Walking on 108cm is perfectly comfortable at a normal stride. Jogging at 8km/h to 10km/h is possible if you're of average height and keep your feet under you, but at 14km/h a tall runner's foot will land close to the motor hood, and 40cm leaves little margin if you drift sideways. Our guide to treadmill running form explains why a cramped belt pushes you into habits you don't want.

Fourteen km/h is roughly a 4:17 per km pace, so the speed cap alone won't bother most casual joggers. The belt length will bother them first.

Console and programs

There's an LED touch screen and 12 preset programs, which the listing describes as running from recovery walks to interval sessions. UMAY doesn't publish what each program does, and the listing mentions no app or Bluetooth connectivity. For incline walking, that's no great loss: you'll mostly set a speed, set a gradient and press start. If you want Zwift or Kinomap, this isn't the machine.

Noise

UMAY says the motor is "engineered to stay under 45dB". That's quiet office territory, and we doubt it holds once someone is walking on it. Footfall on the deck, belt friction and the incline motor all add to the motor's own hum, and none of that sits inside a motor-only figure. In an upstairs flat, a rubber mat under the frame will help with vibration through the floor more than any spec sheet number will. Our page on using a treadmill on carpet covers mat choice.

Assembly and support

The listing promotes it as "home-ready" without detailing assembly. Most treadmills in this format arrive mostly built, with the upright and console bolting on, and at 25kg one person can usually handle it, though two is easier for getting it out of the box.

Support is the bigger unknown. UMAY is a little-known brand, the listing we checked gives no warranty term, and we couldn't find a UK service page or spare parts information. The motor controller is the part most likely to fail on a cheap treadmill. Message the seller through Amazon before you buy and get the warranty terms in writing.

How it compares

UMAY vs CURSOR FITNESS. These two are close to twins: same 20% incline, same 14km/h top speed, same 180kg rating, almost the same belt (108 x 40cm against 107 x 40cm) and the same price of around £240. The UMAY is about 10kg lighter, which makes it easier to move and slightly more worrying under a heavy user. The CURSOR FITNESS adds handrail controls and an adjustable handlebar height, and we know its fold needs tools. If price is equal on the day, buy whichever you can get a clear warranty answer on.

UMAY vs Neezee. Spend around £110 more and the Neezee gets you 18km/h, a 115 x 46cm belt and a stated 5-year motor and frame warranty. If you want to jog at all, or you just want written cover, that's the better use of money.

For a broader look at steep machines, see our best incline treadmill UK roundup.

Check the UMAY price on Amazonaround £240

Recommended reads

• CURSOR FITNESS 20% incline treadmill review
• Neezee 20% incline treadmill review
• The 12-3-30 workout explained
• Best incline treadmill UK
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