How we grade, and how we make money. We publish a PadelGrade Score only where five independent sources exist, and cheap rackets almost never have five. So none of the frames on this page carries a score. What they carry instead is a British price, an average owner rating and the number of people that average is built from — and we rank by that last number, because it is the only one that cannot be bought. If you buy through a link we may earn a commission; it does not change the order.
Everyone else writes “under £100”. We are cutting at £60, because in the British market that is where the interesting rackets actually are, and because the search data says more people want cheap than want £99.
The pick is the Head Graphene 360 Alpha Motion at £51.90 — 4.7 out of 5 across 351 owner ratings, the largest verified sample of any racket under £60 we found.
Prices captured from Amazon UK on 16 August 2026 and they move constantly. Treat them as bands.
What £60 does and does not buy
| You get | You do not get |
|---|---|
| A round or hybrid shape with a usable sweet spot | A high-grade carbon layup |
| A soft or medium EVA core | Consistency between units of the same model |
| 350–370 g, the standard adult band | Durability past a year of twice-weekly play |
| A frame that will not hurt your arm | Any real power ceiling |
| Enough racket to reach a solid club level | A frame you will keep when you get there |
That last line is the honest framing. A £50 racket is not a compromise you regret — it is a consumable that gets you through your first year or two. What the higher bands actually add is set out in how much a padel racket should cost.
The shortlist, ranked by evidence
| Racket | Price | Rating | Ratings | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head Graphene 360 Alpha Motion | £51.90 | 4.7 | 351 | Largest sample under £60 |
| Dunlop Lumina | £48.49 | 4.4 | 217 | 365 g, graphite frame |
| Adidas Drive Grey 3.4 | £44.90 | 4.7 | 64 | Cheapest tour-brand frame |
| Dunlop Nanomax Lite | £54.99 | 4.6 | 43 | The light option |
| Dunlop Megamax | £44.99 | 4.6 | 40 | Round, medium balance |
| Head Vibe | £60.49 | 4.7 | 16 | Just over the line, small sample |
The Head Radical Evo at £56.27 — 4.7 across 231 ratings — also belongs in this band and is covered in full on best padel rackets for beginners, where it is the value pick. We have not repeated the entry here.
1. Head Graphene 360 Alpha Motion — £51.90
351 owner ratings averaging 4.7, which is more verified evidence than most £150 rackets carry. It is an older model — the Graphene 360 platform predates Head’s current range — and that is precisely why it is this price with this sample: it has been on sale long enough for hundreds of people to have an opinion.
Buying last season’s frame is the single most reliable way to spend less on padel. The technology moves slowly and the discount does not.
Head Graphene 360 Alpha Motion
2. Dunlop Lumina — £48.49
217 ratings at 4.4. A graphite frame with a Pro EVA core at 365 g — the heavy end of this list, and deliberately so: it is stable against a hard ball in a way most sub-£50 frames are not. Players coming from tennis usually prefer it to the lighter options here.
Dunlop Lumina
3. Adidas Drive Grey 3.4 — £44.90, the cheapest tour-brand frame
4.7 across 64 ratings, and the lowest price here from a manufacturer that equips the professional tour. Round, soft and undemanding — and noticeably less stable than the Dunlop when a ball comes off the back glass hard. At £45, that trade is reasonable. The rest of the range is on our Adidas padel rackets hub.
Adidas Drive Grey 3.4 (2025)
4. Dunlop Nanomax Lite — £54.99
4.6 across 43 ratings. The light option on this page, and the one to look at if a 365 g frame feels slow at the net or your elbow has opinions. Lighter frames get pushed around more off the glass — that is the trade, and it is covered in padel racket weight.
Dunlop Nanomax Lite
5. Dunlop Megamax — £44.99
4.6 across 40 ratings. A round graphite frame with a medium balance, sold in several colourways at prices from £44.99 to £53.93 for what is the same racket. Check all the listings before you buy — the gap is a fifth of the price.
Dunlop Megamax
6. Head Vibe — £60.49
4.7 across 16 ratings. Just over the line and included because it is Head’s current entry frame rather than an older platform — but sixteen ratings is not a sample, it is an anecdote. Treat the 4.7 accordingly.
Head Vibe
Three ways to spend less that are not on this list
- Buy last season. The best-evidenced racket on this page is an older platform at half the price of the current one. Padel technology moves slowly; the discount does not.
- Buy the non-flagship version. Comfort, Light and Control variants of a premium frame are usually cheaper and, for a club player, better. They are also genuinely different rackets, not colourways — check which one a review actually tested.
- Do not buy a two-racket starter set under £40. The cheapest one in our data averages 2.5 out of 5 across 71 ratings. It is not a bargain.
When to stop buying budget
When you can find the middle of the face on a back-glass rally three times in four. At that point a stiffer frame starts returning something, and the graded ranking in best padel rackets is the right next stop — the highest-scoring frame we have covered sits at 9.0 and in the £100–150 band, not above it.
Frequently asked questions
Are cheap padel rackets any good?
Under about £45, quality becomes unpredictable. Between £45 and £60 there are branded frames with hundreds of verified owner ratings that will take a player to a solid club level. Below £40, and especially in two-racket sets, ratings collapse.
What is the best padel racket under £50?
On the evidence available, the Adidas Drive Grey 3.4 at £44.90 — 4.7 across 64 ratings — or the Dunlop Lumina at £48.49, which has 217 ratings behind a 4.4.
How much should you spend on your first padel racket?
£45 to £75. Everything a beginner needs — round shape, soft core, 350 to 365 g — exists inside that band, and spending more buys stiffness that makes the game harder.
Is it worth buying an old model padel racket?
Yes, and it is the most reliable way to spend less. Padel racket technology changes slowly, so last season’s frame plays almost identically and often has far more owner reviews behind it.
Why are some padel rackets so expensive?
Carbon layup, core density and sponsorship. The first two are real engineering that a beginner cannot use; the third is not engineering at all.
Sources and data. Prices, average ratings and rating counts: Amazon UK product pages, captured 16 August 2026. No racket on this page carries a PadelGrade Score, because none has the five independent sources our method requires — see how we grade.