High5 claims 23 grams of carbs per sachet on its official website. The product label says 20 grams. That gap, documented by an independent test, sums up this British gel that has quietly become a market classic: a dated formula on paper next to recent dual-source gels, but digestion rated flawless by every tester we looked at and a price that remains one of the lowest on the market.
© High5, official photo used for editorial purposes
The High5 Energy Gel goes for a very runny texture, almost a drink, which makes it easy to swallow and digest according to every tester we reviewed, but which can also spurt out of the sachet when you open it mid-race. With 20 to 23 grams of carbs depending on the source (official site or label), it falls behind recent dual-source gels that often go past 40 grams. Its main strength is a price among the lowest of any branded gel, around €1 to €1.25 per unit.
Founded in 1994 by two British triathletes, High5 is one of the oldest sports nutrition brands still in business, with more than 25 years behind it and a long-standing presence in British cycling and triathlon. Unlike newer brands built around dual-source carbs and high concentrations (Maurten, SiS Beta Fuel, Näak), High5 built its reputation on a simpler formula, tested for banned substances and sold well below the market average.
Despite solid availability at French retailers (Deporvillage, Probikeshop, Wiggle) and 21 gels already covered in the RunMorph test catalogue, High5 was completely missing, even though the brand remains a price benchmark for many beginner runners and cyclists. A good opportunity to check whether the formula still holds up against the new generation of concentrated gels.
| Brand | High5 (United Kingdom, founded in 1994) |
| Format | Soft sachet of 38 to 40 g depending on the source |
| Carbs per sachet | 20 g (product label) to 23 g (official High5 communication), depending on the source |
| Carb source | Maltodextrin and glucose (standard version, no fructose); natural fruit juice for flavour |
| Caffeine | 0 mg (standard version); 30 mg (EnergyGel Plus / Aqua Caffeine version) |
| Energy | About 80 kcal per sachet |
| Texture | Very runny, close to a juice, thinner than the average gel on the market |
| Flavours available | Banana, apple, orange, citrus, summer fruits, mango (recent addition according to the official UK site) |
| Certification | Batch Tested (anti-doping testing per batch, Informed Sport programme) |
| Recycling | Empty packaging take-back scheme offered by the brand in the UK (prepaid envelope) |
| Price | About €1 to €1.60 per unit depending on format; €24.95 for 20 caffeinated sachets in France (list price €33.99, i.e. -27 %) |
| Data point | Claimed by High5 | Measured or observed by testers |
|---|---|---|
| Carbs per sachet | 23 g according to the brand's official site, presented as an ultra-concentrated "4th generation" gel | 20 g according to the product's own label, a 13 % gap documented by an independent test that compared both sources without getting any explanation from the brand |
| Opening and handling mid-race | "Easy to open, easy to swallow" according to official communication | Mixed opinions depending on the age of the packaging tested: an older cycling review finds the sachet non-resealable and awkward to open at full effort, while more recent customer reviews and a recent independent test find it easy to open and carry |
| Digestive tolerance | "Easy on the stomach", with no further detail | Confirmed without reservation by every tester we reviewed, including over efforts lasting several hours, no digestive issues reported |
The most notable gap, and the easiest to check for yourself, is the carb dose: the official formula communicated by High5 (23 g) does not match what is printed on the packaging actually sold (20 g). It takes nothing away from how well the product works, but you need to know it before precisely calculating your hourly carb intake for a long race.
On texture, every tester we looked at agrees: the High5 Energy Gel is much runnier than the average gel on the market, closer to a juice than a thick gel. That choice has two opposite consequences depending on how you use it. On the plus side, the texture makes it much easier to get down and swallow, a benefit mentioned by every source we reviewed, including for runners who struggle to digest thick, sticky gels. On the minus side, that same fluidity can make the product spill out of the sachet when you open it one-handed mid-race, a flaw documented by both a French cycling tester and an independent test.
On opening itself, opinions diverge more, probably depending on how old the tested packaging was. A French cycling review, done on an older batch, describes a soft, non-resealable sachet that is awkward to handle during hard efforts. By contrast, two recent customer reviews on a French retailer and a more recent independent test describe a sachet that is easy to open and carry, tucked into your shorts until the next bin. We are not settling this arbitrarily here: it points to a change in packaging over time rather than a contradiction between sources.
© High5, official photo used for editorial purposes
The standard High5 Energy Gel contains only glucose (maltodextrin and glucose), with no fructose, unlike the brand's own Energy Source 2:1 drink, which mixes both sources. The lack of dual-source carbs limits the hourly absorption potential compared with more recent gels: standard scientific guidelines put the absorption ceiling for glucose alone at around 60 g per hour, whereas a glucose-fructose combination lets you aim for up to 90 g per hour with some of the dual-source gels in the RunMorph catalogue.
With only 20 to 23 g of carbs per sachet depending on the source, a runner targeting 60 to 90 g per hour would need 3 to 4 sachets, which is what the brand itself recommends on the packaging if you have no other carb source during exercise, while capping intake at 40 sachets per day according to the printed warning.
The natural fruit juice used as the flavour base gets positive mentions from every tester, with banana singled out as the favourite by two independent sources. The "summer fruits" flavour, identical to the one in the Energy Source drink, is however judged too sweet by a tester used to the more balanced dosage of the drink. The Mojito flavour, mint and lime, was a big hit with a French tester but was only available, at the time of his test, on the brand's UK site and not in the French catalogue, a range limitation worth checking before you buy. A new mango flavour has since been added to the range and is now also available at several French retailers.
A glucose-only formula with no fructose in the standard version, and a claimed dose that already varies depending on the official source itself (20 to 23 g). For a high hourly carb target on a marathon or ultra, this gel needs more servings than a recent dual-source gel at 40 g or more, which can complicate your fuelling logistics during a race.
The very runny texture, praised for how easy it is to swallow, turns against you when you open it: two independent testers report that the product can spill out of the sachet when opened one-handed at full effort, with a risk of losing some on your hands, chin or clothing.
© High5, official photo used for editorial purposes
| Criterion | Energy Gel (standard) | Energy Gel Plus / Aqua Caffeine |
|---|---|---|
| Caffeine | 0 mg | 30 mg per sachet |
| Carbs | 20-23 g depending on the source | Same, 20-23 g depending on the source |
| Recommended use | Repeated intake throughout the effort | Occasional strategic hit, a kick at the end of a race or before a tough section |
| Price in France | About €0.99 to €1.25 per unit | €24.95 for 20 sachets, about €1.25 per unit |
The short version: the standard version suits regular intake throughout a run, while the Plus/Aqua Caffeine version is best kept for one or two strategic servings per race, near the end or before a tough section, which is exactly how several of the testers we reviewed use it, alternating both versions within the same outing.
| Criterion | High5 Energy Gel | Decathlon Gel 1:0.8 Lemon | SiS Beta Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carbs | 20-23 g | About 20-27 g depending on 1:0.8 dosage | 40 g, dual source |
| Unit price | €1 to €1.25 | About €1.83 (Decathlon Energy Gel+) | About €2 and up |
| Positioning | Long-standing gel, simple formula, very low price | Mass-market alternative, competitive price | Long-effort benchmark, concentrated dual source |
| Origin | United Kingdom, specialist brand since 1994 | France, mass-market sports retail | United Kingdom, specialist endurance nutrition brand |
The short version: against the Decathlon Gel 1:0.8, these are two budget options going head to head, but High5 relies on its heritage and its distinctive runny texture rather than on pure carbs-per-euro. Against the SiS Beta Fuel, aimed at efforts over 2 hours with its 40 g dual source, the High5 Energy Gel clearly belongs in the category of top-up gels for short to medium efforts rather than core gels for ultra distances.
© High5, official photo used for editorial purposes
At about €1 to €1.25 per unit when bought in boxes of 20, the High5 Energy Gel sits below most specialist branded gels on the market, which often sell for €1.80 to €3 per unit for the most concentrated dual-source formulas. Per gram of carbs, the gap narrows since High5 delivers less per sachet, but the entry price stays much lower, a real argument for a runner who gets through several gels per long run and per training week.
For a run under 2 hours or as a top-up alongside an energy drink, the High5 Energy Gel does its job without any digestive trouble. For a marathon or ultra goal with a high hourly carb plan, you are better off combining it with a drink or a more concentrated gel rather than making it your only carb source. Check out our RunMorph training plans to build your fuelling strategy race by race.
© High5, official photo used for editorial purposes
The High5 Energy Gel does not try to compete with the most concentrated dual-source gels on the market, and that is exactly what explains both its strengths and its limits. Flawless digestion and a low price make it a reliable entry-level gel, but the modest carb dose and a texture that escapes easily when you open it leave it behind the new generation of concentrated gels for long efforts.
RunMorph score: 6.9/10. The weighting penalises carb dose and texture, the two areas where the product shows its age most against recent competition, rather than digestion and price, its two most widely agreed strengths among the testers we reviewed.
20 g according to the product label, but 23 g according to the official High5 website, a 13 % gap documented by an independent test with no explanation from the brand to date.
No, the standard EnergyGel version does not. The EnergyGel Plus version, also sold as Aqua Caffeine in France, provides 30 mg of caffeine per sachet.
Between €0.99 and €1.60 per unit depending on format and retailer, i.e. about €24.95 for 20 sachets of the caffeinated version at a French sports retailer, against a list price of €33.99.
Yes as a complement, but its carb dose of 20 to 23 g per sachet, versus 40 g or more for recent dual-source gels, means you have to take more servings (3 to 4 per hour recommended by the brand) to hit a high carb target.
The formula goes for a juice-like texture rather than a thick gel so it is easy to take without water, a choice praised by every tester for digestion, but one that can also make the product spill out of the sachet when opened at full effort.