# adidas Drive Light 2026 > Round, 345 to 360 g, even balance. Above average for comfort, handling and forgiveness, below for power. Check if it suits your game. Score 8.1/10. - URL: https://padell.io/rackets/adidas/drive-light-2026/ - Last updated: 2026-11-14 - Author: [Ruud Caris](https://padell.io/about/) - Language: en - Site: padell.io (https://padell.io/) Shop links go through padell.io/go/ (affiliate links: padell.io may earn a commission, which never affects scores). Prices include shipping to the Netherlands unless stated otherwise, and change daily. --- [Rackets](https://padell.io/rackets/) · [adidas](https://padell.io/brands/adidas/) · Drive Light 2026 - **Shape**: Round - **Weight**: 345 to 360 g - **Balance**: Even - **Core**: EVA Soft Performance Lowest price **€ 65.94** at Tennis-Point NL · In stock · € 59.95 + € 5.99 shipping · Checked at 02:03 (2026-11-14) Lowest in 53 days **€ 60.01** Today **€ 65.94** [Buy at Tennis-Point NL](https://padell.io/go/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tennis-point.nl%2Fproducts%2Fadidas-drive-light-2026-padel-racket-00507600319000-nl) 1. [Padelfreunde · In stock · + € 7.90 shipping · Checked at 04:00 (2026-11-14) **€ 67.80**](https://padell.io/go/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fpadelfreunde.de%2Fproducts%2Fadidas-drive-light-padelschlaeger-26) 2. [All for Padel · In stock · + € 13.92 shipping · Checked at 05:33 (2026-11-14) **€ 69.92**](https://padell.io/go/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fallforpadel.com%2Fen%2Fpadel-rackets%2F7492-padel-racket-adidas-drive-light-2026-8435739406045.html) Prices include shipping to the country you choose. [How padell.io earns money](https://padell.io/how-we-earn-money/) The short answer The adidas Drive Light 2026 is a light beginner racket: round shape, soft EVA core, fiberglass face, 345 to 360 g. On paper it is a control and comfort racket with a large sweet spot and high maneuverability. The catch: nobody has published a court test yet, and adidas's own product page contradicts the brand spec on the shape. By [Ruud Caris](https://padell.io/about/) · facts checked 5 October 2026 Choose it if - you are starting out and want a racket that forgives off-center hits - you find standard 360-plus gram rackets slow at the net - you are shopping for a beginner who needs something light Skip it if - you already hit with full technique and want power on smashes - you want an advanced control racket, the Nox ML10 Pro Cup Luxury Series 2022 is built for that level - you prefer a heavier, more stable racket, the adidas Drive 2026 carries 360 to 375 g ## How it plays 8.1 **padell.io score 8.1** Play 9.1 (60%) and reviews 6.6 (40%). No independent reviews found yet, so that part starts low. [How the score works](https://padell.io/how-we-score/) - **Control**: 8.5 above average▲ - **Power**: 2.0 below average▼ - **Comfort**: 9.0 above average▲ - **Handling**: 7.5 above average▲ - **Forgiveness**: 7.5 above average▲ - **Line = the average of all rackets**: ▲ above ▼ below Everything below comes from the spec sheet, because no independent court test of this racket has been published yet. - **Control** The round shape, low balance and soft core all point to high control, with placement as the obvious strength. - **Power** Power is low on paper, so you will need full swings to hit winners. - **Comfort** The soft EVA core and fiberglass face suggest a soft, dampened hit that is gentle on the arm. - **Handling** The light weight and low balance should make this one of the quickest rackets in its class. - **Forgiveness** The round shape and soft core give it a large hitting zone, forgiving when your timing slips. ## Specifications - **Launched**: 2026 - **Shape**: Round [Big sweet spot low in the face: control and margin](https://padell.io/guides/padel-racket-shapes/) - **Weight**: 345 to 360 g Light: quick in the hand, less mass behind the ball - **Balance**: Even according to the brand, 255 mm Even: quick at the net, enough in the smash - **Face**: Fiberglass - **Core**: EVA Soft Performance Soft: comfort and ball exit, less control at high speed - **Thickness**: 38 mm The maximum the rules allow - **Head size**: 519 cm² - **Surface**: Smooth Not published by the brand: handle, frame Specs from the brand's own site · checked 23 September 2026 · [Spotted a wrong spec? Report it →](https://padell.io/contact/?topic=correction&racket=adidas%20Drive%20Light%202026) ## Price history Today **€ 56.00** Lowest in 30 days **€ 59.01** vs 30-day average **-9%** Lowest price per day across the shops in your market. Checked every night. The adidas Drive Light 2026 is, in almost every published spec, the same racket as the [adidas Drive 2026](https://padell.io/rackets/adidas/drive-2026/). Same [round shape](https://padell.io/guides/padel-racket-shapes/), same EVA Soft Performance core, same fiberglass face, same 38 mm thickness. The one real difference is the weight: 345 to 360 g here, against 360 to 375 g for the Drive. That single change moves the maneuverability profile from Low to High. That is the whole story of this racket, and it is a useful one. ## A lighter twin of the Drive 2026 A small weight cut sounds like nothing. On the scale of a racket it is not. The Drive 2026 lands at 360 to 375 g, a normal adult weight, and its maneuverability reads Low. The Drive Light shaves the weight band down to 345 to 360 g, and the meter flips to High. In practice that means a faster swing for someone without trained technique. At the net you have a fraction of a second to get the racket on the ball. There, lightness matters more than any other number on the sheet. If you want the heavier version, the [adidas Drive 2026](https://padell.io/rackets/adidas/drive-2026/) is right there in the same line. You can [compare the two directly](https://padell.io/compare/adidas-drive-2026-vs-adidas-drive-light-2026/). ## The product page says hybrid, the spec sheet says round Here the sources disagree, and you should know that before buying. The [adidas](https://padell.io/brands/adidas/) product page describes this racket as an ALLROUND (hybrid) shape. The brand's own spec sheet says Round. It lists a head size of 519 cm2, and one retailer measured the balance at 255 mm. A 255 mm balance is low, and low balance with a round head is the classic control combination. The hybrid claim reads like marketing language. The measured specs tell a clearer story: this is a round control racket. ## 345 to 360 g with a low balance: built for quick, untrained hands Light weight alone does not make a racket easy. A light racket with a high balance still swings heavy. This one combines its low weight with a low balance point, so almost nothing sits in the head. The result, on paper, is a racket you can move late, wrong-footed or with one hand and still get on the ball. The adidas product page pitches it at what it calls Discovery players. That fits the numbers. It does not fit an experienced player who wants mass behind a smash. ## EVA Soft Performance under fiberglass: the comfort recipe for a first racket The core is EVA Soft Performance, the softest end of what adidas puts in rackets. The face is fiberglass, not carbon. Together they absorb impact instead of returning it, which is why the comfort and sweet spot profiles both read High and the power profile reads Low. That trade is deliberate for a beginner. You get a racket that does not punish a sore elbow or a late contact. You give up free power: overheads and smashes need your own swing speed. The fix, if you ever want more, is technique first and a different racket later. The Drive family Same year, from most power (left) to most control (right) [**Drive**](https://padell.io/rackets/adidas/drive-2026/) **Light** ## No court test yet: what the spec sheet can and cannot tell you No independent review of this racket has been published. Not by a site that played it, not by a video channel. Everything on this page comes from the spec sheet and adidas's own claims. That is fine for the broad picture. Round, light, soft, low balance: these predict control, comfort and speed with confidence. What the sheet cannot tell you is how the racket responds on a hard volley or how it holds up after a season. On those, nobody has reported yet. ## Drive Light, Drive 2026 or Nox ML10 Pro Cup Luxury: picking your first control racket Within adidas, the choice is simple: Drive Light if you want it light, Drive 2026 if you want the standard weight. Both are beginner rackets with the same soft, round recipe. Further along, the [Nox ML10 Pro Cup Luxury Series 2022](https://padell.io/rackets/nox/ml10-pro-cup-luxury-series-2022/) is the named alternative here. It is also round, with soft EVA and fiberglass, but aimed at advanced players. Its maneuverability sits a step lower than this one. The [Kuikma Rental](https://padell.io/rackets/kuikma/rental/) is the budget beginner comparator, though its sweet spot rates Medium against High here. For a genuine first racket, the Drive Light's spec sheet is the friendlier one. Written by **[Ruud Caris](https://padell.io/about/)** Padel player and founder of padell.io Bought, played and sold more rackets than was good for him, and built padell.io to bring it all together. [About padell.io →](https://padell.io/about/) ## Similar rackets [adidas Adipower Light 3.3](https://padell.io/rackets/adidas/adipower-light-3-3/) · 8.5 [Compare side by side](https://padell.io/compare/adidas-drive-light-2026-vs-adidas-adipower-light-3-3/) [Nox ML10 Pro Cup Luxury Series 2022](https://padell.io/rackets/nox/ml10-pro-cup-luxury-series-2022/) · 7.8 [Compare side by side](https://padell.io/compare/adidas-drive-light-2026-vs-nox-ml10-pro-cup-luxury-series-2022/) [Kuikma Rental](https://padell.io/rackets/kuikma/rental/) · 7.7 [Compare side by side](https://padell.io/compare/adidas-drive-light-2026-vs-kuikma-rental/) [adidas Drive 2026](https://padell.io/rackets/adidas/drive-2026/) · 7.7 [Compare side by side](https://padell.io/compare/adidas-drive-2026-vs-adidas-drive-light-2026/) [All rackets that play like the adidas Drive Light 2026 →](https://padell.io/alternatives/adidas/drive-light-2026/) ## Questions before you buy **Is the adidas Drive Light 2026 the same as the adidas Drive 2026?** Almost. Both are round beginner rackets with an EVA Soft Performance core, fiberglass face and 38 mm thickness. The Drive Light runs 345 to 360 g against 360 to 375 g for the Drive, which is why its maneuverability rates High instead of Low. **Is the Drive Light 2026 round or hybrid?** The adidas product page calls it an ALLROUND (hybrid) shape. The brand's spec sheet lists it as Round with a low, even balance of 255 mm. The measured specs point to a round control racket. **Is the adidas Drive Light 2026 good for beginners?** Yes, on paper. The brand lists it as a Beginner racket. The light weight, low balance, soft core and round shape all point to high control, comfort and maneuverability with a large sweet spot. **Has anyone tested the adidas Drive Light 2026 on court?** Not yet. No independent review of this racket has been published. Everything known about it comes from the spec sheet and adidas's own product page. **Is the Drive Light 2026 worth the money right now?** Today's price is labelled "Fair price" compared with the rackets that play most alike. Which shops deliver, and what shipping costs, depends on your country. The price comparison shows it for yours. See all prices **What is the closest alternative?** The adidas Adipower Light 3.3 plays most alike. Differences: handling -1.5, control -1.0. [Compare side by side →](https://padell.io/compare/adidas-drive-light-2026-vs-adidas-adipower-light-3-3/) **Who should not buy it?** Skip it if you want easy power for smashes (power 2.0/10). **How heavy is it really?** The brand gives 345 to 360 g. That counts as light. Each racket can differ within that range. [Why a range? →](https://padell.io/guides/padel-racket-weight-range/)