Running leggings used to mean one stiff, shiny pair that pilled between the thighs by week three and left a red line round your middle for an hour after. That's shifted properly in the last few years, the fabrics breathe better, the waistbands sit flatter, and the price of a decent pair hasn't gone up as much as you'd expect. On the whole, better. There's still a lot of thin, see through rubbish out there dressed up with a reflective logo, so the improvement hasn't trickled all the way down.
The difference between a good pair and a bad one shows up fastest when you bend over in a shop changing room, which feels daft but tells you everything. Cheap fabric goes see through at the back with almost no warning. Good fabric has a bit of weight to it, a slight compression rather than a flimsy stretch, and it holds its shape after a wash instead of going baggy at the knee. Check the inside of the waistband too, a proper drawcord or a wide flat band that doesn't dig is worth more than any amount of mesh panelling on the calf. Flat seams matter more than people admit until they've chafed on a long run and spent the rest of the day walking like they've had an accident.
They don't sit well with a lot of what's meant to go over them. A long loose jumper negates the entire point of wearing something built for movement, and a stiff raincoat on top will ride up against the fabric and bunch at the knee. They're also not a loungewear substitute, however much the softer ones tempt you into pretending otherwise, because the compression that's useful at a steady pace feels restrictive the moment you're just sat on the sofa. And they're the wrong choice for anything involving a lot of sitting down and standing up through the day, an office, a long car journey, the fabric wasn't built for hours of low level friction against a chair.
Sizing is where most disappointment comes in, because running leggings are usually cut closer through the hip and shorter in rise than everyday leggings, so going up a size from your normal is often the right call rather than vanity sizing nonsense. The main fit problem to watch for is the waistband rolling down on longer runs, which usually means it's either too low to begin with or the fabric's lost its recovery after a few washes. Check the inside leg length properly too, too long and they bunch at the ankle, too short and they ride up with every stride.
Reach for these the morning you've actually got a run planned, nothing else justifies the price of a good pair.
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