"[3] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report felt it "stays in the uptempo groove with that House intensity that's sure to make it a club as well as radio favorite.

"[6] Alan Jones from Music Week stated, "Still looking outlandish, Deee-Lite slide closer to the dance mainstream with "Runaway", a hustling garage groover that sounds like it was mixed by either Steve Hurley or Joey Negro, though neither was actually involved.

"[7] Davydd Chong from the Record Mirror Dance Update described the song as "a reviving breath of fresh air", complimenting its "soothing keyboard riffs" and "candy-encased vocals".

Housey backbeat combined with chomping bass and swishy pingy sounds amongst Lady Miss Kier's vocals de gusto".

[9] Joe Brown from The Washington Post felt that the "deceptively slight melodic hooks" of "Runaway" "prove infuriatingly tenacious.