No appliance will get more use in your home than the best kettle. From speedy boil times to clever designs, the right kettle for you will depend on your specific needs and preferences, as well as your hot beverage of choice.
That's why, as Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor, I've been busy compiling this list of my top 11 kettles (after testing a long list of many, many more) to bring you our ranking. As keeping bills down is of paramount importance, I've kept a keen eye out here for energy efficiency - one of my favourite products from testing is a penny-saving one-cup kettle which is also more accessible for people with disabilities.
Whether you're a tea lover who wants to brew green and herbal blends or you're just looking for a way to smarten up your kitchen, lots of the kettles in this list have innovative features to make the process of boiling water more convenient.
While, like many of us, I'd love to upgrade to one of the best boiling water taps (I'll take one which dispenses fizzy water too, please), kettles are still the most affordable and straightforward way of putting a brew on, so get stuck into this list of the ones I've found to be of higher quality than any other.
Quick list
Looking for the best kettle for your home but short on time to shop? Take a look at this quick list instead, which has all the positives and negatives of our favourite kettles that I've tested, alongside picks tested by the Ideal Home team.
Best overall
ProCook makes some of my favourite affordable cookware, so I was very excited about the brand's expansion into small appliances. This kettle is solidly excellent, with a good capacity and high-end luxe design with a fair price point. You can also pick up a matching toaster of the same design for just over £100. Our only quibble with the kettle? After testing I think it's a little loud for making late-night cups of tea.
Best set
The Dualit Classic Kettle is pretty much perfect, and once you have invested, you'll have years and years before you need to even think about replacing it. And when you do, you'll find that the parts are replaceable, so that you can keep hold of it for even longer. The pour is great, and though it's stainless steel it wipes clean in mere seconds. Buy it once and you won't need to buy another again - the same goes for the matching toaster.
This kettle is like the very best Ninja air fryers. Easy to use, with clever features thrown in with a high quality finish. It's a temperature control kettle which means you can pick the right temperature for your coffee (95°C) or specialty tea. It can also hold the water at that desired temperature for an additional 30 minutes. It's very smart and looks sleek but it is undoubtedly pricey.
Best for hard water
This De'Longhi kettle has long been an Ideal Home favourite, with a stylish, standout look and a high-quality finish for the price. It also boasts an integrated limescale filter and an easy-to-read water level, alongside a big 1.7-litre capacity. During testing, I just wished there was an easier way to open the lid, like a button.
Best budget
If you have exactly £50 to spend, then we love this Kenwood pick, which performed strongly in my tests at our review facility. With a quick boil time and a good, solid jug design for batch-making tea, it's a reliable kettle for your money, even if it is a little plasticy to touch.
Best energy-efficient kettle
This was my absolute favourite kettle on testing day, proving its worth in terms of looks and features, including a design that keeps water hotter for longer. Another efficient feature is the base of the kettle, which boasts a temperature indicator so that you don't need to waste energy boiling to an unnecessarily higher degree. The matching toaster, dare I say it, is even more high-tech. I simply love the pair, but they are shockingly expensive.
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Best looking kettle
I reckon this is the most coveted kettle on this list by a mile, and for good reason. Yep, the iconic shape and lettering alongside the 360-degree connection base and stripped-back features make this the justified 'it' kettle of this decade, and the time it takes to boil won't disappoint. It is, however, very expensive, and the exterior does get a little hotter than I'd like when I'm using it.
Best kettle for tea
Aarke is a stunning, design-forward brand and its kettle is no different. It's an investment price-wise, but what you get in return will impress you, with a quiet boil, small footprint and pleasing touch-points, from the handle to the base. I think it's quiet luxury to the max, and Ideal Home's Sleep Editor Amy Lockwood (who owns it) agrees.
Best one cup
No, it's not a gimmick, this kettle really can dispense one cup of boiling water at a time (though I did wish during testing that those cups were a bit bigger) to save you some pennies on your energy bill. This kettle also impressed during testing thanks to how easy it would be for those who are less mobile to use, with hot water at the touch of a button. For cheaper cups of tea all day long, pick this kettle.
Best under £50
This kettle is a certified bargain whilst still being quality enough that you won't be searching for a replacement any time soon. It's quiet to boil, easy to use and there's a removable limescale spout thrown in for your money too.
Best smart
This is one of those clever techy kettles that enable those who want to brew up different drinks (like green tea) at varying temperatures other than 100 degrees. I'm also very partial to the pastel steel colours alongside the LED display on the handle which tells you exactly what temperature your water is at. Clever and practical!
Best kettle overall
That's right, the makers of some of our favourite cast iron cookware favourites ProCook have expanded into the small appliances market, launching this kettle and matching 2-slice toaster (which has an RRP of £69 from ProCook).
Available in silver, black and stainless steel, I think the stylish look of this kettle rivals much more expensive versions. There aren't fancy features (such as variable temperature controls or LED indicators), but for your money, what you'll get in return is a solidly good kettle, with a fair capacity that'll last you for some time.
After testing, I think that the luxe look also translates into quality when using it too, with a deft pour and easy-open controls thanks to the button on the top of the kettle. My only real complaint about this kettle is that it can be a little loud. If you're prone to making a late-night cup of tea and want to invest in this kettle, just bear that in mind. If not, then this is a fabulous kettle for getting the quiet luxury look for less in your kitchen.
Best kettle and toaster set
If you're putting together a wedding registry, or saving up for the kettle and toaster set to last you a lifetime (or close enough), then look no further than the Dualit Classic set.
You can buy a range of colours on the Dualit website, or stick to stainless steel if you want something timeless that will fit into any kitchen. During testing, our Head of Reviews at the time Millie Fender was so impressed with the kettle, which is great to pour, something that can be surprisingly difficult to find. It's also got brilliant insulation and wipes clean in seconds.
Sustainability-wise, nothing will beat this kettle. If the element inside of it breaks, then it can easily be replaced, which means that you don't get sucked into the cycle of buying a new one every five years. Buy cheap, buy twice, right?
Our Dualit Classic kettle and toaster review has the full details.
This kettle was tested by our Head of Reviews at the time Millie Fender, who is now the Senior Homes Editor at Tom's Guide.
Best Ninja kettle
Ninja's USP is easy to use appliances that pack a punch power-wise. The same is applied to this wonderfully functional kettle which has the benefit of rapid boil tech and the ability to hold any temperature for up to 30 minutes.
There's a water window on the side for you to see how much you're filling up and a removable limescale filter for those who live in hard water areas. The range of temperature buttons begins at 60°C and stretches to 100°C – my personal favourite is the 95°C coffee button, which is perfect for making Americanos you can drink straightaway.
If you're already a fan of Ninja air fryers or blenders, you'll warm to this kettle immediately. It's also great for those who want to try out the temperature control function and want a quick boil. When I tested the time this kettle took to boil, it managed the brand's claim of one cup in under 50 seconds.
Our first look at the Ninja Precision Temperature Kettle has the full detials.
Best kettle for hard water
The De'Longhi Ballerina Kettle pairs with our guide to toasters perfectly, because its two and four-slice counterparts also sit amongst our top picks of the top-rated toasters. Why? Well, for a start it has a stunning design that catches the eye and looks beautiful on any kitchen counter.
With a water level indicator and a light-up switch to indicate that it's on, the De'Longhi Ballerina Kettle is ideal for practical use around the kitchen. The 1.7-litre capacity is also perfectly suited to serving mugs of tea or filling up a whole teapot. The integrated limescale filter will be a huge tick for those who live in a hard water area.
My one gripe is that the lid has to be lifted away. Other options in our guide have a button to lift the lid and open up the kettle for easy refills, but the De'Longhi requires both hands.
Best budget kettle
Sometimes your budget when it comes to finding a kettle is set in stone, and if you're on a strict £50 limit, then I think this pick from Kenwood will get the job done. It performed well in our tests, with a quick boil time, and has a capacity that will make brewing a cuppa for the whole family easy.
It's available in a nice selection of pastel colours, and I like the pronounced handle on the lid, which makes it easy to remove and reinsert. My only issue with this kettle is that it is made of plastic, and therefore does feel lower quality when you hold it, but for the price, I think that's to be expected.
Best energy efficient kettle
I love the sleek design of this kettle, which feels sturdy and high quality to use. It has that KitchenAid look that's to die for, alongside a design that prioritises keeping your water warm for as long as possible. Thanks to the dual wall construction this kettle is an efficient pick, and noise is reduced too.
The technology in this kettle will impress you with every use. During testing, I loved the temperature gauge lever and the fact that the dial on the body of the kettle lets you know the temperature even when it's away from the base. I also enjoyed how speedy the boiling was, and the light-up design as it climbs in temperature was great for making sure it was switched on, and knowing when it had finished boiling. I found that the water in this kettle stayed the hottest after a 30-minute interval, and I think that the temperature indicator is genius for saving energy, as it means you'll never overboil again.
Choose between a dazzling number of colours to suit your kitchen or even to match your stand mixer. If money were no object, this kettle would fly to the top of my recommendations, but the price makes it an investment to seriously think about.
Best looking kettle
Available in an array of truly Instagrammable colours (copper, black, grey and pastel pink to name a few), this kettle is top of the pack when it comes to making a design-first choice. The boil-dry protection mode, which prevents it from being accidentally switched on if there’s no water in it means you won’t need to worry about accidentally damaging it either. There’s also a limescale filter, which helps to keep drinks delightfully scum- and impurity-free.
It holds 1.7 litres, enough to fill around 7-8 cups depending on your ‘portion sizes’, and it boiled a litre of water in just over two minutes. The lever element of the kettle glows when you turn it on, and the soft open top is a thing of beauty too. It has a lovely drip-free pour, too, which I found very pleasing.
Our SMEG Toaster and Kettle set review has the full details.
Best kettle for tea
The Aarke Kettle is an investment, but, just like all Aarke products, it’s beautifully designed. Its seamless stainless steel body will create a stylish focal point on a countertop, and its slim build and small footprint mean it’s a useful addition to a smaller kitchen.
All of the touch points are also well executed, from the comfortable handle that stays cool to the touch to the soft open lid and non-drip spout. It also comes with a polishing cloth included to buff away any fingerprints its stainless steel body might collect. This kettle also offers the ability to heat water to five different temperatures – 40, 75, 85, 95 and 100°C – which is great if you’re a coffee or herbal tea aficionado who knows the exact best degree centigrade for your brew.
Simply press the lever on the base to switch between heat settings and a digital beep will alert you when the temperature is reached and the kettle will automatically shut off. (A long press of the base lever also turns off the beep if you prefer to start your mornings in silence).
Overall, this is an expensive addition to the kitchen, but upgrading an everyday appliance that you interact with multiple times each day to something that oozes quality craftsmanship is a great way to add a little quiet luxury to your day.
Amy is Ideal Home's Sleep Editor and used her product reviewing credentials to try out the Aarke kettle.
Best one cup kettle
The LAICA one-cup kettle is well-named. It's a cleverly designed pick that has a spout on one side where one cup of boiling water can be dispensed at a time. Even better? It only took 40 seconds during my tests to get hot enough to dispense, and my energy reader showed that the whole process cost less than 1p.
It's a seriously smart buy for anyone who struggles with mobility, as after it's been filled (potentially by another family member/carer if needed) it just takes one touch for hot water to flow. It's also great for anyone who drinks a lot of tea, with a 1.5 litre capacity.
I enjoyed the drip tray too, which prevented spillage and gave us space to leave our mug. The design also felt high quality, and pouring when not using the one-cup feature was easy. If you want an energy-efficient kettle for this winter, you know which one to buy.
Our story on the LAICA one-cup kettle has more details.
Best kettle under £50
Sometimes you just need a kettle that gets the job done, which is why I was impressed with the Russell Hobbs Quiet Boil Kettle when I tested it, which does what it says on the tin. Perfect for those on a budget, and with a water level that's easy to see, this is a no-frills kettle, but it's very effective.
This was a quick boiler too, as it took just 1 minute 23 to get to 100 degrees. The spout is good for pouring out of, and while it's not quite a Smeg kettle, there are some design points to admire. Stainless steel can work well in lots of kitchens, and it's minimalistic in its overall look.
You get a removable limescale filter in the spout for your money too, and the kettle connects at any angle to the base.
Best smart kettle
Just as with the KitchenAid kettle further up this list, this clever kettle from Cuisinart is perfect for tea lovers, or anyone who wants to brew a drink at less than 100 degrees. That goes for green tea, black tea and all other types of beverages. I loved this kettle when I tested it, with its quick boil time and the controls on the handle, which show you the exact temperature at any given time. Sometimes that saves you a reboil when you're going back in for a second cup of tea.
The jug design is also perfect for large households, and the capacity is standard. The different metallic finishes are a little different too, and we especially love the pink version!
How we tested the best kettles
At Ideal Home, how we test and pick the products we recommend is of vital importance. In order to isolate the top-rated kettles on the market, we tried all of these kettles at the Future testing facility and took measurements of their boil times, as well as readings of how well they retained their temperature.
As well as looking as aesthetics and boiling time, with these kettles we were on the lookout for common issues, like noisy kettles and limescale build-up for hard water kettles, and we have taken care to include a range of kettles that will work for every budget. We've also considered what extra features you might want in your new appliances, including variable temperatures and water filters.
FAQs
When's the best time to buy a kettle?
Kettles are a household essential, so being able to score some money off when purchasing one will mean that you have more cash to spend on something a little more fun. While discounts crop up on kettles year-round, there are a few times of the year when it's more advantageous than any other to pick up a great discount.
Black Friday is the biggest sales event of the year, and kitchen appliances are involved in the discounting frenzy, meaning that if you want to wait to get a huge discount, November is the best time to invest in a new kettle. Smaller sales events, such as Amazon Prime Day, which ordinarily falls in July, is another good time to pick up a bargain kettle, if you have an active Prime membership.
Why do I need a kettle?
Kettles are for more than just brewing cups of tea. Investing in a kettle will make dinners so much easier, from boiling paster to blanching tomatoes. Some kettles with in-built water filters, which is great for those with limescale buildup or concerns about their local drinking water.
Large-capacity kettles are perfect for filling up hot water bottles or par-boiling potatoes for a Sunday roast, and even if you don't use it so much, a small kettle can pack plenty of style into a compact kitchen.
How much should I spend on a kettle?
How much you spend depends on what features you’re after. Prices tend to rise the more stylish and feature-led the kettle is. If you just want a bog-standard model that boils fairly quickly and quietly, there are kettles available from around £30.
To ensure a higher quality, however, we'd recommend spending a bit more - there are great options on this list still available for under £50. If you want a kettle and toaster set to last for many years to come, then pick a pair from a brand that you can trust when it comes to quality. Our favourites here at Ideal Home include Dualit (which sells repairable parts in case of breakage), KitchenAid and Smeg.
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