How much does it cost to run a multi-cooker — does the air fryer alternative save money?
Here's how much your multi-cooker will cost to run under the latest energy price cap
This article has been updated to show the new cost to run based on the January 2025 Energy Price Cap. It has also been fact-checked and any out-of-date information removed.
EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of this article included a quote from a purported expert whose credentials we have not been able to verify. The quote has been removed. We regret this lapse in our verification process and have updated our internal protocols to reduce the risk of recurrence.
Knowing the energy consumption of the best multi-cookers – and their cost to run versus a traditional oven – isn’t just a matter of curiosity. It’s a smart move that can help you manage your kitchen costs and make more informed choices about how you prepare your meals.
As the energy price cap may affect the running costs of this appliance, let’s take a look how much energy-greedy your multi-cooker is. Spoiler: It’s more energy-efficient than your oven, but there’s still a price to pay for all that culinary convenience!
Article continues belowHow much does it cost to run a multi-cooker?
We've done the maths for you and come up with some up-to-date figures on how much does it cost to run a multi-cooker. First, you need to understand how much electricity a multi-cooker uses.
'Multi-cookers vary when it comes to their power consumption, smaller models may only use 400W, while larger multi-cookers could use up to 1,800W,' says Sarah Handley, Ideal Home's home energy expert.
The top three multi-cookers in our best multi-cooker buying guide use 1200W, 1460W, and 1100W. Multi-cookers with larger capacities will use more electricity, as they'll take longer to heat up.
How much does it cost to run a multi-cooker?
To give you more of an idea of how much it cost to run a multi-cooker, we've used the top three multi-cookers in our guide, and calculated how much they will cost to run under the January 2025 energy price cap, which is 24.86p/kWh for electricity.
- The Instant Pot Pro Multi-Cooker uses 1.2 kWh of energy and costs 29.8p per hour to run.
- The Ninja Foodi 9-in-1 Multi-Cooker uses 1.46 kWh of energy and costs 36.3p per hour to run.
- The Sage Fast Slow Go Multi-Cooker uses 1.1 kWh of energy and costs 27.3p per hour to run.
'The exact price will depend on your specific multi-cooker model, how much you pay for your energy (which you can find on your latest bill), and how long you use the appliance for,' explains Sarah.
To work out the running costs of your particular multi-cooker, you'll need to look at the wattage power of your multi-cooker, and divide this number by 1000 to get the kWh when used for one hour. Multiply the kWh by how much you pay per unit of energy to find out how much your multi-cooker costs to run for an hour.
For example, the Tefal CY505E40 All-in-One Cooker has a power of 1600W, which works out at 1.6 kWh (energy units per hour). If your current energy rate is 24.86p per hour, this multi-cooker will cost 39.8p per hour of use.
If you tend to use your multi-cooker for around 30 minutes per day rather than a full hour, just cut this figure in half at the end.
How much does it cost to have oven on for 1 hour?
Multi-cookers can use the same amount of energy as smaller convection ovens, however, most multi-cookers won't cost more than 50p an hour to run. And thanks to the different functions like air frying, steaming, and pressure cooking, the cooking process doesn't take as long. They don't need to be switched on for as long which makes them effectively cheaper to run than the cost to run an oven.
Will you be investing in one of the best multi-cookers now you know how much they cost to run?
