Best kettles to buy in 2023 UK

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These are the kettles worth investing in, tried and tested by the GHI Humidifier Sensor

This article was updated in December to reflect the latest prices and deals.

A kettle is an essential kitchen appliance, especially for us tea-loving Brits. There’s more to a great kettle than just boiling water though, which is why the Good Housekeeping Institute has tried a wide range of models to find the best on the market.

After spending countless hours testing over 182 kettles in our lab – we've boiled enough hot water to make nearly 5,460 cups of tea! – here are the best kettles to add to your kitchen.

If you’re replacing an existing kettle, there are plenty of places for you to safely recycle your old one. Find your nearest electrical recycling point, or read our guide on how to donate or dispose of your appliances and tech for extra guidance.

Kettle testing at the GHI is thirsty work, but our tests involve more than just sipping hot drinks all day.

We fill each kettle from the tap and test the pouring precision into a hot water bottle, looking for splashing and spillages. Next, we monitor how long it takes to boil each kettle at different capacities. We also check the temperature of the external casing of the handle when water is freshly boiled – some kettles get extremely hot and extra care needs to be taken when picking up to pour.

We look at how easy the kettle is to use based on how clear the water level gauge is to see, whether the filter is easy to remove for cleaning and refit, and how comfortable the kettle is to hold. The overall design is also taken into account, as well as how clear and concise the instructions are.

Read on to learn more about our pick of the best kettles, and what you need to know before you buy.

This kettle’s sleek stainless-steel design makes it a great addition to any kitchen. It features a 360-degree swivel base, an easy-viewing water level window, and an ergonomically designed handle that stays cool when boiling and is comfortable to hold when you’re pouring your cuppa.

It’s also lightweight and if speed is of the essence, it takes less than three-minutes to boil at its full one-and-a-half litre capacity, which makes it one of the quickest kettles we’ve tested. Yes, it is pricey, but this is a premium product.

One of the cheapest kettles we’ve tested, this model is fantastic value for money. We like that it’s easy to fill through the spout, pours accurately with no splashing or spitting, and is lightweight – weighing just 681g when empty and 2.4kg at full capacity.

The minimum quantity is 280ml, enough for a large cup of tea, and it takes a speedy 45 seconds to boil. The maximum 1.7-litre capacity is also quick to boil, taking just three-and-a-half minutes (only 30 seconds more than the winning kettle).

This kettle is among the most compact we’ve tested and the wide, rounded spout makes for fast filling, providing a clean and accurate pour. When boiling a full kettle, the external casing of the handle remained cool to touch. There wasn't much steam emitted from the spout after the boiling cycles were complete either.

Swan says this kettle is a “rapid boil”, but we didn’t find it faster than the other kettles here. It took on average under two minutes to boil a litre of water and a little over a minute to boil half a litre (its minimum capacity).

This kettle has an anti-limescale filter, fills easily through the spout and pours cleanly with no dreaded dripping. It’s fast too – the minimum quantity of 250ml boils in under one minute and one litre boils in just over two. The kettle is light when empty and equipped with a comfortable handle, which makes it easy to use.

Unfortunately, the water gauge only goes down to 500ml, despite the minimum quantity being half that, and the outer casing can get quite hot, so you’ll need to pay attention when using it. It does have boil dry protection though, so if it’s empty, it won’t boil and become damaged.

We found this geometric-patterned kettle sturdy and robust. Its compact design also means it won’t take up much space on your kitchen counter. It boils enough for a large cup of tea in under fifty seconds and one litre in just over two minutes. It takes three-and-a-half minutes to boil its full capacity.

At the end of each boiling cycle, the kettle clicks off immediately and the rolling boil comes to a stop after a couple of seconds. Two thing to note are that it emits a lot of steam and wobbles on its base towards the end of the boiling cycle.

With its sleek, lightweight design, smart black finish and ergonomic handle, this Haier kettle is suited to a modern kitchen. It’s speedy, too, taking just 42 seconds to boil its minimum capacity of 250ml – perfect for one cup. In fact, it boasts a specific setting for that exact purpose, making it a great choice for those who enjoy a soothing cuppa alone, or for any household wanting to conserve energy. It also has a ‘keep warm’ function and a 40°C setting, which can be used to warm water for a baby’s bottle.

It is on the more expensive side and the volume markings are on the inside of the handle, making it tricky to fill to the desired capacity. However, if you love bells and whistles – including seven highly accurate temperature settings and an accompanying app with a range of tea recipes – this is a great buy.

This De’Longhi kettle took under a minute to boil the minimum water quantity of 300ml (about one mug), so you can heat exactly what you need. It took an impressive three minutes and twenty seconds for the maximum capacity of 1.5 litres to reach boiling point, but we noticed it made a lot of steam in the process.

The detachable lid made it easy to fill up and empty and the non-slip hand was comfortable to hold, too. We loved the sculptured resin finish and it’s available in distinctive colours, including bronze and metallic blue.

At under 1kg when empty, this Russell Hobbs model is a good weight. It boils one cup of water in under 45 seconds, so it’s ideal for people who usually only make one hot drink at a time. We found that it poured cleanly and accurately with no splashing, too.

It’s a bit annoying that the water gauge is behind the handle, so you can’t see it while filling, but this is a good kettle at a reasonable price – and it comes in a choice of five colours.

This kettle has a handy illuminated water level gauge, which lights up when it's boiling and switches off when it’s ready. We found it fast to boil too, taking a speedy 46 seconds to heat 240ml. At full capacity though, it took almost four minutes.

It has markers for one, two and three cups on the inside, which are helpful if you want to boil specific amounts. It's worth noting that while the handle remained cool, the kettle's exterior reached 63C (very hot!).

Built with a “Sure Pour” system, this kettle lets you pour from a low angle so even when it's full, it’s comfortable for your wrist. That said, we found the silicone handle quite wide to hold, and the hinged lid was a bit fiddly to use at first.

It’s quick, though. When full, it took just three minutes to boil and for one cup, a speedy 44 seconds. There was little steam emitted and the kettle remained sturdy and still on its base throughout boiling. The rolling boil also stopped rapidly once the water’s boiling cycle ended. It displays both cup and litre markings too, which is a useful touch.

This modern Salter kettle stood out for its ease of use – it boasts a removable limescale filter, a swivel base and a boil-dry sensor. Testers noted how quick it was to boil, taking an average of 58 seconds at minimum capacity and under three-and-a-half minutes at its maximum capacity of 1.7 litres.

Filling through the spout resulted in a little spilling and splashing so we’d recommend filling through the hole instead, and its exterior got quite hot during boiling, but those were our only niggles.

Another Salter model and with its simple, compact design, this kettle won’t take up much space on your countertop. It also includes several handy safety features, including an auto shut-off function and a boil-dry sensor.

Note that its minimum capacity of 600ml means it can’t be used for boiling a single cup, making it better suited to medium to large households.

Given how regularly our kettles get used, it’s worth thinking about what features you want and those that you can pass by. Here are the key things you need to consider.

There are two main types of kettle: jug and dome. Jug kettles are taller, tend to have handles located on the side and will generally hold a larger volume of water.

Dome-shaped kettles look more like traditional stovetop models. Electric dome kettles often have lift-off lids, which can be a bit more fiddly than flip-top models to use, and these kettles usually have a smaller water capacity. Their handles are often located on top, too.

A power element of 3kW is generally considered best for fast boiling and all of our top-scoring kettles have this wattage.

Kettles with a higher wattage tend to be noisier – we test the noise using a microphone and a decibel metre, so if any are particularly loud or quiet, we can tell you this in our reviews.

Typically, kettles can hold between 1.5 and 1.7 litres of water. An average cup of tea is 250ml, so you should be able to boil enough for 6-7 cups at a time. If you’re just putting on the kettle for one cup of tea, it’s worth checking the minimum capacity your kettle can boil. Most models have a minimum level clearly marked.

There are finer details to think about too, which can make a real difference when you’re using your kettle day in, day out:

Most kettles have this clearly visible on the exterior but some are more awkwardly placed, such as behind the handle. Kettles with large viewing windows are best if you want to know exactly how much water is in the kettle at any time.

Variable temperature kettles can heat the water to different temperatures to provide the best results when brewing different types of tea and coffee. It’s a handy feature if you like to drink more delicate herbal and green teas, which should be brewed below boiling, at around 80C.

Some kettles have additional smart features, such as allowing you to set the kettle to boil or check the water temperature from an app on your phone. Other smart features include pre-programmed temperature buttons for different hot drinks and a "keep warm" setting to retain the water temperature for a certain amount of time.

For every millilitre of water you add to your kettle, an extra gram is added to its overall weight, meaning they can get quite heavy. If lifting may be an issue, look for a model that weighs no more than a kilogram when empty.

It's also worth checking the position and shape of the handle, which may affect the balance when pouring and filling. Some handles have a soft, rubberised area for extra grip, too.

Most kettles have removable, washable anti-scale water filters that sit at the base of the spout. These collect pieces of limescale from the water to prevent them from being poured into your drink, and they stop scum forming on the surface, making them a must for hard water areas.

With this feature, the kettle automatically switches off if there isn't enough water inside. This reduces the risk of it burning dry and causing damage. It’s equally important to check the water gauge to make sure your kettle hasn’t been overfilled, which could boil over and become a safety hazard.

You’ll find the majority of kettles on the market have a pirouette connector centre, which simply means you can place the kettle on the base to face in the direction most convenient for you. All of the kettles in our top 12 have this feature. Some bases also have an additional cable storage feature underneath, for tucking away any excess cord.

The external casing of some kettles can get extremely hot. Often, those with a brushed stainless steel exterior reach hotter temperatures than other materials – not ideal if you have young children in the kitchen. Kettles with an auto shut-off feature will automatically stop when water begins to boil or if the kettle is lifted from its base.

Keep an eye out for "quick boil", "one cup" or eco-friendly kettles. These can produce a cup's worth of boiling water in less than a minute and use up to 50% less energy. Kettles with auto shut-off features also help to prevent too much electricity being wasted and the kettle boiling dry.

Hannah is our senior homes writer, specialising in reviewing the latest kitchen appliances, cleaning products, mattresses and bedding, and crafting equipment. Hannah has written about hundreds of products, from air fryers to smoothie makers to pillows, and is committed to finding the most reliable and best value for money buys. Hannah is also interested in sustainability in the home and has completed a course with the University of the Arts London in sustainable textiles, so she can help cut through the noise on what’s green and what’s not. Hannah helps to uncover the best cleaning hacks too, with a focus on easy, natural solutions. Hannah has an MA in Magazine Journalism and has previously worked as a freelance lifestyle and women’s sports journalist, working for Stylist, Sky Sports and more. Hannah has also previously worked in a florist and can normally be found caring for her house plants or sewing something new for her home or wardrobe. You can find Hannah on Instagram on @sewnbyhan

Megan is the Good Housekeeping Institute’s homes writer. She loves diving into the latest product releases to find the very best buys on the market. When she’s not writing about the newest gadgets and gizmos for your home and garden, you’ll find her cooking, running and exploring London’s foodie hotspots – or trying to make friends with every dog she passes. Megan has an MA in Magazine Journalism and has previously written for Stylist, Glamour, TimeOut, SquareMeal, and YOU magazine. You can find Megan on Instagram @meganlouisegeall and on X @megan_geall

Blossom is our Senior Homes Tester. Passionate about finding the best home products and appliances for our readers, she has tested everything from blenders to pizza ovens. Blossom enjoys delving into the intricacies of products and refining testing protocols for hundreds of items. Innovative items like robot vacuum cleaners and wine coolers are among her favourite tests to date, and her most notable accomplishment is toasting 360 slices of bread in a determined bid to find the best toaster. In her free time, Blossom openly admits to being a music geek and indulges her creative side through crocheting, baking, singing and writing.

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