12 of the best kettles for your kitchen 2023

Capacity is also something to take into account – our samples ranged from 1.2-1.8 litres. A smaller kettle may be good for a single person or small household to avoid the temptation of overfilling.

All our kettles came with bases, and all switched off automatically when finished. Read on to discover the best kettles to buy.

For over 400 unbiased buyer’s guides, visit our product review section and find reviews of everything from sandwich toasters to bread machines.

Best kettles to buy at a glance

• Best overall kettle: KitchenAid Artisan 1.5 litre variable temperature kettle, £199
• Most innovative eco functions: Breville Edge Still Hot Kettle, £45
• Best lightweight kettle: Kenwood Elegancy, £52.99
• Best for small kitchens: Sage the Compact kettle pure, £72.95
• Best value multi-temperature: Bosch Styline kettle, £79.99
• Best traditional kettle: Tefal Loft kettle, £33.99
• Best for tech lovers: iKettle, £129
• Most fun kettle: Russell Hobbs and Emma Bridgewater polka dot kettle, £80
• Best budget kettle: Tesco textured plastic back 1.7 litre kettle, £19
• Best value cordless kettle: Bosch cordless kettle, £85
• Most user-friendly kettle: Dualit Domus kettle, £89.99
• Most stylish kettle: Swan Nordic jug kettle, £50.99

The best kettles to buy in 2023

Breville Edge still hot kettle

Most innovative eco functions

Pros:

• Eco-friendly reminder not to reboil
• Good value
• Quick

Cons:

• Lid a little fiddly on occasion

Wattage: 3000W

We all know that we don’t need to re-boil the kettle when a family member who initially turns down a cuppa decides five minutes later that they want one after all – but we tend to anyway.

This kettle’s USP is its visual reminder that the water is still hot enough. The water indicator starts to turn red as it boils and stays that way until the water falls below 80C. This will hopefully encourage users not to boil the kettle when they don’t need to, reducing the amount of power they use. Read our full Breville Edge still hot kettle review.

Kenwood Elegancy kettle

Best lightweight kettle

Pros:

• Light and quick

Cons:

• The look and feel of the plastic isn't for everyone

Wattage: 3000W

Not everyone wants the latest shiny, multi-function kettle – sometimes simple is best. This is a more traditional kettle in terms of features. It’s lightweight, making it ideal for anyone who would struggle to grip heavy kettles. It has a pull-off lid rather than a flip-up one, giving it a wide opening.

This comes in a choice of colourways, with matching toasters available too.

The wide spout makes pouring quick and smooth and the kettle boiled quietly. It’s pretty speedy too, averaging around 2:07 for a litre. Read our full Kenwood elegancy kettle review.

Sage the compact kettle pure

Best for small kitchens

Pros:

• Unusual, stylish design
• Very light

Cons:

• Not ideal for those in hard water areas
• Slower than average

Wattage: 2400W

Smaller than the average kettle with a capacity of one litre, this is ideal for couples or single person households – or anyone who would prefer smaller, lighter kettle. It’s a real eye-catcher as the unusual glass jug means you can watch your kettle as it boils. Of course, being transparent means it’s also easy to see how much water you're boiling – and if you need extra help, there’s also an indicator (in cups) on the side of the kettle. This can all help cut water usage. Read our full Sage the Compact Kettle pure review.

Bosch Styline kettle

Best value multi-temperature kettle

Pros:

• Well-priced
• Fast
• Lots of features

Cons:

• Bigger and heavier than others

Wattage: 3000W

Multi-temperature kettles tend to be priced at the premium end of the market, so we thought this popular model was particularly well priced.

The Styline has all the bells and whistles – four temperature points (70, 80, 90 and 100C) as well as a keep-warm function, designed to keep the water hot for up to half an hour. The casing on it is designed to keep the kettle cool to the touch. Read our full Bosch Styline kettle review.

KitchenAid Artisan 1.5 litre variable temperature kettle – Star Buy

Best overall kettle

Pros:

• Attractive
• Heavy

Cons:

• Heavy
• Expensive

Star rating: 5/5

Wattage: 3000W

This is a chunky, statement kettle that looks great and does everything. There's a choice of temperatures for your water, between 50-100C. As well as being suitable for people who enjoy teas that requires a different temperature, it’s ideal for parents making drinks that aren't dangerously hot for children, or those using warm water for other purposes, like cooking. Read our full KitchenAid Artisan kettle review.

Tefal Loft kettle

Best traditional kettle

Pros:

• Wide opening lid
• Quick to boil

Cons:

• Subtle 'on' light

Star rating: 4.5/5

Wattage: 3000W

This lightweight Tefal Loft (KO250840) is a good mid-range option. We particularly like the wide pull-off lid, which comes off easily and gives a good space for filling. It's pleasingly speedy, boiling at an average of 2 minutes 14 seconds, though it is a little on the noisy side. Read our full Tefal Loft kettle review.

iKettle

• Available from Storam (£129)

Best for tech lovers

Pros:

• Controlled from anywhere

Cons:

• Simple design

Star rating: 4/5

Wattage: 3000W

The iKettle works via an app, and you can set it to come on from wherever you are. Perhaps surprisingly, this is one of the least-flashy kettles we tested. The kettle itself is rather minimalist in looks. The kettle has an ergonomic handle, with only the top attached to the kettle. It’s comfortable to lift and easy to open, and has a wide opening for easy filling and a small spout for precision pouring. The iKettle was one of the speediest we tested too, boiling water in an average of 2 minutes 14 seconds. Read our full iKettle review.

Available from:
Storam (£129)

Russell Hobbs and Emma Bridgewater polka dot kettle

Most fun kettle

Pros:

• Quiet
• Speedy

Cons:

• Large footprint
• Pricey

Star rating: 4.5/5

Wattage: 3000W

This kettle is a traditional pyramid shape with a bright, modern polka dot pattern (it's also available in a pink heart design). It’s eye-catching, cheerful and stylish, and one that visitors are bound to comment on. As well as scoring highly in looks, the kettle oozes quality. In terms of performance, the kettle is no slouch either, boiling a litre of water in 2 minutes 16 seconds. Read our full Russell Hobbs Emma Bridgewater kettle review.

Tesco textured plastic black 1.7 litre kettle – Star Buy

• Available in-store from Tesco (£19)

Best budget kettle

Pros:

• Quick
• Well-priced

Cons:

• Flimsy 'on' switch

Star rating: 5/5

Wattage: 3000W

This great-value kettle is an ideal for students heading to university. It’s a good size at 1.7 litres and a decent price too (so you won’t need to worry too much about the hammering it will undoubtedly get), and it’s surprisingly speedy for a budget model. It boiled a litre of water in an average of 2 minutes 14 seconds. Read our full Tesco kettle review.

Available from:

Tesco (£19)

Bosch cordless kettle – Star Buy

Best value cordless kettle

Pros:

• Sleek
• Fast

Cons:

• Larger than average base

Star rating: 5/5

Wattage: 3000W

This Bosch cordless kettle offers great features for tea aficionados. The kettle sits on a black base with touchscreen-like controls. From here, you can turn it on and off, or select the best temperature for your brew between 70-100C. There’s also a 'keep warm' button to maintain the water at the same temperature for 30 minutes. Although it's not the smallest or quietest model we tested, the Bosch is the quickest, boiling water in just 2 minutes and 6 seconds. Read our full Bosch cordless kettle review.

Dualit Domus kettle

Most user-friendly kettle

Pros:

• Stylish

Cons:

• Expensive

Star rating: 4/5

Wattage: 3000W

The shiny stainless steel Dualit Domus kettle doesn’t come cheap, but it's brilliantly designed. Smaller than most of the kettles we tested, it has a maximum capacity of only 1.5 litres, but this is still enough for six cups of tea, and its footprint is smaller as a result, giving it a compact feel. Boiling in an average 2 minutes and 26 seconds for a litre, it's a great little kettle for households. Read our full Dualit Domus kettle review.

Swan Nordic jug kettle - Star Buy

Most stylish kettle

Pros:

• Attractive design
• Fast

Cons:

• Limescale filler hard to remove

Star rating: 5/5

Wattage: 3000W

If you want a kettle that's striking and different, this Scandinavian-style Swan kettle could be the answer – it's an elegant and streamlined appliance that also comes in a cordless model. The wood-effect handle is made of rubber and easy to grip, but obstructs the water level gauge behind it. However, the upright design of this kettle means that despite its 1.7 litre-capacity, it doesn't take up that much space on the worktop. It's also fairly efficient, taking 2 minutes and 24 seconds to boil a litre of water. Read our Swan Nordic kettle review.

How to choose the best kettle for your kitchen

Unsure what to look for when choosing your kettle? We've summarised the main features you should consider:

Classic or multifunction
If you just want a kettle that boils water, you’re spoilt for choice. If you’re a lover of fine teas, some of which brew better at lower temperatures, you might want one which enables you to select the temperature. This option can also suit parents making hot drinks for children. Some kettles also have a 'keep warm' function, which is useful if you don’t all want your tea at the same time.

Style
Classic, old-fashioned, shaker, trendy, futuristic – there’s a kettle for you whatever type of kitchen you have. While most modern kettles are jug-style, taking up less space on the worktop, there are plenty of pyramid kettles on the market if you prefer one of those. All the kettles we tested sat on a base that plugged into the mains, and all had auto-switch off.

Lid
Flick up or pull off? If you like to operate your kettle with one hand, you might prefer one where you just press a button to lift the lid. Some people would rather have one where the lid comes off completely.

Speed
If you want a quick break from work, you might appreciate a kettle that is a minute or so quicker.

Noise
Some people want their kettle to be as unobtrusive as possible, and certainly not loud enough to drown out the radio or music. But if you like to flick on the kettle, then go off into a different room while it boils, you might like one that’s a bit louder, so you can hear when it clicks off.

Price
You might be surprised at how cheap – or expensive – a kettle can be. Our samples range from £22.99 to £149.

Best kettles for hard water
In areas of hard water, there's usually a faster build-up of limescale inside kettles, particularly around the element. To avoid getting limescale in your tea, you want a kettle that has a robust and finely meshed filter inside the spout that's also easy to remove.

How we tested kettles

We tested a representative sample of kettles and scored them on the following criteria:

Good looks Kettles live on worktops, so the one you buy might come down to the one you like the look of, and whether it will fit in with the style of your kitchen.

Quality Well-fitting lids, quality on switches and filters – we were looking for a kettle that felt like it would last.

Speed While speed might not be the deciding factor when choosing a kettle, for most of us, the quicker, the better. We poured a litre of water into each of the kettles – enough for four mugs – and got the stopwatch out.

Ease of use There’s no point having a beautiful kettle if it’s awkward to use. We looked for kettles that were simple to fill and pour, with a good grip and easy-to-read water levels.

Value We awarded extra points for those kettles that were great value for money.

How to clean a kettle

It's the age-old question of kettle maintenance – how do you get rid of a build-up of limescale? We recommend using vinegar, which is a common household ingredient that works as a gentle acid to break down deposits inside your kettle. Add half a cup of neat white vinegar to a kettle filled with water and leave it to sit overnight – this should remove any surface scale. Try to do this regularly to avoid heavy build-up that becomes impossible to remove.

Other tried-and-tested kettles

• Best multi-temp kettle: Cuisinart multi-temp jug kettle review, £100
• Best for parents: Zwilling Enfinigy, £89.95
• Best value mid-range kettle: Breville high gloss electric kettle review, £49.99
• Best for a single cup: Russell Hobbs Structure kettle, £35
• Best investment kettle: Dualit Classic Kettle, £129.99
• Best stainless steel kettle: Bosch Silicone kettle, £79.99
• Best mid-range kettle: Morphy Richards Verve kettle, £39.99
• Best variable temperature kettle: Smeg KLF04 kettle, £159.95
• Most unusual lid: Morphy Richards Hive kettle, £29.99

Find more top kitchen kit by visiting our review section, plus share your kettle recommendations with us in the comments below.