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We boiled litres of water to find the best electric kettles, from hard-water heroes to vintage-style, repairable and wifi-connected models
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Rachel Ogden Wed 2 Sep 2026 16.00 CEST Share Prefer the Guardian on Google D espite the march of progress, the humble kettle remains a kitchen staple. It’s what we turn to in times of strife, when spirits are flagging, or to start our day. When a visitor calls, one of the first things we often do is put the kettle on.
Many small appliances have evolved beyond their original form, but the kettle’s basic principles remain largely unchanged. Water goes in and heats until a thermostat switches it off; the water then pours out, and we enjoy a cuppa. However, the technology that goes into a kettle has been slowly improving: better insulation to keep water hotter for longer and reduce reboils; different temperature settings to suit every drink from green tea to herbal brews; and more features such as filters and concealed elements to keep scale out of our cups.
When your existing kettle makes its last brew and must be taken to the big recycling centre in the sky, it pays to check out what’s on offer to replace it. The next one you buy may make more of a difference to your day than you might think.
Best budget kettle Kenwood Ripple kettle
The forever kettle Dualit Classic kettle
The fastest-boiling kettle Ninja Perfect Temperature kettle
Best budget variable temperature kettle Lakeland Digital double-walled kettle
Why you should trust me When a friend heard I was writing this, she asked me, “Aren’t all kettles the same? They all boil water, don’t they?” And while she’s right about the second part, it took me at least 15 minutes to explain why she was wrong about the first. I’ve been testing kettles for years, and they vary greatly – in design, weight, ease of maintenance, ease of use and build quality. Some will last for decades while others will barely make it past the basic guarantee period. In short, yes, all kettles boil water – but they are far from being all the same.
View image in fullscreen Each kettle was hooked up to a power meter to assess electricity consumption. Photograph: Rachel Ogden/The Guardian As you can imagine, I boiled a lot of water. Litres upon litres of the stuff. Enough to turn my kitchen into the steamiest hammam and clear my pores of blackheads I’ve had since I was a teenager.
Testing wasn’t just about making gallons of tea and having a deep skin cleanse on the cheap, though. I also brought a lot of gadgets to the party: a power meter to assess electricity use for each kettle when boiling exactly one litre of water from cold; a timer to measure how long that took; and a probe thermometer to gauge how long it took for the kettle to click off once it had reached boiling point.
Read more External temperature was measured using an infrared thermometer and the highest reading noted, while maximum noise levels were recorded with the Decibel X app. After boiling, water temperature was checked at the 30-minute, one- and two-hour points to see how much it had cooled.
I tested 13 kettles in total. The ones that made the cut were selected on the basis of good energy efficiency or low minimum fill, plus ease of use or maintenance. Value for money has also been considered, as have…