The best kettles
Used several times a day, a kettle earns its place by boiling fast, pouring cleanly and being easy to fill: five compared, from a light everyday kettle to one with four temperatures.
Every kettle here runs at 3,000W, so they all boil quickly; the differences are in the details noticed every day. A clear window or markings inside make it easy to boil only what’s needed, which is quicker and uses less electricity, and a removable filter keeps flakes of limescale out of the cup in hard-water areas.
Then there’s what the water touches and what else the kettle can do. The Cosori is stainless steel inside, with no plastic in contact with the water, and the Smeg has a steel body. The Bosch is the one for green tea or coffee: it heats to 70, 80 or 90°C as well as boiling, and keeps it there for up to half an hour.
What matters
- Capacity: 1.7 litres is the usual size; the Bosch holds 1.5.
- A water window or markings that are easy to read, to boil only what’s needed.
- A removable, washable limescale filter, especially in hard-water areas.
- Extras: temperature settings and keep warm for tea and coffee, or an all-steel inside.
#1 of 5
Best overall
Russell Hobbs Honeycomb Kettle (26051)
£33.99 RRP
A light, textured plastic kettle that boils a cup in 43 seconds, with 1, 2 and 3 cup markers inside for boiling just enough. Russell Hobbs made the first kettle that switched itself off, the K1, in 1955.
What owners say: Owners like how fast and how quietly it boils, and say it's light to lift even when full.
A closer look: Fill to the first, second or third cup marker for a quick brew rather than topping up to the brim every time: less water boils faster. The filter slides up and out of its guides for a rinse under the tap, and spare flex winds away under the 360° base.
- Boils a cup in 43 seconds
- 1/2/3 cup markers inside
- Illuminated water window
- Washable limescale filter
- 360° base with cord storage
Best for: Quick everyday brews
- Capacity
- 1.7L
- Power
- 3,000W
- Temperature settings
- Boil only
- Keep warm
- No
- Limescale filter
- Washable
- Water level
- Illuminated window
- Body
- Plastic
#2 of 5
Best stainless steel
Cosori Stainless Steel Kettle (CEK-S152)
£32.99 RRP
For anyone who’d rather hot water didn’t sit against plastic: the spout, inner lid, filter and level markings are all 304 stainless steel, and a Strix thermostat switches it off at the boil.
What owners say: Owners are glad to have no plastic in contact with the water, and say it heats up fast and feels solidly made.
A closer look: There’s no window on the outside: the level markings are inside, so look in through the lid when filling. The lid stops at 30° for a quick top-up with less steam in the face, or opens right out to 70° for filling from a jug and wiping the steel clean.
- No plastic touching the water
- 304 stainless steel filter
- Strix thermostat
- Lid opens to 30° or 70°
- Boils 250ml in 43 seconds
Best for: No plastic in the water
- Capacity
- 1.7L
- Power
- 3,000W
- Temperature settings
- Boil only
- Keep warm
- No
- Limescale filter
- Stainless steel
- Water level
- Markings inside
- Body
- Stainless steel
#3 of 5
Best budget
Breville Bold Kettle (VKT223)
£31.99 RRP
A quick-boiling 1.7-litre kettle from a big name for not much money, with a window on both sides, a lid that pulls right off for filling and a fine mesh filter that lifts out to wash.
What owners say: Owners like the fast boil and how light it is to pick up, and several find it quieter than the kettle it replaced.
A closer look: With the lid off, the whole top is open, so it fills easily under a low tap or from a jug. The window reads from either side of the kettle, which helps when it’s turned on its base, and the mesh filter is worth a rinse whenever white flecks start to collect on it.
- Window on both sides
- Pull-off lid
- Washable mesh filter
- Concealed element
- Cord storage in the base
Best for: A good kettle for less
- Capacity
- 1.7L
- Power
- 3,000W
- Temperature settings
- Boil only
- Keep warm
- No
- Limescale filter
- Washable mesh
- Water level
- Window, both sides
- Body
- Plastic
#4 of 5
Best temperature control
Bosch Styline Variable Temperature Kettle (TWK8633GB)
£84.99 RRP
Four temperatures (70, 80, 90 and 100°C) for green and white tea, coffee and builder’s tea, a keep-warm setting that holds the chosen heat, and a double-walled body that stays cooler to the touch.
What owners say: Owners praise being able to choose the water temperature and how well the keep-warm setting works, and say it boils quickly too.
Heads up: It holds 1.5 litres, a little less than the others here, so a big round of tea may take two boils.
A closer look: Green and white teas turn bitter in boiling water, so 70 or 80°C suits them, while black tea wants the full 100°C. Leave it on the base after the beep and it keeps the chosen temperature for up to 30 minutes, which takes care of the second cup.
- 70, 80, 90 and 100°C settings
- Keeps warm for up to 30 minutes
- Double-walled, cool-touch body
- Limescale filter in the spout
- One-touch lid opening
Best for: Green tea and coffee
- Capacity
- 1.5L
- Power
- 3,000W
- Temperature settings
- 70, 80, 90, 100°C
- Keep warm
- Up to 30 min
- Limescale filter
- In the spout
- Water level
- Large gauge
- Body
- Plastic and steel, double wall
#5 of 5
Best retro design
Smeg 50s Style Kettle (KLF03)
£100–£150 Price range
The rounded 1950s-style kettle that sets the look of a kitchen, in stainless steel with chrome details and a soft-opening lid. Smeg began in 1948 as an enamelling works in Guastalla, northern Italy.
What owners say: Owners treat it as a piece of kitchen design as much as a kettle, and say it comes to the boil quickly.
Heads up: Press the button and let the soft-opening lid rise on its own rather than pulling it back, which keeps the hinge in good order.
A closer look: The steel body makes it heavier than a plastic kettle once full, so half-fill it for a couple of mugs. A soft damp cloth keeps the cream finish and chrome shining, and the filter pulls out of the spout for a rinse.
- Stainless steel body
- Soft-opening lid
- Removable stainless steel filter
- Switches off at 100°C
- 360° base, anti-slip feet
Best for: A statement kitchen
- Capacity
- 1.7L
- Power
- 3,000W
- Temperature settings
- Boil only
- Keep warm
- No
- Limescale filter
- Stainless steel
- Water level
- Side window
- Body
- Stainless steel
How they compare
| Feature | #1Russell Hobbs Honeycomb | #2Cosori stainless steel | #3Breville Bold | #4Bosch Styline | #5Smeg 50s Style |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best stainless steel | Best budget | Best temperature control | Best retro design | |
| Picked Rating | 9.3 | 9.0 | 8.8 | 8.7 | 8.5 |
| Price | £33.99 RRP | £32.99 RRP | £31.99 RRP | £84.99 RRP | £100–£150 Price range |
| Capacity | 1.7L | 1.7L | 1.7L | 1.5L | 1.7L |
| Power | 3,000W | 3,000W | 3,000W | 3,000W | 3,000W |
| Temperature settings | Boil only | Boil only | Boil only | 70, 80, 90, 100°C | Boil only |
| Keep warm | No | No | No | Up to 30 min | No |
| Limescale filter | Washable | Stainless steel | Washable mesh | In the spout | Stainless steel |
| Water level | Illuminated window | Markings inside | Window, both sides | Large gauge | Side window |
| Body | Plastic | Stainless steel | Plastic | Plastic and steel, double wall | Stainless steel |
| Best for | Quick everyday brews | No plastic in the water | A good kettle for less | Green tea and coffee | A statement kitchen |
| Check price | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
Swipe sideways to see all 5.
Photos are illustrative. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. How we pick · How this works.
