The best toasters
Two slices or four, wide slots for crumpets and bagels, and the buttons that rescue breakfast: five toasters compared, from a budget Swan to Dualit’s Lite.
A toaster’s job is simple, so the differences are practical ones. Wide slots take thick bread, crumpets and teacakes; a high lift raises small items clear of the slots; and defrost and reheat buttons deal with frozen bread and a slice that’s gone cold. All five have a crumb tray that slides out for emptying.
Four of these are two-slice toasters; the Morphy Richards Motive toasts four at once, for bigger households. Power runs from 850W to 1,600W, and the Dualit adds a bagel setting and technology that adjusts the cycle to the temperature of the toaster and the room.
What matters
- Two slices or four: the Motive does four at once.
- Slot width: extra-wide or adjustable slots for thick bread, crumpets and bagels.
- Defrost, reheat and cancel buttons, and a high lift for small items.
- A removable crumb tray, which all five have.
#1 of 5
Best overall
Russell Hobbs Textures 2-Slice Toaster (21641)
£25.99 RRP
Extra-wide slots for thick slices, crumpets and teacakes, six browning levels, and frozen, reheat and cancel buttons: the everyday two-slice toaster that gets the basics right for little money.
What owners say: Owners like its looks and how simple it is to use, and several say it fits neatly into a small kitchen.
Heads up: With no high lift, crumpets and other small items sit low in the slots: let them cool for a moment before lifting them out.
A closer look: Press the frozen button for bread straight from the freezer, so it thaws and toasts in one go without catching at the edges, and use reheat to warm a slice that’s gone cold without browning it further. Slide out the crumb tray every week or so and shake it over the bin.
- Extra-wide slots
- 6 browning levels
- Frozen, reheat and cancel
- Removable crumb tray
- Matt and gloss textured finish
Best for: Everyday toast and crumpets
- Slices
- 2
- Slots
- Extra wide
- Power
- 850W
- Browning levels
- 6
- Functions
- Defrost, reheat, cancel
- High lift
- No
#2 of 5
Best premium
Dualit Lite 2-Slice Toaster (26205)
£94.99 RRP
36mm slots for thick bread and teacakes, a bagel setting that toasts the cut side and warms the other, and Perfect Toast Technology, which adjusts the cycle to the temperature of the toaster and the room. Dualit is named after an early invention of its founder, Max Gort-Barten: a ‘dual light’ electric heater.
What owners say: Owners admire the build and the finish, and find the crumb tray easy to slide out and put back.
A closer look: Raise the lever part way to check the browning while it toasts, which saves many a burnt crumpet. For toasted sandwiches, Dualit sells a Lite Sandwich Cage that fits the slots, and the gloss finish is designed to resist marks, so a soft cloth keeps it smart.
- 36mm extra-wide slots
- Bagel and defrost settings
- Peek & Pop lever to check the toast
- High lift
- Stainless steel body, gloss finish
Best for: Thick slices and bagels
- Slices
- 2
- Slots
- 36mm, extra wide
- Power
- 1,100W
- Browning levels
- Dial
- Functions
- Defrost, bagel, Peek & Pop
- High lift
- Yes
#3 of 5
Best 4-slice
Morphy Richards Motive 4-Slice Toaster (242801)
£44.99 RRP
Four slices at once for a family breakfast, with seven browning levels and defrost, reheat and cancel, in a metal housing with chrome trim. Morphy Richards, founded in Kent in 1936, made its first automatic toaster in 1949.
What owners say: Owners find it well made and like the stainless look it brings to the worktop.
Heads up: Four slots make it about 29cm wide, so measure the space on the worktop first.
A closer look: Four slots mean a round for the whole table in one go, and the reheat button warms a slice that went cold while the tea was brewing. Wind the spare cord into the base when it’s put away, and empty the crumb tray once it has cooled.
- 4 slices
- 1,600W
- 7 browning levels
- Defrost, reheat and cancel
- Removable crumb tray, cord storage
Best for: Families: four slices at once
- Slices
- 4
- Slots
- Fixed width
- Power
- 1,600W
- Browning levels
- 7
- Functions
- Defrost, reheat, cancel
- High lift
- No
#4 of 5
Best for crumpets
Breville Bold 2-Slice Toaster (VTR001)
£29.99 RRP
Slots that adjust to thick or thin slices, a high lift for fishing out crumpets and muffins, and a lift-and-look lever to check the colour without cancelling. It matches the Breville Bold kettle.
What owners say: Owners find it straightforward to use and say bagels and thick toast come out well.
A closer look: Self-centring slots hold thin sliced bread and thick doorsteps upright in the middle, away from the elements. Keep spare flex in the compartment under the base, and slide out the crumb tray for a shake over the bin now and then.
- Variable-width slots
- High lift
- Lift and look (QuickCheck)
- 7 browning settings
- Defrost, reheat and cancel
Best for: Crumpets, muffins and bagels
- Slices
- 2
- Slots
- Wide, variable
- Power
- 900W
- Browning levels
- 7
- Functions
- Defrost, reheat, cancel
- High lift
- Yes
#5 of 5
Best budget
Swan Windsor 2-Slice Toaster (ST14071BLK)
£19.99 RRP
Seven browning levels, defrost, reheat and cancel, and self-centring slots on a toaster that costs very little and comes in nine colours to suit a kitchen.
What owners say: The textured finish looks smart on the worktop, owners say, and it takes no working out.
A closer look: Guides hold each slice in the middle of the slot, which helps thinner bread brown on both faces. Start around the middle of the seven settings and adjust from there, and slide the crumb tray out once it has cooled to stop crumbs building up.
- 7 browning levels
- Defrost, reheat and cancel
- Self-centring slots
- Anti-jam function
- Removable crumb tray
Best for: Simple toast on a budget
- Slices
- 2
- Slots
- Large, self-centring
- Power
- 900W
- Browning levels
- 7
- Functions
- Defrost, reheat, cancel
- High lift
- No
How they compare
| Feature | #1Russell Hobbs Textures | #2Dualit Lite | #3Morphy Richards Motive | #4Breville Bold | #5Swan Windsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best premium | Best 4-slice | Best for crumpets | Best budget | |
| Picked Rating | 8.8 | 8.7 | 8.6 | 8.5 | 8.3 |
| Price | £25.99 RRP | £94.99 RRP | £44.99 RRP | £29.99 RRP | £19.99 RRP |
| Slices | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Slots | Extra wide | 36mm, extra wide | Fixed width | Wide, variable | Large, self-centring |
| Power | 850W | 1,100W | 1,600W | 900W | 900W |
| Browning levels | 6 | Dial | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Functions | Defrost, reheat, cancel | Defrost, bagel, Peek & Pop | Defrost, reheat, cancel | Defrost, reheat, cancel | Defrost, reheat, cancel |
| High lift | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Best for | Everyday toast and crumpets | Thick slices and bagels | Families: four slices at once | Crumpets, muffins and bagels | Simple toast on a budget |
| Check price | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
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