Whether it’s for your morning coffee or a cosy cuppa as you settle in for the evening, nothing says ‘home’ better than the reassuring crackle of a boiling kettle. We’ve selected the quietest, fastest-boiling and best-looking kettles out there and put them to the test to find out which model you should trust to help you make the perfect cup of tea time and time again.
If you’re not sure whether to go with style over substance, or need a near-silent kettle so you can brew a sneaky midnight cuppa without waking up the whole house, we’ve got you covered. Here you’ll find a selection of the best and most reliable kettles available to buy in the UK right now, all rigorously tested and all with a manufacturer’s guarantee.
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The best kettles to buy
1. Russell Hobbs 22851 Plastic Brita Filter Purity Kettle
Price when reviewed:£23 (kettle only), £38 (with four pack of filters)
| Time to boil | Peak noise level | Peak power usage |
| 2:21 | 70dB | 2745W |
For a smooth cup of tea in a hard water area, a water filter is a must. This kettle only has a maximum capacity of one litre (about four cups) but the built-in Brita filter does away with the hassle of filtering water before putting it in the kettle. This was the quietest kettle we tested, but the absence of a button-operated lid is a slight pain when refilling. You can expect one filter to last for a month – a handy display lets you know when it’s ready to be changed – but at £9.99 for three cartridges, the cost of this kettle will add up throughout the year.
Key Specs – 3000W, Maximum fill: 1 litre, Minimum fill: 480ml, 3yr warranty, Illuminated gauge: Yes
Russell Hobbs Plastic BRITA Filter Purity Kettle with Pack of 4 BRITA Cartridges, 1 L - Transparent
2. Dualit Polished Chrome Classic Kettle with Copper Trim
Price when reviewed: £114
| Time to boil | Peak noise level | Peak power usage |
| 2:23 | 71dB | 2760W |
This polished chrome and copper kettle is a stylish and sturdy addition to any kitchen. Water gauges on either side of the kettle show the water level in cups and litres while its protruding spout offers drip-free pouring. A silicon grip handle and reassuringly solid on/off toggle finish off what is a beautifully designed piece of kitchenware, although it did take the longest to boil a litre of water out of the kettles tested. With a quiet boil and leak-free lid, this is the kettle to go for if money is no object.
Key Specs– 3000W, Maximum fill: 1.7 litres, Minimum fill: 250ml, 1yr warranty, Illuminated gauge: No
3. Andrew James Argentum Kettle
Price when reviewed:£29
| Time to boil | Peak noise level | Peak power usage |
| 2:16 | 76dB | 2760W |
The lid of the Andrew James Argentum kettle flips open to 90 degrees at a press of a button, making it simple to refill from the tap using only one hand. Its brushed stainless steel body is easy on the eye but having the water gauge under the handle feels like a design oversight. A high minimum fill level of 700ml also means that putting the kettle on for a single cuppa will always require boiling more water than is needed. This kettle is speedy, taking just two minutes and 16 seconds to boil a litre of water, but as it hit peak noise levels of 76 decibels, it’s also the loudest kettle we tested.
Key Specs – 3000W, Maximum fill: 1.7 litres, Minimum fill: 700ml, 2yr warranty, Illuminated gauge
4. Morphy Richards 102029 Accents Pyramid Kettle
Price when reviewed:£35
| Time to boil | Peak noise level | Peak power usage |
| 2:20 | 75dB | 2270W |
The Morphy Richards Accents kettle blends the retro stylings of an old-fashioned hob kettle with the convenience of today’s electric kettles. The spout is plenty large enough to fill the kettle through which is useful as the location of the handle makes it awkward to fill the kettle through the lid at the top. The location of the handle does make pouring a little difficult, particularly if you are left-handed. A choice of four colours, easily removable filter and sturdy base make this a tempting choice for fans of the retro aesthetic, even though this was the second noisiest kettle we tested.
Key Specs – 3000W, Maximum fill: 1.5 litres, Minimum fill: 375ml, 1yr warranty, Illuminated gauge: Yes
5. Kenwood kMix kettle
Price when reviewed:£38
| Time to boil | Peak noise level | Peak power usage |
| 2:17 | 72dB | 2650W |
With a one-cup minimum capacity, the kMix is perfect for brewing a solo cuppa without wasting electricity. It comes in four versions – red, black, white and cream – each with a vibrant painted metal exterior that will brighten up any kitchen. Though it took just two minutes and seventeen seconds to boil a litre of water, the water gauge is positioned directly under the grippy handle, making it hard to check the level at a glance. An easy to remove filter and low power usage add up to make this kettle a tempting choice, particularly for smaller kitchens where its compact footprint means it can squeeze in where countertop space is at a premium.
Key Specs – 3000W, Maximum fill: 1.7 litres, Minimum fill: 240ml, 1yr warranty, Illuminated gauge: No
Buyer’s guide: What features do I need?
You really don’t need to break the bank to get your hands on a decent kettle. There are plenty of options between 20 and 40 pounds that will get you a reliable, fast-boiling and reasonably quiet kettle that should last for three years or more. If water filtration or stunning design is a must, however, then expect to pay a premium for it.
Do I need a water filter in my kettle?
Filters for the Russell Hobbs Brita Filter Purity kettle can be bought for just over £15 per pack of six, but at a rate of one filter per month that adds up to spending more than the original cost of the kettle every year on filters alone. Without a filter, however, kettles in hard water areas will need descaling every couple of months to ensure they don’t get clogged up with limescale.
Opting for a filter kettle often means sacrificing maximum fill capacity as the kettle has to cram in the filter as well as the normal water reservoir. Most kettles will have a maximum fill capacity of 1.7 litres, so it’s worth considering whether a separate water filter bottle and normal kettle is more suitable if you’re often making lots of cups of tea at one time.
Are rapid boiling kettles actually faster than normal ones?
Don’t be fooled by kettles advertised as ‘rapid boiling’ – the fastest boiling kettle in our test was only 11 seconds quicker than the slowest. Also be aware that manufacturer’s boiling time claims are often based on how long it takes room temperature water to boil. In our test, we used water straight from the cold tap.
The same can’t be said for noise. The difference between our quietest and loudest kettles, which measured in at 71 and 76 decibels, is considerable, although everyone’s tolerance to noise is different. It’s worth checking reviews to see how other people rate their kettle’s noise, but if sound levels are deal-breaker then the Dualit kettle with the ‘whisper boil’ feature is a safe bet.
Expect to pay a premium for a kettle that really looks the part, particularly if it can be bought along with a matching toasters. That said, the Morphy Richards Accents Pyramid has standout looks and at £35 is a real bargain, as long as the noisy boiling doesn’t put you off.