While it has a built-in filter, it was difficult to clean, and considering the sizable holes, it will likely struggle to catch any limescale. On test, it took its time to boil one litre of water, needing two minutes and 39 seconds on average, which was the longest time we saw. It grew very hot in the process too, reaching 83.5°C on the glass and 84.7°C on the stainless steel. Considering this, the design is more aesthetically pleasing than practical, however if you want a small, pretty kettle, and don’t mind the maintenance, then it’s worth it. When we put this kettle to the test, we found it was pretty fast to boil, taking two minutes and seven seconds to boil one litre. The external casing temperature scored an average mark with a reading of 66.4°C on the body — not as hot as some others, but warm enough so that you could still scald yourself. It was a little noisy in the process though, reaching 78dB — only the Bosch Sky Kettle was noisier. It didn’t spit or boil when full though and we were pleased to see a plastic kettle which delivers on quality, and for a good price too.

The iKettle Original from Smarter stands out for its smart capabilities. It connects to the Smarter app, through which you can control and monitor the kettle. This includes the live capacity as well as temperature readings. There’s no water gauge on this kettle, which seems remiss, but the app tries to replace it. Personally, we think a gauge would be more useful as you can’t see the measurements while you fill the kettle from the sink. The app also offers a keep warm setting, which lasts for 40 minutes, as well as Home mode, so you can prepare the kettle to boil for when you arrive home, and Formula mode, which will boil and cool the water to the best temperature for making formula. You can also set the temperature within one degree from 20-100°C, which gives you great control.Not sure what you should be looking for when choosing which kettle to buy? Here are some factors to consider while you browse: If you’re a fan of Emma Bridgewater, then you will love this polka dot-inspired kettle. It offers a traditional pyramid design which feels of good quality thanks to the painted stainless steel body. It comes with a looped handle on top, unlike any of the others we’ve tested. However, we found this design to be a bit hit and miss, mainly because the handle can get in the way when you’re trying to remove the lid or refit the filter. It’s also naturally a little more bulky than a jug kettle because of its traditional shape, so you will need more countertop space for it. To determine which is the best kettle, we put the models through a selection of tests to assess the overall performance and design. We considered the time to boil, external casing temperature, noise and energy efficiency. We repeatedly boiled at different measurements too, including one litre and the maximum capacity, to see how each coped in different circumstances. We monitored each to see whether it leaked or spitted when reaching its boiling point and we left each kettle for an hour before measuring the water temperature, to assess insulation. The Tefal Smart n Light Kettle certainly appears smart and sophisticated, thanks to the illuminated display on the body. It shows both the live temperature and the selection of options available from 40-100°C. There’s a keep warm setting that lasts for up to 30 minutes. It scored generally well across the board for performance, but it got top marks for external body temperature, reaching just 40.4°C — the lowest we recorded from our kettle tests. It was fairly fast as well, taking two minutes and 10 seconds on average to boil a litre of water.

If appearance means a lot to you, we definitely recommend the KitchenAid Variable Temperature Kettle. With its traditional pyramid shape and built-in temperature gauge, it was easily the prettiest of kettles we tested, featuring a painted aluminium exterior (there are either colours to choose from) and a cushioned handle. It’s got some weight to it (1271g when empty) — which is perhaps too much for some. It offers variable temperatures from 50-100°C and makes an audible noise when it starts and finishes. Now we get into the nitty gritty of performance. Think about how important speed of boiling is as well as noise. Do you need it to be fast in the mornings, or is it more important that it’s quiet so it doesn’t wake up the house? Safety is also definitely worth considering — if you have young children running around, or pets on your countertop, don’t buy one which can scald and cause burns. Looking at performance, it was average for speed and noise, taking two minutes and 13 seconds to boil a litre of water, and reaching a noise level of 74.8dB. The plastic body admittedly grows quite hot — we took a reading of 70.5°C immediately after this test, but this was not as hot as some of the stainless steel models we tested. To surmise, it’s a decent everyday kettle, not the best in terms of quality, but great if you want a user-friendly design without breaking the bank. The Smeg Variable Temperature Kettle is the best if you want to make a statement in your kitchen. It’s as premium as designs come with a kettle, featuring a soft-open flip top lid and audible tones when it starts and finishes — if you don’t like the tones, you can even switch this off! It offers variable temperatures from 50-100°C which can be selected from the base. A keep warm setting is available too, which lasts for 20 minutes.Style: most kettles sit on the countertop, so think about how it will look within your kitchen and among other gadgets. These days, there's a style of kettle for most types of kitchen, be they classic, old-fashioned, shaker, futuristic or trendy, so you should be able to find a range of options. Consider footprint too, and whether you prefer a jug-style or pyramid design. With a push-button, slow release lid, the kettle prevents hot splashes of boiling water, and staggers steam release. The jug is made from high-quality German-made Schott glass which both allows you to see the water level at all times and provides a naturally pure finish.

The water level is easy to see from the gauge as you fill it, although the increment markings could be more clear. We found this kettle was very easy to control as you pour it too. It sadly didn’t excel on our performance tests, needing two minutes and 16 seconds to boil a litre of water, which is relatively slow, and reaching 70°C on the body, which is a bit hotter than we would like to see. It used up a fair amount of energy as well at 0.116 kWh. It didn’t leak or spit when full and it comes at a reasonable price. It’s the one to get if you need a lightweight design and don’t mind waiting a few extra seconds for your cup of tea. When put to the test, the iKettle didn’t perform as well as we hoped. It was slow to boil, needing two minutes and 18 seconds to boil a litre, and the external casing was a dangerous 92.1°C. It was one of the lowest scorers for energy efficiency too, needing 0.1195 kWh to boil the same amount. We noticed whenever it reached its boiling point, a lot of steam escaped around the lid as well, which was not sealed well. There’s also no minimum capacity listed for this kettle as well — there’s no mark inside the kettle, in the instructions or listed online, so it’s anyone’s guess. It comes with quite a few negative points, but the smart capabilities did impress and it’s the best for temperature control as well. Sage are expert at designing kitchen appliances with cleverly integrated functions to take the stress out of cooking. Their range of smart appliances, which includes kettles, toasters, and blenders, through to their ice cream maker and microwaves, has been exactingly considered to give you perfect results every time, all at the push of a button. Whether its prepping, boiling, whisking, whipping, grilling, cooking and baking, thanks to Sage, cooking has never been so easy. The kettle’s element is hidden in the base, and can boil as little as a cup and as much as 1L. This lets you save energy by only boiling the amount you need, but means, if needed, there will be plenty to keep you and your friends’ mugs topped up.

As the kettle heats, the temperatures on the base light up to show the progress, and we found it very quiet while boiling, measuring just 73dB. In fact, we noted that it sounds a little like rainfall as it boils, with a high-pitched tone. However, its main let-down was the casing reaching 89.8°C when boiling one litre; this makes it quite hazardous for young children or pets. It’s also a heavy kettle, which is almost expected given all of the features, but this was the heaviest of all we tested. Despite that, there’s nothing else like it, and it’s the one to buy if aesthetics and features mean more to you than anything. The Compact Kettle also features a wide opening, perfect for both filling the kettle up, and cleaning. Multifunctional or classic: if you'd like a kettle that just boils water, classic is the way to go. Those who drink teas like oolong (which brews better at lower temperatures) may prefer a kettle that allows you to select the temperature – these are also a good option for parents making warm drinks for children. Keep-warm functions are handy if you don't want to use all the water at once.