Fancy something a little different? The Russell Hobbs Illuminating Glass Kettle stands out thanks to its unique physical design, as well as a few clever design elements. In use, the Illuminating Kettle, as its name would suggest, lights up its body and the water inside with a row of pleasant blue LEDs. The kettle is also capacious at 1.7l, has a one-button pop-up lid and bears a clear green marker on its body, which indicates how much water is needed for a single cup, helping you avoid water and energy waste.

Thanks to its 3,000W heating element, it also proved itself a speedy boiler in our group test, matching other similarly powerful models with its one litre boil time of 2 mins 20 secs. Rounding things out with a handsome, sturdy glass and stainless construction, the Attentiv won top marks from us. One of the more expensive kettles on our list, the Zwilling Enfinigy Pro justifies its lofty price tag with an ultra-modern design, commendable suite of features and solid performance. This sleek, space age kettle placed highly in both our exterior temperature and heat retention tests. Its peerless dual-wall insulation helped it maintain an outside temperature of just 29.4°C in use, while keeping the water inside at 94.6°C five minutes after boiling. In terms of functionality, the Enfinigy Pro boasts variable temperature settings ranging from 40°C to 100°C and a 30-minute keep warm function, all programmable via the touch buttons on its base.This change of mind return policy is in addition to, and does not affect your rights under the Australian Consumer Law including any rights you may have in respect of faulty items. One notable downside of the Dualit Lite is that it doesn’t do its business super quietly. We recorded how loud each kettle was at boiling water and the Dualit Lite notched up 58.3dB, the second loudest score. Noisiness aside, it did perform well in our tests, including heat retention. There’s no need to rush to pour the water out with this one either. Five minutes after boiling, the water in the Dualit Lite still measured a toasty 93°C, coming second only to the Zwilling Enfinigy Pro. Next up is useability. We test how easy the kettle is to fill, hold and pour, its weight and whether the fill lines are easy to read. If the kettle has any additional features beyond boiling water, we also look at how useful these are. Finally, we take into consideration each kettle’s build quality and design, and whether these reflect its price. Smart meters give us an insight into our water and energy consumption. Rather than being triggered by watching the numbers ramp up, we know that we can save money through efficient use of household appliances. The key factors are usage (how much do you boil the kettle?), energy consumption (how much electricity does that use?) and wastage (how much-boiled water gets poured down the sink?). Finally, think about seasonal use - more hot drinks are needed in the colder months of the year. If you spend most of the day at home, the kettle will be the most used appliance in the kitchen. The best energy saving kettles in the UK are among a new wave of kitchen appliances that pave the way to a more sustainable lifestyle. In general, the best kettle to go for is electric. Much more energy-efficient than a stove-top kettle, electric kettles automatically switch off when the water reaches boiling point, so there's no further electricity wastage. Overfilling the kettle is the bigger source of wastage, so it's better to boil what you need. And yet, there's always someone in the household who does it; perhaps it's a legacy from living in student digs when a cuppa was on the go every five minutes...

Other design elements of the Styline we like include its four temperature settings (70°C, 80°C, 90° and boiling), half hour keep warm function, soft-open lid, large viewing window with clear measurement markings and smooth-pouring spout. Finally, when it comes to boil speed, the Styline’s 3,000W heating element means it’s as swift as any of the other similarly powered kettles on our list. KitchenAid’s Artisan kettle comes in as the most expensive model on our list, but we found it to be worth every penny of its premium price tag. Its sleek, matte finish and general design are beautiful and the range of colours available make it easy to tailor its look to suit your kitchen. Rounded up, it works out at 2.5 pence a day to use a kettle. What Features Should I Look For In A Kettle? If you're concerned about energy efficiency then opt for an electric kettle rather than a stove-top kettle. Power tends to be between 2-3kW; the higher the wattage the faster it will boil. Russell Hobbs introduced the first fully automatic stainless steel kettle in 1955. As the water boils, the steam that's produced feeds through a pipe to the thermostat. The steam causes the piper to flex and cut off the current. This automatic shut-off prevents damaging the heating element and the water totally boiling away. Bet you've never thought of the humble kettle as a multifunctional cooking appliance. No, neither did we, but the more you think about it, a kettle can prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner, provided it's porridge, pasta and instant noodles. It's there for your first coffee of the day, that mid-morning cuppa, an afternoon herbal tea and the evening hot chocolate. Where would we be without a kettle?

Russell Hobbs Luna Kettle

And we would avoid buying any cheap kettle that has a mains cable connected directly to the jug itself, as the slot-in stand design of most modern kettles is far safer. Finally, if you have a little more money to splash out on a smart kettle, you'll benefit from quiet boiling, temperature control, a keep warm function, voice control and app integration. This Russell Hobbs Luna Kettle featuring a slim, modern design with a sophisticated Moonlight Grey finish is a truly out of this world appliance that makes a stunning statement in any kitchen. Combine this with superb functionality from this modern day essential, and you’re bound to love making that relaxing cuppa to unwind. Aesthetics aside, the Artisan also proved itself in our tests. It took just 2 mins 22 secs to boil 1l of water, which is on par with the rest of the 3,000W models tested. It also excels when it comes to keeping the noise down. During boiling, it only reached a maximum of 52.2dB, making it the quietest kettle on our list. What’s more, once the water’s boiled, there’s no worrying about burning your fingers on the sides. The outside of the Artisan reached an exterior temperature of just 33°C, owing to its dual-walled insulation. Stovetop kettle: This is the most basic kind of kettle, which you simply put on the stove and heat up. When the water is boiling, it will whistle to let you know. They can be (although are not always) the cheapest kind of kettle, as well as having an aesthetic, retro appeal. They are less susceptible to damage caused by mineral deposits than electric kettles and require neither a mains plug nor space on your work surface. Are rapid boiling kettles actually faster than normal ones?

Most kettles tend to be bright white, chrome, silver or otherwise have some degree of colourful “pop”. For anyone looking to engender a calming atmosphere in their kitchen, the Kenwood Dusk provides a great, visually soothing alternative to these more attention grabbing kettles.The Dusk has a rotund, matte body lined with glossy stripes and is available in three aesthetically pleasing, muted colours: Slate Grey, Olive Green and Twilight Purple. This kettle is a stunning addition to any kitchen worktop. It is available in two striking colours, midnight grey and red. These kettles also match perfectly with the coordinating Luna toaster. This kettle has a window to easily measure the level of water inside, where you can see if more needs to be added. It also comes with illumination, so the light will stay on during the boiling time. This is similar to the Russell Hobbs Mode kettle, where the spout will also light up while boiling. Kettle with Fast Boil Technology

Looking for the perfect kettle? Our guide covers everything from style icons to variable temperature models

Kettles aren’t the most high-tech of kitchen items, but it’s worth looking out for safety features such as an auto shut-off function – should you accidentally put too little water in the kettle, this will stop it boiling dry.