Best microwaves to buy 2023: Solo, Grill, Combination
They are the workhorse of a busy household, and it is no surprise that 93% of households own one. However, despite their ubiquity, microwaves can be quite an investment, ranging in price from low double figures for a basic, low-watt model to hundreds of pounds for the latest multi-functioning cookers.
If you get it right, a microwave can quickly become one of your best friends in the kitchen. Of course, what you want to use the microwave for will govern what type you should buy, so it. We’ve outlined the different styles of microwaves available and done the research to recommend the best.
Read more about why microwaves could be the next most popular kitchen item after air fryers.
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Best microwave deals
With plenty of summer sales on this month, our experts have been been searching the internet to bring you the best microwave deals, offers and savings on our tried and tested products. Here are some of the best microwave sales we’ve found:
For more, visit our best microwave deals guide and head to our round-up of all our kitchen appliance deals, including air fryers, fridge freezers, coffee machines and more.
Best microwaves at a glance
- Best combination microwave overall: Sage The Combi Wave 3-in-1 Microwave Oven, £399.95
- Best combination microwave for steam cooking: Panasonic Combi Microwave Oven 4-in-1 NN-CS89LBBPQ, £599
- Best combination microwave for families: Panasonic 4-in-1 Combi Microwave Oven NN-DS59NBBPQ, £449
- Best combination microwave for style: Smeg 34-litre Combi-Microwave Oven, £469
- Best budget microwave: Russell Hobbs RHMD714G Scandi Microwave, £89.99
- Best microwave for small spaces: Swan Retro Digital Microwave, £96.90
- Best microwave for ease of use: Russell Hobbs Buckingham digital microwave, £109.99
- Best microwave for Scandi kitchens: Swan Nordic digital microwave, £95.84
Best microwaves to buy 2023
Sage The Combi Wave 3-in-1 Microwave Oven – Star buy
Best combination microwave overall
Pros:
- Super easy to use, endless clever functions
- Great for families
Cons:
- Need adjusting from usual temperatures
Wattage: 1100W
Star rating: 5/5
As we have come to expect from Sage, with their intuitive technology, good looks and ease of use, this combi-microwave is no exception and more. Thanks to the well-written, logical instruction book of many preset programmes and cooking methods, it was one of the fastest to get up and running. Say hello to healthy cooking with the 3-in-1 merging of air-frying, convection and microwave and perfectly cooked food using their Element iQ™ inverter system, which steers power to where and when it’s needed.
Read our full Sage The Combi Wave 3-in-1 Microwave Oven review.
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Panasonic Combi Microwave Oven 4-in-1 NN-CS89LBBPQ
Best combination microwave for steam cooking
Pros:
- Technology at its best
- Steam for healthy cooking
- Flatbed
Cons:
- Confusing instruction book
Wattage: 1000W (1300W for grill)
Star rating: 4.5/5
The Panasonic 4-in-1 Combi was both the largest and most expensive combi microwave on our test. Still, it comes with a wealth of programmes and presets, including 12 combi-cooking options and 36 auto programmes. This is the only combi to offer steam for healthy, nutritious and super tasty food. For its sheer size and power, the Panasonic is remarkably quiet, easy to use and will easily replace a regular oven for those with less space or supplement for those who need more capacity.
Read our full Panasonic Combi Microwave Oven 4-in-1 review.
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Panasonic 4-in-1 Combi Microwave Oven NN-DS59NBBPQ
Best combination microwave for families
Pros:
- Oven-style door, great for small kitchens
- Versatile
- Plenty of functions
- Easy to fill and empty water containers
- Comprehensive manual
Cons:
- Window steams up easily
- Jacket potato not cooked through
Wattage: 1000W (1350W for grill)
Star rating: 4.5/5
Another Panasonic 4-in-1 model, but this one comes with fewer cooking options and programmes than its older sibling above. Like the above four-in-one model, the DS59 can steam foods, be used as an oven, grill and, of course, microwave. It also comes with a generous selection of presets for ultra-specific cooking. There are six combi-cooking options and 28 auto programmes.
More like this
Unique to this model is the steam cooking function. Great for steamed veggies and fish, this setting is an ideal choice for cooking healthier, more nutritious and altogether tasty food, but we put this setting to the test by making a batch of delicious steamed gooey toffee puddings. These were perfectly moist, bouncy and perfectly baked. When testing the defrosting function, we found it was a little ferocious, with the thinner parts of our raw chicken turning white.
This is a large piece of kit but, like the other Panasonic model, we envision people using this instead of their oven for smaller, everyday dishes or even as an extension of their existing oven. A great option for four or five people thanks to its 27L capacity.
Read our full Panasonic NN-DS59NBBPQ review
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Smeg 34-litre Combi-Microwave Oven
Best combination microwave for style
Pros:
- Stylish
- Super-powerful yet quiet
- Generous 34 litres
Cons:
Wattage: 1000W
Star rating: 4.5/5
As we would expect from Smeg, their combi-microwave is a sleek looking, well-built, stainless steel oven that will stand out in any kitchen. There are ten programmes and 40 settings behind its seemingly simple interface. The shortcuts menu of super-useful settings covers all bases from melting butter and chocolate to a handy 30-second time increase while cooking. With a generous 34 litres, the Smeg will work well in any household needing extra capacity.
Read our full Smeg 34-litre combi microwave oven review.
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Russell Hobbs RHMD714G Scandi Microwave
Best budget microwave
Pros:
Cons:
- No baked potato setting
- Slow
Wattage: 700W
Star rating: 4/5
The Russel Hobbs Scandi Microwave may be small with just 17 litres capacity. Still, it is big in good looks with its soft touch wood effect accents and mirrored door with programmes and settings rarely found in a microwave of this size and price, including eight auto-cook settings and various handy shortcuts. At just 700W, the Scandi may take a little longer to cook, but if you want a small, functional, good-looking microwave, then this is the one.
Read our full Russell Hobbs Scandi Microwave review.
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Swan Retro Digital Microwave
Best microwave for small spaces
Pros:
- Retro styling
- Perfect for small spaces
Cons:
Wattage: 800W
Star rating: 4/5
Brighten up your kitchen with this retro-styled microwave which comes in a range of 11 different colours, so something for everyone. The footprint is small and, at just 20 litres, this is not a microwave for families but one to sit beautifully in any small kitchen. It comes with several added extras, including a range of auto-programmes from defrosting by weight between 0.1 and 2kg and 12 simple auto cooking programmes, each with further choices.
Read our full Swan Retro Digital Microwave review.
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Russell Hobbs Buckingham digital microwave
Best microwave for ease of use
Wattage: 700W
If you’re looking for a reliable, sturdy, basic microwave which you can set up and start cooking with in no time, this is a great option. It has few added extras but above average cooking prowess. Its defrost option impressed, evenly defrosting a chicken breast without leaving frozen patches, as did the preset baked potato function. Instructions are very clear and detailed, meaning extras are easy to use.
Read our full Russell Hobbs Buckingham microwave review.
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Swan Nordic digital microwave
Best microwave for Scandi kitchens
Wattage: 800W
Microwaves are notoriously bulky and monochrome, so the matte-coloured finish of this Scandi-influenced Swan oven is a welcome addition to the microwave scene. Its diminutive size makes it a good option for smaller kitchens, although its 20-litre capacity matches its footprint, so we wouldn’t recommend this for larger families.
Read our full Swan Nordic digital microwave review.
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Other microwaves tested and rated
Microwave buying advice
What are the differences between standard, grill and combination microwaves?
Life is complicated enough without the added stress of trying to get your head around microwave terminology. To break it down for you, there are three types of microwave – generally speaking, you will pay more for each additional feature a model offers.
We suggest working out what you’d like to use your microwave for as this will determine which microwave you should buy. Maybe you simply want to defrost meat, cook ready meals and prep the odd baked potato. You may also want your microwave’s performance to rival an oven’s in terms of crispness and water retention. Or do you want something which goes even further and will, in effect, replace your oven by offering grilling, microwaving and convection cooking in one?
Standard microwave
Unless otherwise stated in the product title, most microwaves tend to be classed as ‘microwave-only’. This means they’ll perform the basic tasks expected of them – heating up or defrosting food. If you don’t fancy blowing the budget and you only need the basic features, then a classic microwave will serve you well.
Grill microwave
A grill microwave goes one step further than a traditional model and is able to grill food, giving foods such as bacon that authentically grilled texture rather than making them dry out.
Combination microwave
This is the closest you’ll find to a traditional oven in microwave form. Depending on how much you fork out, some models will even be able to bake sponge cakes. What’s more, they also have the ability to brown foods – so if you’re trying to achieve a perfectly crisp baked potato, a combination microwave will certainly do the trick.
How to choose the right microwave
A solo microwave
If you simply want to defrost the occasional dish or piece of meat, reheat a beverage or leftovers and fast-bake a potato, then a simple microwave will do the job perfectly and not break the budget. Standard microwaves tend to be smaller, so if space is tight, this will be perfect, but if you have several to cook for, you may want to look for a larger size or, instead of a classic turntable, flatbed microwaves tend to be larger, and they are easier to clean.
Microwave and grill
The next step from the solo microwave is to add a grill for crisping up, browning, or fuss-free grilled bacon. You may, however, want to consider size as the grill does take up room in what often is already a smallish cavity – though, on some more expensive models, the grill element is enclosed, which helps.
Combi microwave oven
Should you have more room, a big family or want extra cooking capacity from time to time, then the combi is worth a look. They once had bad press for being a costly mistake; the element for the oven was exposed and challenging to clean and took up space in the cavity, but the latest technology has almost eliminated those issues (with hidden oven elements).
The straightforward combi will give you an extra oven to cook and bake, just like a regular oven, which can be a real bonus for smaller households, second homes, student accommodation or small flats.
A level up from this are the two-in-ones, which combine oven-cooking with the speed of microwaving for either cooking from scratch or ready meals to get supper on the table in no time.
3-in-1 microwave, oven and grill, (or with some air frying) and even 4-in-1 (all as before plus steam).
All these extras come at a price and are a serious investment, so work out what you want from yours, and as you can see from our round-up, there are plenty to choose from.
Inverter technology:
If you are replacing an old microwave, you may be intrigued to find microwaves with inverter technology. Whatever you were used to with your old oven, you will be amazed at how this technology has changed using a microwave, and for the better. Without getting into science, this new technology means the oven constantly operates at the correct power for whatever is cooking, unlike an old oven where the power fluctuates continuously. The result is gentle cooking resulting in juicer, moist, evenly heated food.
How we tested microwaves
When asked, our readers told us their main reasons for using a microwave were defrosting, reheating meals and cooking porridge. So, we blasted jacket potatoes to make sure they cooked through to the centre yet stayed moist at the edges. We defrosted chicken breasts and then cooked them through in the microwave too, looking for a tender, juicy finish. Where applicable, we also grilled bacon and if the microwave had a steam function, we made gooey toffee puddings.
Each product was tested against a set testing matrix. The results of this decided each product’s overall star rating. The following were:
Ease of use: microwaves are used mainly by those who want to make life simpler. We looked for pared-down functionality, simple design and easy-to-follow instruction booklets.
Cooking versatility: we wanted to know if customising settings and using presets delivered equally good results.
Defrosting: an essential function for most, we looked for effective thawing, with presets a bonus.
Moisture retention: we checked the food didn’t dry out before it had finished cooking.
Additional features: small extra features like a child lock or kitchen timer were appreciated, plus we looked at how well more prominent features such as grills and convection ovens performed.
Size: we assessed the size of the microwave and the space it took up in the kitchen. The models we tested need to be installed a specified height above the floor, with plenty of room all around for ventilation.
Sustainability: we looked at everything from the recyclability of the packaging, spare parts information, the warranty of the microwave, the wattage and more.
Cleaning: the ease of cleaning both inside and out and finger marking, especially on stainless steel.
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