Compare the Best HobsDecember 2018

A hob is a collection of gas or electric burners arranged together in a single unit with a unified power source. While they are usually included with an oven as part of a cooker set, they can also be bought seperately. We have a large selection of hobs in all different shapes, sizes and colours, allowing you to pick the perfect hob for your needs, as well as one that complements the style of your kitchen.

Burner Type

When choosing a hob, first you must decide whether you want gas or electric burners. Both have advantages and disadvantages:

Gas Hob: Gas burners have no heat-up time, so are far quicker to use, and the heat levels are easier to control than electric. Gas flames tend to spread more evenly across the bottom of pans, meaning quicker heating and more even cooking. They are also cheaper to run than electric hobs, saving you money on daily use.

Electric Hob: Electric hot plates take time to heat up, and tend to have a far more concentrated heat radius, leading to uneven heat distribution with large pans. They are also more expensive to run than gas hobs - however they are easier to clean, and significantly easier to set up and use.

Number Of Burners

Another consideration is the number of cooking zones (burners or hot plates) on the hob. Most hobs have 4 burners spaced evenly across the top of the machine - however some models have as few as 2, or as many as 7. These burners will be of differing sizes and shapes - most 4-burner hobs contain a small, medium, large and extra-large burner, suitable for a range of different pots and pans. While 3-4 burners will be sufficient for the majority of users, people that find themselves cooking a lot of dishes at once may wish to look at extra-large hobs that can fit several different pans at once.

Specialist Burners

It's not only the number of burners that is important - several more advanced hobs also contain specialist burners as well. These can include:

Power Level

The power level of the hobs are measured in watts (W). The larger the power level, the quicker and more efficiently food will be cooked. Hobs also have a different amount of power settings - on some more basic models, this can be little more than 'low' or 'high'. However more advanced models feature a large number of power settings, allowing for extreme precision when cooking.

Hob Prices

In total we found 1272 hobs ranging from £10 to £1,844. The average price of a new hob is £424 and 80% of hobs are priced between £126 and £860. The Miele KM 6366-1 is the most expensive hob that we found at £1,844, and the WMF Kult X is the cheapest at only £10.

Hob Brands - Price Range

The highest average hob price out of all brands is Gaggenau hobs with an average price of £1,818. Gaggenau hobs range in price from £1,818 to £1,818.

The second highest average hob price out of all brands is Elica hobs with an average price of £1,280. Elica hobs range in price from £982 to £1,579.

The third highest average hob price out of all brands is Miele hobs with an average price of £1,065. Miele hobs range in price from £310 to £1,844.

Hob Brands - Average Ratings

We have analysed 9 expert reviews and 2,712 user reviews for hobs and used this data to calculate the average rating for each brand of hob. Bosch is the top rated hob brand with an average rating of 69%. Hotpoint is the second best brand with 66% and Neff is the third best brand with 64%.

Biggest Hob Retailers

The biggest hob retailer by number of products currently for sale is eBay. We found 1,049 current hob offers from eBay. The second biggest retailer is Appliances Direct with 342 offers. That means eBay is over 3 times bigger than Appliances Direct when it comes to hobs. Currys is the third biggest retailer with 311 current offers.

When Are Most New Hobs Released?

We looked at the release dates for new hobs over the last 3 years, but couldn't see any noticeable pattern. April was the biggest month in 2017 for new hobs, with 171 new hobs released that month. 286 new hobs were released in October 2016 making it the biggest month that year for new hob releases. In April 2015 234 new hobs were released making it the biggest month that year for new hob releases.

How Fast Do Hob Prices Drop After Release?

On average hobs drop in price by 3% in the first 6 months after release. That means a saving of £11 on a typical £424 new hob if you wait 6 months before buying.

Hob Types

There are a number of different technologies used by hobs to transfer heat to the cooking pan. Gas hobs use a simple flame to heat the underside of the pan and can be used with any pan type. Electric hobs come in a variety of types including ceramic, sealed plate, halogen and induction.

Amongst new hobs, the most popular hob type is induction. We found 1,156 hobs that are induction hobs. The second most frequently found hob type amongst new hobs is gas. We found 927 hobs that are gas hobs.

Burners / Cooking Zones

The number of burners (gas) or cooking zones (electric) on the hob.

The burners / cooking zones of hobs range from 1 to 8. The burners / cooking zones of the majority of hobs range from 4 to 5. The hob with the most burner / cooking zone is the Whirlpool SMP 778, which is an 8 burner / cooking zone hob and is priced at £849.00. The hob with the least burner / cooking zone is the AEG HC452601EB, which is a 1 burner / cooking zone hob and can be purchased for £1,242.27.

Which Are the Cheapest Retailers for Hobs?

The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying hobs. For each retailer it shows the total number of hobs where they currently have a market leading price. The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying hobs. For each retailer we took all of their prices and looked at what proportion of those prices where the cheapest on the market. The cheapest retailer that we found was eBay. 812 of their hob prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.

Proportion of Hobs for Which Each Retailer is Cheapest?

Assessing how cheap each retailer is for hobs by counting the number of cheapest prices for that retailer, makes the retailers that offer the greatest number of hob prices more likely to offer the greatest number of cheapest prices. The chart below considers the proportion of each retailer's hob prices that are the cheapest compared to other retailers. The cheapest retailer that we found using this approach was eBay. 77.4% of their hob prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.