Compare the Best HobsFebruary 2019

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

We currently list 1451 hobs ranging from £11 to £2,000. The average price of a new hob is £438 and 80% of hobs are priced between £129 and £899. The cheapest hob that we found is the Brentwood TS-322 at only £12, and the most expensive is the Miele KM 6381 at £2,000.

Hob Brands - Price Range

Gaggenau hobs range in price from £1,684 to £1,684, and the average price of Gaggenau hobs is £1,684 which is the highest average price of all hob brands.

The average price of Miele hobs is £1,165 which is the second highest average price of all hob brands. Miele hobs start at £469 and their most expensive hob costs £2,000.

KitchenAid hobs range in price from £700 to £1,800, and the average price of KitchenAid hobs is £1,092 which is the third highest average price of all hob brands.

Hob Brands - Average Ratings

We have analysed 9 expert reviews and 2,869 user reviews for hobs and used this data to evaluate the average rating for each brand of hob. AEG is the top rated hob brand with an average rating of 93%. Samsung is the second best brand with 91% and Bosch is the third best brand with 91%.

Biggest Hob Retailers

We found 1,197 current offers for hobs from eBay making it the biggest hob retailer. That is over 3 times bigger than the second biggest retailer, Appliances Direct for whom we found 374 current offers for hobs. The third biggest retailer is AO with 332 current hob offers.

When Are Most New Hobs Released?

The most common period for new hobs to be released in is between April and June. If you wait until April 2019 then you might be able to get better features on your hob. It's also worth keeping in mind that the price of the current hobs tend to drop off when the next models are released. In 2018 most new hobs were released in June, with 117 new hobs released that month. 169 new hobs were released in April 2017 making it the biggest month that year for new hob releases. October was the biggest month in 2016 for new hobs, with 284 new hobs released that month.

How Fast Do Hob Prices Drop After Release?

On average, in the first 6 months after release, hobs drop in price by 2%. If you are prepared to wait then you could save an average of £9 on a typical £438 new hob by waiting 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.

We found 1,206 hobs that are induction hobs, which makes induction the most frequently found hob type amongst new hobs. We found 966 hobs that are gas hobs, making this the second most popular hob type amongst new hobs.

Burners / Cooking Zones

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

Across the range of hobs, the burners / cooking zones 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 £699.00. The Stoves SIHF604T, which is available at £425.00, has the least burner / cooking zone and is a 1 burner / cooking zone hob.

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. 954 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. 79.7% of their hob prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.