Compare the Best OvensDecember 2018

Not all ovens were created equal, and the types of oven available cater for different needs and budgets. The main differences between ovens are their capacity and energy source. To find the right oven it is important to identify which features are important to you. If you bake on a daily basis, having an oven that is fairly large while being energy efficient is the best way to make your baking easier and save money on the long run. For a more casual cook who uses the oven once a week, energy efficiency and capacity are not top priorities. A simpler oven that doesn't cost you a lot will do the job just fine – no need for the latest deluxe double oven with 8 cooking modes.

One of the first considerations when buying an oven is its dimensions and energy source. Most ovens are 600mm wide and will fit most kitchens. If you are looking for a larger capacity oven or a freestanding oven it is important to measure the available space in our kitchen to ensure there are no surprises when your new oven arrives.

If there is a gas supply in our kitchen you will be able to consider a gas oven. Electrical ovens are slightly easier to install but might also be more expensive to run. Always check the energy rating when comparing ovens. The installation of gas and electric ovens should always be carried out by appropriately trained and licensed engineers.

Oven Capacity

Before looking at the technical aspects of your future oven, choosing between a single or double oven is one of the first decisions to make.

Single Ovens: For the average home user who requires no more than two trays to be used at the same time, a single oven should be sufficient, even for frequent users. There is a huge range of single ovens available in different finishes and with distinct features. The high level of competition between manufacturers means single ovens offer great value for money and are available at very reasonable prices.

Double Ovens: A double oven allows for more flexibility as you can cook and bake at two different temperatures in parallel. This is great to prepare a large meal and set each oven and timer separately. You can grill a main course in one oven and bake a cake in the other, which significantly speeds things up compared to a single oven. The drawbacks of double ovens are a higher price tag, the requirement for a bigger space and a smaller number of models to choose from.

Compact Ovens

A single compact oven is usually the same size as a microwave and most feature a grill as well. These small ovens are great if you are tight on space but their capacity might be a problem depending on the types of food you want to cook.

Double Built-under Ovens

If you have space to fit a single oven but need tow separate ovens, a built-under double oven might be a good choice. You get the flexibility of a double oven without losing much space (they are usually only 10-12cm taller than an average single oven). Because two ovens have to fit into the space of a single oven, the capacity of the individual ovens is limited and you will have to weigh up the benefits of having two ovens versus a larger single oven.

Oven Types

One of the key criteria when choosing an oven is decide between an electric or gas oven. Most ovens are electric as these can be installed in almost every kitchen. Gas ovens require a natural gas supply in your property, which is not always available. When faced with the choice, both electric and gas ovens have their advantages and disadvantages.

Electric Ovens

An electric oven has much more accurate temperature control thanks to its electronic thermostat, and spreads the heat evenly throughout the cooking area. This effect is even more pronounced in fan-assisted models. In addition, the dry heat an electric oven produces prevents the build-up of rust. Purchasing costs of electric ovens are usually lower than gas ones, and there is a much wider variety to choose from. On the downside, electric ovens take longer to heat up and have slightly higher operating costs.

Gas Ovens

While there is less variety in gas ovens compared to electric ones nowadays, they have some distinct advantages. Gas ovens have lower operating costs. If you use the oven a lot, these will offset the higher acquisition costs in the long run. Gas ovens heat up and cool down faster than their electric counterparts, which is great if you don't have time to wait for an electric oven to cool down before cleaning. Gas ovens add humidity to the air inside the oven, which prevents foods from becoming dry and brittle before reaching their ideal cooking point. Temperature control and heat distribution are usually less accurate in gas ovens, however, modern gas ovens come with electronic thermostats that regulate the temperature more accurately and fans help to spread the heat evenly throughout.

Oven Features

After deciding on the capacity and type, selecting an oven with the right features ensures you will be happy with your choice for many years to come. Modern ovens provide a variety of features that make cooking and cleaning easier:

Oven Prices

The price range of ovens is from £50 to £7,549 and in total we found prices for 1206 ovens. On average, a new oven costs £554 and 80% of ovens are priced between £199 and £1,004. The most expensive oven that we found is the Miele H 6890 BP at £7,549, and the cheapest is the Rommelsbacher BG950 at only £51.

Oven Brands - Price Range

The highest average oven price out of all brands is Miele ovens with an average price of £1,905. Miele ovens range in price from £490 to £7,549.

Gaggenau ovens range in price from £1,800 to £1,800, and the second highest average oven price out of all brands is Gaggenau ovens with an average price of £1,800.

Foster ovens range in price from £419 to £1,858, and the average price of Foster ovens is £899 which is the third highest average price of all oven brands.

Oven Brands - Average Ratings

We have evaluated 36 expert reviews and 7,135 user reviews for ovens and used this information to calculate the average rating for each brand of oven. The top three oven brands are Neff, Hotpoint and Beko. Neff has an average rating of 73%, Hotpoint has an average rating of 73% and Beko has an average rating of 71%.

Biggest Oven Retailers

The biggest oven retailer by number of products currently for sale is eBay. We found 1,074 current oven offers from eBay. The second biggest retailer is Currys with 378 offers. That means eBay is more than twice as big as Currys when it comes to ovens. AO is the third biggest retailer with 344 current offers.

When Are Most New Ovens Released?

We looked at the release dates for new ovens over the last 3 years, but couldn't see any clear pattern. 455 new ovens were released in April 2017 making it the biggest month that year for new oven releases. October was the biggest month in 2016 for new ovens, with 281 new ovens released that month. The biggest month in 2015 for new oven releases was April, with 195 new ovens released that month.

How Fast Do Oven Prices Drop After Release?

New ovens drop in price by an average of 2% in the first 6 months after they wer first released. That means that on a typical oven costing £554 you could save on average £9 by waiting 6 months before buying.

Oven Types

Most modern ovens run on electricity, but some ovens do use gas as their fuel source.

Amongst new ovens, the most frequently found oven type is electric. We found 4,681 ovens that are electric ovens. We found 88 ovens that are gas ovens, making gas the second most common oven type amongst new ovens.

Ovens

Some ovens have more than one oven compartment. The temperature of each compartment can be controlled separately.

Comparing all ovens, the ovens range from 1 to 3. The ovens of most ovens range from 1 to 2. The Indesit FIMD 23, which currently retails for £195.30, has the most oven and is a 2 oven oven. The Whirlpool AKZM 756 IX, which can be purchased for £284.05, has the least oven and is a 1 oven oven.

Main Oven Interior Capacities

'Main Oven Capacity' denotes the usable capacity of the main cavity of the oven.

Across the range of ovens, the main oven interior capacities range from 6L to 3,600L. The main oven interior capacities of most ovens range from 65L to 75L. The Balay 3HB4841X1, which sells for £379.87, has the biggest main oven interior capacity and is a 3,600L primary oven capacity oven. The oven with the smallest main oven interior capacity is the TKG Mini Oven, which is a 9L primary oven capacity oven and is available at £59.99.

Energy Efficiency of Ovens

The energy efficiency class is a measure of the efficiency of the oven ranked using the European Union standard energy efficiency scale. G is the worst rating and A is the best rating. It is possible to have rating higher than A. These are marked with A+, A++ etc.

We found 3,362 ovens that have an energy efficiency rating of A, which makes this the most popular energy efficiency rating amongst new ovens. We found 667 ovens that have an energy efficiency rating of A+, making this the second most frequently found energy efficiency rating amongst new ovens.

Which Are the Cheapest Retailers for Ovens?

The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying ovens. For each retailer it shows the total number of ovens where they currently have a market leading price. The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying ovens. 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. 892 of their oven prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.

Proportion of Ovens for Which Each Retailer is Cheapest?

Assessing how cheap each retailer is for ovens by counting the number of cheapest prices for that retailer, makes the retailers that offer the greatest number of oven prices more likely to offer the greatest number of cheapest prices. The chart below considers the proportion of each retailer's oven prices that are the cheapest compared to other retailers. The cheapest retailer that we found using this approach was eBay. 83.1% of their oven prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.