Compare the 10 Best OvensOctober 2017

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.

Space Saving Ovens

There are space-saving options for both single and double ovens. This might be a great choice if there just isn’t enough space in your kitchen to fit a full size oven or you need a double oven but only have a standard-sized space available.

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.

Fan Ovens ensure the heat is distributed as evenly as possible inside the oven so food cooks at the same speed on all sides. Fan assisted electric ovens also heat up quicker and can shorten cooking times.

Automatic Cooking Programs make cooking super-simple by setting the temperature and time to cook a dish.

Programmable Timers allow you to simply set the start time, duration temperature and heat sources and the oven will switch on and cook your meal before switching off again. This is great when you have other things to do but want to make sure your meal will be ready at exactly the right time.

Pyrolytic Self-cleaning is the most convenient way to keep your oven clean. During the cleaning cycle, the oven will heat up to 480C which burns off any deposits and reduces them to a thin layer of ash which can then simply be wiped away.

Most ovens today are Multi-function Ovens and allow you to cook with a number of heat sources, either independently or in combination. When using fan-assisted mode to cook a meal you can also use the grill to make sure it is crispy on top.

Oven Prices

Ovens range in price from £50 to £5,499 and in total we found prices for 1230 ovens. The average price of a new oven is £609 and 80% of ovens are priced between £189 and £1,199. The cheapest oven that we found is the Balay 3HB505 at only £51, and the most expensive is the Miele DGC 6865 at £5,499.

Oven Brands - Price Range

Miele ovens start at £419 and the most expensive Miele oven costs £5,499. The highest average oven price out of all brands is Miele ovens with an average price of £1,729.

The second highest average oven price out of all brands is KitchenAid ovens with an average price of £1,605. KitchenAid ovens range in price from £500 to £2,300.

The average price of Bartscher ovens is £1,320 which is the third highest average price of all oven brands. Bartscher ovens range in price from £358 to £3,310.

Oven Brands - Average Ratings

We have checked 18 expert reviews and 1,650 user reviews for ovens written online and used this information to calculate the average rating for each brand of oven. The top three oven brands are Neff, Fisher & Paykel and Bosch. Neff has an average rating of 92%, Fisher & Paykel has an average rating of 91% and Bosch has an average rating of 91%.

Biggest Oven Retailers

The biggest oven retailer by number of products currently for sale is eBay. We found 833 current oven offers from eBay. The second biggest oven retailer is Amazon UK with 503 offers. That means eBay is much bigger than Amazon UK when it comes to ovens. Currys is the third biggest retailer with 362 current offers.

When Are Most New Ovens Released?

Most new ovens tend to be released between December and February. If you wait until December 2017 then you might be able to get better features on your oven. It's also worth keeping in mind that the price of the current ovens tend to drop off when the next models are released. In February 2016 151 new ovens were released making it the biggest month that year for new oven releases. The biggest month in 2015 for new oven releases was December, with 207 new ovens released that month. 290 new ovens were released in July 2014 making it the biggest month that year for new oven releases.

How Fast Do Oven Prices Drop After Release?

New ovens drop in price by an average of 3% in the first 6 months after they wer first released. If you are prepared to wait then you could save an average of £17 on a typical £609 new oven by waiting 6 months before buying.

Total Oven Interior Capacities

The interior capacity of an oven is the total space inside all of the oven compartments measured in litres.

Across the range of ovens, the total oven interior capacities range from 10L to 135L. The total oven interior capacities of most ovens range from 67L to 77L. The oven with the biggest total oven interior capacity is the SmegDOSC36X, which is a 120L capacity oven and is available at £849.00. The oven with the smallest total oven interior capacity is the SmegDOSC36X, which is a 10L capacity oven and is available at £50.82.

A bigger oven capacity will allow more food to be cooked and will allow larger items such as turkeys to fit inside the oven.

Oven Types

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

Electric is the most popular oven type amongst new ovens. We found 1,869 ovens that are electric ovens. Gas is the second most common oven type amongst new ovens. We found 57 ovens that are gas ovens.

Colours

We found 1,388 ovens that are ovens that have a Stainless steel coloured, which makes this the most popular colour amongst new ovens. Black is the second most frequently found colour amongst new ovens. We found 922 ovens that are ovens that have a Black coloured.

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.

A is the most popular energy efficiency rating amongst new ovens. We found 909 ovens that have an energy efficiency rating of A. We found 407 ovens that have an energy efficiency rating of A+, making A+ the second most common energy efficiency rating amongst new ovens.

A better energy efficiency rating means that the oven will cost less to run.

Biggest Oven Retailers

We found 833 current offers for ovens from eBay making it the biggest oven retailer. That is much bigger than the second biggest retailer, Amazon UK for whom we found 503 current offers for ovens. The third biggest retailer is Currys with 362 current oven offers.

Which Are the Cheapest Retailers for Ovens?

eBay most frequently has the cheapest oven prices (found to be cheapest for 663 ovens).

Proportion of Ovens for Which Each Retailer is Cheapest?

The shop that most frequently offered the cheapest price on ovens is eBay and offers the cheapest price on 79.6% of its ovens.