Although numerous gadgets are deemed must-haves, you can’t forget about the humble microwave – no kitchen is complete without one partially due to their impressive versatility.
Traditionally, microwaves were just used to quickly heat and reheat food but recently they’ve taken on a whole new status, boasting even more additional features for hassle-free cooking, defrosting and even grilling.
As some microwaves can go well past the £100 mark, it’s worth assessing your needs before making an investment. If you know you’ll solely use your microwave to reheat leftovers, then you probably don’t need a more premium pick with multiple mod-cons.
If, however, you’re looking for an appliance that can do a bit more, then a combination microwave would be a better investment for you. A combi microwave can boast features including individual cooking programmes for different foods, convection ovens and even grill modes, so you can truly do everything with just one appliance.
You should also consider power levels, program settings and the size of the physical microwave to make sure it’ll fit comfortably in your space. You also should ensure that the internal capacity of your microwave is big enough to fit your widest plates and tallest containers.
To help you decide, we’ve tested multiple microwaves, from the budget-friendly to more premium models, and compiled the highest-rated options into this handy list.
All microwaves we review are rigorously tested by our experts. We inspect every aspect from the design and capacity to the cooking functions, performance and power.
We then ensure that each microwave is built for purpose, putting them through real-world tests such as defrosting bread, reheating cooked rice and cooking jacket potatoes.
If you want to add more to your kitchen beyond a new microwave, you might be interested in our other numerous review guides including best air fryer guide, best toasters, best kettles and best coffee machine.
Best microwave at a glance
How we test
We test microwaves to see how good they are at their main job. For that, we start with tests designed for the microwave mode only. These include reheating rice and toasting bread, using a thermal camera to see exactly how well (and how evenly) the microwave heats.
We also cook a baked potato, using a microwave-only mode if that’s available, but we’ll use a combi mode, adding convection oven or grill, to see how this works.
Where microwaves have a grill, we test them with bread and see how even the grilling is across as many slices as we can fit into a product.
We’ll also test convection oven settings by heating a baking tray full of ceramic cooking beads, and then using a thermal camera to view how evenly the oven heats.
If there are other key functions, such as air frying, steaming or crisping, we try these out following suggestions in the manual.
Sage Combi Wave 3 in 1
The best overall microwave
Pros
- Easy to use
- Versatile
- Powerful and fast
Much more than just a basic microwave, the Sage Combi Wave 3-in-1 also works as an oven, air fryer and even sports a grilling feature too.
Although its height and width are typical of a microwave, with its whopping 32-litre capacity, the depth is excessive at 490mm – and that’s without factoring in the handle which adds another 23mm.
On the front of the appliance is a generous viewing window which allows you to keep an eye on your food, alongside six clearly labelled function buttons and two dials.
The six function buttons include Fast Combi, From Frozen, Air Fry, Oven, Microwave and Food Menu with the latter acting as a selection of smart cook options for various ingredients such as meat and vegetables.
Although Food Menu is useful, there are notable limitations specifically regarding weight limits, so just be sure to check the manual before cooking.
Open the soft-close door and you’ll see a series of labelled shortcut buttons which allow you to quickly select the optimum time and power levels for tasks such as softening butter, melting chocolate or to enable the grill function.
Although the latter is undoubtedly a useful addition, it’s worth noting that the grill is quite gentle and therefore requires ingredients to be propped up closer to the heating element at the top.
During our testing, we found that the Sage Combi Wave performed admirably across the majority of its functions, from defrosting bread to cooking a jacket potato impressively quickly at under seven minutes.
We also found that not only does air fry mode result in evenly browned and crispy chips but the Combi Wave conveniently alerts half-way through cooking to remind you to stir the contents for the best possible results.
The Sage Combi even took cooking a 1.6kg chicken in its stride, as it made use of the microwave, oven and grill functions for a perfectly cooked roast.
Even so, if you’re looking for a microwave that can double as an air fryer and oven then you’d be hard pressed to find a better option than the Sage Combi Wave 3-in-1.
Full review: Sage Combi Wave 3 in 1 review
Reviewer: Helen Harjak
Neff N90 C29MY7MY0 Microwave Oven
The best integrated microwave
Pros
- Powerful and flexible
- Pyrolytic cleaning
- Temperature probe cooking
If you want a small integrated microwave oven that has all the features of and is as powerful as a full sized oven, then the Neff N90 C29MY7MY0 Microwave Oven is the one for you.
Its flatbed design offers up to 45 litres of usable space and includes a full range of automatic oven modes, a grill and an intelligent temperature probe.
The automatic oven modes can be set for different food types and cooking methods but also adjusted accordingly, depending on what you’re making. You can even use the temperature sensor for more precise cooking, which is a brilliant addition on a small appliance.
We found the touchscreen display control to be responsive and easy to swipe through. It usefully shows the estimated cooking time which gets more accurate after the first ten minutes.
If you’d prefer a physical control then you can add on the Twist Pad Flex – a magnetic remote that operates the microwave by attaching to its screen. There’s even a third control option, found in the accompanying Home Connect app. The Home Connect app doesn’t just give you remote control over the oven, it also offers extra options such as ‘crisp finish’, and alerts you when the oven has finished cooking.
Performance wise, we found through our thermal imaging test that heat was well distributed throughout the oven, albeit a touch too powerfully but this is something you can easily adjust.
Using Neff’s Flex design, the N90 is available with a choice of trims and handles in a variety of colours and finishes so you can style the microwave to match other Neff appliances and your kitchen as a whole.
For a microwave oven that has all the power of a full-size model, the Neff N90 C29MY7MY0 is a fantastic choice for those who don’t want to compromise on their cooking.
Full review: Neff N90 C29MY7MY0 Microwave Oven
Reviewer: David Ludlow
Panasonic NN-CS89LBBPQ Combination Microwave Oven
The best combi oven
Pros
- Versatile
- Spacious
- Self cleaning
Cons
- Expensive
- Not very intuitive
- Some uneven results
With its drop-down door, the spacious Panasonic NN-CS89LBBPQ looks more like an oven than a microwave, but its real shining point are the plentiful auto programmes, covering defrosting, steaming, grilling, roasting and baking.
The oven space is the most generous we’ve seen thanks to the flatbed design and the three tray slots, which allow several items to be cooked at the same time on different levels, further emphasised by the auto programmes’ ability to cook as much as 2kg of meat.
The accessories include a wire shelf, enamel and glass trays as well as a plastic trivet meant specifically for steaming tasks.
One highlight is a humidity-measuring auto sensor combi programme that adjusts the power level and cooking time accordingly and delivers a jacket potato with crispy skin and fluffy texture.
For the steam function, a water tank and a drip tray are located at the bottom of the appliance. The drip tray handily stops water from running onto your worktop when the oven door is opened.
Very conveniently, the NN-CS89LBBPQ is also self-cleaning, with four steam function-based cleaning settings, including deodorisation and cavity cleaning to remove grease build-up inside the oven.
While navigating its touch-sensitive controls and deciphering the various programmes isn’t always intuitive, a thick instruction manual is provided, also featuring some 40 pages of recipes.
Full review: Panasonic NN-CS89LBBPQ review
Reviewer: Helen Harjak
Samsung Easy View Convection Oven with HotBlast Technology MC28M6075CS
The best microwave for automated programmes
Pros
- Very easy to use
- Automated cooking programmes work brilliantly
- Can do many jobs that an oven can do
Cons
- Need space for all the accessories
If there’s one problem with microwaves, it’s trying to work out how to choose the right setting for the right dish. The Samsung Easy View Convection Oven with HotBlast Technology MC28M6075CS makes this easier, with some very clever automated programmes.
The smartest mode is the Sensor cooking. In this mode, the microwave can cook a range of different ingredients, including jacket potatoes, cauliflower and chilled soup. Measuring the gasses released from foods, the microwave can stop cooking at the optimal point: I found it made my jacket potato perfect: fluffy on the inside, cooked all the way through and not shrivelled up.
HotBlast modes can be used with the baking tray to cook common foods, such as oven chips, using the convection oven feature and blasting air down from the top element. Here, we found the results good, although we did find that an air fryer will give crispier results.
We love the automatic defrost programmes: select the food type and weight, and the microwave handles the rest. Our test bread slices were cool to the touch but not frozen, and leaving them for just a couple of minutes had them ready for sandwiches.
More than just a microwave, the Samsung Easy View Convection Oven with HotBlast Technology MC28M6075CS is a handy convection oven, too. With its very smart automated programmes, it can cook food beautifully with virtually no hassle.
Full review: Samsung Easy View Convection Oven with HotBlast Technology MC28M6075CS
Reviewer: David Ludlow
Russell Hobbs Scandi Digital Microwave
The best budget microwave
Pros
- Auto-cook programmes
- Affordable
- Good cooking results
Cons
- Fits smaller plates only
- Not the most intuitive
The Russell Hobbs Scandi Digital Microwave stands out among its affordable peer group due to the addition of a couple of simple auto-cook programmes that calculate the cooking time according to the food’s weight. It’s also not as small as a 17-litre capacity may lead you to believe. However, with a 245mm turntable, it doesn’t fit larger dinner plates.
While the combination of shiny glass, plastic and metal with walnut-imitation wood is a very particular look, likely to have a Marmite effect, the Scandi Digital is available in black, grey, and white to suit different colour schemes.
Its auto-cook menu has eight programmes, for reheating food and microwaving popcorn, beverages, pizza, sliced potatoes, vegetables, meat, and fish. Using the reheat programme, cold, cooked rice came out evenly heated. And a raw jacket potato had a decent texture after just 8mins of microwaving.
This is a handy appliance for anyone looking for some microwaving shortcuts.
Full review: Russell Hobbs Scandi Digital Microwave review
Reviewer: Helen Harjak
FAQs
The answer depends on whether you’d use them or not. A grill or convection oven combined with a microwave can give you additional cooking space, or the ability to combine programmes, say grilling and microwaving at the same time, to speed up cooking.
The more power, the faster the microwave will cook, but that can be a double-edged sword. Warming up your dinner with the 1000W setting may be overkill and leave you with burnt bits. However, heating water in a jar to steralise it may benefit from higher settings.
Flatbed microwaves often need food to be turned manually to get even results but you get more space in them and can use irregular-sized pots and containers; turntable microwaves cook more evenly but you’ve got less room and are restricted in the size of container you can use.
Measured in litres, the internal size tells you how big the cavity is. The bigger the household, the larger the microwave you’ll want. Also consider use; if you occasionally heat some pasta sauce or reheat the occasional left-overs, then a smaller microwave will do you.
Neither’s better, but integrated models are neater as they’re permanently installed and often have larger capacities. They’re a good choice if you’re having a new kitchen and have place to permanently put a microwave, although seriously consider a combi model that can act as a second oven, as this gives you more cooking options. Freestanding models are generally cheaper and come in a wider range of sizes. As they just plug in, they’re easier to change if something goes wrong, and you can take them with you if you move house. Freestanding models are a good upgrade if you’ve got all of your integrated appliances already, or only have room for a single integrated oven.
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