Best Toasters of 2023

Last Updated on March 1, 2022

Our editors independently research the best products online to produce this list. We may receive commission on purchases made from the links below but this will never affect our product choices.

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Top 10 Best Toasters

1. Breville Flow (Editor’s Choice)
2. Dualit 2-Slot Lite (Luxury Choice)
3. Aigostar Warrior 2-Slice (Best Value)
4. Severin Automatic Long-Slot (Best Four-Slice)
5. Russell Hobbs Colour (Best Small)
6. Breville Impressions 4-Slice (Best with Multiple Settings)
7. Morphy Richards Arc (Best Two-Slice)
8. Russell Hobbs Futura (Best Stainless Steel)
9. Bosch Styline (Best With Integrated Rack)
10. Tower Cavaletto (Best Stylish)

While there are several ways to prep your bread, the easiest and fastest way is with the best toaster in the UK.

With so many options available in the market now, it can be challenging to find the best toaster that fits your family’s needs. Finding the right fit for your breakfast table is a must. It is difficult to imagine a kitchen without a toaster since most people are in a rush to either get to work or to pack kids off to school, prepare lunches and snacks, and finish off with all the chores for the day! At such times, having the right toaster will help reduce your morning stress.

Check out our selection of the leading toaster models on the market today, and look forward to a delicious, stress-free breakfast every morning.

How We Compared Toasters

To find the right toasters we considered multiple factors including:

• Slot Size
• External Dimensions
• Number of Browning Levels
• Defrost Function
• Control
• Warming Rack
• Removable Crumb Tray
• Extra Features

Our team independently examined and compared hundreds of products to help satisfy different needs. We spent our time researching toasters and consulting customer reviews to ultimately bring you what, in our opinion, are the best options on the market right now.

To find out more about our editorial process, take a look here.

Toaster Reviews

Breville Flow (Editor’s Choice)

The Breville Flow is our editor’s choice and the best 4-slice toaster on the market. Thanks to its excellent functionality, great value and stylish looks, this 4-slice toaster is pretty hard to beat.

Variable browning control with nine shade levels, plus a Lift and Look function, ensure that you get the perfect slice of toast every time for your toasted sandwiches. This four-slot toaster is highly reliable and comes with wide slots that adjust to fit your bread’s thickness, while the High Lift feature allows you to remove small toasted items without burning your fingers easily.

Complete with reheat, cancel and defrost functions with easily identifiable white illuminated buttons, this four-slice toaster is extremely easy to use. The high gloss finish and chrome accent details make this model an exceptionally stylish toaster best complemented with the matching kettle. Onboard cord storage helps to keep your kitchen work surface tidy, while the non-slip base will keep your 4-slice toaster securely in place.

On the downside, the silver-coloured finish may scratch fairly easily, and the wide slots may not be quite big enough for very thick bread. The indented edge around this four-slice toaster may result in crumbs sticking to the top of the unit.

Dualit 2-Slot Lite (Luxury Choice)

Dualit 2-Slot Lite Toaster is our pick for the best luxury choice toaster. This model is packed with useful features and has a beautiful design that’s sure to make a statement in your kitchen.

We like that this model has a peek and pop function that allows you to check toast without an interruption in the timer. This is great for monitoring crispiness without having to cancel the cook and start again. It uses an ideal toast technology to calculate each variable of the toaster for a perfect golden brown result every time. It also has a defrost setting to tackle frozen buns and bagels effortlessly.

The Dualit 2-Slot Lite Toaster has an extra-wide 36mm slot for thicker slices with a sandwich cage. It has a removable crumb tray and an optional Lite sandwich cage if you’re a fan of extra-deep fillings. It also has a high-lift mechanism that removes small items very quickly without burning your fingers. 

Dualit Toaster has a classic design with unique styling and a solid gloss outer finish that stays cool to the touch. It has patented “perfect toast” technology to calculate the temperature of the surroundings for precise toasting no matter how warm or cool your kitchen.

There’s no doubt this is a fantastic toaster, but it does have some minor drawbacks to keep in mind. It can be a little challenging to clean, and the higher four settings typically burn the bread, so it has little use in reality.

Aigostar Warrior 2-Slice (Best Value)

Next up is our best value pick – the Aigostar Warrior. This model has two full slots, with each slot measuring approximately 3.4 cm, which is suitable for almost all toast types.

It has an adjustable knob that features seven grades to control the baking temperature from soft to crispy for various tasty, toasty flavours. It has a multifunctional defrost function that thaws out frozen bread in a single step to save you precious time in the mornings. Also, it features a reheat function that warms up cold bread and one cancellation function that stops heating anytime at the push of a button. 

At its bottom, the Aigostar Toaster has storage that keeps the counter clean and a removable crumb tray that makes cleaning easy. Auto shut off function kicks in when your toast is ready to serve, preventing any burning. It pops the toasted bread quickly and to an easy height, so it’s safe and easy to retrieve your toast once it is prepared. In the case of quality assurance, the company provides two years warranty.

On the downside, this model is quite small, so it’s unlikely to be suitable if you like large slices of toast. It also may cook one side of the bread a little more than the other on occasion, but this is no deal-breaker considering the price.

Severin Automatic Long-Slot (Best Four-Slice)

Next on our list is the Severin Automatic. It is our pick for the best four-slice toaster.

This model has a classic enduring design with a double-walled and heat-insulated stainless steel housing that combines style and functionality. If you want a perfect start to your day, the Severin 4-Slice Toaster is an ideal choice for you.

It has an integrated bun warmer with two long slots to cook up to four slices of toast at a time. It has an electronic browning control consisting of a temperature sensor for deliciously crispy results. It has variable width slots and can facilitate multiple bread slices simultaneously – ideal if your family members have different breakfast preferences.

The Severin 4-Slice Toaster also has a warming rack to heat your toast if you’re not quite ready to eat once it has popped. The toaster features an automatic turn-off switch for safety and comes with a 2-year warranty.

However, there are a couple of negative points worth mentioning; the body of this toaster can become very hot around the top, so you’ll need to be careful not to burn your fingers retrieving your toast. Also, the higher settings can be too hot and burn your toast – making them almost obsolete.

Russell Hobbs Colour (Best Small)

The best small toaster on our list is the Russell Hobbs Colour Toaster. 

This model has three settings and a ‘lift and looks’ function to check toast without interrupting its cycle. So if you often over or undercook your toast, this toaster makes it easy to get perfect results the first time.

It can fit all bread sizes and has functions for frozen bread, quick cancel, and variable browning control. It also features a removable crumb tray for simple cleaning. The Russell Hobbs Colour Toaster adds a much-needed splash of colour to all kitchen counters and is sure to make a statement in your kitchen.

It is designed with a range of fashionable shades from black to fiery red. Its colour and collection allow you to add a hint of style and a personality to your house. It has a vintage cream casing that combines with stainless steel accents that make you proud to display this toaster on your worktop.

On the downside, this model can get very hot on the sides, so there’s a risk of burns if you’re not careful. It can also cook toast unevenly in some settings, which may become frustrating.

Breville Impressions 4-Slice (Best with Multiple Settings)

Our favourite toaster with multiple settings is the Breville Impressions 4-Slice Toaster. 

This toaster has an attractive design and comes with illuminated buttons for easy function identification. It is high glossy plastic with a textured finish.

In addition, it has variable control of browning for both thick and thin bread slices that feature nine toast settings. It has three primary function buttons – defrost, reheat, and mid-cycle cancel functions. Due to its high lift facility, you can remove smaller slices quickly without burning your fingers. This toaster has a removable crumb drawer for quick cleaning. It is a convenient and robust unit to complement your kitchen look. 

Breville Impressions Toaster has textured ridge walls and a satin chrome finish design that’s sure to stand out on your kitchen counter. 

However, one negative feature is that you cannot operate the left side unless the right side is pressed down first, and this can become frustrating if you only want to cook two pieces of toast. Also, the temperature settings can be a little unreliable sometimes, resulting in uneven cooking.

Morphy Richards Arc (Best Two-Slice)

The best two-slice toaster in our toaster reviews has to be the highly popular Arc by Morphy Richards. Compact and easy to use, its minimalist styling makes it a good choice for any kitchen where space is premium.

This small toaster has variable browning control with seven shade settings for the perfect toast to suit your personal preferences. Use the frozen bread setting to automatically defrost and toast your frozen bread at the touch of a button. The removable crumb tray makes for easy cleanup, while the cord storage ensures your kitchen surfaces remain neat.

Despite its small size, this two-slice toaster has extra-wide slots, ideal for crumpets and thicker slices of bread. Its illuminated controls make this toaster easy to use, plus it also has reheat and cancels settings. Given its wide range of features and compact size, this model is easily the best 2-slice toaster on the market.

You could easily improve the two-slice toaster with a small white paint as the shade setting marker is almost invisible. The two slots could be longer to accommodate more brands of sliced bread, while the power lead could be a little longer for more placement flexibility.

Russell Hobbs Futura (Best Stainless Steel)

The Russell Hobbs Futura is our best stainless steel toaster pick. Thanks to its combination of brushed and polished stainless steel finishes, this is one of the most attractive and practical stainless steel toasters on the market.

This four-slice family-sized toaster features dual control settings so that you can make just two slices of toast or four with half of the slices on a different setting. Suitable for bread up to 26mm thick, it can accommodate extra-thick slices and has seven browning settings. 

Complete with dual removable crumb trays, defrost, cancel and reheat functions, this large toaster is a good choice if you prefer a durable stainless steel model to the many plastic toasters on the market. All in all, this four-slice toaster makes a good, reliable choice.

Unfortunately, this toaster may not suit your favourite sliced bread as the compartments are a little small. It may not be the fastest toaster around, and you may also find that the power cable could be a little shorter than most other models. 

Bosch Styline (Best With Integrated Rack)

The Bosch Styline is one of the few toasters that can accommodate most standard UK sliced bread, making it the best toaster for large slices. It also comes with a range of handy features, including an integrated rack for warming bagels, croissants, buns and pastries. 

Thanks to its sleek modern styling with a black gloss front and stainless steel sides, this luxury toaster will look the part in any modern home. For consistent evenly browned toast, this Bosch toaster benefits from MirrorHeating – four quartz glass rods ensure even heat distribution inside your toaster. 

Nine browning levels are easily selected via the upper digital display, complete with a memory function for even greater ease of use, making this one of the best toasters on the market. It also has a HighLift feature to easily remove small pieces of toast and a reheat function and defrost and eject buttons.

Bear in mind that this model is less suitable if you’re short on space as it is fairly large with its extra-wide slots. Due to the integrated rack design, crumbs may be trapped more easily, requiring more regular cleaning, plus you’ll have to remember to turn this toaster off after each use if you don’t want it to stay on standby. 

Tower Cavaletto (Best Stylish)

If you are looking for a two-slice toaster to complement a modern kitchen and don’t want to spend a lot of money, the Tower Cavaletto could be just what you are looking for. It certainly makes a statement with its unusual rose gold coloured accents, steel sides, and midnight blue front and back. 

Complete with two slots, six browning levels, programmed via an easy-to-adjust dial, this toaster makes getting your perfect slice of toast a lot easier than with some more complex models. Three back-lit LED push buttons to allow you to easily stop, reheat or defrost your slices of bread inside your toaster.

The removable crumb tray makes for easy cleaning, while the onboard cord storage helps to keep your worktop neat. Tower also has a matching kettle available for purchase with the same colour scheme for a perfectly coordinated kitchen. 

While this is a great budget toaster, you could improve it with deeper toasting slots to accommodate more sliced bread varieties without requiring you to turn each slice. When using this toaster, you may need to take care as it is a little unstable and could topple over if the levers are pressed too hard, something which is not helped by the plastic front and back that could also be of better quality. 

Two-Slice vs Four-Slice Toasters

Unsure whether to go for a compact two-slice toaster or a large four-slice model? Here are some pros and cons of each size toaster to help you make up your mind.

Four Slice Toasters

Choose a four-slice toaster if you:

• Have a large household – getting toast ready for a large family breakfast is twice as fast with a four-slice toaster.
• Make a lot of toast – if you or your household members tend to make a lot of toast, then a four-slot toaster is a must.
• Have plenty of worktop space – while you could opt for a two-slice model, if space isn’t a problem and you occasionally need to serve up large amounts of toast, then a four-slice toaster makes more sense. 
• Want more versatility – most four-slice models allow you also to toast two slices independently, and they are also more likely to have more advanced settings.  

What to Look For When Buying a Toaster

To ensure that you buy the best toaster in the UK, take note of the following features and prioritise the most important ones for your daily needs. 

Slot size

One of the main complaints you’ll encounter from new toaster owners is that their new model does not accommodate their favourite type of bread. This doesn’t just apply to artisanal and homemade bread. Some toasters don’t fit what is often considered to be a standard sliced loaf. 

To avoid disappointment, pay close attention to the slot sizes on your toaster. Some manufacturers will give you a maximum thickness which can be useful if you enjoy toast made from speciality bread. Nowadays, many models have variable width slots that adjust to fit both thin and thickly sliced bread.

It can be helpful to check the dimensions of the toaster, taking off a few centimetres for the base and crumb tray areas to get a better idea of your toaster slot dimensions.

External Dimensions

Don’t forget to quickly check on your new toaster’s external dimensions before you hit buy. Some two-slice long slot toaster models can come in surprisingly bulky versions with much larger footprints than you would expect. If your kitchen is on the small side or you have a particular spot that you’ve allocated for your new toaster, it is essential to make sure that it will fit comfortably. 

Number of Browning Levels

The best toasters have plenty of shade settings to allow you to get perfect toast that is just to your liking. The more levels you have to choose from, the closer you’ll be able to program your toaster to get your perfect shade.

Defrost Function

Toasters are handy for defrosting bread. If you like to keep a couple of spare frozen slices of bread ready for when you finish a fresh loaf early, make sure that you get a toaster with a defrost function. This makes it much easier to defrost and toast frozen bread at the touch of a button.

Controls

Whether you’re selecting a bagel function or toasting your bread from frozen, the best toaster will have clear, easy-to-read controls. Illuminated pushbuttons are a good choice, as are traditional rotary dials with clear markings for your shade settings.

Warming Rack

Ideal as a bun warmer or to heat croissants and pastries, a warming rack can significantly extend your toaster’s functionality. While many toasters come with a detachable rack, the best toasters have a handy integrated one, so you won’t have to worry about misplacing it in your kitchen cupboards.

Removable Crumb Tray

For easy cleaning and crumb removal, crumb trays are an essential toaster feature. Regularly emptying the crumbs from your toaster is the best way to prevent toaster fires and to prevent a lingering burnt smell from building up inside your toaster.

Extra Features

Stop button

Many toasters come with a stop button so you can easily retrieve your toast when you need to rather than having to wait until the end of the cycle.

Reheat setting

Essential for heating toast that has gone cold without browning it further, if you often end up eating cold toast, you’ll want to get yourself a toaster with a reheat setting.

Keep warm function

If you’ve always got your hands full, a keep-warm function makes a great additional feature to ensure your toaster automatically keeps your toast warm until you’re ready.

Cord storage

It’s a good way to keep your kitchen surfaces neat: simply store any excess cable in the special compartment beneath your toaster.

Countdown timer

Not essential but useful if you’re always in a rush of a morning, a countdown timer lets you know just how many remaining seconds you have until your toast is done so you can put every second to good use.

High lift feature

Ever burnt your fingers on a bagel toaster or tried to get a small piece of bread out of your long slot toaster? The best toaster will come with a high lift feature to prevent this from occurring.

How to Clean a Toaster

Clean your toaster regularly to ensure it remains in good working order as well as looking good. It only takes a few minutes to clean a toaster, and doing so will prevent a burnt taste and smell caused by leftover crumbs from occurring.  

You should aim to clean your toaster once every one to two weeks, depending on how often you use it. Remember that steel toasters and toasters with a gloss finish will require wiping and polishing more often to remove fingerprints and smudges.

If all of this toast talk has made you hungry, take a look at some popular toast recipes and plan how to put your toaster best to use. Get started with BBC Good Food’s Baked Beans on Toast with Pancetta and Poached Eggs recipe. 

Conclusion

Finding the best toaster for bread can take a lot of research with so many similar models to choose from. If you’re still unsure which toaster to go for after reading our toaster reviews, we highly recommend taking another look at our editor’s choice: the Breville Flow.

Possibly the best toaster in the UK, the Flow features four wide slots encased in a stylish black high gloss and chrome outer. Boasting nine shade levels, Lift and Look functionality, plus reheat, cancel and defrost illuminated buttons, this is the very best toaster in terms of ease of use, functionality and value for money.

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