Best hobs 2025: top picks from our expert tests

The best hobs are quick to heat up when you're in a hurry, but also able to maintain a gentle simmer. On this page, we share the top-rated models from our test lab.

While gas hobs are still very popular, they're not easy to keep clean. Induction and ceramic hobs are flat, which makes removing cooking splashes and spills much easier. However, not all hobs are worth your money – we've found models that are painfully slow to heat large volumes.

Read on for our expert buying advice and Which? Best Buy recommendations, based on our rigorous and independent tests.

Browse our hob reviews to compare all of the models we have tested.

Best hobs for 2025

We test hobs thoroughly and evaluate how good each one is at cooking, plus how easy it is to use and clean.

These are the very best hobs we've tested.

Only logged-in Which? members can view our recommendations in the tables below. If you're not yet a member, join Which? to get instant access.

Hob reviews by type

• Induction hob reviews
• Ceramic hob reviews
• Gas hob reviews

Hob reviews by price

• Hobs under £100
• Hobs under £200
• Hobs under £600
• Hobs under £1000

Why you can trust our hob reviews

Unlike many other product review websites, we purchase every hob that we test. In other words, you can have complete trust in our verdict, including Best Buy and Great Value recommendations.

Our hob tests reveal:

• How well they heat up – we time how long it takes to heat a pan of water from room temperature to 90°C and also record how much energy it uses in the process.
• How good they are at simmering – our experts heat a pan of baked beans and leave it so it stays just-warm. Top-rated hobs are easy to control and adjust, while the worst are harder to control and could leave some of your beans stuck to the base of the pan.
• How easy they are to clean – we heat cooking oil and allow it to splatter on the burners, and we also allow a pan of rice to boil over. The grimy hobs are then left to dry overnight, after which we attempt to clean them with washing-up liquid and a sponge.

We've devised rigorous tests to find out how well heat spreads across the base of a pan, plus how energy efficient each model is – as in how much energy is successfully directed at the base of the pan rather than escaping into the atmosphere.

Our in-depth reviews will help you to choose the perfect hob for your needs, whatever your budget.

Read more about how we test hobs.

Where to buy a hob

Below, we've picked out a handful of the most searched-for sellers.

• Currys sells hobs from various big-name brands including AEG, Bosch, Hotpoint and Smeg. Prices start at around £75.
• Ikea has a selection of induction hobs and gas hobs. The website highlights the £280 MATMÄSSIG as one of the retailer's most popular picks – it's an induction hob with a 5-year guarantee.
• John Lewis offers own-brand hobs, plus alternatives from Miele, Neff, Samsung and more. Expect to spend at least £180.
• Argos has a mixture of gas, induction and ceramic hobs and many of them come with a 2-year warranty. Prices start at around £70 and rise closer to £800.
• AO.com is another popular retailer for induction hobs, extractor hobs, gas hobs and ceramic hobs. If you're shopping for an induction model, prices start at around £200.

Types of hob

Ceramic hobs

Technically, traditional electric, induction and gas on glass hobs are all ‘ceramic’. Ceramic refers to the smooth glass finish on a hob, rather than the workings of the hob itself. However, most retailers use the term to describe a standard electric hob.

Pros: 

• Smooth surface (so they look stylish and are easy to clean).
• Plenty of options if you like touch controls or prefer dials.

Cons:

• There’s a time lag between adjusting the temperature and the temperature changing.
• They tend to be worse than gas at spreading heat evenly across the cooking zone, so food can cook faster in the middle than at the edges of a pan.
• After switching off, the glass takes a while to cool down, so you'll need to take care not to touch it. Most ceramic hobs have residual-heat indicators to warn you if a cooking zone is still hot.

For more buying advice, see our guide to the best ceramic hobs.

Gas hobs

Conventional gas hobs are simple affairs, usually 60cm wide with four burners. They have auto-ignition and are controlled with chunky dials. 

A gas-on-glass hob is a standard hob that’s mounted under ceramic glass. This gives it a modern feel and makes it simpler to keep clean.

Five-ring hobs give you more space and cooking flexibility. The fifth zone is often a powerful wok burner that gives an intense, rapid source of heat, perfect for a crunchy stir-fry.

Pros:

• They have a heat source that's visible, instant and easy to control, which has made them a long-term favourite with both professional chefs and amateur cooks.
• Tend to distribute heat evenly for easier frying.

Cons:

• Need to be installed by a qualified gas engineer.
• Starting prices can be higher than for basic electric ceramic hobs.
• They tend to be more difficult and fiddly to clean because the burners and pan supports have nooks and crannies where food can get trapped.
• Can be slower to heat up large volumes of food, and some aren't great at low-level simmering.

For more buying advice, see our guide to the best gas hobs.

Induction hobs

Induction hobs use a copper coil magnet within the appliance to create electromagnetic energy. The energy passes through the glass directly to the iron-based pan, producing – or inducing – a current, which in turn releases heat.

Pros:

• Of the various types of hob, induction hobs are the most energy efficient. This is because only the pan is heated up rather than the hob surface.
• Their glass surfaces do get hot, but not as hot as ceramic hob surfaces, where the glass itself is heated. This is a useful safety feature. The surface of an induction hob does get hot, but this is only because the pan transfers heat back to it. 
• Induction hobs are powerful and impressively speedy at heating food. They also tend to be good at simmering.

Cons:

• Induction hobs need pans with enough iron in them to work, and not all have this, so you might need to buy some new pans.
• They can make irritating whirring, clicking or buzzing noises, especially when on full power.
• They can interfere with pacemaker settings. 

For more buying advice, see our guide to the best induction hobs.

Venting hobs

At the cutting edge of hob design is the venting hob, a special type of two-in-one appliance that has a built-in extractor fan in an induction hob. This does away with the need for a cooker hood.

We’ve recently started testing these hybrid appliances that let you cook while whisking away unwanted steam, grease and smells at the same time.

See our best venting hobs for more information.

Can't decide between gas and induction? See Gas vs induction: which hob type is right for you?

Best hob features to look for

From special burners for woks through to child-safety locks, here are some features to consider: 

• Wok burners Some gas hobs have a large, high-powered wok burner that provides intense, rapid heat. These are designed for stir-fry cooking. Occasionally you find induction hobs with a dedicated wok zone consisting of a curved indentation in the hob's surface. 
• Dual zones On electric hobs, this allows you to use an inner zone within the main ring, which saves energy when cooking with smaller pans.
• Child-safety lock Most electric ceramic and induction hobs have safety locks to stop the controls being adjusted by inquisitive children. 
• Power boost This heats up an electric cooking zone more quickly. It's a rapid, intense heat that's good for stir-frying or searing meat.
• Hob timers Many induction hobs have a timer for programming zones to switch off automatically when you want them to stop cooking.

If you're looking for the perfect cookware for your hob, see our guide to the best non-stick frying pans.

What size hob should I buy?

Most hobs have four cooking zones, but there are plenty of five-zone hobs to choose from. These tend to be 70-90cm wide and 51-52cm front to back which means they'll fit onto standard-sized kitchen counters.

• Four-zone hobs Most ceramic, gas and induction hobs are about 60cm wide. Hobs that are slightly wider should still fit a standard 60cm gap, as they’re designed to overlap the worktop. The size of hob depends on the size of the burners or hob rings, which varies between models.
• Five-zone hobs Larger hobs have five cooking zones and gas hobs often have a central wok burner. This is a high-powered burner used for stir-frying or rapid boiling. Five-zone hobs range in width, but are generally no more than 90cm wide. Having five zones doesn't necessarily mean you'll be able to fit five pots and pans comfortably on the hob, but the extra cooking zone gives more space than a four-zone model.
• One, two and three-zone hobs You don't have to be limited by traditional-sized hobs. Single-zone, two-zone and three-zone hobs are all available and can be built into a countertop.

Which hob type is the most energy efficient?

The quickest induction hob we've tested takes just over three minutes to boil a big pan of water – as fast as some kettles. Compare this with the fastest gas model, which took nearly nine minutes, and induction wins hands down.

On average induction hobs are twice as fast as gas, while electric ceramic falls in between these two.

Whether you blast your pasta on full power for 10 minutes or you simmer a stew gently for a while, an induction hob uses energy more efficiently than either a gas or an electric ceramic model. 

Gas hobs are the least energy efficient of the three main types. A significant amount of heat is lost heating up your kitchen, rather than your food. However, because gas is cheaper, you might save a few pounds a year with a gas hob over an electric one.

In terms of sustainability, induction and ceramic hobs can run on renewable energy (depending on your electricity supplier), while this is not the case for gas.  

How much do I need to pay for a hob?

You can buy a basic gas hob for less than £100 if you go for an own-brand model. Gas-on-glass hobs are a little pricier, starting at around £150. You can pay up to £1,000 for a high-end, five-zone gas hob from an upmarket brand.

Induction hobs have plummeted in price over the past few years, and a basic four-zone model can cost less than £200. We've even found Best Buy induction hobs for less than £250.

At the other end of the scale, a top-of-the-range induction hob could set you back more than £2,000.

Electric ceramic hobs often cost less than £200. As with gas and induction hobs, larger, pricier models are available.

Use the filters on our hob reviews to find one that meets your needs and budget.

Find out which hob brands are the most reliable.