The best and worst toaster oven brands, according to Consumer Reports — plus recommended models
Consumer Reports found brands and models that will won't break after a few years, toast and bake well, and are easy to clean
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If you’re buying a toaster oven, you want it to last more than a few years. But with the market flooded with options — particularly now that many toasters also serve as air fryers — it’s hard to know which is the best option.
Consumer Reports knows the choice can be overwhelming, so it compiled a list of the most and least reliable toaster oven brands on the market. That way, no matter the model you choose, you’re going with a brand that delivers solid performance.
Continue reading to see which made the list and why, as well as some of the models it recommends.
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Most reliable brands
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Emeril, Gourmia, Ninja, Panasonic, and Wolf were ranked the most reliable brands, according to Consumer Reports surveys. Each earned “excellent” ratings for owner satisfaction.
But one thing Consumer Reports found: “You can’t get a toaster oven that’s great at everything.” While there might be dozens of models to choose from, no one is actually perfect, according to CR's ratings.
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Least reliable brands
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The four brands Consumer Reports suggest to avoid are: Instant, Krups, and Proctor Silex and PowerXL. The publication didn't elaborate on why it doesn't recommend these models.
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Some models to consider
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Breville didn’t receive the highest scores, but still ranked well. CR suggests its The Smart Oven BOV800XL, which costs $292.13. It does a good job of reheating and baking and it’s easy to clean, but it ironically doesn’t to the best job at toasting a piece of bread, according to the publication. It also isn’t the fastest model on the market.
CR also suggests top-rated Emeril’s Power AirFryer 360 S-AFO-001 for $192.99. It received very good scores for reliability, toasting time, and baking, and is easy to use. It doesn’t excel at reheating, though, or toasting just one slice of bread.
CR also recommends a toaster from Gourmia — the GTF7900. On the more affordable side, this unit sells for $109.99. It got great scores for baking and full-batch toasting, but struggled with reheating and toasting just one slice.