Best oven 2024: top electric fan ovens for all budgets

The best ovens will make a huge difference to your life, ensuring that your baking doesn't get a soggy bottom and that when you roast you always get the results you want. And some of the very best ones even clean themselves, so that's one less kitchen chore you need to worry about.

In 2024 the best ovens are electric. For the vast majority of us, electric fan ovens are the best, the cleanest, the safest and the most efficient kinds of ovens, and while gas is still cheaper than electricity the soaring cost of gas means that the difference isn't as dramatic as it used to be. There's also much more choice: gas ovens are relatively hard to find on even the biggest retailers' sites.

There's more to the best ovens than the cost of buying them or the cost of running them, although of course that's important. Fan ovens enable you to cook at a lower heat, and by circulating the air they deliver more even cooking than fanless ovens do. They're also quicker to heat up because they don't need to get quite so hot. And some of the newest ones are packed with all kinds of technology to ensure that everything you cook comes out perfectly.

In our guide to the best ovens you'll discover the best options for every kind of kitchen, every kind of cooking and every kind of cook. We'll cover brilliant budget buys and money-no-object marvels and everything in between. So no matter what kind of oven you need and what kind of budget you want to stick to, you'll find the best model for you right here.

If you're looking at ovens because you're creating a new kitchen or giving your existing one an upgrade, we also have other guides to help: we have guides to the best range cookers, the best microwave ovens and a guide to the best induction hobs. All our buying guides also track the latest deals to ensure that you get the best price for your new kitchen kit.

Best ovens ranking 2024

If you’re a fan of Great British Bake Off, you’ll doubtless have spied the Neff ovens with doors that slide beneath the units… and wished you had one of those. Well you can! 

True, we can’t be sure this particular Neff is the exact same model as those featured on the TV series but it does come with the company’s unique Slide&Hide door, so that’s a good start – even though it does clatter a bit and, on one episode of GBBO, fell off. But that only happened once, and it was probably due to misuse, under pressure. 

Nearly every user of this model has extolled the virtues of its baking prowess and capacity to turn an average baker into a cake-making maestro. This is mostly down to the oven’s exceptionally accurate temperatures and its Circotherm technology that ensures whatever you sling in there is cooked perfectly evenly – and that goes for roasts, too (obviously). 

This same tech also allows you to cook a number of different dishes at once without any intermingling of flavours – no more chicken-flavoured apple tarts, then. And speaking of chicken, this oven is by no means only for baking – it'll roast things very nicely as well, although on this model there's no built-in temperature probe to help out more hapless, meat-charring cooks.

The Neff N 70 B57CR22N0B comes with a suitably ample 71-litres of interior space, a grill section – though it doesn’t come with a grill pan – and pyrolytic self-cleaning. According to its army of disciples, it’s very quick to heat up and its 2.5-inch TFT touch screen is fairly simple to use. But it’s that clever articulated oven door that really clinches it. We dig more into the pros and cons of this oven in our dedicated 'Should I buy the NEFF N70 B57CR22N0B' guide.

There’s a good argument for having a double oven, especially if you have a large family or entertain on a fairly regular basis. Mind, like most built-in double ovens, only the bottom 71-litre oven in this Bosch is fanned; the top 34-litre oven is of the conventional variety while also serving as a grill. Nevertheless, having separate ovens to hand is convenient when, say, cooking something savoury while baking a dessert at the same time.

This oven requires an installation cavity of 881x560x550mm (HxWxD) so ensure your countertop is the standard 90cm from floor to top of work surface or you may have trouble fitting it in. Also be aware that this model draws 5.9kW of power with both ovens on so if you already have an induction hob, check with an electrician that your 32-amp power supply is sufficient for both.

The Series 6 is up there with the best when it comes to features – 11 in all. Novice cooks, for instance, will love the AutoPilot 10 function which lists 10 automatic cooking programs. Simply select a program of choice, tap in the weight of the ingredients and hit ‘start’. AutoPilot determines the cooking mode, temperature and cooking duration and even turns the oven off when the food is cooked. It also includes a pizza setting and a 3D hot air function.

Another brilliant thing about this oven is that it comes with a built-in meat probe so your Sunday roast comes out of the oven perfectly cooked. A probe is especially useful when roasting beef because you can select whether you want it rare, medium-rare or well done.

Users have had very little to complain about with this oven, though many do cite one omission that gets on their wick – the provided grill tray doesn’t come with a wire rack.

The Zanussi FanCook ZKCNA4X1 electric double built-in oven is a fine choice if you're looking for a model that's going to give you plenty of cooking capacity and some really useful features on top. If you've got a larger family or are keen on entertaining guests at your home, then double ovens like this one can really help you keep on top of everything at meal times.

As you would expect from Zanussi, the ZKCNA4X1 comes in at an affordable price point (well, by today’s standards), especially when you consider how much oven you're getting back in return. There's a 42-litre combined oven and grill plus an additional fanned 61-litre oven here, with the former offering you standard or fast grilling.

This model comes with an air-fry function of sorts that purportedly makes great oven chips when using the provided perforated tray. It even scores highly in terms of its design and is reported to be a breeze to use as well. However, many users have said that the control panel is too dark to read in poor light.

What you really want from the best ovens is to have your cooking experiences improved and made easier, and the Miele H7164BP delivers several times over. The oven is reliable and easy to operate, and it comes with plenty of features that are going to appeal – like its Moisture Plus tech for getting perfect 'bake off' results.

It's expensive, sure, but we think the Miele H7164BP justifies its price. There's a Taste Control food probe to make sure that your dishes don't overcook, as well as a rapid heating feature that means your oven is ready to go at a moment's notice. You can even control the unit from your mobile phone – something that's guaranteed to make you feel like you're living in the future.

You get a total of 76 litres of cooking capacity here, enough to satisfy even the most prolific of chefs, and special mention too to the controls and display, which are sleek and intuitive – the DirectSensor S display panel enables you to choose a programme and start cooking with the push of a button.

The first feature that has us interested in the Bosch Serie 8 HBG634BS1B is the dedicated pizza cooking function – intended to make sure you get a perfectly crisp base every time – but there are plenty of other features here to tempt you into a purchase as well. It's a great all-round package and definitely worth a spot on our list of the best ovens.

There's what Bosch calls a 4D Hot Air system here, which is a rotating fan setup that constantly circles heat around the interior of the oven, so flavours don't get transferred and cooking is spread out evenly. Cleaning is as simple as giving the unit a quick wipe down, because the inside walls are coated in a rough later of ceramic spheres that catch grease and food spatters.

Another reason this Bosch model stands out is the simple touch display up at the top – it's a lot more minimal and straightforward than the controls on many other ovens, and it means you always know what you're doing (and you're always in control) when it comes to your cooking.

It's a little bit amazing how cheap this oven actually is: for not very much money at all you get a very capable, very reliable fan oven with assisted cleaning and some other useful features too. From defrosting to grilling to straightforward heating, the Beko AeroPerfect BBXIF22100S takes everything in its stride, and is going to fit snugly in the kitchens of most people.

You've got 66 litres of capacity, two shelves and five different shelf positions to play around with, and the simple control system on the front of the unit means you won't have to spend any time hunting through the instruction manual to find out how to do something (Beko says the design of the AeroPerfect BBXIF22100S is based on aerodynamics and aircraft design, and we can well believe it).

A note too on the cleaning assistance you get with this: the SimplySteam system means you can pour some water into the integrated tray, which as it starts to turn into steam will soften burnt food and grease on the sides of the oven. A quick wipe down, and your oven should be looking as good as new.

The Steambake brand covers an entire range of ovens, but this entry-level one and the slightly fancier AEG SteamBake BSE574221M  – which comes with a temperature probe for easy roasting of meats – are our favourites. There are also various colour options to consider, depending on what retailer you look at.

The first thing to say about the AEG Steambake oven is that it is definitely not just for baking. You can add a little water to the bottom of the oven and activate the Steambake function and it will waft a little steam over your cupcakes, breads and other baked goods, but that is by no means the only reason to buy this.

The truth is that this is a great oven for just about everything. It has a massive temperature range of 40ºC-300ºC, with the option of using both grill and oven simultaneously – you can imagine how powerful that is. More importantly, it reaches whatever temp you want quickly, and holds it very accurately. That's particularly important if you are doing long, slow cooking – or baking, of course.

The AEG Steambake comes with two standard shelves and a grill pan shelf – if you're not making cup cakes on a regular basis you'll only need the grill and one shelf, but it's good to have the option of the third. 

The self cleaning works extremely well and the stay-cool door does indeed seem to stay pretty cool on the whole. Overall oven longevity – often an issue with self-cleaners – seems good so far. We've been testing ours for three years now with no apparent loss of quality. 

The fit and finish is not up there with more expensive ovens, but it's fine. In fact, for the money, it's more than adequate. Bakers will no doubt love this oven but it is a great oven for roasts, casseroles, and very suitable for more adventurous chefs who like to go slow and low, or reverse sear extremely hot. 

Hoping to cook a roast beef banquet with all trimmings and bake a tricky chocolate fondant at the same time in the same oven? You need a twin oven, like this dapper do-it-all model from the house of AEG. The bottom oven has 61 litres of room for large stuff like chickens, turkeys and anything else you want to throw in, while the top 43-litre cavity also doubles as a grill big enough to brown six slices of bread. 

Both ovens come with hot air fans that spread the warmth evenly around the cavities, ensuring perfectly even crisping of your mac ’n’ cheese and uniform browning to the top of the lemon meringue pie. However, some users have reported that the temperature isn’t as accurate as they’d like and even more have lambasted the perplexing manual. What’s new? It also uses a hefty slice of electricity when both ovens are at full bore.

On the plus side, the touch control panel is easy enough to navigate (unless you have fingers like pork sausages), both cavities are swathed in self-cleaning catalytic linings and the whole shebang looks pretty darn swish in all that brushed silver trim. 

Bosch has proven time and time again that it's a worthwhile mid-priced Germanic option. Its gear is generally well built, efficient and mostly reliable. And it's made by BSH, the same mega-brand as Neff and Siemens, as it happens.

This Which? Best Buy oven has received a remarkably high score while its extensive throng of users have nothing but good things to say about it. While its oven door doesn’t do any fancy disappearing acts like the Neff, it does at least open and close with Audi-like finesse. In fact, with this model you can shut the door quite aggressively and, like a modern loo seat, it will simply slow to a gentle close.

The Bosch is equipped with 71-litres of interior cooking estate (give or take a few centimetres for shelf brackets etc) and self-cleaning catalytic linings that absorb the fats splattered against its wall by the pork cracking roast you will most certainly rate as one of the best you’ve ever roasted.

Rather like the winning Neff, this model also cooks evenly on any one of its five shelf positions, making it another top choice for discerning bakers who demand consistently accurate results for every bun they bung in the oven. 

How to buy the best oven for you

When it comes to buying a cooking system, there are two choices: a standalone all-in-one range cooker with a hob, oven and grill (and sometimes more). Or there's option B, which is a separate built-in oven and built-in gas or induction hob.

Range cookers simply slide in between your kitchen cabinets and are a good choice if you’re on a budget, have a country-style kitchen or don’t fancy calling in the services of a carpenter or kitchen fitter. 

Built-in systems, on the other hand, are a much more elegant solution since everything fits flush with the kitchen cabinets, leaving no unsightly gaps for crumbs, fatty bits and spilt liquids to fall between.

We’ve already covered built-in gas hobs – which are excellent – and induction hobs – which are even more excellent – so hop over for a look, once you’ve finished digesting this carefully curated list of fine food fabricators.

T3's top tip when it comes to ovens? If you can’t be arsed with scrubbing fatty muck off the oven walls every few weeks, we'd recommend a model with fat-absorbing catalytic linings or, better still, a pyrolytic model that uses extreme temperature (500ºC or higher) to carbonise the crap out of everything, reducing stains to a fine, slightly sinister dust. When it’s finished cremating, you simply vacuum out the remnants. 

Installing a built-in oven

Even the best built-in ovens are a lot more difficult to install than range cookers. Firstly, you’ll need a big enough cavity in your kitchen cabinets, and one that’s within easy reach of a suitable power supply (most ovens are too powerful to simply plug into a nearby wall socket).

You’ll also need to have a platform constructed that’s strong enough to hold the weight of the oven, and with plenty of clearance to meet the manufacturer’s safety guidelines – in some instances you can purchase a ready-built casing for the particular model in mind. 

All of this requires expertise and a pair of strong arms so be prepared to fork out extra on a carpenter or specialised kitchen fitter. You might also need to have your electricity supply beefed up to meet the oven’s power requirements. 

Once in position, the oven should fit flush with the cabinets, but make sure that everything is level, works correctly and that the oven door can open fully before handing over the cash.