Best water bottle 2024: reusable bottles reviewed and rated

We pick the best water bottles for any activity, from biking to hiking, and commuting to… communing

Two of the best water bottles around – one black and one white – on a kitchen counter with coasters and plants

We’ve picked the best water bottles from a cast of thousands to help you find the best option for you. While reusable bottles make a great deal of sense from both an economic and an environmental point of view, they aren’t created equal.

Some supposedly leak-proof bottles are anything but, drenching schoolbags, handbags or gym bags because they were left at a slight angle. Some are hopeless for using on the move (in one of the best backpacks or best cool boxes). And some, are, well, some are just plain ugly.

It’s estimated that 38.5 million single-use plastic bottles are used every day in the UK alone – but only half of them are recycled. More than 16 million are sent to landfills, burnt or leak into the environment and oceans, where each plastic bottle takes over 450 years to break down. Some of the waste is finding its way into the human food chain, and plastic production is set to double in the next 20 years.

Obviously buying a reusable bottle won't suddenly fix the world's plastic problem, but it's a small thing you can do to reduce your footprint. Not only will it help reduce waste and save you money, but carrying a refillable water bottle means you’re more likely to drink the recommended amount of water a day.

Here, we've rounded up the best water bottles for a wide range of needs, styles and budgets.

What is the best water bottle 2024?

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If you want a cheap but cheerful leak-proof and fuss-free reusable water bottle, we think the Thermos Intak is the one to go for.

If you want a water bottle that's a bit more stylish, we suggest you go with the S'well White Marble Drinking Bottle. Whether you're looking for a gift for the eco-warrior in your life, or are treating yourself, you can't go wrong with the entries on this list (but make sure you scroll all the way to the bottom, as we've selected the best sporty and outdoors water bottle options as well).

However, if you're in need of something more specific, we have a few more specialised guides for you to explore too. For staying hydrated on the go, head to our best hiking water bottle guide. For keeping beverages hot or cold for hours, then you need one of the best thermos flasks instead. And if you want something you can sip easily mid-workout, our best gym water bottle ranking will sort you out there.

The best stylish water bottles you can buy

If you're not hiking up a mountain or running a marathon, then chances are you'll want one of these stylish water bottles. They're designed to look good on your desk at work, school, or university, but don't let those good looks fool you - these water bottles are all highly functional as well.

The best sporty water bottles you can buy

These water bottles are perfect for sporting adventures, whether you're running, cycling, or playing team sports. These are lightweight, low-fuss, and feature sports caps, which makes drinking on the move a breeze.

The best outdoors water bottles you can buy

Spend your weekends hiking, spelunking, and climbing? Maybe you've got a big camping trip coming up? You'll want oine of these outdoors water bottles. They prioities lightwight, and/or massive capacity for long trips.

How to choose the best water bottle for you

There are three key things to think about when choosing a reusable water bottle: where you’re going to use it, what you’re going to put in it and whether you want to filter it.

In some areas tap water doesn’t taste brilliant, and a cost-effective filter system can massively improve the flavour. If that sounds like the water in your neck of the woods, skip straight to the Brita bottle in our list. 

If you don’t need filtering then the choice is much simpler. 

Avoid really cheap no-name bottles - they won’t have been treated (if plastic) or polished (in the case of metal) to prevent strong flavours from hanging around after multiple washes - and consider an insulated option if you’ll be travelling far and wide. 

If you’re travelling really far in warm conditions, keep an eye out for aerogel insulation: that’s more effective than the double-wall insulation of most sports bottles.

If you’ll be hiking, a bottle that can be clipped to a karabiner is a very good thing to have, but if you’re looking for something for the gym or bike a sports cap is a better option.

Pay attention to the design too, especially around the nozzle: some bottles are fiendishly hard to clean, and while they may be dishwasher safe their nooks and crannies can still provide places for germs to multiply. It’s a good idea to get a bottle brush to ensure that no germ gets left behind: washing a water bottle is hardly onerous or time consuming.

In our line-up we’ve presented bottles of varying capacities.

Some of the bottles on the market are bigger still, such as this stainless steel model that’s available with 1l capacity. But bigger isn’t always better, because of course liquids are heavy - so a 1L bottle that already weighs nearly 700g empty will weigh 1.7kg when it’s full. That may be fine for a long bike ride or trip on public transport, but it’s not much fun to lug around in a handbag, schoolbag or backpack.

And of course the bigger the capacity, the more space the bottle will take up.

To help make your decision even easier, we've divided this buying guide up in three sections, stylish, sporty, and outdoorsy water bottles.

Spencer Hart
Style and Travel Editor

As the Style and Travel Editor at T3, Spencer covers everything from clothes to cars and watches to hotels. Everything that's cool, stylish, and interesting, basically. He's been a part of T3 for over seven years, and in that time covered every industry event known to man, from CES and MWC to the Geneva Motorshow and Baselworld. When he's driving up and down the country in search of the greatest driving roads, he can be found messing around on an electric scooter, playing with luxury watches, or testing the latest fragrances.