Best air fryers UK 2026: what to look for, by type and price

By Eleanor Whitfield, home and gadgets editor
Updated 23 October 2026 · 8 min read

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An air fryer is a small, powerful fan oven with a drawer or a door. It cooks chips, chicken and vegetables quickly with little or no oil, and for small portions it usually uses less electricity than heating a full-size oven. The shelves are full of near-identical boxes, though, from £50 single baskets to £330 countertop ovens. This guide explains the four types, what each price band gets you in the UK today, and what to check before you buy. We compared published specifications and prices; we did not run our own cooking tests.

The types, explained

Single basket

One heated drawer, typically 4–7 litres. It is the cheapest and takes the least space, but you cook one thing at a time, or mix foods that need the same temperature. Capacity in litres can mislead: Philips says its 4.2-litre model holds up to 500 g of fries and its 6.2-litre model up to 800 g.

Dual drawer (dual zone)

Two drawers, each with its own heating element, usually 7.6–10 litres in total. You can cook chicken in one and chips in the other, and most models can make both drawers finish at the same time. Some have two equal drawers (Ninja DZ400UK, 2 × 4.75 litres); others are unequal (Philips NA555/09, 6 + 3 litres). Stacked versions, with one drawer above the other, save worktop width but are taller.

Oven-style

A small countertop oven with a door, racks and sometimes a rotisserie, usually 11 litres or more. You can see the food, cook on two levels, toast and bake, but cleaning racks and trays takes longer than rinsing a basket. Examples include the Cuisinart Tri-Zone (13.6 litres) and the Sage Smart Oven Air Fryer.

Combi (air fryer plus microwave or multi-cooker)

An air-fry function built into a microwave (such as the 26-litre Salter DuoWave) or a multi-cooker (such as the Ninja Combi). They save a second appliance, but the air-fry space is smaller than the cavity suggests: one reviewer found a family portion of chips was about all the Salter's basket held.

What each price band gets you

Prices below were checked on 23 October 2026 on John Lewis, Lakeland, Philips, Salter and Euronics pages. Argos, Currys, AO, Amazon and Ninja's own UK store could not be loaded by our checker that day, so check them too: the same models are often cheaper elsewhere. Euronics shows indicative prices until you enter a postcode.

Above about £100 you mostly pay for a second drawer or for oven-style versatility, not for better chips. The brand name adds to the price as well: similar-sized dual drawers ranged from £99.99 to £259.99 on the day we checked.

What to check before you buy

Capacity: think in portions, not litres

Brands quote litres, but the useful number is how much food fits in one layer. Where a maker gives a food weight (Philips: 500 g of fries in 4.2 litres, 800 g in 6.2 litres), use that. As a rough guide, a single basket of 4–5 litres suits one or two people; families usually want 6 litres or more, or a dual drawer so a main and a side can cook at once.

Wattage and your sockets

Single baskets on the pages we checked draw 1,400–2,000 W; dual drawers up to about 2,750 W. Wattage is the maximum draw, not what the air fryer uses every minute: energy use depends on the dish and the time, as the figures below show.

Running cost

Which? measured energy use for the same dishes in an air fryer and a built-in electric oven (costed at 26.11p per kWh) [5]:

The current Ofgem price cap rate is 26.32p per kWh for October to December 2026 [6], so those costs barely change. Two caveats: if your food needs two batches, the saving shrinks; and Uswitch estimates a gas oven costs £21–£27 a year to run, less than its estimate for an air fryer, so the saving is clearest if you cook with an electric oven [7]. Brand claims of "up to 80% less energy" (Philips) come from the maker's own tests with specific foods and will vary.

Noise

Air fryers have a fan that runs throughout cooking, and none of the UK product pages we checked published a noise figure. If noise matters (open-plan room, small flat), look for measured figures in independent reviews.

Cleaning and coatings

Check whether the basket and crisper plate are dishwasher-safe in the manual, and how many parts there are to wash: a single basket is the easiest; oven-style racks and trays take longer. Most baskets use a non-stick coating; some brands specify the material (John Lewis's listing for the Ninja DZ801UK describes its crisper plates as nano ceramic-coated aluminium). If you want to avoid PTFE, look for a clear "made without PFAS" statement from the maker rather than vague "healthy coating" wording.

Size on the worktop

Measure the depth and the height under your wall cupboards. Dual drawers are wide; stacked dual drawers and oven-style models are tall. Check the manual for how much clear space the maker asks for around the unit.

Warranty

Philips gives two years on the models above. Lakeland gives three years on its own-brand air fryers. Ninja gives one year, extended to two if you register within 28 days. Salter says its guarantee is extendable to three years if you register within 30 days. Tower's manuals describe one year plus a two-year extension on registration. Register as soon as you unpack it.

Who each type suits

• One or two people, small kitchen: a 4–6 litre single basket, £50–£110.
• A family cooking whole meals: a dual drawer of 8 litres or more, from about £100.
• You want to replace the toaster or a second oven: an oven-style model, if you have the worktop space.
• Very little space and an old microwave: a combi air fryer microwave, accepting a smaller air-fry basket.
• You cook mostly large batches for six or more: you may need several air fryer batches; your main oven may be the more practical choice.

Frequently asked questions