Best Cooktop Brands of 2026

Electric smoothtops and induction cooktops are sleek and easy to clean, and they perform well, too. The top-performing smoothtop electrics outperform gas models when it comes to boiling water in a hurry. Induction models, which use an electromagnetic field to heat up a pot or a skillet, perform even better on both high and low settings.

The top brand for electric smoothtop and induction cooktops is LG, with high-performing 30- and 36-inch induction models, top predicted reliability scores, and strong marks for owner satisfaction. The other four electric cooktop brands in CR’s analysis–Frigidaire, Samsung, KitchenAid, and Whirlpool–also earned strong scores.

There’s no denying that with their open flame, gas cooktops look and feel cool, but many serious cooks also love them because they’re more responsive than smoothtop electric models. They heat up in a hurry and cool down in a flash, which can keep your ganache from scorching.

At Consumer Reports, we provide three crucial pieces of information that can help you find the best cooktop for your kitchen. 

Model performance: We capture the performance of individual models in our cooktop ratings. You’re able to search by model to see how well a particular cooktop performs at both low and high heat, and what features it has. Model ratings are the best indicator of how a particular product will work in your kitchen. (You can also check out our analysis of the best electric radiant cooktops, best induction cooktops, and best gas cooktops.)

Reliability and owner satisfaction: Each year, we survey hundreds of thousands of CR members about the products they buy and, in particular, how well those products hold up over time and prolonged usage. We use the information to generate a brand-level predicted reliability score for every type of major appliance we test. We also ask if people would recommend their appliance to a friend or relative, and use those responses to tabulate a brand-level owner satisfaction score. The results can be found in our ratings charts.

Brand-level performance: These scores, shown above, reflect how well the cooktops from a particular brand perform in our testing and surveys, and whether they provide a good value. The scores are not model-specific, but they can provide a good backup if you’re interested in a particular model we haven’t tested. Just remember that a high brand score isn’t a guarantee that every model in that manufacturer’s line is a winner. It’s possible for a company to earn an overall high score for its cooktops even if it has a few duds in its lineup. And the opposite may be true, as well: A relatively low-scoring brand may produce some high-quality cooktops.

In our labs, we test 30- and 36-inch gas cooktops from brands such as Bosch, GE, Ikea, KitchenAid, LG, Samsung, Viking, and Wolf, along with 30- and 36-inch electric and induction cooktops from brands such as Bosch, Frigidaire, KitchenAid, LG, Samsung, and Whirlpool.

We test every cooktop at low and high heat. That covers its ability to sustain temperatures low enough to melt chocolate or tomato sauce without scorching it, and the cooktop’s ability to quickly bring water to a boil.

We also survey CR members, asking them whether their cooktops broke or stopped working as they should during the first five years of ownership. We also ask whether they would recommend their cooktop to a friend or family member. We use the data from their responses to generate our scores for predicted reliability and owner satisfaction.

CR members can browse our full cooktop ratings. And check out our free cooktop buying guide for shopping tips and help in deciding whether to buy a gas cooktop, an electric cooktop, or an induction cooktop for your kitchen.