Best Countertop Microwaves of 2025
Our tests help you find a reliable, top-performing microwave for your kitchen counter
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You can spend less than $100 on a countertop microwave—or several times that on a larger model with a variety of advanced features. Spending more typically gets you more power as well.
But according to Consumer Reports’ microwave oven ratings, the best countertop microwaves don’t necessarily come with higher prices when you’re comparing models of the same size.
CR members can read on for highlights of the best countertop microwaves available now, grouped by size and listed alphabetically. Wondering which brand’s microwaves stand up over time? Here are the most and least reliable microwaves, based on our extensive CR member surveys. For shopping tips, take a look at our comprehensive microwave buying guide. CR members can also explore our full countertop microwave ratings of more than 70 models.
Best Small Countertop Microwaves
If you’re short on counter space or funds, a small microwave (averaging 0.7 cubic feet of internal space) may be a good choice. Small microwaves aren’t very powerful, but they will fit most moderate-sized plates, and the best models do a good job of heating your food, albeit a little slower than bigger ones.
Small microwaves like the countertop Commercial Chef CHM770B may be all you need for a college dorm or office. This one is a champ at heating evenness, acing our mashed potato test, in which we use thermocouples to measure temperatures throughout. But it’s a slowpoke at heating a simple bowl of water. It’s average at defrosting and pretty quiet. For the price, it’s worth a look.
Of the 10 small countertop microwaves in our ratings, the Danby DDMW007501G1 is the only one to get above the lowest rating on our speed-of-heating test. Its heating and defrosting evenness are very good, and this Danby is pretty quiet even when running on the highest setting. But like most microwaves of this size and price, it doesn’t have any fancy features such as a sensor to indicate doneness. In our member surveys, Danby countertop microwaves earn a very good score for predicted reliability but a poor score for owner satisfaction.
Best Midsized Countertop Microwaves
Midsized countertop microwaves (with between 1 and 1.3 cubic feet of usable space) offer a better bang for your buck than small microwaves, though price isn’t necessarily an indicator of performance. Here are the four best from Consumer Reports’ tests.
The midsized Breville Smooth Wave BMO850BSS1BUC1 earns very good scores in our defrosting evenness and ease of use evaluations, but its performance was only so-so in our speed of heating test and below par in our cooking evenness test. Our testers found that it operates quietly, earning it an excellent score for noise. Plus, Breville countertop microwaves receive top-level owner satisfaction and predicted reliability ratings in our member surveys.
The midsized Commercial Chef CHM990B earns very good scores across the board for heating evenness, defrosting, ease of use, and noise. This low-priced countertop microwave’s heating speed is only passable, but it does feature auto-defrost and touchpad controls.
Although it’s a bit slower than others in its class, the midsized countertop GE JES1109RRSS does earn some bragging rights. This appliance hits CR’s defrosting and noise tests out of the park, and it comes close to those lofty standards for heating evenness. Still, its speed of heating is just so-so, and owners surveyed by CR gave GE’s countertop microwaves a middling score for predicted reliability and a lackluster rating for owner satisfaction.
Best Large Countertop Microwaves
Large countertop microwaves (ranging from 1.4 to 2.2 cubic feet of internal space) tend to have more power, resulting in faster average heating speeds. High-end models can also pack more features like temperature sensors and advanced cooking modes. The three models below also represent some of the best countertop microwaves we’ve tested, period.
The sleek LG NeoChef MSER1590S microwave earns excellent ratings across many of our lab tests, including those assessing heating evenness, defrosting evenness, speed of heating, and microwaving noise. It’s also fairly easy to use, equipped with touchpad controls and a microwave sensor, which takes the guesswork out of cooking. In our member surveys, LG countertop microwaves receive midrange owner satisfaction and predicted reliability scores.
Unlike many microwaves we’ve tested, the Panasonic NN-SD77PS aced our speed of heating test, and heated our test food evenly with little noise. It also received a very good score for defrosting evenness, which we test by defrosting a pound of ground beef. As a brand, Panasonic microwaves receive an excellent score for owner satisfaction, but a middling score for predicted reliability in our surveys.
Like its slightly higher-priced brandmate above, the Panasonic NN-SN74PB excelled in our speed of heating, heating evenness, and defrosting evenness tests. It also has a sensor that stops the microwave when your food is hot enough to eat. As noted above, Panasonic microwaves score highly for owner satisfaction and middling for reliability in our member surveys.
How CR Tests Countertop Microwaves
To test heating evenness, we heat a bowl of cold mashed potatoes for 10 minutes, then take the internal temperature in 20 spots. Models that do well will heat your leftovers through and through.
To test speed, we measure how fast the microwave heats 1 liter of room-temperature water. Our testers also rate how evenly a microwave defrosts frozen food, how noisy it is, and how easy it is to operate without checking the owner’s manual (because most people don’t).
We also incorporate ratings for predicted reliability and owner satisfaction for each brand using survey results from CR members who purchased 39,995 countertop microwaves between 2014 and 2024.
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