9 Best Toasters of 2026, Expert-Tested and Reviewed
Impressive performance and innovative features distinguish these top two- and four-slice models
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Despite all the accolades for countertop appliances that multitask, there’s something satisfying about a great toaster. It does one thing and does it really well, consistently serving up beautifully browned slices. Whether you’re making avocado toast, a PB&J, or a crispy-chewy bagel, a solid toaster is almost as important as the ingredients themselves.
That’s why we take our toaster testing seriously. You’ll see more than 45 brands in Consumer Reports’ toaster ratings, including Amazon Basics, Breville, Cuisinart, Hamilton Beach, and others.
While manufacturers tend to adhere to the tried-and-true toaster design, they have added a few new features over time. The most basic toasters have a simple lever for lowering the bread and a dial for selecting the desired level of toasting. But more models today offer settings for specific types of bread, slide-out crumb trays, touch controls, and even digital displays.
Kelly Moomey, Consumer Reports’ market analyst for small kitchen appliances, says features like those and the materials used in toaster construction can drive up the cost. The prices of toasters in Consumer Reports’ ratings range from $10 to $250 or more.
But being feature-packed is one thing; performance is quite another. “A higher price doesn’t mean it toasts better, as proved by our testing,” Moomey says.
A majority of the toasters we test earn top marks in our color range test—a measure of how well each toaster produces both very light and very dark toast—and our full batch test, which reflects an even level of toasting among all the slices in a batch. But just a quarter of the models excel at toasting a single slice to the ideal shade of golden brown, and even fewer earn top marks across all three categories.
It’s worth noting that two brands, Breville and Cuisinart, dominate the top slots in CR’s toaster ratings, with multiple two- and four-slice models from each brand vying for the highest rankings. For that reason, and because models within each of these brands performed so similarly to one another, we’ve grouped them together in our listings. Below those two groups, we’ve included two- and four-slice toasters from other brands that performed admirably in our tests.
CR members can visit our toaster ratings for a comprehensive breakdown of how each of the 113 models we tested performed. For more information on features and brands, see our buying guide for toasters and toaster ovens.
Top Breville Toasters
You can expect the stylish Breville A Bit More BTA720XL 2-Slice, Breville A Bit More BTA730XL 4-Slice, Breville Die Cast Smart Toaster BTA820XL to turn out perfectly browned toast, whether you’re making a full batch or a single slice, based on the toasting tests performed by the engineers in our labs. All have simple-to-set controls, along with an “A Bit More” button that lets you add a little more time to your toasting. Slots on each model are wide enough to accommodate bagels. A frozen setting helps defrost store-bought waffles and toaster strudels before toasting, and slide-out crumb trays eliminate the need to pick up your toaster for cleaning. The "smart" model here lets you slowly lower your bread with the push of a button rather than pushing a lever, which may be helpful for those with limited hand strength. It also has an LED indicator to let you know how much longer you’ll have to wait till your toast is done. According to our tests, you can expect each of these appliances to toast your bread quickly.
Top Cuisinart Toasters
The Cuisinart CPT-520 2-Slice toaster allows you to customize your toast by selecting a specific type, such as white bread, pastry, whole wheat, waffle, or English muffin, for a toast job optimized for that specific texture. The Cuisinart CPT-415 Countdown Metal 2-Slice and the similar Cuisinart CPT-435 Countdown Metal 4-Slice are also high scorers. They ace our lab tests for color range and excel in our full-batch and toasting time tests. All three models feature a bagel setting that allows you to toast one side of the bagel more than the other, resulting in a crispy bite on one side and a nice chew on the other. On the four-slice Cuisinart model, there’s one set of controls for two slices on one side and a separate set of controls for two slices on the other. Our testers found these machines easy to use, and each comes with a three-year warranty.
Top Toasters From Beautiful by Drew Barrymore and Hamilton Beach
Attractive, budget-friendly, and high-performing pretty much sum up the Beautiful by Drew Barrymore 19039 two-slice toaster and the 19118 four-slice toaster. Both of these lever-activated models excel at every toaster performance test we put them through, heating single slices and full batches to medium-brown perfection in very little time. Our testers found them both exceptionally easy to use and clean. They both audibly beep to let you know when they’re done. They have seven browning shades and a separate setting for gluten-free (or higher-density) bread. They come with a two-year warranty.
You won’t be waiting long for your toast with the four-slot Hamilton Beach 24782. It excels in our toasting time and color range tests. You can also expect even browning, whether you’re toasting one slice or a full batch. This toaster is also easier to clean than most models and has fewer nooks and crannies that can trap crumbs.
Do You Need a Toaster if You Have a Toaster Oven?
In many households, a toaster oven might be the hardest-working kitchen appliance on the countertop. But for those who love a perfectly crisped slice of bread, the traditional pop-up style toaster is still best.
Our tests have found that few toaster ovens excel at making perfectly browned toast. Plus, there’s the matter of timing: The pop-up toasters we’ve evaluated can crisp up two slices of bread quickly, while our top-rated toaster ovens can take several minutes longer to toast a slice.
Given those limitations, toast lovers should consider purchasing a dedicated toaster.
How CR Tests Toasters
Our test engineers toast hundreds of slices of bread to identify the best and worst two- and four-slice models, scoring each slice against an industry-standard toast color chart established by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers. It has nine colors, ranging from very light to burnt.
While set to medium, each toaster is judged on how well it makes a single slice of toast and a full batch of either two or four slices, depending on the model. The best of these models delivers an evenly browned medium toast that matches the shade on the toast color chart. We also time how long it takes to achieve that perfectly toasted slice, with models that toast bread faster getting a higher score.
In addition to tests that help you assess the quality of your toast, we consider convenience factors, including how easy each toaster is to use and how much effort it takes to clean.
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