Best and Worst Door Locks of 2026, Lab-Tested and Reviewed
These top-rated locks from Eufy, Kwikset, and Yale are excellent at resisting picking, drilling, and kick-ins. Plus, 3 locks to avoid.
When you shop through retailer links on our site, we may earn affiliate commissions. 100% of the fees we collect are used to support our nonprofit mission. Learn more.
Many crimes involve intruders coming through a home’s front door. That’s why you need a good deadbolt.
Consumer Reports’ door lock ratings include our proprietary test results on dozens of models, and our labs have seen that quality varies widely. Below, you’ll find some of the best locks on the market, including highly rated models from Eufy, Kwikset, and Yale. We’ve also included three door locks to avoid. CR members can click on each model name for detailed ratings and reviews. They can also check out our ratings on other home security systems.
Not ready to buy? You can probably make your current door lock more secure with a simple tweak. Consumer Reports technicians use a custom-built jig that swings a 100-pound steel battering ram against a locked door. They repeat the test eight times, with the ram raised to increasing heights or until the lock fails. And many locks do fall short.
In these brute-force kick tests, “the cause of failure is more often than not the short screws used to attach the strike plate to the doorframe,” says Paolo Fu, CR’s test engineer for door locks. “When this is the cause, replacing the included strike plate with a reinforced strike, which costs as little as $10, improves the lock’s resistance to kicking by magnitudes.”
Every lock that CR tests gets kicked in twice (once with an aftermarket reinforced strike plate), picked, and drilled to test how easy they are to get past. All models, including smart locks, receive a score in each of the four break-in tests, allowing you to easily compare a lock’s strengths and weaknesses against a breaking and entering scenario. The only exception is retrofit smart locks, whose security is entirely dependent on the deadbolts they are paired with.
Both types of smart locks also get additional testing. We investigate features such as smartphone alerts, remote locking and unlocking, geofencing (the ability to automatically lock or unlock the door based on your phone’s location), third-party app and voice control, shareable electronic keys, access logs of who comes and goes, and even tamper alarms. We also run through the wireless setup process to see how difficult it is to connect the locks to a smartphone and other smart home devices.
To learn more about our testing, see our door lock buying guide. For more door lock options, check our complete door lock ratings.
The Kwikset Juno 991J15SMTCP is the strongest conventional deadbolt you can buy. It stands up well to kick-ins as sold and receives a high score for its ability to resist lock picking. The lock’s only weakness is that it’s susceptible to attacks from a cordless drill, but this is common with standard deadbolts.
The Yale Assure Lock 2 performs well in our tests, holding up against kick-ins and attacks from a cordless drill. It’s also very easy to set up, connect to WiFi, and control remotely when you’re not home.
Out of the box, this lock works with Apple Home and offers Bluetooth connectivity. But it also comes with the Yale Wi-Fi Smart Module and DoorSense door open/close sensor, worth $80, for no extra charge. The module looks like a memory card or game cartridge and plugs into a slot in the back of the lock. It adds WiFi connectivity along with several additional features, including remote control via the Yale Access app and integrations with voice assistants and smart home apps (Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings). You can also receive alerts if the door is unlocked or left ajar. The app provides an access log that shows who comes and goes, and it lets you create and share electronic keys and PINs. (Also see my hands-on review of the Yale Assure Lock 2.)
One of the best locks with built-in WiFi in our ratings is the Eufy Security Smart Lock S230, which used to be called the Eufy Smart Lock Touch & WiFi T8520J11. The lock receives strong scores in our brute-force tests for kick-ins and lock-picking and manages a decent score for drilling despite not being a keyless model. It also does well in our tests for remote monitoring and ease of setup. Its features include a fingerprint scanner for one-touch unlocking, a touchscreen keypad for PINs, auto locking, an access log, and voice control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home. See my hands-on review for more information.
The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock AUG-SL05-M01-G01 connects directly to WiFi without an adapter. In our tests, it receives high scores for remote access, remote monitoring, and ease of setup, as well as a very good score in our security add-on test. Its features include auto-locking and unlocking, an access log, electronic keys, app and voice control (via Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings), and a door open/close sensor.
For another highly-rated retrofit smart lock, consider this model from August’s sister brand, the Yale Approach Lock with Wi-Fi.
Worst Door Locks
These locks rank at the bottom of our ratings, earning poor marks for pickings, drillings, and kick-ins.
Delaney 345001
The Delaney 345001 is a weak deadbolt that can’t stand up to CR’s tests for drilling, picking, and kick-ins. There are better options for the money.
Sure-Loc DK201-MD-15
The Sure-Loc DK201-MD-15 electronic lock is highly susceptible to drilling, picking, and kick-ins as sold. This lock simply won’t do much to protect your front door.
Defiant Round Smart Wi-Fi Deadbolt Powered by Hubspace
The Defiant Round smart lock from Home Depot’s Hubspace smart home system offers plenty of great smart features, but it simply can’t hold up against brute force attacks like kick-ins, drilling, and lock picking.
