Best Over-the-Range Microwaves of 2025
These cabinet-mounted models help clear your counters and increase your space for heating food
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.
An over-the-range microwave oven is a good choice if you have limited counter space or prefer a built-in appliance that matches the rest of your kitchen aesthetic. Not only do these sleek appliances save you counter space, they also give you additional space to heat up your food: While we found through our tests that over-the-range microwaves often only have 40 to 50 percent of their advertised capacity, that is still generally greater than the capacity of countertop microwaves.
However, over-the-range (OTR) microwaves may be more expensive than countertop models: Our top-rated models range in price from $350 to $450, and there might be an additional installation cost of several hundred dollars.
Aside from the more expensive pricing, there are some more drawbacks worth noting. Although over-the-range microwaves have built-in exhaust fans, they don’t vent cooking gases as well as dedicated range hoods. Plus, you might find it challenging to remove a piping-hot bowl of soup from a microwave mounted at least 18 inches above your stovetop.
“Some newer over-the-range microwaves are very squat and might be difficult to reach when you open the door or press buttons,” says Ginny Lui, who leads microwave testing at Consumer Reports. “Make sure to consider the size of the current microwave in your kitchen before you buy one.”
If you’re trying to decide whether to repair or replace your current OTR microwave, CR’s interactive tool leverages product costs, depreciation rates, and survey data to help you make the right choice. If you settle on replacing your microwave, there are more than 80 over-the-range microwave ovens (and more than 70 countertop models) in our ratings.
Here, listed in alphabetical order, are nine OTR microwaves that deliver outstanding performance in our lab tests. For more information on choosing a microwave, see our microwave buying guide.
The snazzy Café CVM721M2NS5 cooks well, earning an excellent rating in our heating evenness test. It’s also first-rate at defrosting, and it operates quietly. A sensor prevents you from overheating your food. The model has a recessed handle and hidden digital controls that run along the bottom. When you tap on the glass touchscreen, the options for time and cooking modes pop into view. In our latest member survey, Café over-the-range microwaves earn a very good and middling score for predicted reliability and owner satisfaction, respectively.
The GE JNM7196SKSS performs its duties nicely in our tests, earning an excellent rating for defrosting a pound of frozen ground chuck evenly. It also aces our test for ease of use and gets very good scores for heating evenness, venting, and noise. But its speed of heating is only average. GE earns an average score for predicted reliability and a below-average score for owner satisfaction.
The KitchenAid KMHS120ESS is a solid all-around choice. It earns an excellent rating in our defrosting test, in which we defrost 1 pound of ground chuck. This KitchenAid also performs well in our heating evenness test and is extremely quiet. It has a cooking sensor and comes with a rack in case you want to cook two dishes at once. KitchenAid’s over-the-range microwaves receive a very good rating for predicted reliability and a moderate score for owner satisfaction in our latest member survey.
The top-performing LG MHEC1737F showcases excellent defrosting capabilities in our tests. It earns a middling rating for heating speed, so it may take a while to heat up food. But it delivers evenly heated mashed potatoes with above-average performance in our heating evenness test. This model also comes with a convection mode, which circulates heat around your food to warm it up. LG over-the-range microwaves garner a top-notch rating for reliability but only a middling rating for owner satisfaction in our member surveys.
The LG MVEF1337F performs its duties nicely in our tests, earning an excellent rating for defrosting a pound of frozen ground chuck evenly. It also vents well, receiving an airflow score that stands out among the OTR models we’ve tested. While the model heats quite evenly, it is on the slower side. The model comes with a sensor, which automatically shuts the microwave off when it detects your food is ready.
The sleek LG MVEL2033F has top-notch heating evenness and defrosting abilities. Plus, it’s a cinch to use without reading the owner’s manual. The controls light up when you touch the screen. It operates quietly and vents fairly well for an OTR model. A sensor prevents you from overcooking your food. One small drawback is its so-so heating speed, but if you’re willing to wait a little longer for your food to heat up, it’s not a deal-breaker.
The LG MVEL2125F tops our ratings with stellar performance in our heating and defrosting evenness tests. While fairly quiet, the microwave falls in the middle of the pack in terms of heating speed and venting. Its touchpad controls make it easy to use, and the microwave comes with a sensor that prevents overcooking.
The Thermador MU30WSU earns top marks for heating evenness and very good ratings for speed of heating and defrosting evenness in our tests. This model comes with a sensor that prevents overcooking and a wire rack for bi-level cooking. In our surveys, Thermador over-the-range microwaves receive top-notch ratings for predicted reliability and midlevel marks for owner satisfaction.
The Whirlpool WMH78519LZ earns excellent ratings in our defrosting and noise tests. It also does very well in our heating evenness assessment, meaning a dish of cold mashed potatoes has few cold spots after microwaving. Unlike the other models in this roundup, it doesn’t have a sensor to stop the appliance when your meal is done, but it does have a convection mode, and our testers also found it very easy to use. In our members survey, Whirlpool over-the-range microwaves received an excellent rating for predicted reliability and a midrange score for owner satisfaction.
How CR Tests Over-the-Range Microwaves
In our lab, we assess how fast and how evenly microwaves heat. A microwave’s heating speed score is based on how quickly it heats a 1-liter bowl of room-temperature water. To test how evenly a microwave heats, we heat a bowl of cold mashed potatoes for 10 minutes, and plunge in thermocouples to take temperature readings in 20 places.
We also judge how quietly a microwave operates and how easy it is to use without consulting the manual. Finally, we perform a venting test—measuring the volume of air drawn in by the OTR’s internal fan on its highest setting—to see how well the microwave regulates airflow.
In addition to these performance tests, we incorporate ratings for predicted reliability and owner satisfaction using survey results from Consumer Reports members who purchased 38,349 new over-the-range microwaves between 2014 and 2024.
BEST TIME TO BUY:
