Most and Least Reliable Toaster Oven Brands
Consumer Reports' member survey reveals the brands that last—and those that fall short
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Generally speaking, a toaster oven should last a good while. Ninety-one percent of the toaster ovens CR members purchased since 2013 were still being used when we conducted our owner satisfaction and reliability surveys in 2019 and 2021; only 5 percent had been replaced because of reliability problems. That’s good news if you’re looking to buy a toaster oven.
These hard-working appliances earn their spot on the kitchen counter for being able to do a lot more than make toast. They can broil burgers, roast asparagus, bake cookies, and reheat leftovers. But longevity factors in, too.
Most Reliable Toaster Oven Brands
Breville, Calphalon, NuWave, Oster, and Panasonic were the most reliable brands in our survey, snagging a top-level rating for predicted reliability. Owners of Breville and Panasonic models are generally very happy with them; these brands also earned excellent ratings for owner satisfaction. Oster and Calphalon, however, earned only a passable rating for owner satisfaction, while NuWave earned a subpar rating.
Three brands earned impressive ratings for reliability but with varying degrees of owner satisfaction: Cuisinart and KitchenAid earned an acceptable owner satisfaction rating, and Hamilton Beach earned just a fair rating. Owners of Bella, Emerson, and Toastmaster toaster ovens are the least satisfied with their models—these three brands earned a dismal rating for owner satisfaction.
Our tests find that you can’t get a toaster oven that’s great at everything. We suggest you consider which functions are the most important to you and check our toaster oven ratings to find the models that earn high scores in those tests. One hint from our members: Look for a model that we rate as easy to clean because difficulty cleaning was our survey respondents’ biggest complaint, along with models being slow to heat up, and burning food. Here are four toaster ovens that perform well in our lab tests and earn high scores for reliability.
Least Reliable Toaster Oven Brands
CR cannot recommend toaster ovens from the brands Wolf and Farberware, regardless of how well they perform in our lab tests, because both received only subpar ratings for reliability. Despite their low reliability scores, Wolf toaster ovens received an excellent rating for owner satisfaction—the only brand outside of our top-rated Breville and Panasonic to do so.
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