How we test built-in ovens
Find out how to choose the best built-in or wall oven, then see the top performers in our test of single models.
Looking for a freestanding oven or rangehood?
We’ve put single built-in ovens through a range of everyday cooking tests and found out how easy they are to use and clean.
Lifetime score
Our overall score combines test performance (how well the appliance works and how easy it is to use) with predicted reliability (how likely models from the brand are to remain free of faults) and brand satisfaction (how satisfied owners of the brand are likely to be).
We’ll only recommend appliances you’ll love to own, that work well and keep working well for a long time.
Test performance
It’s no good if a product lasts for several decades if it doesn’t work well in the first place. A disappointing product will soon become unloved and unwanted. For this reason, our independent lab testing still forms an important part of our overall lifetime score.
Our built-in ovens test includes:
- Cooking performance: We test how well an oven grills, roasts, and makes scones, meringues and pizza.
- Ease of use: We assess how easy an oven is to use, evaluating its controls and displays, grill racks, oven racks, door, handles, light bulb replacement, and how easy the oven and all its components are to clean.
Predicted reliability
It’s reasonable to expect a new appliance to remain fault-free for at least the first five years. Our predicted reliability won’t tell you whether your oven will stop working tomorrow, but it does show which brands make models that are less likely to fail.
Brand satisfaction
Satisfaction is important – no appliance should be a source of buyer regret. Appliances with very satisfied owners are more likely to get cleaned regularly and be well maintained. Their owners are more likely to seek repair for faults than look for a quick replacement.
Repairability (coming soon)
Older appliances are more likely to go wrong, but common faults should be repairable. Repairs should be affordable and convenient – parts need to be easy to find at a reasonable cost, instructions should be available, and repairs shouldn’t need hours of expert labour.
We haven’t been able to assess repairability yet, but it’s important, so we’re gathering data and forming a plan so we can start including it in our lifetime scores. It will be challenging. We’ll need to analyse product failure data in our reliability surveys, conduct hands-on inspections to evaluate how easy products are to take apart, and investigate which brands make spare parts available at a reasonable price.
Survey data
In our annual reliability and satisfaction survey, consumers tell us about faults that have made an appliance they own unusable or mean they’ve had to change how they use it. We also ask them how satisfied they are with the appliance. We use this data to produce our predicted reliability and brand satisfaction scores.
We use a statistical test to rate the relative performance of each brand. Compared to data we have for all products (of the same type) in the survey, we rate each brand with highest, high, average, low or lowest for predicted reliability and brand satisfaction respectively.
You can compare the rating of different brands for the same product type (eg, the reliability rating for Bosch and Westinghouse ovens), but you can’t compare the results for different product types (eg, satisfaction of Miele ovens and Electrolux clothes dryers).
We analyse brands that get at least 30 responses in our survey. That means there are some brands we can’t analyse because we don’t have enough data. For those brands, we assume they have average reliability and satisfaction.
Our data is based on responses for 1,085 built-in ovens in our 2023 survey.
We've tested 20 built-in ovens.
Find the right one for you.