Peace of mind, paid monthly. You'll be covered for accidental damage, as well as faults and breakdowns.

The external casing of some kettles can get extremely hot. Often, those with a brushed stainless steel exterior reach hotter temperatures than other materials – not ideal if you have young children in the kitchen. Kettles with an auto shut-off feature will automatically stop when water begins to boil or if the kettle is lifted from its base. For every millilitre of water you add to your kettle, an extra gram is added to its overall weight, meaning they can get quite heavy. If lifting may be an issue, look for a model that weighs no more than a kilogram when empty. Outside of these faults, most other kettle owners in our survey reported a complete failure of their model, so there was no way that it could be fixed. Dome-shaped kettles look more like traditional stovetop models. Electric dome kettles often have lift-off lids, which can be a bit more fiddly than flip-top models to use, and these kettles usually have a smaller water capacity. Their handles are often located on top, too. We've covered the most frequently-encountered kettle issues above, but there are other problems you should be aware of including:Most kettles have this clearly visible on the exterior but some are more awkwardly placed, such as behind the handle. Kettles with large viewing windows are best if you want to know exactly how much water is in the kettle at any time. Given how regularly our kettles get used, it’s worth thinking about what features you want and those that you can pass by. Here are the key things you need to consider. A power element of 3kW is generally considered best for fast boiling and all of our top-scoring kettles have this wattage. Take a look at our Best Buy kettles to find out which models scored the highest in our independent lab tests There are finer details to think about too, which can make a real difference when you’re using your kettle day in, day out:

Variable temperature kettles can heat the water to different temperatures to provide the best results when brewing different types of tea and coffee. It’s a handy feature if you like to drink more delicate herbal and green teas, which should be brewed below boiling, at around 80C. In the event of accidental damage or breakdown, we'll give you a like-for-like, brand-new replacement.

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Our recent survey has revealed that toasters are slightly more likely than kettles to develop some kind of fault within the first five years of ownership. As with kettles, you shouldn't attempt any serious electrical work unless you're a trained professional. Most kettles have removable, washable anti-scale water filters that sit at the base of the spout. These collect pieces of limescale from the water to prevent them from being poured into your drink, and they stop scum forming on the surface, making them a must for hard water areas. Life on-the-go sometimes means things don't go to plan - we'll fix or replace your item even if it's broken by accident.

If this happens to you, be sure to dispose of your kettle correctly. Some stores will take in old and broken models, and dispose of them for you, or you can head down to your local Household Waste Recycling Centre. There are two main types of kettle: jug and dome. Jug kettles are taller, tend to have handles located on the side and will generally hold a larger volume of water.