How we test kitchens

Our lab experts assess kitchen units from big-name brands, including B&Q, Howdens, Ikea and Wickes, to find out how well they are made. We also ask thousands of Which? members to share their experience of the brand they bought their kitchen from.

Rigorous testing and research helps us recommend Best Buy kitchens that are practical and durable, from brands that offer good customer service. 

This guide explains our testing process in more detail. 

To find out the results of our testing, read our best and worst kitchen brands roundup

Testing kitchens in the lab

How we install kitchens

We test between one and three kitchen ranges from each brand. For each range, we look at a drawer unit, a floor cupboard unit and a wall unit (both with shelves). 

If the kitchen units are flat-packed, they are assembled in lab conditions. All of the units are attached to a wall, as they would be in a normal kitchen. 

We evaluate the ease of the installation process while we assemble and install the kitchens, including the clarity of instructions and whether the correct equipment is provided.

Please note: we do not include this rating in the overall score, as many factors affect the process of kitchen installation, including whether or not you chose to install the kitchen yourself. 

The kitchens are then assessed by our experts.

How we test kitchens

We focus on four main areas: 

• Unit quality: Units lose marks if they have sharp corners, irregularities or imperfections (e.g. splinters). They gain marks for good build quality and good interiors. 
• Loading of units: Units score well if we can repeatedly apply a lot of weight to the worktop and shelving without any movement, instability or damage.  
• Drawers and runners: Units gain marks if they have a soft-close mechanism and open and close smoothly. Units lose marks if the drawers can be removed easily (i.e. when they are fully open). 
• Hinges: Units gain marks if they have a soft-close mechanism and can bear a lot of weight. 

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of all of our tests; we examine our kitchens in approximately 26 areas in total. 

How we produce the lab assessment score

Once all the kitchens have been inspected, we generate four scores for each of the areas that we test. Then we combine these scores to create an overall lab assessment score. 

The scores are weighted based on the factors that are most important when assessing the best kitchen:

• Unit quality: 40%
• Loading of shelves and drawers: 40%
• Drawers and runners: 10%
• Hinges: 10%

This means that the quality of the hinges has less impact on the lab assessment score than the quality of the unit.

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The customer survey

We send out our survey to Which? members who have purchased a kitchen in the last ten years. 

We ask them to rate specific aspects of their kitchen, including quality, durability and value for money.

We also ask them to provide two overall ratings: how satisfied they are with their kitchen, and how likely they are to recommend their kitchen brand to a friend. 

These two ratings are then combined to give each brand a customer score. 

Our latest survey was conducted in January and February 2023. In total, 4,378 Which? members provided evaluations of their kitchen. 

The overall kitchen score

The final stage of our testing process is creating an overall score for each kitchen. 

We combine the kitchens' lab assessment scores (60% weighting) and the overall feedback the brands received in our customer survey (40% weighting). 

Please note: if a brand has more than one kitchen range (for instance, Ikea has the Enhet, Metod and Knoxhult kitchens), these ranges will have the same customer survey score, but different lab assessment scores. 

This is because the survey is conducted at brand level, but the ranges are assessed separately in the lab.

We also used our customer survey to find the 7 most common kitchen regrets - it's free to read

Best Buy kitchens

Kitchens are eligible for a coveted Which? Best Buy recommendation if they fulfill the following criteria: 

• An overall score of over 75%
• A customer score of at least 70%
• At least three stars in all the areas we asked customers to rate in our survey

The results

Our latest round of testing was conducted in spring and summer 2022.  

We assessed some of the most popular kitchen brands, including Howdens, Magnet and Wren Kitchens.

We awarded five kitchen ranges from four brands a Best Buy recommendation. 

We also found a huge range of scores in our lab testing of the units – from 89% down to 54%.

See our best and worst kitchens page to find the lab and customer survey scores for each brand. 

Which members can find out how much a kitchen costs in 2024 (our data is sourced in conjunction with the Building Costs Information Service)