The top performers
Most reliable brands: Westinghouse, Bosch, AEG
Highest owner satisfaction: Bosch, Miele, Fisher & Paykel, AEG, Westinghouse, Electrolux, Smeg
Main problems: Difficult to clean, problems with the igniter/ignition
Cooktop ownership by type includes:
- 48% gas
- 34% induction electric
- 15% ceramic electric.
The most reliable type of cooktop is still a ceramic.
Statistically, there isn't one clear-cut winner when it comes to the most reliable brand, or the one with the highest satisfaction, but Westinghouse, Bosch and AEG do achieve above-average reliability scores. Benchtop cooktops have an 84% reliability score and an 85% satisfaction score across all brands, while freestanding oven/cooktop combos achieve an 80% reliability score and an 82% satisfaction score.
Although Omega cooktops are cheaper than other brands (with 56% paying under $700), its reliability and satisfaction scores are among the lowest of the brands recorded.
Of those who bought their cooktop in the last eight years, 63% have never experienced problems. 9% complained that it's difficult to clean, 8% had problems with the igniter/ignition and 12% had contacted the brand for service support (49% of them did so due to a major failure).
Members also provided open-ended feedback on their cooktop brand. Bosch owners were generally happy, although there were a few complaints of the cooktop being difficult to clean. A few Westinghouse owners mentioned problems with the knobs coming off or discolouring.
Cooktop brand performance
Cooktop brand performance
| Brand |
Reliability score (%)* |
Satisfaction score (%) |
| Westinghouse (225) |
89 |
84 |
| Bosch (255) |
88 |
90 |
| AEG (86) |
87 |
85 |
| Fisher & Paykel (108) |
83 |
86 |
| Miele (203) |
81 |
88 |
| Electrolux (103) |
80 |
84 |
| Smeg (155) |
80 |
83 |
| Omega (61) |
79 |
76 |
| AVERAGE (1750) |
83 |
85 |
Table notes: Sample sizes in brackets. Reliability scores are based on data from 2012-2019 (8 years) for reliability. *Differences of 5% or more between brands are significantly different. Brand If your brand is missing, this means we don't have enough owners by year group to report about reliability for that brand.
How we get the data
We calculated each brand's reliability score and owner rating based on a survey of 6009 CHOICE members, conducted in 2020.
About the scores
Reliability
Reliability figures are based on owner assessment, not test data. We use the data we collect from members to rate the most popular brands for reliability. We take into account the age of the products so we can compare fairly between brands.
Owner satisfaction
We asked owners to tell us what they thought of the products they own, rating them from excellent to terrible. We've used this information to give each brand an owner satisfaction rating so you can see what people who use the brand, day in day out, think of them.
