Top blender brands for 2020
We asked more than 1,000 blender owners about their experiences and found that owners of some brands are far happier with their purchase than others.
All the blenders made by our top-rated brand lasted at least seven years without developing any problems. But if you buy one from the worst, there's almost a one in five chance it will become faulty in that time.
Faulty lids, dodgy switches, broken blades and burnt-out motors were all reported by owners in our survey. Discover how the big blender brands – including Nutribullet, Nutri Ninja and Vitamix – stack up against each other.
Simply after the best blender within your budget? Head straight to our round-up of the best blenders.
Bestand worst blender brands
We’ve pulled together our expert knowledge on each blender brand so you can see at a glance which ones you can rely on, and which to steer clear of.
For each brand, you can find out:
- Average test score – based on the overall test scores of models we tested and available for purchase in May 2019.
- How reliable it is – we ask owners if, when, and how their blenders broke down, and use this data to calculate how likely each brand is to last.
- How owners rate it – owners tell us how satisfied they are with their blender and whether they would recommend the brand to a friend, and we turn this into a percentage score.
- Our overall verdict on each brand
You'll find ratings for the major blender brands in our ratings table. Here's a preview of how the worst brand compared against the best:
Best vs worst blender brands
Only logged-in Which? members can see which brands came out on top in the table below. If you’re not yet a member, join Which? to get instant access.
Blender brands: full ratings
| Blender brands rated | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Average test score | How reliable it is | How owners rate it | Our verdict | |||||
| Brand 1 | 63% | 96% | 78% | Most reliable: This brand comes top of the reliability charts with no reported faults from our survey respondents in seven years – no leaking cup or jug, no problems with the controls, and no burnt-out motor. Owners are happy with their blenders too: nearly four in five people would recommend one of this brand's blenders to a friend and they think they are great value for money. While we don’t currently have any Best Buy blenders from this brand, if you do go for a model that has done reasonably well in our tests, it should be a reliable and thrifty purchase. | |||||
| Brand 2 | 66% | 96% | 73% | This brand is among the most reliable, with almost all of its blenders lasting seven years without a fault. Customers are also happy with their blenders, but they don’t excel in our testing and this brand currently has no Best Buys. If you’re after a reliable blender that you can count on to do simple tasks like making dairy smoothies, it's worth a look. | |||||
| Brand 3 | 64% | 94% | 77% | This affordable brand of blender, just like the one above, is reliable and well loved by its customers. It offers good value for money, but the one model we tested recently didn’t do well enough to be a Best Buy. | |||||
| Brand 4 | 71% | 93% | 77% | This blender brand is well rounded. It has one Best Buy, is more reliable than most and owners rated their blenders highly. It's a safe choice if you’re looking for a blender that you’ll be able to rely on for years to come. | |||||
| Brand 5 | 75% | 92% | 71% | With two cheap Best Buys, this brand is a great choice for those on a budget. It’s reliable too, with only a few faults reported in our survey. Owners were less likely to recommend the brand to friends than most others, though. | |||||
| Brand 6 | 78% | 92% | 80% | Best overall: This is the only brand to impress across the board. It has three Best Buys, available from as little as £50. It’s not top for reliability, but it’s still better than most. Owners love their blenders too, saying they would likely recommend theirs to a friend or family member. | |||||
| Brand 7 | 56% | 91% | 82% | This cheap brand is well loved by its customers, but our tests found that its blenders often aren't good for much more than simple blending tasks. It won't be able to tackle tough blends such as those with frozen berries, nuts or seeds, but you can still rely on it for a quick and simple smoothie. | |||||
| Brand 8 | 70% | 91% | 72% | This brand had the lowest average cost of any other in our survey – we’ve even found a brilliant Best Buy for £50. But be wary of trusting all blenders from this brand because we’ve found some real stinkers too. | |||||
| Brand 9 | 75% | 90% | 83% | Customers are generally very satisfied with their blenders from this brand, but it doesn’t have any Best Buys. It’s also not particularly reliable, with the blending jug breaking more often than many other brands. | |||||
| Brand 10 | 63% | 87% | 85% | Owners of this premium brand are very happy with their blenders, but the models don't compare brilliantly with others in our tough blending tests. It was also among the most likely to develop faults. You can get premium quality without the premium price by going for a different brand. | |||||
| Brand 11 | 66% | 87% | 73% | This blender brand a has poor record across the board. While some of its blenders have impressed in testing, others have proven to be expensive disappointments. It’s one of the least reliable, and owners are less likely to recommend their blenders to others. | |||||
| Brand 12 | 78% | 84% | 71% | Least reliable: Despite impressing in our tests, this blender brand had the most reported faults once you get it home. It's not terrible – four in five were still fault-free after seven years – but there are more reliable brands around. | |||||
Reliability scores and owner ratings are based on a March to April 2019 survey of 1,140 Which? members who own blenders. The average test score is based on results of all models tested and available as of May 2019.
Can't see the brand you're interested in? We couldn't report on some as we didn't get enough responses from owners. But for reviews of blenders from Sage, Salter, Russell Hobbs and more, head to our blender reviews.
Choosing the most reliable blender brand
Overall, blenders are quite reliable. More than 80% remain fault-free after seven years, even from the least reliable brand. This year, one blender brand even achieved a flawless reliability score of 100%, with no reported breakdowns from owners in this time.
While it's worth keeping the most reliable brands in mind when choosing yours, you can focus more on which blenders make the best smoothies. Head to our blender reviews to compare models and see how they fared in our smoothie tests.
Mostcommon blender problems
As part of our survey, we asked Which? members who own blenders about any problems they’d had. An unlucky few experienced a broken blade, but leaking contents and a broken jug or cup were the leading complaints.
Of those that reported a fault, the issues that topped the list in this year's survey were 'the blender leaking', 'a broken jug or cup' and it 'stopped working entirely'.
It's worth checking whether spares are available before buying your blender, so that a broken seal or jug isn't the end of the road.
Top three blender faults
Tip for preventing or fixing blender problems
To make sure your blender goes further for longer, follow these quick and easy tips:
1. Don't blend for too long
Most manufacturers put a time limit on how long you blend for at a time. For example, many state that you should blend for no longer than a minute, followed by a rest period of several minutes.
Sticking to these recommendations should help to avoid a motor burn-out.
2. Avoid blending hot ingredients
Many blender manufacturers recommend not blending hot ingredients.
With cup-style blenders, the heat causes pressure to build up in the airtight cup. This can't escape and can build up to unsafe levels.
3. Wash up quickly
The remains of smoothie on the blade unit or jug can cause the rubber seal to wear down over time because fruits are often acidic.
Dried-on smoothie will also be more difficult to clean up, meaning you'll have to scrub harder, putting the seal under unnecessary strain.
Washing up straight after blending will avoid this, and also makes it much easier as all it should take is a quick rinse.
4. Buy a replacement blade unit if your blender starts leaking
If your blender does start leaking, check whether it's a result of a faulty seal. This is the rubber ring which makes the cup or jug airtight.
If it is stretched or broken, look into buying a spare seal or blade unit. This will be much cheaper than buying a whole new blender, with many available for as little as £5.
If your blender has really kicked the bucket, you can a new fantastic Best Buy blender for less than £40. Head to our blender reviews.
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