1. The list in brief
2. Best drip coffee maker
3. Best budget drip coffee maker
4. Best premium drip coffee maker
5. Best for versatility
6. Best for design
7. Best for simplicity
8. Best for the keep warm function
9. How we choose
10. How we test
For many of us, coffee is a non-negotiable part of our morning routine, and having one of the best coffee makers on your kitchen counter will give you that boost needed to get you out of the door first thing. What’s more, a drip coffee maker is one of the easiest coffee appliances to use and drip coffee is usually a crowd-pleaser.
Fancy barista-style coffees like cappuccinos and lattes might be the trendy choice, and sure they taste great when a trained barista makes them. However, creating these drinks at home requires a certain level of skill, and the best espresso machines often come with an investment-level price tag.
Drip coffee, on the other hand, is convenient, easy, and most of these machines have a programmable timer so you can hop out of bed knowing your coffee is ready and waiting for you. We don't recommend any coffee maker that we haven't had hands-on experience reviewing, so you can trust these machines are good to go.
We have brewed coffee in every single one of these machines, testing out all of their functions and features. Not only do we assess the flavor of the coffee produced, but also the speed at which the carafe is filled and the temperature of the brew. We use them in our homes, which is the best way to get a true understanding of how they work in real-life scenarios. So, read on to see which ones came out top.
Helen is a freelance writer who specializes in kitchen appliances and has written for some of the biggest home-related titles around. She has been reviewing small appliances, including coffee makers, juicers, and multi-cookers, for more than 10 years. She's a recent coffee convert and now needs at least two strong coffees to start her day.
The quick list
Want to get straight to the best drip coffee makers for your needs? Use our quick round-up below to immediately find a pour-over coffee maker that suits you – and you can read more about it by jumping to our full write-ups and explanations using the links.
The best drip coffee maker for most people
Effortlessly simple to use with a trendy European design. This coffee maker will look great in your kitchen and brew top-notch coffee to boot. The catch is that it's more expensive than most.
The best budget drip coffee maker
Surprisingly, given that it's our budget-friendly choice, this coffee maker offers plenty of features. Enjoy coffee brewed from freshly ground beans, that stays hot for hours in the insulated carafe.
The best premium drip coffee maker
This crowd-pleasing coffee maker can dispense six coffee volumes from 3oz to 24oz. With a host of adjustable settings, this premium machine will suit those who like a greater level of control.
The best for versatility
An all-singing, all-dancing coffee maker that can do it all. It comes equipped with a milk frother, a hot water line, and can even brew single-serve coffee from K-cup pods - there's something for everyone.
Best for design
This Smeg coffee maker delivers the brand's signature curvy retro style, and it's available in a range of colors. The interface is simple, but there's still a programmable timer and adjustable aroma settings.
The best for simplicity
Zwilling's first coffee maker has a simple, uncluttered minimal style that looks great. And the pared-back range of settings means using it is effortless. And importantly, it makes delicious coffee.
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Best for the keep warm function
A retro-styled coffee maker that comes with a pretty affordable price tag. We love that you can set the hotplate to one of two keep-warm temperatures - which is not a common feature.
The best drip coffee makers in 2023
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The best drip coffee maker overall
This is the drip coffee maker to buy if you want to add a real wow factor to your kitchen counter. Available in a range of colors, this stunning design-led appliance is a treat to look at. But it's not all style-over-substance, it's a quality coffee maker that's hand-built in the Netherlands. It meets the European Coffee Brewing Centre standard as well as the Speciality Coffee Association "Gold Cup" standard, so it's a serious bit of kit.
Featuring just two buttons, it's effortlessly simple to operate. But, if you like to be able to customize settings you might find this simplicity off-putting. However, there's really little need to change up the settings since it delivers such a tasty, well-rounded, and flavorful cup of coffee.
It takes just six minutes to brew a full carafe or 3 ½ for a half carafe. The hotplate automatically switches off after 100 minutes to avoid stewing the coffee, but this might displease people looking to return to a hot pot of coffee several hours after brewing. But rest assured that everything about this coffee maker is purposeful and has been designed to deliver the best possible coffee.
It requires paper filters and you’ll be able to enjoy about four decent size mugs from a full carafe. All this style and hand-built design comes at a price though, and while that’ll push it out of reach for some people, we think it’s a worthy investment.
Read our full Moccamaster KBGV Select review
The best budget drip coffee maker
With its affordable price tag, you'd be forgiven for assuming this Cuisinart coffee maker will only offer the bare minimum - but you'd be wrong. It features an integrated bean grinder that will grind up whole coffee beans and deliver them into the filter so that your drink is made with the freshest possible coffee. The only slight oversight here is that without a bean hopper, you have to fill it with beans every time.
And if you have a decaf coffee drinker in the house, it's not a problem, simply add ground coffee instead and press the 'grind off' button. There are few adjustable settings, but it does have a timer so you can set it up the night before and your first wake-up brew will be ready and waiting for you when you walk into the kitchen in the morning.
Its sturdy stainless steel exterior won't win any awards for style, but it's by no means ugly. You might be surprised that it doesn't have a hotplate and relies on the insulated carafe to keep coffee hot. But don’t worry, it does an impressively good job - only dropping by 19F/ 11C when left for two hours. Plus your coffee won’t stew like it can on a hotplate.
We enjoyed fresh, well-rounded coffee from this affordable drip coffee maker, and we can assure you that even if your budget is tight, you won’t have to compromise on the quality of your cup of Joe.
Read our full Cuisinart DGB-650BC Grind & Brew Automatic review
The best premium drip coffee maker
This De'Longhi coffee maker is somewhat of a departure from the other drip coffee makers on this list since it doesn't come with a carafe. It's designed to dispense single portions but with multiple cup sizes to choose from between 3oz and 24oz, there's something to keep everyone happy.
It has earned its position of best premium drip coffee maker in part because it is an expensive, premium appliance, but also thanks to the range of customizable settings it offers. So if you're the kind of coffee drinker who wants to get specific about the drink size and brew strength, you’ll enjoy this model. It even offers an ‘over ice’ option if that’s your coffee of choice.
What's more, this machine hits the sweet spot between offering plenty of settings whilst also remaining straightforward to use. And its integrated bean grinder means you can enjoy tasty fresh coffee, without having to invest in a separate grinding appliance. Plus, you can load in pre-ground coffee if you need a caffeine-free option.
Our tester enjoyed smooth tasting coffee when using this machine and while he did find the maintenance and cleaning a bit more laborious than he would have liked, it wasn’t enough to put him off. It’s a great addition to your morning routine - if your budget can stretch to it.
Read our full De'Longhi TrueBrew CAM1025MB review
The best drip coffee maker for versatility
We've come to expect multi-purpose, multi-functional appliances from Ninja and this coffee maker is no exception. It offers far more than your average drip coffee maker. In addition to brewing drip coffee to fill the 12-cup carafe, the brew sizes range from 4oz to 55oz. So you can skip the carafe and dispense the correct volume of coffee directly into your to-go cup just before you leave the house.
An integrated milk frother gives you the option to make barista-style coffees such as cappuccino and latte. It takes pre-ground coffee, there’s no integrated grinder so you can’t add whole beans but instead, it can produce single-serve coffees using K-cup pods, which will please those looking for the ultimate convenience. It’ll even deliver hot water for your herbal teas.
Its effective warming plate can keep a carafe of coffee warm for an impressive four hours. Or, if you’re a cold coffee fan, you can make use of the ‘over ice’ setting. Our tester enjoyed the cool rich coffee produced when she used this setting.
In busy households where everyone likes a different style of coffee, this machine will be invaluable. But our tester found the espresso-style coffee didn’t deliver on flavor or strength, plus it lacked crema. So this isn’t a machine for espresso drinkers.
On the whole, given the amount of different options on offer, it’s an easy-to-use coffee maker that delivers flavorful coffee. It’s not the cheapest coffee maker you can buy but we think it’s great value considering all that it offers.
Read our full Ninja DualBrew Pro review
The best for design
Smeg is one of the go-to brands for retro-style appliances and this coffee maker doesn't disappoint. Its bulbous, curvy shape has a playful feel and the choice of colors means you can choose the one that best coordinates with the rest of your kitchen. The downside of its shape is that it takes up more counter space than some others.
It’s not a coffee maker that takes itself too seriously, yet it still works efficiently to deliver a tasty carafe of coffee. The settings are simple so our tester got to grips with it quickly. You can adjust the aroma intensity or select a four-cup brew when a full carafe will be too much. And the only other feature of note is the timer for automatic brewing, which is a must if your mornings are hectic.
The reusable filter does away with the need for wasteful paper filters, which is a plus. The warming plate only keeps coffee warm for 40 minutes so you’re best off brewing the correct quantity because you can’t refill your mug with still-hot coffee 2 hours later like with some coffee makers on this list.
The price is a tad high given its features, we suspect you’re paying for the brand name and the way it looks on your counter.
Read our full Smeg Drip Filter Coffee Machine review
The best drip coffee maker for simplicity
Zwilling is a newcomer to the coffee appliance scene. But the brand has already made it onto our list of the best drip coffee makers with this stylish, minimal appliance. On test it produced delicious fruity, well-rounded coffee time after time, with no bitter or burnt flavors despite us using regular store-bought coffee. Don’t just take our word for it, it’s also been awarded the prestigious SCA Golden Cup Standard, the Specialty Coffee Association’s highest prize for quality brewers.
There are a couple of downsides like the plastic exterior and thin glass carafe, neither of which feel quite as robust as some other models. And the hotplate times out after just 30 minutes - a potential deal breaker for some. These issues aside, if you’re after a streamlined drip coffee maker that does its job well, you won’t be disappointed.
A full 12-cup carafe takes just five minutes to brew and there’s a timer you can set for automatic brewing. There are very few adjustable settings making it super straightforward to use. The flip side is that you don’t get the option to adjust the final result, other than by changing the type and amount of coffee. That said, with a good coffee maker, you shouldn’t need to make adjustments.
Read our full Zwilling Enfinigy Drip Coffee Maker review
The best for the keep warm function
