Many of us simply couldn’t live without our microwave. In fact, Lakeland polled 3,000 people in 2022, and the humble microwave came out on top as the respondents’ favourite kitchen gadget. Quick, convenient and super versatile, they’re the appliance of choice for heating through soup, quickly cooking a jacket potato or defrosting pre-cooked dishes and meat.
Whilst a standard microwave can do all of the above, a combination microwave can do that, and so much more. Combination microwaves are larger and perform some of the same functions as an oven; many have baking and grilling settings, but some even have air frying or steaming functions.
Budgets are being impacted by the cost of living crisis and many people are looking for alternative and cheaper cooking methods. Microwave cooking is a brilliant, energy efficient option. With microwave cooking, there’s no need to wait for the oven to heat up or to turn on the hob, making microwave cooking a more sustainable option in some cases.
We’ve tested a range of standard and combination microwaves to suit a variety of different homes and have been scouring the internet for all the biggest and more impressive deals on our best microwaves this October. We’ll be checking the microwaves on this list for any price changes, ensuring you only get the very best savings.
For recipes, resources and ideas for how to eat well on a budget, discover our Cook Smart campaign. Or visit our reviews section and discover more than 600 practical buyer’s guides offering unbiased advice on what equipment is worth investing in. Find everything from the best food processors to other energy efficient kit such as best air fryers and best slow cookers.
Which retailers have microwave deals?
- Amazon – Prime Early Access sale 11th and 12th October for Prime members. Sign up here.
- AO.com – deals on microwaves, coffee machines, air fryers and more
- Currys – save up to 40% on appliances
- Robert Dyas – discounts across the entire Robert Dyas range
- Argos – savings available on site
- Very – the Very big sale ends 13th October
- Wayfair – shop five days of deals now
- John Lewis and Partners – get 30% off homeware
- JD Williams – save up to 60% in the JD Williams mid-season sale
- Appliances Direct – save up to 40% on small appliances
All of these brands are competing for your attention, so they’ll be watching their rival brands’ deals and discounts closely and adjusting their prices accordingly. We’ve also seen brands like John Lewis and Partners, AO and Currys offering a price-match promise in the past. Keep an eye out for added extras on prices that appeal to you, such as free delivery.
Best deals on our top microwaves right now
Sage The Combi Wave 3-in-1 Microwave Oven
Best combination microwave overall
Star rating: 5/5
Sleek, attractive and loaded with endless clever functions, this Sage combination microwave is a welcome addition to any kitchen.
If you’re after a multifunctional appliance, not only does this microwave provide all the necessary functions for standard and combination microwave cooking, but this model also has air frying capabilities too.
As one of the more expensive microwaves we’ve tested, now is the perfect time to grab it with a discount.
Read the full Sage the Smart Oven Air Fryer review
Russell Hobbs RHMD714G Scandi Microwave
Best budget microwave
Star rating: 4/5
Featuring soft touch wood effect accents and a shiny mirrored door, this offering from Russell Hobbs is a fantastic model for those on a budget.
For basic microwaving tasks, this Russell Hobbs model did a pretty good job. Its 700-watt motor struggled to defrost chicken as quickly as we’d have liked, but if you’re looking for something on the more energy efficient side, this model is worth considering.
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Read our full Russell Hobbs Scandi Microwave review
Russell Hobbs Buckingham digital microwave
Best microwave for ease of use
Star rating: 4/5
This Russell Hobbs Buckingham microwave got the basics right. For everyday defrosting and reheating tasks, this is a basic but sturdy and reliable option.
There are eight auto-cook functions for everything from reheating pizza, cooking pasta to cooking that microwave staple, a jacket potato.
There are also useful child lock and auto start functions.
Read our full Russell Hobbs Buckingham microwave review
How do we find microwave deals?
When looking for microwave deals, we explore a wide range of retailer websites to see what discounts they’re offering. We’ve often found that the bigger retailers – Amazon, John Lewis and Partners, Currys, AO, for example – have dedicated sale days or weeks, where we’re able to find their best deals.
As retailers compete with one another, we’ve noticed that often prices can vary throughout the day. As such, we track all prices and keep this page up to date with the newest deals.
But our deals searches aren’t just reserved for the larger sites, we also look at smaller ones too. Often they’re able to offer a price that the larger retailers simply cannot. Our aim is to help you make informed purchasing decisions and find the best price, whatever the retailer.
How do we select microwave deals?
You’ll spot plenty of microwave deals around and it’s easy to become overwhelmed. But with BBC Good Food, you can rest assured that we will never recommend a product we’ve not tested ourselves. All recommendations are for products we feel are genuinely worth buying. Each microwave was put to the test by BBC Good Food reviews experts, using triple tested recipes to find out whether the microwaves were able to perform everyday tasks. Head over to our guide to the best microwaves to find which models made the list, as well as lots of using buyer’s information.
How to get a good microwave deal?
- Head to the reviews: it’s easy to quickly buy a microwave with an impressive discount, but there’s every chance the model you’re looking at is a poor performer. The best way to figure out whether a model is going to give you what you want is buy reading reviews. At BBC Good Food, we’ve tested a range of both combination and standard microwaves to let you know what’s really worth buying.
- Stick to a budget: before you even begin on your research journey, work out how much you’re willing to spend. It’s great to be able to save money during sales, but the only way to really make the most of them is to stick to your budget.
- Buy when the price is right: many deals may only be around for a limited period of time, so once you’ve found a price you like: buy.
- Use tools to find out if you’re getting a good deal: CamelCamelCamel will let you know the price history of Amazon products.
All savings percentages have been rounded up or down to the nearest whole number.
