Microwave deals 2023 | Sage, Samsung, Russell Hobbs

As budgets are also being impacted by the cost-of-living crisis, many households are looking for alternative and cheaper cooking methods. Microwave cooking is a brilliant, energy-efficient option, as there’s no need to wait for the oven to heat up or to turn on the hob – making it a more sustainable option in some cases. To help you with your choice, we’ve highlighted the wattage of each microwave in this list too.

We’ve been gathering deals on plenty more kitchen appliances too: check out our pick of the best air-fryer deals, coffee machine deals and fridge-freezer deals for more savings.

More like this

For recipes, resources and ideas for how to eat well on a budget, discover our Cook Smart campaign. Or visit our reviews section for more than 600 practical buyers’ 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 the best air-fryers and best slow cookers.

Jump to:

Microwave deals at a glance

Amazon – offers on thousands of products
Currys – guaranteed rewards when you buy selected appliances, plus cashback when you trade in old tech
Very – 100s of deals across home and electricals
Hughes – discounts on Panasonic, Hisense and Samsung microwaves
Harts of Stur – savings on the RRP of top-rated microwaves
John Lewis and Partners – offers on Panasonic microwaves, plus 20% cashback on Zanussi and AEG
JD Williams – deals on top-rated products from Ninja, Tefal and Russell Hobbs
Robert Dyas – save on Panasonic, Daewoo and Russell Hobbs microwaves
Appliances Direct – savings on selected microwave models
Boots Kitchen Appliances – deals across dishwashers, fridge freezers and more
Argos – offers on air-fryers, microwaves, toasters and more
AO.com – save on large appliances, including fridge-freezers and ovens

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.

Microwave deals 2024

Sharp digital combination microwave

Best flatbed microwave

Star rating: 4.5/5

Wattage: 900W

With a 25-litre capacity, this flatbed microwave has a large footprint but is impressively versatile. It comes with grill, convection and defrost settings alongside its standard microwave function, and a baking tray and grill rack are also included.

The microwave hums quietly in use and retains heat well, and the flatbed interior is easy to wipe down. We also achieved great results when using the jacket potato preset – our potato had crisp skin and was soft and fluffy in the centre.

Available from:

Sage The Combi Wave 3-in-1 microwave oven

Best combination microwave overall

Star rating: 5/5

Wattage: 1100W

This microwave is ideal for families with endless clever functions and is easy to use. It’s not only handsome looking, but solidly built with a self-closing door, which is a game-changer. The 3-in-1 model merges air-frying, convection and microwaving cooking, making it a breeze to cook with different methods and the Element iQ inverter system cleverly diverts power to where it’s needed most.

Read the full Sage The Combi Wave 3-in-1 microwave oven review.

Available from:

Samsung combination microwave MC28M6055CK

Star rating: 4.5/5

Wattage: 900W

This versatile microwave from Samsung comes with a range of features not often found on microwaves, including specific settings for proving dough and making yogurt. There are also options for cooking spinach, grilled salmon, and quinoa, ‘Slim Fry’ presets for onion rings and fries, and auto-reheat settings for dishes like frozen pizza. It has a large footprint and can be noisy during use, but it performed well when cooking and defrosting and the manual is impressively thorough.

Read our full Samsung combination microwave review.

Available from:

Beko Solo digital touch microwave MOC20130SF

Best microwave for medium-sized households

Star rating: 4/5

Wattage: 700W

Ideal for a household of three or four, this 22-litre Beko microwave comes with a variety of functions for specific tasks, including melting chocolate and reheating drinks. There are presets for pizza, pasta, fish, rice, steak and veggies, too, though we had to rely on the manual to identify some of the icons.

We liked its sleek touchscreen display and understated design, and though some of our cooking results were mixed, this model’s defrost setting was impressively speedy – and it consistently heated soup without splattering at all.

Available from:

Swan Retro digital microwave

Best microwave for small spaces

Wattage: 800W

Star rating: 4/5

This microwave is perfect for a smaller space and looks great on a countertop with its retro style and large choice of colours.

It comes with several additional functions such as defrosting by weight between 0.1 and 2kgs. It also has 12 auto-cooking programmes each with additional choices.

Read our full Swan Retro Digital microwave review.

Available from:

Russell Hobbs RHMD714G Scandi microwave

Best budget microwave

Black microwave with wood handle and gold badge

Star rating: 4/5

Wattage: 700W

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, it’s worth considering.

Read our full Russell Hobbs Scandi microwave review.

Available from:

Sharp R959SLMAA combination microwave oven

Sharp combination microwave oven on a white background

Star rating: 4/5

Wattage: 900W

At 40 litres, this large multi-functional microwave is ideal for large households in need of extra cooking space. There are two cooking trays and two racks of different heights provided, alongside a large instruction manual with cooking and defrosting charts and 120 recipes.

All three main functions – cooking, grilling, and microwaving – performed well in testing, and we liked that the baked potato function allows you to input the number of potatoes you want to cook (rather than just weight).

The auto-cook functions for dishes like pizza and ready meals are also listed on the control panel, so you don’t need to keep referring back to the manual. Read our full Sharp combination microwave oven.

Available from:

Swan Nordic digital microwave

Best microwave for Scandi kitchens

Star rating: 3.5/5

This microwave has a matte finish which would make a stylish addition to any kitchen. With a 20-litre capacity this isn’t one for larger families but would work well for individuals, couples or small groups and, with a compact footprint, takes up minimal countertop space.

The microwave comes with eight pre-settings including pizza cooking, popcorn and reheating, and on test we found it intuitive and easy to use.

Read our full Swan Nordic digital microwave review.

Available from:

How to shop safely online

It’s easy to get swayed by a good deal, but if a price feels too good to be true, there’s a good chance that it is. When shopping online, try to avoid purchasing from sellers or websites you don’t recognise, or that have been suggested to you via social media – this way, you can reduce the risk of being duped by scams.

Rest assured, we will only ever add links to this page unless we’re 100 per cent familiar and comfortable with the brand. Try to always use the recommended secure payment methods when making your purchase, too, and avoid giving away personal data similar to security questions (such as the name of your first pet), as these can be used to guess passwords. Read more in our guide on how to avoid online scams.

Standard vs combination microwaves: what’s the difference?

If you’re undecided about whether to invest in a standard microwave or a combination model, here are a few key differences to consider:

Functionality: Combination (or combi) microwaves are essentially miniature ovens that allow you to cook, bake, or sometimes even air-fry – which means they tend to be more versatile. However, if all you need your microwave to do is reheat, fast-bake, or defrost, a standard model might be the way to go.

Size: Because most combi microwaves can do so much more than standard models, they tend to be quite a bit larger – which means they’re better suited to those with bigger kitchens. Standard microwaves are usually more compact, which is more convenient if you have limited countertop space.

Efficiency: By their very nature, combination microwaves tend to be more expensive to run because they need more energy to power all the different functions they can perform. That said, if you’re looking to buy one to replace your oven, a combi model could help you save money in the long-run, as they’re capable of heating more quickly.

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. As brands 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 useful buyer’s information.