The 4 Best Electric Kettles of 2025

Cuisinart’s PerfecTemp Cordless Electric Kettle has been our top pick since 2013, thanks to its ease of use, speed, and accuracy.

It has a helpful, simple interface. Each of the six temperature settings has its own button on the handle, labeled with the temperature and beverage it’s best for. If you don’t know the ideal water temperatures for making specific types of tea, this is very helpful (though the kettle’s settings for white and black tea vary a bit from the recommendations of our experts).

The CPK-17P1 is one of the easiest kettles to operate. All you need to do is add water, select the temperature you want, hit start, and wait for the kettle to beep when it’s done.

Then it kicks into an automated 30-minute keep-warm cycle (there’s also a Keep Warm button, if you’d like to select this option manually, or turn the feature off). Another button on the handle lets you easily open the lid with one hand.

This kettle boils quickly and hits its target temperatures accurately. On average, it brought 1 liter of water to a boil in around four minutes, speedier than most kettles we tested.

Additionally, the Cuisinart CPK-17P1 proved to be impressively accurate in our tests: Water measured just 2 degrees over the set temperature of 185 °F after 30 minutes on the keep-warm setting.

It pours cleanly and easily. The wide handle is comfortable to hold. The spout pours in an even stream, with no dribbling.

This kettle beeps just the right amount. The Cuisinart CPK-17P1 beeps once when you press a button on the control panel, as well as several times when it reaches a temperature setting, so you don’t have to stay near the kettle to know when it’s done heating.

As a safety mechanism, it beeps raucously (and automatically shuts off) if the kettle is on but the pitcher is empty.

It’s easy to clean. The kettle’s lid opening is large enough for you to get a hand inside, which makes for easier cleaning and descaling of the kettle’s interior. Clean the handle with a damp cloth and mild dish soap when necessary, as harsher cleaners may cause the labels on the buttons to fade.

It comes with a generous three-year warranty. This limited warranty is the best of any kettle we’ve tested in this price range. Considering that constantly boiling water can be rough on a gadget, having triple the warranty coverage of the rest of the pack is impressive.

How the Cuisinart CPK-17P1 PerfecTemp has held up

Wirecutter staff who use the predecessor to the CPK-17P1 say it has held up for years without issue. One person shared that the kettle has been in daily use for over six years and counting, and that the scale filter works wonders for the hard water in their home.

Another person said that they had issues with the lid sticking and were able to get a replacement within warranty. We use the kettle in our high-traffic office kitchen without issue. The labels remain good as new, and the lid opens smoothly.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

The Cuisinart CPK-17P1 is less accurate at lower temperatures. The kettle hit a couple of degrees over when set to 160 °F but still had better accuracy than most of the other kettles we tested.

Some people report the kettle has longevity issues. We’ve received feedback from readers and have seen reviews about this Cuisinart model breaking down after about a year, or of the lid breaking off at the hinge.

Based on our analysis of Amazon reviews, it’s common across brands that a small percentage of kettles break prematurely within a year or two. The Cuisinart’s generous three-year warranty should cover these issues — while other kettles with one- or two-year warranties could leave you in the lurch. And anecdotally, the Cuisinart kettles we’ve continued to use have lasted years.

The printed-on button labels may wear off with rough cleaning or usage. A number of Amazon reviews complain that the labels on the buttons wear off over time.

We haven’t experienced this issue with the kettles we’ve been long-term testing or with the ones we use in the staff kitchen in Wirecutter’s offices. But a couple Wirecutter staffers have encountered the problem with this model.

A representative from Cuisinart suggested it may have to do with how people clean their kettles, and they advised us: “The only cleaning solution that should be used is a damp cloth and a mild dishwashing soap. Any other cleaners (Windex, Fantastik, Lysol) have harsh chemicals and may remove the paint/printing.”

That said, some folks told us they experienced this issue with their kettle even if they hadn’t used any harsh cleaners or cleaned their kettle handle at all. Based on review analysis, we don’t think it’s a widespread problem.