Cooker Buyer’s Guide

Gas cookers are the least expensive to use, and gas hobs aren’t as hard to use as electric hobs. Though you may get less consistent results from your cooking with gas cookers compared to electric cookers. Also, a Gas Safe engineer must install the cooker, which may be an extra expense. 

Dual fuel cookers have both an electric oven and a gas hob, meaning you get an easy-to-use hob with the consistency of an electric oven. A Gas Safe registered engineer will have to install one of these ovens too, which may be an extra expense.

The least expensive cookers are gas cookers, as they are usually the simplest option for people who have gas power. They on average cost around £350, so you can pick one up pretty cheap. Other types of cooker and hob are more expensive. For instance, if you’d like an induction hob, you’ll be paying upwards of £400 at least. If you want to go cheap, most of the cheap options have just one oven, if you’d spend a little more then you’ll be able to choose from lots of different features. Still do your research though, some cookers truly can’t justify their price tag. Range cookers are the most expensive type of cooker because they offer a multitude of different cooking styles, they’re much larger and use more fuel. They also tend to be of better build quality overall. Brands like Rangemaster are the best in the business for these types of cookers.

The average annual cost of running your oven depends on the type of oven you have. Here are the UK average costs for all types, as of early 2026: 

Electric Oven: Approx. £31–£86 per year.

Gas Oven: Approx. £21–£48 per year.

Range Cooker: £45–£89 per year.

Slow Cooker: Approx. £11 per year.

Electric Hob/Ring: Approx. £15-£50 per year (depending on frequency of use).

Automatic Ignition is a great feature to find and is much more convenient when starting your cooking.

A timer is a great feature that makes it much easier to keep track of your meals, especially if you’re busy!

A multi-function oven is a great feature to look out for as it adds so much versatility to your cooking, and gives you ways of cooking you may never have tried before.

Thermostat indicators are always a good shout too to make sure you’re keeping it at the right temperature, and for knowing when the oven is heated up to where you need it.

One more great feature to look out for would be a pyrolytic self-cleaning program. This gets the oven incredibly hot to get rid of spillages that are hardened onto the walls, you just need to sweep the ash away after it’s done.

Pretty much all of the usual cookers are roughly 60-65cm wide, but if you’re in need of something smaller there are slimmer models available at around 50-55cm. Range cookers and other similar cookers that are built-in can be a lot bigger. They are all around the same height to fit your worktops, at around 80cm high and with a depth of around 60-65cm.

If you have a gas oven, then you won’t be able to install it yourself as you will need a Gas Safe engineer to install it – this is a legal requirement. Any issues with installation could risk a gas leakage and in turn a fire or explosion. 

If you have an electric oven, it’s probably still best to get an engineer to ensure it is smoothly installed. Not all ovens are plug and play, some need hard wiring, which requires an engineer. However, if your oven doesn’t need hardwiring and just needs plugging into a standard socket, then it couldn’t be easier! Make sure you have a 13 amp (standard) plug socket within 1.5m, then just plug it in and slide into place, and it should be ready to use. If you have any trouble, you can always call a professional to walk you through the steps.