Our top coffee makers of 2026: every model that wowed us in our tests — including 5-star standouts and a brilliant budget pod machine

Our coffee machine testers have been well and truly spoiled this year. We’ve reviewed 11 different models so far, and there hasn’t been a dud among them. Below, I’ve rounded up all the coffee makers we’ve put through their paces, and if you hit the View Details button, you can see a summary of exactly what we thought of each one, plus a link to read the full, in-depth review. If you’re thinking of investing in a new machine (perhaps in the upcoming Black Friday sales?) this would be a great place to start your research.

There were three standouts, all scoring a perfect five stars. There’s a KitchenAid Semi Automatic Espresso Machine that combines serious brewing skills with a stunning design (let’s not pretend that looks aren’t important here). For those hunting for their first bean-to-cup machine, the Philips Baristina is well worth a look — our resident coffee queen Cat Ellis insists it “makes brewing with whole beans as simple as using coffee pods”.