This guide uses only what manufacturers publish about the twelve air fryers I compare. Where a manufacturer does not say something, I say so rather than fill the gap. For the full figures, see the comparisons: compact, mid-size, dual-basket and air fryer ovens.

Capacity and household size

Capacity is given in litres, but it only tells you the size of the basket, not how much food cooks well in one go. Some manufacturers translate it into portions:

Size	Manufacturer’s own guidance
Compact, 3.8–4.2 L	Philips 4.2 L: up to 500 g of chips or six chicken drumsticks. Russell Hobbs 4 L: up to 800 g of chips, 500 g recommended.
Mid-size, 6–6.2 L	Ninja MAX PRO 6.2 L: up to four chicken breasts, serves up to four. COSORI TurboBlaze 6 L: serves three to six.
Dual-basket, 8–9.5 L	Ninja Dual Zone 9.5 L: up to 1.4 kg of fries or a 2 kg chicken per drawer, feeds up to eight. Instant Vortex Dual 8 L: a whole chicken and 900 g of fries, serves up to eight.
Oven, 12–15 L	Tefal Easy Fry 15 L: a 1.5 kg roast chicken or 900 g of fries.

Not every manufacturer gives this kind of guidance, and those that do measure it differently, so treat it as a rough starting point. If you often cook for more people than a model’s guidance suggests, look at the next size up.

Single drawer, dual drawers or oven

• Single drawer (all the compact and mid-size models): one basket, one setting at a time.
• Dual drawers (dual-basket models): two separate drawers, each about half the total capacity (for example 2 × 4.75 L on the Ninja Dual Zone). You can cook two foods at different settings. Some models can also set both drawers to finish at the same time: Instant names this SyncFinish. Ninja describes mixing functions, times and temperatures across the two drawers. Tower does not say.
• Oven style (air fryer ovens): a front door and shelves instead of a drawer. The Tefal is one large 15 L cavity with a rotisserie. The Breville and Salter split into two compartments with a removable divider, and both list sync and match settings for the two sides.

Power and running costs

Power ranges from 1,350 W (Russell Hobbs SatisFry 4 L) to 2,600 W (Tower Vortx 9L and Salter Dual View 12 L). Larger models generally draw more. Instant gives a range (1,550–1,850 W) rather than one figure, and COSORI does not state the power of the Air Fryer Lite.

You can work out an upper estimate of running cost from the wattage and your own electricity tariff:

1. Divide the wattage by 1,000 to get kilowatts (kW).
2. Multiply by the cooking time in hours to get kilowatt-hours (kWh).
3. Multiply by the unit rate on your bill (pence per kWh).

Worked example (the 25p rate is an example only, not a national average – use the unit rate on your own bill): a 1,500 W air fryer used for 20 minutes uses 1.5 kW × ⅓ hour = 0.5 kWh. At an example rate of 25p per kWh, that is 0.5 × 25p = 12.5p.

This is an upper estimate: the wattage is the appliance’s rated power, and the heater does not run at full power for the whole cooking time. Several manufacturers also make energy-saving claims; I do not compare these, because each brand tests them in its own way.

Presets and features worth checking

Most models list presets for everyday foods. These features vary more between models:

• Dehydrate: listed for eight of the twelve: Russell Hobbs SatisFry, COSORI TurboBlaze, both Ninjas, Instant, Tower, Tefal and Amazon Basics 6 L.
• Keep warm: listed by Philips, COSORI TurboBlaze and Tefal.
• Shake or turn reminder: listed by Russell Hobbs, Instant (“Turn Food”) and Breville (“FLIP”).
• Sync or match for two zones: listed by Instant, Breville and Salter.
• Rotisserie: Tefal only.

A higher number of presets is not necessarily better. Check that the ones you would use are there.

Coatings

Manufacturers say little about coatings. Of the twelve:

• Instant states a PTFE coating (PFOA-free) on the drawers and trays.
• Philips, Russell Hobbs, COSORI TurboBlaze, Amazon Basics 6 L, Ninja Dual Zone and Tefal say “non-stick” without naming the type.
• COSORI Air Fryer Lite, Ninja MAX PRO, Breville, Salter and Tower do not state the coating.

If the coating matters to you, check the manual or ask the manufacturer before you buy.

Dishwasher-safe parts

Most manufacturers list the basket or drawers and crisper plates as dishwasher-safe. The exceptions: Tefal states that the Easy Fry 15 L’s parts are not dishwasher-safe, Salter’s information conflicts, and Tower does not say.

Size and weight

Measure the space you have, including height under wall cupboards. Stated footprints (width × depth) range from 252 × 256 mm (Russell Hobbs SatisFry 4 L) to 380 × 400 mm (Instant Vortex Dual 8 L). The Ninja Dual Zone is wide (415 mm) but shallow (270 mm). Stated weights range from 3.84 kg (Russell Hobbs) to 7.5 kg (Tefal). Some manufacturers do not give dimensions in a usable form or do not state weight; the comparison tables show which.

Warranty

• 1 year: Instant Vortex Dual 8 L, Breville Halo Flexi.
• 2 years: Philips, both COSORI models, both Ninjas (Ninja MAX PRO: on registration), Tefal and Russell Hobbs (3 years if you register online within 28 days).
• 3 years: Salter Dual View 12 L, which asks you to register within 30 days.
• Not clear: Amazon Basics 6 L does not state a warranty length, and Tower’s own pages give different terms.

Check the registration conditions before you buy, and keep your receipt.