Air fryers

Test performance

It’s no good if a product lasts for several decades if it doesn’t work well in the first place. A disappointing product will soon become unloved and unwanted. For this reason, our independent lab testing still forms an important part of our overall lifetime score.

Our test performance score is comprised of two sub scores:

Performance: Weighted equally on crumbed chicken breast nuggets and thick-cut frozen chips. We also test new models on chicken wings and roast pork. These tests weren’t conducted on previously tested models so don’t contribute to our performance or overall scores.

Ease of use: Assesses how easy it is to assemble and use the controls. This includes how helpful the instructions are. We also consider how easy it is to clean and store the cooker away after use.

If a model is also a benchtop oven we perform 3 additional tests: roasting a whole chicken, cooking a pizza and grilling toast. These tests do not contribute to the overall score, but are useful if you are considering a model for the roasting and grilling functions.

Running costs calculated on 30 minutes’ use 3 times a week (electricity costs of 25¢/kWh).

Predicted reliability

It’s reasonable to expect a new appliance to remain fault-free for at least the first five years. Our predicted reliability won’t tell you when your air fryer might stop frying, but it does show which brands make models that are less likely to fail.

Brand satisfaction

Satisfaction is important – no appliance should be a source of buyer-regret. Appliances with very satisfied owners are more likely to get cleaned regularly and maintained well. Their owners are more likely to seek repair for faults than look for a quick replacement.

Repairability (coming soon)

Older appliances are more likely to go wrong, but common faults should be repairable. Repairs should be affordable and convenient – parts need to be easy to find at a reasonable cost, instructions should be available, and repair shouldn’t need hours of expert labour.

We haven’t been able to assess repairability yet, but it’s important, so we’re gathering data and forming a plan so we can start including it in our lifetime scores. It will be challenging. We’ll need to analyse product failure data in our reliability surveys, conduct hands-on inspections to evaluate how easy products are to take apart, and investigate which brands make spare parts available at a reasonable price.