The Appliance You'll Use Every Single Day
Most people spend weeks choosing worktops and ten minutes choosing an oven. That's the wrong way round. Your oven is the appliance you'll open every day for the next decade, and unlike a worktop, you can't change your mind about it cheaply once the kitchen is fitted.
The good news is that the decision breaks down into a handful of straightforward questions. Work through them in order and the shortlist narrows quickly.
We sell built-in ovens from CDA, Smeg, Bosch, Samsung, Montpellier, Haier and Bertazzoni, ranging from £249 to well over £3,000. This guide is the same advice we give customers on the phone.
Step One: Single, Double, or Built-Under?
This is the decision that shapes your whole kitchen layout, so make it first.
A single oven is one cavity, usually around 65-72 litres. It fits either at eye level in a tall housing unit or under the worktop. It's the most common choice in UK kitchens and the most flexible.
A built-in double oven is a tall unit with a main oven and a smaller second cavity that usually doubles as a grill. It goes in a tall housing at eye level. Ideal if you cook full meals regularly or host at Christmas — you can roast in one and do potatoes in the other at a different temperature. The Montpellier MBIDO90 at around £499 is a sensible entry point; the Smeg Classic double oven sits at the premium end around £1,289.
A built-under double oven does the same job but is short enough to fit beneath a standard worktop. Note that built-under and built-in doubles are not interchangeable — the housing heights are different. The Montpellier MBUDO72 is the built-under version, and buying the wrong one of these two is one of the most common and most expensive ordering mistakes we see.
Our rule of thumb: if you cook for two or three people most nights, a good single oven beats a cheap double every time. If you regularly cook for five or more, the second cavity earns its place.
Step Two: Check Your Cabinet Opening
Built-in ovens are sold by the size of the hole they go into, not the size of the appliance.
- 60cm — the UK standard. The overwhelming majority of ovens and housing units are built to this.
- 90cm — a statement width for larger kitchens. Far fewer models, and a much higher price. The Smeg Classic 90cm is around £1,599.
- 45cm compact — half-height units, 45cm tall rather than the usual 59-60cm. These are combi microwaves, steam ovens or compact ovens designed to stack above or below a full-size oven in a tall housing.
Measure the aperture (the opening in the cabinetry), not the old appliance, and check the depth and the position of the socket too. Our measuring guide walks through exactly what to record before you order.
Step Three: How Many Functions Do You Actually Need?
Manufacturers advertise function counts heavily — six, twelve, thirteen. It sounds like more is obviously better, but here's what those numbers really mean.
Fan (convection) ovens circulate heat with a fan so the temperature is even top to bottom. Almost every modern oven does this. A six-function CDA fan oven at £249 covers conventional heat, fan heat, grill and defrost — everything most households ever touch.
Multifunction ovens add specialist settings: pizza mode with extra base heat, bottom heat only for pastry, fan-assisted grilling for larger joints. A twelve-function CDA at £399 or a Smeg Cucina multifunction at around £479 gives you genuine range.
Be honest about how you cook. Most people use two or three settings for years. Paying for thirteen functions makes sense if you bake seriously; it doesn't if you roast a chicken on Sundays.
Step Four: How Do You Want to Clean It?
This is where the price jumps, and it's the upgrade people are most glad they paid for.
Pyrolytic cleaning heats the cavity to around 500°C and turns grease into ash you wipe out with a cloth. It's the most effective self-cleaning system available and it genuinely works. Expect to pay from £499 for a CDA pyrolytic, around £609 for the Bosch Series 4, or £669 for the Smeg Cucina pyrolytic. Run it a few times a year and you will never scrub an oven again.
Steam or vapour cleaning releases water into the cavity to soften residue, which you then wipe away. It helps with light soiling and costs less, but it won't shift baked-on grease from a roasting tin spill.
Catalytic liners absorb grease during normal cooking. They work quietly in the background but degrade over time and eventually need replacing.
If your budget stretches to one upgrade, make it pyrolytic. It's the feature customers thank us for most often.
Steam Ovens, Combi Microwaves and Air Fry
Combination microwave ovens put a microwave and a convection oven in one 45cm compact unit. Excellent for smaller kitchens or as a second oven above a main one. The Montpellier 44L combi is around £619, while the Bosch Series 8 compact oven with microwave sits at the top of the range.
Steam ovens cook with moisture, which keeps fish, vegetables and bread noticeably better than dry heat. Once a specialist chef's tool, now increasingly mainstream — the CDA steam oven is around £849, and Smeg's Victoria SteamOne adds steam assistance to a conventional oven.
Air fry settings are a high-speed fan programme rather than a separate technology. If you like the results but resent the countertop clutter, the Montpellier AirFry oven builds it in for £249.
Energy Ratings and Running Costs
Ovens are rated A+++ to G under the current UK and EU labelling scheme. The difference between an A and an A+ oven over a year is real but modest — usually a few pounds — because most households use their oven for far fewer hours than their fridge or washing machine.
What matters more is cavity size versus how you cook. Heating a 72-litre cavity to bake two potatoes is where the waste actually happens. If most of your cooking is small, a compact second oven will save you more than an energy rating upgrade ever will. Our energy efficiency guide covers this across the whole kitchen.
What to Spend
- £249-£400 — a solid fan or multifunction single oven. Everything you need to cook well, no self-cleaning.
- £400-£700 — multifunction plus pyrolytic cleaning, or a decent double oven. This is the value sweet spot for most UK kitchens.
- £700-£1,300 — premium build quality, better door insulation and hinges, smarter controls, steam assistance.
- £1,300+ — design-led models, 90cm widths, full steam ovens and Smeg's Dolce Stil Novo range.
For more on how brand pricing compares at each of these tiers, see our Smeg vs CDA comparison.
Before You Order: Four Checks
- Electrical supply. Most single ovens run from a 13amp plug or a cooker switch, but larger and double ovens often need a dedicated hardwired circuit. Check with your electrician before you buy.
- Housing height. Built-in and built-under doubles are different heights. Confirm which your kitchen is designed for.
- Door clearance. Make sure the oven door can open fully without hitting an island, a wall or a bin.
- Hob compatibility. If you're buying a separate hob, check whether it needs to connect to the oven or run independently — our induction vs gas guide covers hob choice in detail.
Our Recommendations
- First flat or rental property: a CDA six-function fan oven at £249. Does the job, looks the part, costs little.
- Family kitchen, sensible budget: a CDA pyrolytic at £499 or a Montpellier double at £499, depending on whether you want easy cleaning or a second cavity.
- Keen cook: a Smeg Cucina pyrolytic around £669 — multifunction, self-cleaning, and built to Smeg's material standards.
- Long-term kitchen investment: a Smeg Victoria SteamOne or a Bosch Series 8, paired with a 45cm compact above it.
Browse the full ovens and microwaves range, or get in touch and tell us your cabinet size and how you cook — we'll narrow it down for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size is a standard built-in oven in the UK?
60cm wide, roughly 59-60cm tall and around 55-57cm deep. Compact ovens are the same width but 45cm tall. Always measure your cabinet aperture rather than assuming.
Is a double oven worth it?
If you regularly cook multiple dishes at different temperatures, or you cook for five or more people, yes. For smaller households, a better-specified single oven is usually the smarter spend.
What does pyrolytic cleaning actually do?
It locks the door and heats the cavity to around 500°C, reducing grease and food residue to a fine ash you wipe out. It uses a noticeable amount of electricity per cycle, but most people only run it a few times a year.
Can I fit a built-in oven myself?
Sliding the oven into the housing is straightforward. The electrical connection is not — anything beyond a standard 13amp plug should be done by a qualified electrician, and gas ovens must be fitted by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Do I need a separate microwave if I buy a combi oven?
No. A combination microwave oven does both jobs, which is why they're popular in smaller kitchens and as a second oven in larger ones.
How long should a built-in oven last?
Ten to fifteen years is realistic with normal use. Build quality shows up in the door hinges and seals long before it shows up in the heating elements, which is a large part of what you're paying for at the premium end.
