Best steam irons – our top 10 tested models to make ironing fast and easy

If you find ironing a chore, you might need one of the best steam irons to lighten the burden. Powerful steam, smooth-gliding soleplates, intelligent settings and more combine to make these, our favourite models far more effective than their predecessors.

To help you determine which iron is best for you, we’ve reviewed some of the latest, most tech-worthy models available to buy right now from the biggest names, such as Tefal, Breville, Morphy Richards and Tower.

We've tested a wide range of mid-priced and premium steam irons to see which performed best pressing a range of everyday clothes so that you can establish which will be the best for you. Plus, we know that one person's laundry basket can massively differ from another, which is why there's an iron here for every need, from those with powerful steam generation and ceramic plates to affordable price tags and ergonomic features.

Of course, what's one of the best irons without one of the best ironing boards? Together, it's the combination you need to uncrease and elevate your wardrobe.

Best steam irons - The quick list

Prefer to keep it short and sweet? This quick list is an overview of the very best irons. You'll find more information on each iron and a full iron review detailing why our testers recommend it if you keep on scrolling.

Best steam irons

Best steam iron overall

We really liked the design of this Morphy Richards iron, as well as its outstanding performance. This is a cordless model, which makes it super convenient, but crucially there's no faff in returning the iron to its base when you do need more charge.

That's in part thanks to the onboard lights that let you know the exact charge level you're working with, which we think are genius. The recharging process itself is lightning fast, taking just 25 seconds to power up again so that you can go back over any creases. 

Even its steam of up to 35g/min is impressive, even if it's lower than steam-generating alternatives (which are pricier). The cordlessness made ironing so much easier during testing, and you can pump the trigger button for a 130g/min steam shot, including vertical steam. 

Steam is powerful, pumped out consistently and quietly, and we really enjoyed using it. It glides well and delivers impressive steam, but there are a few little annoyances, such as the overpowerful water shot button, which can leave wet patches. It’s still a superb steam iron, though, and so worth it if you want a cordless iron. 

Best corded iron

We get it, sometimes you don't want to lose the cord and plug on your iron because you just don't want to sacrifice any power or steaming ability. That's where the Tower 3100 Rose Gold Ultreaspeed Steam Iron really impressed us during testing. 

It's so speedy to get to the right temperature and has the kind of continuous steam ability to make a huge pile of washing more manageable. Technically it has a 150g steam burst and vertical steam,  which basically just means it has precise ironing ability when you need it. 

Like the other irons we tested, this particular model has a dial that you can adjust for tackling different fabrics, and a very handy 360ml water tank so that you won't have to run and fill up halfway through your ironing session. 

The CeraGlide Technology speaks to the ceramic plate on this iron that makes it actually glide across your clothes or sheets, and the rose gold accents alongside the dark shade make this a stylish choice too, even if it's not quite as convenient as our favourite cordless iron. 

Best steam generator iron

The Philips PerfectCare Steam Generator 7000 was the surprise standout favourite of our ironing test run. It was easy for us to hastily judge this iron on looks alone; it's very big, a bit strange looking compared to a conventional iron and quite heavy too.

But looks can be deceiving, and it turned out that this steam generator system was an absolute dream to use. How does it work? You fill up the 1.8-litre water tank (which can last you for up to an incredible two hours of use), and then simply lift off the ultra-light iron from the base itself. 

The iron itself uses OptimalTEMP technology, which means that it can automatically adjust to whichever fabric you're ironing. Now that's clever. You can also use it vertically if you want to tease the creases out of your work shirt or use the continuous steam function for your sheets. 

During testing, we envisioned that the Philips PerfectCare Steam Generator 7000 would be absolutely ideal for families with plenty of washing to get through, or for houses bursting with bedrooms, and therefore plenty of sheets to change. It would be especially ideal for anyone renting out rooms in their house who needs to do industrial levels of laundry.

We know that the hefty size definitely won't be for everyone, but if you do need a bigger investment, you really can't do better than the Philips PerfectCare Steam Generator 7000.

Best looking iron out there

You might have seen the other offerings from The Funky Appliance Company around - they make some of the best kettles and best toasters, and are incredible when it comes to nailing that pastel aesthetic. The Funky Iron is no different. Available in pastel grey, pale blue and rose gold, this is the iron to go for if looks are your priority. 

And it doesn't just look pretty, it's also functionally excellent, with a good continuous stream to tackle creases, and a huge 450ml water tank, which will ensure that you won't need to pause to refill. You can vertically steam with this iron too, which is always handy. If you want the specifics, you get 45 grams of steam per minute with this iron, which is pretty good going. 

We also love that you receive a complimentary heat-resistance silicone pad for resting your iron on, so there's no accidental sizzling of your ironing board. The anti-limescale system inside the tank is also a godsend if you live in a hard water area. 

Best with or without cord

You get the ability to stick with all of the power of a corded iron or switch to a cordless version whenever you like with the Tower CeraGlide - meaning the choice is all yours. With a fantastically affordable RRP, this is such an excellent value iron and impressed during testing, with a really quick heating time, a 40g/min steam output and a 180g/min steam boost. 

If you're wondering how the ability to be both cordless and corded works, this iron uses a base that can be used for a quick burst of charge, or just be fixed to the bulk of the iron as you go, meaning there's no need to stop for a charge. This iron doesn't have the biggest water tank of them all, but it's perfectly adequate for small to medium homes with similarly sized laundry piles.

Best cordless for small washloads

The Freemove is very lightweight in the hand, not least because it’s cordless. Yes, you read right, cordless. After around 30 seconds of ironing, the base beeps to remind you to recharge. Then it takes 11 seconds to recharge – just enough time for you to adjust the garment to a new position. The timings work. As do the ergonomics: it slides comfortably onto the base and ironing cordlessly feels very natural.

But it’s not perfect. The glide isn’t great and we weren’t so impressed with the steam and controls. Steam is on (25g/min) or off, there’s no adjustment. And as well as switching it on, you must constantly squeeze a trigger for steam. Surely one control should be enough. Under your thumb are buttons for water spray and steam boost (115g/min) which can be used vertically, but these are quite hard to squeeze, and nowhere near as ergonomic as the rest of the Tefal. The only other button is for the anti-calc mode.

Our only major criticism of the Tefal is that the steam is mediocre and takes a while to get going and then it keeps going. Steam sometimes continues when it first sits on its base and condenses into water. Then this can get carried back to your garment as drips. It’s not a constant problem, more an occasional annoyance.

Its 250ml tank is easy to fill through a large opening. But, because of the charging base, the iron isn’t designed to sit on its heel so you must fill it sat on its base. This works but takes a bit of getting used to. For storage, the 1.9m cord fits nicely and safely around the base and clips to itself to stay in place. Surprisingly affordable and the best choice out there if a lightweight design is a necessity. 

Best iron for steaming curtains

Another fab iron, this time from Lakeland, this one is a great value option if you want cordlessness without the price tag. On the whole, it works just fine, saves energy and has a reassuringly strict safety cut-off timer for if you have to attend to another part of your home.

Its continuous steam feature is very effective and more than strong enough for most jobs. Therefore you rarely need the burst shot, but it comes into its own for vertical steam, powerful enough to tackle anything. The controls for these and the water spray are well positioned under the thumb for tackling your curtains or suit jacket if you need it.

The fill hole for its 320ml water tank is small but easy to fill, with or without the supplied jug. The looks are a bit boring, in blue and white. However, this Lakeland iron's performance won't let you down, especially for a mid-priced option.

Best iron with easy controls

Though we're sadly sticking with the slightly dull blue and white colour scheme with this one, we have to say that we did like the controls of this iron during testing. It's very straightforward, with a dial for setting temperature and the option to toggle between dry, spray, steam burst and vertical steam. 

The controls took a bit of mastering, but we found that a long press on the steam button put it into constant steam mode, which was a game-changer. It delivers up to 50g/min, but uses a pump that delivers a constant one bar pressure, much like a larger steam generator. The result is very steamy. It’s not to everyone’s taste, but the steam definitely helps get through the ironing pile quickly.

The fill hole for its 350ml tank is a bit small and fiddly to get to. There is lots of powerful steam and a smooth glide, with good controls, but we did find overall that we preferred other irons for performance.

Best iron for removing creases

This delivered powerful steam and ploughed through the ironing pile at high speed. It’s black, modern-looking and certainly has unisex appeal. You control the steam level (up to 50g/min) with a small dial under your thumb, but you can’t control the temperature. Instead, it has a single iCare setting that can’t be overridden and promises to be good for all iron-safe fabrics.

There’s a trigger button under your finger which is good for 230 g/min steam shot and vertical steam – again powerful. It glides very smoothly. We found it possible to plough through the ironing double-speed because the steam is strong enough to do both sides of a shirt at once. Its 330ml tank is easy to fill through a large opening, and it comes with a jug, but the 2.5m cord is a bit short.

It stows looped around the heel adequately but not brilliantly. And we couldn’t see the benefits of the soleplate’s 3D design, where it curves up at the heel end. Still, the performance is excellent.

Best value steam iron

The selling point of this relatively affordable steam iron is that its ceramic soleplate incorporates crushed diamonds for added durability and improved glide. It’s attractive. We like the rose gold-coloured soleplate and detailing, we enjoy the use of little crystals on the temperature dial (one, two or three dots in diamante). But the photo decals of diamonds are overkill, verging on naff.

Its 400ml tank is easy to fill through a large opening and it’s quick to heat up. There’s a slider to adjust steam (up to 70g/min). And there are two buttons under your thumb, for water spray and steam shot (200g/min). The only other button is for self-cleaning. It didn’t glide especially well but the diamonds should make the soleplate durable. Constant steam levels are good, but not great. The steam shot is better and you can pump the button for vertical steam too.

Ergonomically, we were impressed. It sits well in the hand and balances nicely on its heel. To store, there’s space to wrap the 3m cord around the bottom without it touching the hot soleplate. And we love the Safe-Store strip. After you unplug, a strip on the side stays red until the iron is cool enough to store it safely. At this point the words SAFE STORE appear in red on black. It’s not the best iron on test but it’s the best at this price.

How we test steam irons

How we chose the best steam irons 

At Ideal Home we know how important it is to have hands-on experience with products before we recommend them to you, in line with our testing protocol. That's why we've tested every iron in this round-up extensively at our test facility before coming to the conclusion in this ranking. That included testing them on shirts, linen, and bedsheets to check their credentials. 

We've also rated the irons you can see here in terms of how user-friendly they are, as well as affordability and specialist features, making sure to include options for smaller homes as well as those who have a lot of washing to un-crease. Below you can read more about exactly who tested each of these irons. 

Millie Fender

Previously Small Appliances and Cookware Editor, Millie is now our go-to expert when it comes to product testing, from large appliances to more easily shoppable buys. She put these irons to the test alongside Molly to see how they performed, and was very impressed by both the Morphy Richards iron and the Phillips steam generator. 

Molly Cleary

Molly is the Ecommerce Editor for Ideal Home, covering all things appliance related - including irons! She tested the choices above at Future's test facility in Reading alongside Millie, and was a convert to the art of ironing. She loved the Tower options on offer - both corded and cordless.

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