The Best Toaster in Australia for 2022
Or how to convince your dad that toast is a perfectly acceptable dinner.

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In this guide
Whether you demand café-perfect toast from your toaster or use it occasionally to heat up a treat (hello Sunday afternoon Pop Tart), a toaster is an essential bit of kitchen kit (like a kettle). A top toaster consistently produces evenly browned toast. It’s easy to use and even easier to clean. Here are Australia’s best toasters, chosen from hours of research that includes expert testing and real Aussie reviews.
How we picked
To decide Australia’s best toaster, we started with CHOICE, Australia’s leading consumer advocacy group. They’ve put a lot of toasters through their paces in their test kitchen, which gave us insights into the technical performance of some toasters.
We then turned to ProductReview.com.au, Australia’s first consumer opinion website. This let us know which toasters are most loved by Aussies.
Our final check was Canstar Blue, an Australian consumer review and comparison website. Their toaster brands survey let us know which brands are most trusted by Aussies, although it didn’t give us specific models.
Armed with plenty of toaster-contenders, we narrowed them down by our criteria. We wanted toasters that covered a range of budgets and needs: from toast addicts who’d use it daily to toast dabblers who’d let it gather dust in the cupboard. Regardless of what features they offered, we wanted them to be easy to use and clean.
Toasters are subjective. Some people love carbonated toast. Others want their bread barely kissed by heat. So, we didn’t delve too deeply into their perceived performance. We also didn’t specifically focus on size: this guide covers both the best 4-slice and 2-slice toasters.
Once we applied our criteria, we found the top toasters in Australia.
The bottom line
A top toaster quickly and consistently produces evenly browned toast, done to your own specifications. It’s easy to use and clean and becomes a beloved piece of kitchen equipment thanks to its toasting prowess.
We think the Breville the Smart Toast is Australia’s best toaster. Thanks to its wider slots, it can handle a wide range of bread, from thick artisan loaves to bagels and pastries. With 5 settings, you can customise your toast to your needs. It promises no surprises, due to its Lift and Look and 1-touch lowering / lifting features. At RRP $199.95, this is a toaster for people who love toast in all its forms and will frequently use it.
A more affordable alternative is our runner-up, the Sunbeam Long Slot 2 Slice Toaster TA4520, at just RRP $50. Its long slots handle a range of bread types, especially longer ones like sourdough or ciabatta. It also has a QuickCheck feature (its equivalent of Breville’s Lift and Look) and offers reheat and defrost settings. Although it’s packing less than our winner, it’s (far) less expensive.
Features to consider
Ready to go toaster shopping? Keep an eye out for these features.
Number of slices
Toasters are available in 2- or 4-slice size. What you choose depends on the size of your household and how much toast you eat. A 4-slice toaster suits families well. They are a lot bigger though, so make sure you’ve got plenty of space. To avoid wasting energy, look for toasters with eco modes. These normally allow you to toast 1 or 2 slices of bread, without heating up the other slot’s elements.
Easy to use
Look for easy-to-understand controls. They might have icons or text. Dials and buttons are standard and suitable for most users.
Defrost setting
If you’re taking bread directly from the freezer and putting it in the toaster, a defrost setting adds extra time to thaw the bread. Even our most affordable toaster, the Kambrook The Smarter Choice KTA120, has this feature.
Reheat setting
If you haven’t eaten your toast straightaway and it’s gone cold, the reheat setting will heat it back up for you. Again, even our most affordable toaster has this.
Crumb tray
All toasters should have an easily removable crumb tray. Bonus points for this being at the front, so you don’t need to pick it up and move it to get to the tray.
Slot length
If you’d like to toast more than your standard bread, something like ciabatta, pay attention to slot length. You may need to get a long slot length toaster. This isn’t necessarily a feature you pay more for: our best 2 slice toaster, the Sunbeam Long Slot Toaster, is long length and its RRP is just $50.
What you get if you spend more
Paying more is unlikely to get you better toast results. But it may get you a better-looking toaster (hello Dualit NewGen).
LED progress indicator
If you’re wondering how far through the cycle your toast is, look out for a toaster with a LED progress indicator. It’s ideal for anyone who doesn’t like surprises.
High lift lever
To avoid small things like bagels or hot cross buns getting stuck in the toaster, some toasters offer a high lift lever. It also helps you avoid burning your fingers as you struggle to extract them.
Motorised lift
For that hotel-at-home feeling, opt for a motorised lift. Rather than popping your toast up, it’ll gently raise it. Only our Breville winner offers this.
Multiple settings
As well as standard defrost and reheat, some toasters offer other settings, like dedicated bagel ones.
Preview feature
Whether you smell burning or you’re impatient for perfection, some toasters have a preview feature. This lets you check your toast’s progress, without interrupting the toasting cycle.
Dual controls
Different to eco mode – which only heats up 1 slot’s elements – dual controls mean you can use 2 different toasting cycles at the same time. Which means if you’re preparing toast for more than 1 person, or are using different types of bread, it’s a handy feature.
Good looks
If you want to make a statement in your kitchen with a stunning toaster, you’ll need to pay more to enjoy the retro stylings of Smeg and Dualit.
Sources
- "How to buy the best toaster for your kitchen", CHOICE
- "Toasters", ProductReview.com.au
- "Toaster Reviews & Ratings", Canstar Blue