Coffee machines

Splurge vs save: the cheaper coffee machines that rival expensive ones

Bigger price tags don't always equal better-tasting coffee, our tests reveal.
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Last updated: 6 Oct 2020
coffee machines splurge and save

Need to know

  • Our testers have reviewed more than 50 popular coffee machines for taste, ease of use, milk frothing and more
  • In this comparison of price vs performance, we rate models from Sunbeam, Breville Nespresso, Smeg and DeLonghi Nespresso
  • Become a CHOICE member to see our full reviews and compare key scores side by side

If you’re going to drop some serious cash on a coffee machine, you want to ensure it makes a decent brew. 

In our latest coffee machine reviews, CHOICE experts have lab tested and reviewed more than 50 manual, semiautomatic and coffee pod machines currently on the market. In the process, they’ve discovered some surprising results that prove you don’t necessarily have to pay a fortune to get a decent espresso at home. 

Here, we compare two capsule coffee machine models and two semiautomatic coffee machine models for taste, ease of use, temperature consistency and milk frothing to help you choose the model that’s right for you and your budget.

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Pod coffee machine comparison

Despite a $470 price difference between these two models, our experts scored them virtually the same overall. In fact, the cheaper DeLonghi Nespresso actually pipped the Breville’s final score by one percent and earned CHOICE Recommended status. 

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Semiautomatic machine comparison

Our experts have tested popular semiautomatic coffee machines ranging in price from $299 to $3799. These two models may vary vastly in price, but both performed very well in our tests and earned CHOICE Recommended status. 

In key test areas, they were equally matched, scoring 75% each for taste and 80% for milk frothing. The Sunbeam rated better for ease of use (80% vs 71%), although its coffee temperature consistency score was lower than the Smeg’s (90% vs 100%).

Although the Smeg delivers an equally satisfying brew, the Sunbeam does boast more features for coffee buffs. It has twin thermoblock heating (so you can make coffee and froth milk at the same time), a much larger water tank (three litres to one litre), coffee and milk gauges, and a commercial-size filter basket (the Smeg one is smaller and fiddly).

In key test areas, they were equally matched, scoring 75% each for taste and 80% for milk frothing

Whether these features are worth paying hundreds of dollars more for depends on you and how seriously you take your coffee. To see more pod machine models, check out our full reviews.

Please note: Prices listed are what CHOICE paid at the time of testing, and may now vary between retailers. 

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Kylie

I was a member of CHOICE long before I began contributing as a freelance journalist in 2018. I'm passionate about consumer rights and advocacy, and regularly interview some of Australia's most renowned experts and authorities on health and nutrition, sustainability and recycling, home renovations, appliances and more. I also review and compare products and offer tips and tricks on how to get the best value for money. I have an arts degree from The University of Melbourne and a graduate diploma in editing and publishing from RMIT and have been a journalist for 15 years, in newsrooms of daily newspapers, offices of national magazines and as a freelancer for online publications and corporate clients. I have also worked in book publishing in Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

I was a member of CHOICE long before I began contributing as a freelance journalist in 2018. I'm passionate about consumer rights and advocacy, and regularly interview some of Australia's most renowned experts and authorities on health and nutrition, sustainability and recycling, home renovations, appliances and more. I also review and compare products and offer tips and tricks on how to get the best value for money. I have an arts degree from The University of Melbourne and a graduate diploma in editing and publishing from RMIT and have been a journalist for 15 years, in newsrooms of daily newspapers, offices of national magazines and as a freelancer for online publications and corporate clients. I have also worked in book publishing in Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

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