900W Microwaves

A solo 900W microwave handles the daily jobs: reheating leftovers, softening butter, defrosting mince, steaming a bowl of veg. If that's the brief, you don't need to spend more. Read More...

Add a grill and you get crisping and browning on top of the microwave function, useful for cheese on toast, jacket potatoes with a finished skin, sausages when the oven's already busy. It's the most popular pick for a reason.

A combination 900W microwave layers in convection heat, so it can roast, bake and brown like a small second oven. Worth it if you cook for a family, batch on weekends, or want a built-in unit doing real work rather than just warming.

Capacity is measured in litres and tracks the size of the turntable cavity, not the footprint. A 20–23L cavity is fine for mugs, single plates and small bowls. Most households land at 25L, the deepest cluster of 900W stock and the size that fits a dinner plate without scraping the walls.

Step up to 28–32L if you regularly reheat a casserole dish or use a combination microwave for actual baking. The 40–45L bracket is built-in territory, sized to take a roasting tin and double as a secondary oven.

Always check three numbers before you buy: external width, depth (including the hinge clearance when the door's open) and height with the feet. Freestanding 900W models need air gaps around the vents, usually 10–15cm to the sides and rear, so the spec sheet's "minimum installation clearance" matters more than the raw dimensions. Built-in units are sold to fit standard 60cm kitchen housing, but the cut-out tolerance varies by brand, so match the manufacturer's housing diagram before you commit.

Freestanding is the simpler buy. Plug in, sit it on a worktop or shelf, done. You can take it with you when you move, and replacement is a swap rather than a fitter visit.

Built-in 900W microwaves are designed to integrate with a run of cabinetry, usually at eye level above a single oven. They cost more up front, often need a trim kit (sometimes sold separately, sometimes included, always worth checking the listing), and the install is a job for someone confident with kitchen units. The payoff is worktop space back and a cleaner kitchen line.

Black hides tea splashes and fingerprints better than stainless steel but shows dust. Stainless steel looks sharp next to a matching oven and hob, but smudges. Silver sits between the two, more forgiving than steel, less stark than black. Two-tone black and stainless steel finishes are a sensible middle ground if your existing appliances don't all match.

At the budget end, Russell Hobbs, Hisense, Beko and Haden cover the basics with digital controls and grill functions where you'd expect them. Sharp and Samsung sit in the mid-range with strong solo, grill and combination options, including larger 28–32L combination units that punch above their price. CDA, Zanussi and Indesit lean into built-in and integrated kitchens. AEG, Bosch, Neff and Hotpoint anchor the premium end, with built-in combination 900W microwaves designed to match wider appliance suites, often at 44–45L for serious cooking. Match the brand to the install slot and the cooking job, not the badge.