Are Ikea Appliances a Good Deal?

Visit an Ikea on any weekend and you’ll see people lingering in the kitchen area, dreaming of transforming their kitchen into a sleek and stylish space that's affordable. That’s because Ikea sells everything you need to make that happen, including major appliances. Consumer Reports’ experts bought and tested several Ikea appliances to find out whether they’re a good deal.

Many Ikea appliances are stylish, with clean lines, stainless finish, and sleek handles. Their prices are also attractive, though not always the lowest we've seen. Ikea's five-year warranty, compared with just one year for most other brands, is reassuring and applies to all appliances except the Lagan line. The appliances are made by Whirlpool and sold only at Ikea.   

We do not yet have brand-reliability information for Ikea appliances. As for the performance of these 12 appliances, results were mixed in our tests. Only one was a top performer, but none scored low enough to make our worst list. In fact, seven scored very good overall and five were rated good. Here’s a glimpse at some Ikea ranges, dishwashers, and refrigerators, and a cooktop and a microwave. See our ratings for more details on Ikea appliances and for a look at how they stack up against other models.

Ikea Betrodd 602.885.60 [IES900DS]

What we liked: At $1,000 it’s the least expensive of the double-oven electric smoothtop ranges we've tested, and it has a large capacity when counting the usable space of both ovens. It was impressive in simmering and self-cleaning, and delivered fast cooktop heat and aced broiling. The steam-clean cycle is for cleaning up light messes in the oven.

What we didn't like: This range wasn’t so good at baking, turning out unevenly browned cookies when they were baked on two racks simultaneously, and the same was true for cakes. Using a high-power burner set to low, it was unable to simmer tomato sauce. And it lacks convection, a common feature at this price. For more choices, see our range ratings.   

Ikea Framtid 602.887.01 [ICS655DS]

What we liked: This 30-inch gas cooktop has five burners, including one high-power, and scored high enough to make our recommended list. It costs $700, and simmering was superb, but the high-powered burner wasn't the fastest at delivering heat. Our cooktop ratings include gas, radiant electric smoothtops, and induction models.

What we didn't like: Nothing discernible.

Ikea Betrodd 002.885.58 [IGS505DS

What we liked: This $800 gas range outperformed models that cost $200 to $2,000 more, and it has a convection option, which uses a fan to circulate the oven's hot air. Master it, and the results will be more uniform heating and faster cooking. 

What we didn't like: It was unable to simmer tomato sauce using a high-power burner set to low, and it barely browned our tray of nine broiled burgers. Here's how to get the most from your broiler.  

Ikea LAGAN IMH160FW [70336457]

What we liked: This $150 model is the least expensive of the dozens of over-the-range microwave ovens we tested, and was very good at defrosting a pound of frozen ground beef.

What we didn't like: Heating evenness was so-so; it was among the worst at venting and is relatively noisy. You'll see dozens of over-the-range microwave ovens in our microwave oven ratings. Click the features & specs tab to compare models.

Ikea Renlig IUD8555DX [20288920]

What we liked: This $850 dishwasher aced cleaning, in part because the soil sensor improves cleaning and efficiency by adjusting the cycle’s time and water use to the load’s soil level. It’s relatively quiet, has a delay-start feature, and the stainless interior will resist stains better than plastic.

What we didn't like: Requires a custom door panel, boosting its relatively high price by $89 to $179. Wash time is almost 2½ hours, and you have to clean the filter by hand every so often to avoid funky odors and keep the wash water free of food that could wind up sticking to the clean dishes. Our dishwasher ratings feature more than 170 models. Use the filter to narrow your selection by brand, price, and more. 

Ikea Bertrodd IUD8010DS [60292265]

What we liked: Performance is similar to the Ikea dishwasher above, and drying and the $700 price are even better. There’s a soil sensor and delayed start that allows you to run this machine when you want.

What we didn't like: Wash time is long, 155 minutes, and the interior is plastic. The filter must be cleaned manually (but that takes only a few minutes).

Ikea Renlig IUD7555DS [90292264]

What we liked: Cleaning was very good, and it’s relatively quiet. Stainless interior, soil sensor, and a number of useful features help make this $600 dishwasher appealing.

What we didn't like: Wash time is long—160 minutes. And drying was mediocre, with drops of water remaining on plastic items. The filter must be cleaned by hand.

Ikea Renlig IUD7555DS [288921]

What we liked: The fastest Ikea in this group: Wash time was 115 minutes. It sells for $400. That's a good deal, given that it has a soil sensor and delay-start option, and cleaning and drying were superb.

What we didn't like: It’s relatively noisy. The interior is plastic, and the filter must be cleaned manually. Check out these budget dishwashers, too. They cost less than $500 and are worth a look. 

Ikea Lagan IDF320PAFW [90339332]

What we liked: Among the least expensive of the dozens of models we tested, the $280 Lagan was very good at cleaning.

What we didn't like: A basic machine, it lacks a soil sensor and has a plastic interior and manual-clean filter. Wash time is 160 minutes, drying was just good, and this machine is noisy.

Ikea Nutid IX7DDEXDS [10292258]

What we liked: Offering excellent temperature control and impressive energy efficiency, this French-door refrigerator is 36 inches wide. It's relatively quiet and has a water-and-ice dispenser on the front door. Total usable capacity is 16.4 cubic feet. It costs $1,900, which is hundreds less than some French-door fridges in our refrigerator ratings.

What we didn't like: Nothing discernible.

Ikea Nutid IX7HHEXDS [40288759]

What we liked: This French-door refrigerator is $1,500 and offers superb temperature control and energy efficiency, and it's relatively quiet. It's 36 inches wide, and usable capacity is 17.4 cubic feet. For lots more choices, see our refrigerator ratings.

What we didn't like: Nothing discernible.

Ikea Nutid IX6HHEXDS [80288757]

What we liked: Temperature control was excellent, and the refrigerator is relatively quiet. This counter-depth model gives a built-in look for $1,800. 

What we didn't like: It’s among the least energy-efficient of models in this category, and total usable capacity is 13.6 cubic feet. For all your choices, see our refrigerator ratings. Our buying guides are a great place to help you start narrowing your options.

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