Best Drip Coffee Makers of 2024
Our engineers put more than 100 coffee makers to the test. Here are our top picks for drip-style models.
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Whether you want a cup of coffee on the spot or a steaming, just-brewed pot when you wake up each morning, it’s hard to beat the convenience of drip coffee makers. But with the category’s ever-expanding options, it’s easy to get caught up in all the fancy features and sleek designs. What you really need to know is which models brew the most flavorful cup of coffee for the best price—and are a joy to use.
That’s exactly what the engineers at Consumer Reports test for when they assess coffee makers. The bells and whistles are just nice-to-haves, and, as you’d expect, they add to the cost. “In general, for a higher price, you can get add-ons like a water filter, clean cycle, clean indicator, permanent filter, or thermal carafe,” says CR test engineer Ginny Lui. But you may be perfectly happy with a more basic machine, which will be easier on your wallet, too.
A good drip coffee maker should brew coffee within the optimal temperature range to extract the best flavor from the grounds, keep the coffee hot, and not make a mess (mornings are hard enough—you shouldn’t have to deal with an overflowing filter or a drippy carafe). Your coffee maker should also be intuitive to operate and easy to clean. We’ve rigorously tested more than a hundred coffee maker models in our labs to find out which ones perform best, and we’ve found that you can brew a great cup of coffee within a wide price range.
The nine top-rated drip coffee makers, below, cost around $30 to $330. We’ve included traditional models, machines that both grind and brew, and those that brew a single serving at a time. In each category, we’ve listed our picks in alphabetical order.
CR members can click on each model name to see how it scored for each of our tested criteria. To explore even more options, check out our full coffee maker ratings, which include not only drip coffee makers but also cold-brew coffee makers, espresso machines, and more. See our coffee maker buying guide for smart shopping tips.
Traditional Drip Coffee Makers
CR’s take: The Bunn HB Heat N Brew Programmable receives strong marks across the board in our performance tests. But its features are a bit bare-bones. While it has auto-shutoff, a cleaning indicator, and programming, it lacks features like a brew-strength selector or a small-batch setting—despite its relatively high price. Still, you’re likely to love this machine. Bunn drip coffee makers have earned an excellent reputation for owner satisfaction and are more reliable than most, according to data from our latest member surveys. Its unusual design moves all of the brewing mechanisms above the glass carafe.
CR’s take: This Calphalon 14-cup coffee maker is a fairly standard programmable coffee machine, but it has a sleek, higher-end look and a handful of useful features—including a "strong brew" option and a small-batch brew option—for a reasonable price. Its brew performance was excellent in our tests, and our lab testers found it convenient to set up, operate, and clean. Its carafe is quite easy to use, too, with a sturdy handle and cup measurements marked on the glass. This model features auto-shutoff, a water filter, a permanent cone-type coffee filter, and an indicator to tell you when it’s time to clean the machine.
CR’s take: A conventional drip coffee maker with a modern twist, the Cuisinart DCC-T20 Touchscreen 14-Cup Programmable offers slick touchscreen controls and makes plenty of java for a full house, thanks to its 14-cup glass carafe. This model shines when it comes to brew performance and convenience in our tests. In addition to more standard features like programming, auto-shutoff, a cleaning indicator, and a permanent filter, it has less common perks like a water filter, brew-strength control, and a small-batch setting. It’s a bit pricey, but for the investment, you can count on an all-around great coffee maker for both busy mornings and dinner parties.
CR’s take: If you want a basic glass-carafe drip coffee maker, you can’t do much better than the large-volume Cuisinart PerfecTemp 14 Cup Programmable DCC-3200, one of the highest-ranking models in CR’s tests. This 14-cup machine earns an excellent rating for brew performance, reflecting optimal brew temperature and coffee intensity. It can be programmed to have fresh coffee waiting when you wake up, and it lets you adjust the brewing strength to make weaker or stronger coffee. Cuisinart drip coffee makers receive a stellar rating for owner satisfaction and a very good score for reliability in CR’s member surveys.
CR’s take: The uniquely designed Cuisinart Programmable DCC-4000 offers the same top-tier brewing experience as other models in this line, complete with an attractive warming base that holds a 12-cup glass carafe and an exposed water reservoir to easily determine when refilling is necessary. You can program the machine to brew one to four cups of coffee of varying strength within a 24-hour period, plus there’s an auto-shutoff feature, automatic cleaning, and completion alerts. This coffee maker also fetches solid marks in our convenience and carafe handling tests.
CR’s take: The unassuming, inexpensive Hamilton Beach 12-cup Programmable 49465R might be easy to miss, but it can brew a mean cup of joe at a fantastic price. Despite its basic black plastic finish, it has all the essentials. It’s programmable, as its name promises, and has auto-shutoff—and it offers solid brewing performance. Plus, it did very well in our convenience tests. One drawback: Hamilton Beach drip coffee makers receive a middling rating for reliability and owner satisfaction in CR’s member surveys.
CR’s take: The water reservoir on this 12-cup Ninja programmable coffee maker is on the side of the machine, above the programming controls, which is unusual for a drip coffee maker. It received the top score in our brew test, and our testers found the machine very easy to operate and clean, and the carafe easy to handle. You can grab a cup of coffee before the batch is done brewing (the brewing will pause) as well as select the "small batch" function if you’re making four cups of coffee or less. In addition to the typical drip coffee machine features (auto-shutoff, a permanent cone-type coffee filter), there’s the added perk of a removable water reservoir, making it much easier to clean.
Grind-and-Brew Drip Coffee Makers
CR’s take: If you’re an aficionado of fresh ground coffee, the Breville The Grind Control BDC650BSS is worth a look. This drip coffee maker grinds whole coffee beans immediately before brewing for an especially fresh-tasting cup of coffee. You can adjust the brew strength and program the brewing time, so you can wake up to a just-prepared pot. While its carafe receives only a middling score for handling, it does keep your coffee warm for hours. The machine itself is easy to use and clean, performing well in our convenience tests.
CR’s take: Like the Breville BDC650BSS, the Cuisinart Next-Generation Burr Grind & Brew 12-cup DGB-800 takes whole coffee beans and grinds them fresh for each pot, turning out a consistently hot, fresh cup of joe. It features a permanent filter, a water filter, auto-shutoff, programming, and brew-strength control. This model isn’t the most intuitive to use and clean, but the carafe is easy to handle, even when it’s full. The stainless steel accents and glass carafe elevate the look. Cuisinart drip coffee brewers are among the best for owner satisfaction and are plenty reliable in CR’s latest members survey.
Single-Serving Drip Coffee Makers
CR’s take: If you need only one or two cups of coffee each morning and don’t want a pod coffee maker, consider the compact and sleek Technivorm Moccamaster Cup-One Brewer. Technivorm is one of the few drip machine brands with the best possible predicted reliability and owner satisfaction scores in our member surveys. Our testers were impressed by this model’s brewing performance. It has only one simple feature (auto-shutoff) and it’s not the easiest to use, but you can count on it to last.
How Consumer Reports Tests Drip Coffee Makers
In CR’s lab, each drip coffee maker we rate brews roughly 65 cups by the time our engineers are through with it. Our brew-performance tests measure the brew temperature and contact time—how long water stays within the sweet spot of 195° F to 205° F, which optimizes flavor extraction from the bean. We determine concentration using a refractometer, a device that measures the amount of coffee dissolved in each brew. And our convenience tests look at how easy it is to set timers, fill the reservoir, clean the machine, and more. We also incorporate data for predicted reliability and owner satisfaction using survey results collected from thousands of CR members.
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