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The best espresso machines for home

Seven espresso machines compared on what decides the choice at home: a built-in grinder, how the milk is steamed, portafilter size and upkeep.

Updated

Short answer

The Sage Barista Express Impress is the best espresso machine for most homes. It grinds the beans, helps you tamp and tells you when the dose is off, so you get to a good shot sooner. If you mostly drink flat whites and already own a grinder, the Sage Bambino Plus textures the milk for you. On a tight budget, the De’Longhi Stilosa is the simplest pump machine from a major brand.

Best overallSage the Barista Express Impress
£729
Check price at Hughes (opens in a new tab)

An espresso machine leaves more of the job to you than a bean-to-cup does: you fill and tamp the basket and steam the milk, or let the machine help with some of it. Three things separate the seven machines below: whether a grinder is built in, whether the wand textures milk for you, and the portafilter size, which decides the baskets and tampers that fit. We ranked them on those, then on upkeep, warranty and how much help each gives a newcomer. Compare every model in our espresso machine comparison, or read which coffee machine to buy if you are still choosing a type.

Our picks at a glance

  1. Best overall

    Sage the Barista Express Impress

    Built-in grinder plus assisted tamping that corrects the next dose

    • 2 L tank
    • 2-yr warranty
    • 41 cm tall
    £729
    Check price at Hughes (opens in a new tab)More retailers for the Sage the Barista Express Impress
  2. Best budget

    De’Longhi Stilosa EC260.BK

    A 15 bar pump machine from a major brand at an entry price

    • 1 L tank
    • 2-yr warranty
    • 28.5 cm tall
    £90
    Check price at Hughes (opens in a new tab)More retailers for the De’Longhi Stilosa EC260.BK
  3. Best premium

    Sage the Oracle Jet

    Automatic grind, dose and tamp plus hands-free milk on a 58 mm group

    • 2.3 L tank
    • 2-yr warranty
    • Automatic steam wand milk system
    £1,699
    Check price at John Lewis (opens in a new tab)More retailers for the Sage the Oracle Jet
  4. Best for milk drinks

    Sage the Bambino Plus

    Hands-free milk texturing with three temperatures and three foam levels

    • 1.9 L tank
    • 2-yr warranty
    • 30.4 cm tall
    £399
    Check price at Hughes (opens in a new tab)More retailers for the Sage the Bambino Plus
  5. Best value

    De’Longhi La Specialista Arte EC9155.MB

    Grinder and steam wand for less than the Barista Express Impress

    • 1.7 L tank
    • 2-yr warranty
    • 40 cm tall
    £529
    Check price at John Lewis (opens in a new tab)More retailers for the De’Longhi La Specialista Arte EC9155.MB

Side by side

Seven espresso machines compared on grinder, milk system, portafilter size and width. Best in each row is shaded, bold and ticked
Specification Sage the Barista Express Impress De’Longhi Stilosa EC260.BK Sage the Oracle Jet Sage the Bambino Plus De’Longhi La Specialista Arte EC9155.MB Ninja Luxe Café Premier ES601UK De’Longhi Dedica Style EC685.M
Price £729 £90–£99.99 £1,699 £399 £529 £449 £149.99
Built-in grinder Yes No Yes No Yes Yes No
Milk system Steam wand Steam wand Automatic steam wand Automatic steam wand Steam wand Automatic steam wand Steam wand
Portafilter size 54 mm not listed 58 mm 54 mm not listed not listed not listed
Width 33 cm 20.5 cm not listed 19.4 cm 28.5 cm 34 cm 14.9 cm(best in this row)
Our score Our score: 8.7 out of 10(best in this row) Our score: 7.1 out of 10 Our score: 8.0 out of 10 Our score: 8.4 out of 10 Our score: 7.8 out of 10 Our score: 8.2 out of 10 Our score: 7.5 out of 10

Best overall

1. Sage the Barista Express Impress

Built-in grinder
Yes
Heating system
Thermocoil
Milk system
Steam wand
Water tank
2 L
Warranty
2 years
Height
41 cm

The Express Impress helps with the two steps that trip up most newcomers: the dose and the tamp. Its conical burr grinder has 25 settings, and Sage’s manual suggests starting at 16. The Impress lever tamps at 10 kg; if the gauge shows too little coffee, the dose button flashes so you can top it up, and the machine grinds a little longer next time. There is a separate hot water spout, a 2 L tank and a 250 g hopper. The trade-offs: you steam milk by hand, the basket is 54 mm rather than 58 mm, and it can take up to about 55 seconds to heat. Owners we read still found that dialling in the grind took some trial and error. Sage’s guarantee runs 2 years, and it sells the 54 mm seal, water filters and cleaning tablets. Read the full Barista Express Impress review.

Pros

  • Built-in conical burr grinder with 25 grind settings
  • Impress lever tamps at 10 kg and shows whether the dose is low or high
  • PID-controlled Thermocoil heating and a 15 bar pump

Cons

  • 54 mm basket, so 58 mm baskets and tampers (as on the Oracle Jet) won't fit
  • Manual steam wand, so silky milk takes practice

Where to buy the Sage the Barista Express Impress

Prices and stock change; the retailer’s page is always the final word.

Best budget

2. De’Longhi Stilosa EC260

Built-in grinder
No
Heating system
Single boiler
Milk system
Steam wand
Water tank
1 L
Warranty
2 years
Height
28.5 cm

The Stilosa is the entry-level pick and the simplest machine here: a 15 bar pump, a stainless steel boiler, one dial and a manual frother. It has no grinder, so you use ground coffee or E.S.E. pods, and the two-tier drip tray takes cups up to 110 mm tall. At 20.5 cm wide and 28.5 cm tall it is also one of the smallest. Expect a 1 litre tank, a plastic body and no hot water function listed by De’Longhi. Among the Stilosa reviews we read on De’Longhi’s site and eBay, a few owners reported dripping or lost pressure within months, and one said De’Longhi wanted the whole machine sent back rather than posting a small part. That is a handful of reports, not a failure rate. See the Stilosa review.

Pros

  • 15 bar pump with a stainless steel boiler
  • Manual milk frother for cappuccino and latte
  • Takes ground coffee or E.S.E. pods

Cons

  • Small 1 L water tank
  • Plastic body and a simple dial control

Where to buy the De’Longhi Stilosa EC260.BK

Prices and stock change; the retailer’s page is always the final word.

Best premium

3. Sage the Oracle Jet

Built-in grinder
Yes
Heating system
ThermoJet
Portafilter size
58 mm
Milk system
Automatic steam wand
Water tank
2.3 L
Warranty
2 years

The Oracle Jet does almost everything the Express Impress leaves to you. It grinds on 40 mm Baratza burrs, doses and tamps 22 g into a 58 mm portafilter, and its Barista Guidance flags a shot that ran too fast or too slow and suggests a grind change. Auto MilQ textures the milk by itself, with settings for dairy, soy, almond and oat milk from 45 to 75 °C. The heated group can be set in 1 °C steps, and there is a 2.3 L tank, a hot water spout and Wi-Fi, though it works without the app. You pay for all of that, it weighs 12.1 kg, and only single wall baskets come in the box, so it suits fresh beans. Sage’s published dimensions didn’t add up, so check its height with the retailer. See the Oracle Jet review.

Pros

  • Grinds, doses and tamps 22 g straight into a 58 mm portafilter
  • Baratza burrs with 45 grind settings and on-screen grind guidance
  • Auto MilQ froths dairy, soy, almond and oat milk from 45 to 75 °C

Cons

  • By far the most expensive machine in this group
  • Heavy at 12.1 kg

Where to buy the Sage the Oracle Jet

Prices and stock change; the retailer’s page is always the final word.

Best for milk drinks

4. Sage the Bambino Plus

Built-in grinder
No
Heating system
ThermoJet
Milk system
Automatic steam wand
Water tank
1.9 L
Warranty
2 years
Height
30.4 cm

If most of your drinks are flat whites or lattes, the Bambino Plus takes the hardest skill out of them. Stand the supplied jug on the drip tray sensor, pick one of three temperatures and three foam levels, and the wand textures the milk and stops by itself. Sage says the ThermoJet heater is ready in 3 seconds, and the 1.9 L tank is generous for a machine 19.4 cm wide. There is no grinder, so you need a burr grinder or fresh pre-ground coffee; dual wall baskets for pre-ground come in the box. Hot water comes from the steam wand, not a separate spout, and it asks for a cleaning cycle every 200 shots. One owner we read found the body light enough to need holding while locking in the portafilter, and two said Sage replaced a faulty first machine quickly: single reports, not a pattern. See the Bambino Plus review.

Pros

  • ThermoJet heating: Sage states it is ready in 3 seconds
  • Automatic steam wand with 3 milk temperatures and 3 foam levels
  • Only 19.4 cm wide, with a 1.9 L water tank

Cons

  • No grinder: you need a burr grinder or fresh pre-ground coffee
  • Hot water comes through the steam wand; there is no separate spout

Where to buy the Sage the Bambino Plus

Prices and stock change; the retailer’s page is always the final word.

Best value

5. De’Longhi La Specialista Arte

Built-in grinder
Yes
Heating system
Thermoblock
Milk system
Steam wand
Water tank
1.7 L
Warranty
2 years
Height
40 cm

The Arte is the less expensive way to get a grinder built in. Its grinder has 15 settings and doses a single or double shot, Active Temperature Control offers three brew temperatures, and there are presets for espresso, americano and hot water. Milk is steamed by hand. De’Longhi lists it at 28.5 cm wide and 40 cm tall, with a 1.7 L tank, room for cups up to 12 cm, a water hardness setting and support for a water filter. Next to the Express Impress you give up assisted tamping, the dose feedback and ten grind settings. Its manual sits on a site we can’t read, so we don’t know its portafilter size or heat-up time. Among the Arte reviews we read, one machine leaked underneath on its first rinse and another broke within four months: two reports, not a failure rate. See the La Specialista Arte review.

Pros

  • Integrated grinder with 15 settings for single or double doses
  • Active temperature control with 3 temperature settings
  • Presets for espresso, americano and hot water

Cons

  • Manual steam wand only: no milk temperature or texture settings
  • 40 cm tall, so check the space under wall cupboards

Where to buy the De’Longhi La Specialista Arte EC9155.MB

Prices and stock change; the retailer’s page is always the final word.

Best for beginners

6. Ninja Luxe Café Premier

Built-in grinder
Yes
Milk system
Automatic steam wand
Water tank
2 L
Width
34 cm
Height
37 cm
Depth
33 cm

The Luxe Café is built to walk you through each step. We couldn’t read Ninja’s own UK pages or manual, so these details come from John Lewis’s listing. It has a conical burr grinder with 25 settings and a built-in scale that weighs the grounds, a spring-loaded assisted tamper, and Barista Assist, which recommends settings for the drink you pick. The Dual Froth System pairs steam with a whisk in the jug, with four presets including cold froth. It also brews filter coffee from 175 to 530 ml and makes cold brew, which no other machine here does. The catches: it is 34 cm wide, 37 cm tall and 11.7 kg, and the portafilter size, heating system and warranty length aren’t in the details we could confirm, so ask the retailer about the warranty. See the Luxe Café Premier review.

Pros

  • Conical burr grinder with 25 settings and a built-in scale
  • Spring-loaded assisted tamper
  • Dual Froth System with 4 presets, including cold froth

Cons

  • Heavy at 11.7 kg
  • 34 cm wide and 37 cm tall: a big footprint for a small kitchen

Where to buy the Ninja Luxe Café Premier ES601UK

Prices and stock change; the retailer’s page is always the final word.

Best compact

7. De’Longhi Dedica Style EC685

Built-in grinder
No
Heating system
Thermoblock
Milk system
Steam wand
Water tank
1.1 L
Warranty
2 years
Height
30.5 cm

At 14.9 cm wide the Dedica is the slimmest machine here, and at 30.5 cm one of the lowest. It has Thermoblock heating, a 15 bar pump and a manual frother you set for steamed milk or thicker foam, and it gives hot water too. There is no grinder: it takes ground coffee or E.S.E. pods. The two-height drip tray takes cups up to 12 cm, and De’Longhi lists a water hardness setting, a descaling alarm and support for a water filter. The 1.1 L tank needs filling often. Among the Dedica reviews we read, two owners said the steamer stopped working or spat water instead of steam, and four were unhappy with customer service: a few reports in a small sample, not a failure rate. Short on space? See compact coffee machines that fit under kitchen cupboards and the Dedica Style review.

Pros

  • Only 14.9 cm wide and 30.5 cm tall
  • Takes ground coffee or E.S.E. pods
  • Adjustable Cappuccino System switches between steamed milk and foam

Cons

  • Small 1.1 L water tank needs frequent refills
  • No grinder: you need pre-ground coffee, pods or a separate grinder

Where to buy the De’Longhi Dedica Style EC685.M

Prices and stock change; the retailer’s page is always the final word.

How to choose an espresso machine

Settle three things before you compare models: whether you want the grinder built in, how you will texture milk, and which portafilter size you are buying into. Then check the upkeep and the space.

Built-in grinder or not

A grinder in the machine, as on the Express Impress, Arte, Luxe Café and Oracle Jet, saves buying and housing a separate one. Without one you have three routes: pre-ground coffee in a dual wall (pressurised) basket, E.S.E. pods on the Dedica and Stilosa, or a separate burr grinder with single wall baskets, which Sage’s manuals pair with freshly ground beans. The Oracle Jet comes with single wall baskets only.

54 mm or 58 mm portafilter

The figure is the basket’s diameter, and it decides which baskets, tampers and group seals fit. Sage’s Bambino and Barista Express machines use 54 mm and the Oracle Jet 58 mm, and Sage sells the shower seal for each size as a spare. Treat it as a question of which accessories fit rather than a mark of quality. De’Longhi and Ninja don’t give the size on the pages we could read, so ask the retailer before you buy a tamper or spare baskets.

Automatic or manual steam wand

A manual wand, as on the Express Impress, Arte, Dedica and Stilosa, leaves the texture to you, and owners we read say it takes practice. An automatic system does that part: the Bambino Plus stops at the temperature and foam level you chose, the Oracle Jet adds settings for plant milks, and the Luxe Café uses a whisk in the jug with four presets. Automatic wands still need care: the Bambino Plus purges its wand when you lower it and flashes both milk lights if the tip is blocked.

Upkeep, hard water and space

Every machine here needs descaling, and hard water brings it round sooner. The Drinking Water Inspectorate counts water as hard above 200 mg/l of calcium carbonate, and your water company can give you the figure for your home. Set the machine’s hardness level to match, fit the water filter where it takes one, and use the descaler the manual names: De’Longhi warns that faults from an unsuitable descaler may not be covered. Our guide to descaling in a hard-water area has the steps. And measure: the grinder machines here stand 37 to 41 cm tall where a height is given, and need room above to fill the bean hopper.

What each budget buys

  • Under a couple of hundred pounds: a pump machine with a manual frother and no grinder. You will use pre-ground coffee or E.S.E. pods, and the tank is small.
  • Roughly four to eight hundred pounds: either automatic milk texturing without a grinder, or a built-in grinder with a manual wand and, towards the top of the band, help with dosing and tamping.
  • Over a thousand pounds: the machine grinds, doses and tamps for you and textures the milk by itself. Worth it if you want café drinks with little effort, not if you enjoy doing each step.

Prices move and sales shift machines between bands, so the price boxes above show what each costs today. Would you rather press one button? See the best bean-to-cup coffee machines.

How we chose these

  1. Started from what decides an espresso machine at home: grinder or not, how it handles milk, the portafilter size and how much help it gives a newcomer.
  2. Compared published specs, manuals and guarantee terms for the seven espresso machines we track, from Sage’s and De’Longhi’s UK sites; the Ninja’s details come from John Lewis’s listing.
  3. Checked prices at Sage, De’Longhi, John Lewis, Hughes and Marks Electrical, and show the date we checked.
  4. Read owner reviews on brand and retailer sites and eBay for reported problems. The samples are small, and we say so.
  5. Revisit the list when prices move or a model is replaced.

What we don’t do: lab-test every product. When we have used one ourselves, the review says so.

Our full method

Espresso machine questions

What size tamper and milk jug do I need?

Match the tamper to the portafilter: 54 mm for Sage’s Bambino Plus and Barista Express Impress, 58 mm for the Oracle Jet. The Express Impress and Oracle Jet tamp for you, and each comes with a 480 ml milk jug. For the Bambino Plus’s automatic milk, use the jug it comes with, standing on the drip tray sensor. De’Longhi doesn’t give the basket size for the Dedica, Stilosa or Arte on its UK pages.

How long does an espresso machine take to heat up?

It depends on the heater. Sage says the Bambino Plus’s ThermoJet is ready in about 3 seconds. The Barista Express Impress manual says its power button flashes for up to about 55 seconds while it heats, and it is ready when the cup buttons light up. De’Longhi and Ninja don’t give a heat-up time on the pages we could read, so we leave it blank rather than guess.

How often should I clean and descale an espresso machine?

When the machine asks, which comes sooner in hard water. The Bambino Plus wants a tablet cleaning cycle every 200 shots, and Sage suggests descaling it every 60 to 90 days depending on your water hardness setting, with a new water filter every three months. On the Dedica, a flashing steam light means it needs descaling. Use the descaler your manual names: De’Longhi says faults from an unsuitable one may not be covered.

What does the bar figure on an espresso machine mean?

It is the pump’s pressure rating as the maker states it. Every machine here with a published figure lists 15 bar, so it doesn’t separate them, and we don’t rank machines on it. The grinder, the baskets you use and how the machine handles milk make a bigger difference to the choice, and those are the specs we put first in the table above.

What warranty do espresso machines come with?

Two years from both Sage and De’Longhi on their UK sites. Sage’s guarantee excludes faults caused by skipped descaling, poor cleaning, unauthorised repairs or non-Sage parts, and treats seals and filters as consumables. We couldn’t confirm Ninja’s terms for the Luxe Café. Separately, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 lets you ask the seller for a repair or replacement if a machine turns out to be faulty.

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Published by AMCD Solutions

We research every product from manufacturers’ published specs, retailer listings and owner reviews. Pages are drafted with the help of AI tools, then checked against those sources and edited before they go live, and prices are rechecked regularly. We don’t lab-test products, and we say so.

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