Our tests find the best
In a world awash with fake reviews and product misinformation, we find the facts and tell the truth about how consumer products and services perform. We only recommend the best performers, so people can choose with confidence.
Our surveys dig deep to find out how people use products and services in real life, and our tests and assessments go beyond the accepted standard to reveal how well these products and services work for the consumer rather than the manufacturer or service provider.
We don't accept advertising or donations, or freebies or favours from manufacturers or service providers, so our recommendations can't be swayed by third parties. We buy almost every product we test, using funds from our member subscriptions and other commercial activities.
We've been working on behalf of consumers since 1957. In a typical year we review around 4,000 products and services across more than 100 categories, running lab tests, user trials and expert assessments to get the results that consumers can rely on.
See how we test
We love putting products through their paces to find the best performers. Watch this short video to learn more about how we test and why.
In a typical year...
...we test this many products.
...we conduct this many tests, checks, trials and surveys.
...we assess and rate this many services.
How we score
How we score products
Our teams record hundreds of results during product testing. Once they've carried out all their lab tests and user trials, the numbers are crunched and the results translated into star-based scores that range from five to one, with each score reflecting a specific aspect of how a product performs.
From all these test scores we calculate a product's overall test score and express it as a percentage. It's a tried and trusted process that makes it easy for people to compare products and make informed buying decisions.
How we score services
We can't go into a lab to test everyday services such energy companies, insurance providers and broadband firms. Instead we put their offerings, policies and terms & conditions to the test by asking customers to complete surveys where they share their own experiences of a service and its provider.
We combine the survey results with our own impartial assessment of the aspects of a service that we know matter to customers – things like value for money, quality of service, clarity of policy, connectivity, speed and so on.
We turn the results it into star-based scores that make it easy for people to see how good each aspect of a service is and to compare it with other providers. From these scores we work out a provider's overall score and express it as a percentage.
Why we test what we test
It would be mission impossible for us buy and test every product on the UK market, so we focus on products that most people tend to rely on every day – usually top sellers and ones with new and innovative features.
Similarly, we can't assess every service provider in every sector, so we focus on essential service sectors that people use regularly – such as the supermarkets, broadband providers, mobile networks, energy suppliers and insurers.
The test of time
Labs can’t measure how certain products perform day in day out over a number of years. So we ask thousands of people who own these products to tell us how they've stood the test of time, and we use the results to give a reliability score.
Find out more
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