Last updated: February 14, 2024.
How many watts does a toaster use, & which is the lowest wattage toaster? Find out here, based on power consumption tests, & a 226+ toaster wattage study. Plus, see the cost per use, hour, & more.
Spoilers:
- Toaster wattages range from 500W to 1800W in the US (1096W is the average, 750W is the most common), but are higher in the UK;
- Toasters use 0.01 kWh to 0.16 kWh of electricity per use;
- Approx. 19% of the top 100 most popular US toasters continue to use electricity when not in use.
- Toaster electricity costs range from $0.08 to $0.29 per hour in the US, assuming continued operation at max draw.
- The lowest wattage toasters that are popular in the US are: 500W Nostalgia – MyMini (single slice), 650W Nostalgia – Kraft Deluxe (2 slice), and 900W Gevi – 5402 (4 slice);
- An honorable mention must to go to the innovative, highly customizable, & fastest toaster: the Revolution R180 (US).
Continue reading to see how much it costs every time you toast bread (in the US and UK) in 2024, and see how toaster wattage compares to microwave, and kettle wattage.
Plus, use the calculators below to see your toaster power consumption and running costs.
Note: this study relates to standard toasters – toaster ovens, and sandwich makers are not included. Toaster wattage figures were sourced from manufacturers via the top 100 most sold toasters on Amazon (US), and the most popular models in the UK (main sources were Amazon, and Argos).
Toaster wattage
In the US, toaster wattages range from 500W to 1800W, with the average being 1096W, and the most common toaster wattage being 750W.
In the UK, where the mains supply is 230V (as opposed to 110V in the US), toaster wattage is higher.
The average UK toaster wattage is 1364.6W, with 850W being the most common. Overall, toaster wattage in the UK ranges from 780W to 2300W.
This is based on a power rating study of 100 of the most sold toasters in the US, and 126 popular UK toasters.
The following table summarizes the results of the toaster wattage study:
Toaster Wattage Category | Toaster Wattage US | Toaster Wattage UK |
Average | 1096W | 1364.6W |
Most common | 750W | 850W |
Highest | 1800W | 2300W |
Lowest | 500W | 780W |
Just one single slice toaster made it into the top 226 most popular toasters in the US, and UK. And this toaster had the lowest wattage.
Continue reading to get details on the lowest wattage toasters.
4 slice, 2 slice and single slice toaster power ratings were captured in the study.
On average, the wattage of a toaster increases along with the number of slices.
Next, let’s break down the toaster wattage results, and take a look at the wattage of 2, and 4 slice toasters separately.
2 slice toaster wattage
The average 2 slice toaster wattage in the US is 880W, with 750W being the most common. Overall, the power rating of 2 slice toasters range from 650W to 1600W.
62% of the 100 most popular toasters in the US are 2 slice models.
In the UK, 2 slice toaster wattages range from 780W to 1670W, with 985.91W being the average wattage, and 850W being the most common.
53.3% of the 126 most popular UK toasters are 2 slice toasters.
The table below summarizes the 2 slice toaster wattage results from the study.
2 Slice Toaster Wattage Category | US 2 Slice Toaster Wattage | UK 2 Slice Toaster Wattage |
Average | 880W | 985.91W |
Most common | 750W | 850W |
Highest | 1600W | 1670W |
Lowest | 650W | 780W |
Next, let’s briefly take a look at the power rating results for 4 slice toasters.
4 slice toaster wattage
4 slice toaster wattages range from 900W to 1800W in the US, with 1300W being the most common, and 1515.3W being the average.
37% of the 100 most sold toasters in the US are 4 slice models.
In the UK, the average 4 slice toaster wattage is 1787.41W, while the most common is 1800W. Overall, 4 slice toasters in the UK range from 1400W to 2300W.
46.7% of popular UK toasters captured in the study are 4 slices models.
The highest toaster wattage in the US (i.e. 1800W) is the most common 4 slice toaster wattage in the UK.
While 4 slice toasters, to oversimplify, have double the capacity of 2 slice toasters, the average power rating is not quite double that of their smaller counterpart (1787.41W vs 985.91W, respectively in the UK, and 1515.3W vs 880W, respectively in the US).
The table below summarizes the 4 slice toaster wattage results.
4 Slice Toaster Wattage Category | 4 Slice Toaster Wattage – US | 4 Slice Toaster Wattage – UK |
Average | 1515.3W | 1787.41W |
Most common | 1300W | 1800W |
Highest | 1800W | 2300W |
Lowest | 900W | 1400W |
Now that we have a good sense of toaster power ratings, let’s take a look at the lowest wattage toasters.
Low wattage toaster
In the US, the lowest wattage toaster is the 500W, single slice, Nostalgia MyMini followed by the 650W, 2 slice, Nostalgia Kraft Deluxe. The lowest wattage 4 slice toaster is the 900W, Gevi 5402.
Based on the wattage of 100 of the most popular models, the table below lists the toasters with the lowest wattage along with links for more details.
US Toasters | Model | Wattage | More Details |
Lowest wattage toaster | Nostalgia – MyMini | 500W | Check it out, here. |
Lowest wattage 2 slice toaster | Nostalgia – Kraft Deluxe | 650W | Get details, here. |
Lowest wattage 4 slice toaster | Gevi – 5402 | 900W | See price, here. |
In the UK, the popular lowest wattage toaster captured in the study is the 780W, 2 slice, Laura Ashley VQSBT582WSUK toaster. At 1400W, Coolworks takes the title of the lowest wattage 4 slice toaster.
The table below lists the lowest wattage UK toasters that made the 126 most popular models list – links are also included for more details.
UK Toasters | Model | Wattage | More Details |
Lowest wattage toaster | Laura Ashley – VQSBT582WSUK | 780W | Check it out on Argos, here. |
Lowest wattage 4 slice toaster | Coolworks | 1400W | Get details on Argos, here. |
It’s worth noting that the wattage of a toaster, or the power rating of a toaster, is the maximum amount of electricity that it’s expected to consume under normal operating conditions.
Toaster wattage is an important consideration for those using an off-grid power supply.
However, if you’re running your toaster from a mains supply, then low wattage is a less important consideration than overall energy efficiency.
This is because low wattage doesn’t necessarily mean that the toaster is energy efficient.
Low wattage toasters can take longer, and therefore consume more power, than their higher wattage counterparts.
Energy efficient toasters use the least amount of electricity to meet your bread toasting needs.
As a result, higher wattage toasters with enhanced controls and faster toasting speeds can be more energy efficient.
This is because energy wastage is reduced.
The fastest toaster with the most customizable functionality in the US is the Revolution R180 – check it out, here.
This advanced toaster, with its touchscreen controls and unique heating technology, is considerably more expensive than its more traditional counterparts.
It has a power rating that’s over twice the average for 2 slice toasters, but its enhanced controls and heating speed means that it can be more effective at toasting per watt consumed.
Again, the wattage of a toaster is different from the actual power consumption of a toaster.
So, next, let’s take a look at toaster power consumption, and see how many watts a toaster actually uses.
How many watts does a toaster use?
Using an energy monitor and extrapolating the results, the average US toaster uses 1002.8 watts at peak draw. Overall, the amount of watts a toaster uses ranges from 457.5 watts to 1647 watts, with 686.25 watts being the most common.
However, the amount of watts that a toaster uses in the UK is higher, ranging from 713.7W to 2104.5W – 1248.6W is the estimated average, and 777.5W is the most common amount of watts consumed at peak draw.
So, how were these results estimated?
Using an energy monitor, it’s easy to see how many watts a toaster actually uses.
On a 230V supply, here are test results for a powerful 4 slice 2100W toaster:
- At its peak power consumption, the toaster drew 1921 watts;
- The lowest amount of watts drawn while toasting was 1885W; and
- The amount of watts the appliance used while toasting was typically 1901W.
Continue reading to see how much electricity the appliance used in total to toast bread.
At its peak, the toaster consumed 91.5% of its listed wattage.
Jumping back into the study results, instead of using the manufacturer’s listed wattage, we can extrapolate the amount of watts that toasters are more likely to consume at peak draw.
The table below estimates the actual amount of watts a toaster is likely to use based on the toaster wattage study results (all toaster sizes), and power consumption test.
Toaster Wattage Category | Estimated Watts Actually Consumed (Peak – US) | Estimated Watts Actually Consumed (Peak – UK) |
Average | 1002.8W | 1248.6W |
Most common | 686.25W | 777.75W |
Highest | 1647W | 2104.5W |
Lowest | 457.5W | 713.7W |
These figures relate to the peak amount of watts a toaster consumes at a single point of time while toasting. The results are slightly lower than the manufacturer’s listed wattage.
But how much electricity overall does a toaster use to toast bread?
Let’s take a look.
How much electricity does a toaster use? (kWh)
Toasters use 0.01 kWh to 0.16 kWh of electricity per use.
In the US, a toaster consumes 1.1 kWh of electricity per hour, on average, assuming it runs at the manufacturer’s listed wattage the entire time.
The table below shows the average, most common, highest, and lowest amount of electricity that toasters use per hour (max) in the US, and UK.
Toaster Electricity Usage Category | Toaster Electricity Usage Per Hour – US | Toaster Electricity Usage Per Hour – UK |
Average | 1.1 kWh | 1.365 kWh |
Most common | 0.75 kWh | 0.85 kWh |
Highest | 1.8 kWh | 2.3 kWh |
Lowest | 0.5 kWh | 0.78 kWh |
But that’s for an hour of continued use – let’s look at toaster power consumption per use.
Using an energy monitor again on a 2 slice, and 4 slice toaster, we can see that:
- 0.05 kWh of electricity was consumed overall to toast 2 slices of bread at the medium setting;
- At the highest setting, the toaster consumed 0.07 kWh to toast 2 slices;
- 0.11 kWh was consumed to toast 4 slices of bread at a medium setting;
- 0.13 kWh of electricity was used to toast 4 slices of bread at the highest setting; and
- 1.8 kWh of electricity would be used per hour to toast 4 slices of bread at the highest setting.
Toasting 2 slices of bread per day, on the medium setting, would consume 0.35 kWh of electricity per week, 1.5 kWh per month (30 days), and 18.25 kWh per year.
But how about your toaster, how much electricity does it consume?
Estimate your toaster’s power consumption with this handy calculator…
Toaster power consumption calculator
Use this toaster power consumption calculator to estimate how many watts your toaster consumes per use, hour (if used continuously), day, week, month, and year.
Enter your toaster’s wattage (or typical draw), daily usage, and how long it takes to toast bread.
Using your toasters wattage, which can be found on the back of the appliance, will show the maximum expected power consumption under normal operating conditions. However, using test results for the typical draw will result in a more accurate estimate, but this isn’t readily available.
This calculator is pre-populated with an assumed duration of 3 minutes, along with how many watts toasters actually use–not simply the wattage–on average in the US (extrapolated result).
The calculated results assume a continuous steady draw throughout operation.
OK, now we know how much electricity a toaster uses.
But is it a lot?
Let’s put the power consumption results into perspective.
Do toasters use a lot of electricity?
Toasters use a lot of electricity.
Like all appliances that have heating elements, toasters are considered energy guzzlers.
To put toaster electricity usage into perspective, let’s compare it with other common household appliances.
On average, in the US, running a toaster continuously for 1 hour consumes 1.1 kWh of electricity. This is equivalent to:
- How much electricity a microwave uses after running for 1 hour (specifically, an 800W microwave – these typically have an actual power draw of 1122.2W);
- Running a low wattage electric fireplace for just over 1 hour; and
- How much electricity a kettle uses after boiling 1 cup of water 22 times.
These appliances are considered energy guzzlers too.
Like toasters, they can dramatically increase electricity bills the more they’re used.
But what about when a toaster is not in use? Does it still use electricity?
Does a toaster use electricity when not in use?
In general, toasters do not use electricity when they’re not in use. However, toasters with digital displays, and digital controls tend to consume a small amount of electricity (approx. 1 watt) when plugged in but not in use.
This is similar to other digital appliances that are on standby mode. For example, a modern TV consumes 1.3W in standby mode.
Most toasters don’t consume electricity when not in use. This is because most toasters are not digital – they have manual controls, and don’t have a digital display.
19% of the top 100 most popular US toasters are likely to continue to use electricity when they’re plugged in, but not in use.
In other words, 19% of popular US toasters have a digital display or digital controls.
So, now that we know how much electricity a toaster uses in On and Off mode, let’s take a look at how much they cost to run.
Toaster electricity costs
It costs between $0.0016 and $0.026 to toast bread in the US, on average.
The costs are slightly higher in the UK (between $0.0028 and $0.045, on average), primarily due to higher electricity costs.
These toaster electricity cost figures are for the cost per use, and assume a typical kWh rate in the US, and UK as of 2024 – specifically 16 cents in the US, and 28 cents (USD) in the UK, according to statista.com.
Toaster electricity costs range from $0.08 to $0.29 per hour in the US ($0.18 is the average, and $0.12 is the most common), assuming continued operation at max draw.
Again, the UK costs are higher.
The table below summarizes toaster electricity costs in the US and UK, based on the toaster wattage study results, and power consumption tests.
Toaster Electricity Cost Category | Toaster Electricity Cost – US | Toaster Electricity Cost – UK |
Average cost per hr (max draw) | $0.18 | $0.38 |
Most common cost per hr (max draw) | $0.12 | $0.24 |
Highest cost per hr (max draw) | $0.29 | $0.64 |
Lowest cost per hr (max draw) | $0.08 | $0.22 |
Highest cost per use (max draw) | $0.026 | $0.045 |
Lowest cost per use (max draw) | $0.0016 | $0.0028 |
High powered 4 slice toasters have the highest cost per use, while single and low wattage 2 slice toasters have the lowest cost per use.
However, it’s worth noting again that high powered toasters that provide faster toasting, and enhanced customization options can result in a low cost per use too. See the “Low Wattage Toaster” section above for more details.
To close off the power consumption tests, where the energy monitor was used, let’s work out the cost of running the toasters that were tested.
Since we know how much electricity the toasters use (in kWh), a simple calculation just needs to be done:
kWh consumed per use X Unit rate = Toaster cost per use
Let’s use the average unit rate of 26.71 cents per kWh here in California, which is significantly higher than the US average.
Using the tested toasters in California:
- The cost to toast 2 slices of bread at the medium setting is $0.013;
- At the highest setting, the cost to toast 2 slices is $0.019;
- The cost to toast 4 slices of bread is $0.029 at the medium setting;
- At the highest setting, the cost to toast 4 slices of bread is $0.035; and
- Continually toasting 4 slices of bread at the highest setting would cost 45 cents per hour.
Toasting 2 slices of bread per day, on the medium setting, would cost $0.09 per week, $0.40 per month (30 days), and $4.87 per year.
But the price you pay per kWh will likely be different.
And you may not know the actual power draw per use – you may need to estimate this.
So, to help, you can use the toaster electricity cost calculator below.
How much does your toaster cost to run? (Calculator)
See how much your toaster costs to run with this Toaster Electricity Cost Calculator.
Enter how much you pay per kWh, your toaster’s wattage (or typical draw), your daily usage, and how long your toaster takes per use.
The results are your estimated toaster running costs per use, hour (if used continuously), day, week, month, and year.
This calculator is pre-populated with how many watts toasters actually use on average in the US (extrapolated result), and assumes 3 minutes of operation per use.
And the results assume a continuous steady draw for the duration.
Now that we’ve covered toaster wattage, tested their actual power consumption, and have a good sense of their running costs, let’s take a look at some of the frequently asked questions that came to light during the study.
FAQs
Final thoughts
Toasters, like all appliances with heating elements, are energy guzzlers.
I hope that the insights from the toaster wattage study, and power consumption tests, help you make more informed decisions about your energy usage.
At this point, it’d be great to give you some energy saving tips for your toaster. But, unlike appliances covered in the other articles on this website, there’s not a lot of savings that can be made, apart from simply using it less.
However, you can make quick, easy, and significant savings on your electric bills, with this 6 Quick Wins Cheat Sheet:
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James F (not to be confused with ECS co-founder James) is our lead author, content & website manager. He has a BSc. in Digital Marketing, and a Diploma in IT. He became a qualified electrician while studying electrical engineering part-time.
From wind and solar photovoltaic installers, James F worked with many certified energy practitioners and energy consultants before joining the core ECS team. He also helped build the most downloaded energy saving app while working with a leading utility company.
Read more about James F or connect directly on LinkedIn, here.