An air fryer rated 1,400–1,800 W costs at most 36.8p – 47.4p an hour at 26.32p per kWh. In Which?'s lab tests, cooking the same dish in an air fryer used roughly half to a third of the electricity of a built-in oven: chips cost about 7.6p against 22.7p, and a roast chicken about 14.2p against 30.5p.
For small portions, the air fryer usually wins. A microwave is cheaper still for reheating. The oven earns its keep when you fill it.
Air fryer vs oven, dish by dish
Which? measured the electricity used to cook the same foods in an air fryer and a built-in electric oven. We've recalculated the cost of each at 26.32p per kWh from Which?'s kWh figures.
| Dish | Air fryer | Cost | Built-in oven | Cost | Air fryer saves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roast chicken (about 1.3 kg) | 53 min · 0.54 kWh | 14.2p | 76 min · 1.157 kWh | 30.5p | 16.2p |
| Chips (two portions) | 23 min · 0.287 kWh | 7.6p | 33 min · 0.863 kWh | 22.7p | 15.2p |
| Jacket potato | 48 min · 0.392 kWh | 10.3p | 68 min · 1.084 kWh | 28.5p | 18.2p |
| Cake | 33 min · 0.223 kWh | 5.9p | 56 min · 0.71 kWh | 18.7p | 12.8p |
The air fryer was quicker every time as well as cheaper. Part of the reason is size: there's far less space to heat, and the fan moves hot air hard around the food.
The Energy Saving Trust found the same pattern in its own lab tests. It puts a 600 g chicken breast at about £0.14 in an air fryer, against £0.20 in an electric oven (GB prices).
Power ratings and the cost of an hour
National Energy Action's 2025 leaflet gives these rating ranges. The cost column is what an hour at full power would cost at today's rate.
| Appliance | Rating | One hour at full power | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air fryer | 1,400–1,800 W | 36.8p – 47.4p | NEA 2025 |
| Electric oven | 2,000–2,400 W | 52.6p – 63.2p | NEA 2025 |
| Microwave | 700–1,400 W | 18.4p – 36.8p | NEA 2025 |
| Kettle | 2,500–3,000 W | 65.8p – 79.0p | NEA 2025 |
An air fryer doesn't run at full power for the whole cook. Once it reaches temperature, the heater switches on and off. Which?'s chips test used 0.287 kWh in 23 minutes, which averages out at about 749 W. Its roast chicken averaged about 611 W. Both are well below the rating on the box.
Where the microwave and kettle fit in
For reheating, a microwave is hard to beat. The Energy Saving Trust puts a 400 g ready-made lasagne at about £0.04 in a microwave. That's because it heats the food rather than the air around it.
A kettle is the most powerful appliance in most kitchens, but it only runs for a few minutes. If a 3,000 W kettle takes three minutes to boil, it uses 3 × 3 ÷ 60 = 0.15 kWh, about 3.9p. The three minutes is an illustration. Boiling only the water you need cuts the time and the cost.
Which? also publishes yearly costs based on typical use, all at 26.32p:
- Air fryers: £33 a year on average (£17 to £53), used twice a week.
- Built-in single ovens: £63 a year on average (£49 to £76), used three times a week.
- Kettles: £39 a year on average (£24 to £55), boiling a litre twice a day plus the minimum fill three times a day.
Worked examples
1. Chips twice a week
Cooking chips in the air fryer instead of the oven saves about 15.2p each time on Which?'s figures. Twice a week for a year, that's 104 × 15.2p = £15.77.
2. Sunday roast chicken
A weekly roast chicken would cost about £15.84 a year in the oven and £7.39 in the air fryer, on Which?'s figures. That only works if the bird fits. Which? notes air fryer capacities range from about 0.3 kg to 2.4 kg.
3. When the oven makes more sense
If you're cooking a whole tray of food for a family, one oven session can replace several air fryer batches. Three batches of air fryer chips use about 0.86 kWh, roughly the same as one oven session (0.863 kWh). The Energy Saving Trust recommends the oven for batch cooking and large groups.
Ways to cut cooking costs
- Match the appliance to the job: microwave for reheating, air fryer for small portions and the oven for big batches.
- Keep doors and drawers shut while cooking, so the heat stays in.
- Boil only what you need in the kettle, and use the kettle rather than an electric hob to heat water for pasta.
How we worked this out
Dish costs use Which?'s measured kWh for each dish × 26.32p. Which? tested one air fryer and one built-in oven per dish. Your appliances, quantities and recipes will differ. We didn't run these tests ourselves.
Hourly costs = rated watts ÷ 1,000 × 26.32p, using NEA's 2025 ranges. These are maximums, because the heaters cycle.
Average watts for the Which? dishes = kWh ÷ minutes × 60 × 1,000. The kettle example's three-minute boil is an illustration, not a measurement.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an air fryer cost per hour?
At most 36.8p – 47.4p an hour for a 1,400–1,800 W model at 26.32p per kWh. In practice it's usually less, because the heater cycles once the air fryer is hot.
Is an air fryer cheaper than an oven?
For the same dish, usually yes. In Which?'s tests, the air fryer used between about a third and a half of the oven's electricity. Chips cost about 7.6p against 22.7p in the oven.
Is a microwave cheaper than an air fryer?
For reheating, yes. The Energy Saving Trust puts a 400 g lasagne at about £0.04 in a microwave. Microwaves don't brown or crisp food, though.
Does preheating an air fryer cost much?
A few minutes of preheating adds a few minutes at up to full power. Check the manual, because many recipes don't need it.
Is it worth buying an air fryer to save money?
It depends on how much you'd use it instead of the oven. Compare the purchase price with the per-dish savings in our worked examples.
Sources
All checked on 29 October 2026. Figures are restated in our own words; follow the links for the originals.
- Which? – Air fryer vs oven: energy cost and cooking results compared: https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/air-fryers/article/air-fryer-vs-oven-energy-cost-cooking-results-compared-aPpAt8D1Agy5
- Energy Saving Trust – Air fryer vs oven: which cooking appliance is cheaper to run? (6 Oct 2026): https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/air-fryer-oven-microwave-hob-slow-cooker-cheaper-cooking/
- Which? – How much your appliances cost to run (26 Aug 2026): https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/cutting-your-energy-bills/article/how-much-your-appliances-cost-to-run-a7N937v2SWom
- National Energy Action – Electricity: what it costs to run appliances (A5 leaflet, April 2025 prices, PDF): https://www.nea.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Electricity-_A5-June-2025.pdf
- Energy Savers (Centre for Sustainable Energy) – How much electricity am I using?: https://www.energysavers.org.uk/advice/electricity-usage/
- Ofgem – Energy price cap unit rates and standing charges: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/your-energy-supply/your-energy-bill/energy-price-cap-unit-rates-and-standing-charges