Which? Don't Buy air purifiers

Don't put up with an air purifier that fails to clean the air effectively, is difficult to use or makes a racket while it's operating.

Our tough independent lab tests help us find the air purifiers that are the best on the market – the ones you can rely on to quickly and effectively remove pollutants, such as dust, smoke and pollen from the air. Air purifiers aren’t cheap – they can cost as much as £600. So, make sure you don’t waste your money and avoid the air purifiers that are a letdown in our tests.

Our reviews will help you to avoid a bad choice when it comes to buying an air purifier. 

Join Which? for instant access to all Don’t Buy products.

What makes a Don’t Buy air purifier?

If you suffer from allergies, or live beside a busy and congested road, you might want to consider an purifier to clean the air you’re breathing in your home. But our tests have shown that you need to look beyond manufacturers’ claims to be able to determine which ones deserve space in your home, and which are best left on the shop shelf.

Not all air purifiers are equal when it comes to air purification, and their ability to quickly and effectively extract pollutants. Some fail to remove many particles at all, they can be noisy when put on the highest settings and the filters can be fiddly to remove or fit.

For more tips on how to buy, read our air purifiers buying guide with tips and suggestions on the best products we've tested.

How we uncover the best and worst air purifiers

Which? has reviewed the latest air purifiers from brands, including Blueair, DeLonghi, Dyson, Ebac, Meaco and Philips.

Our expert lab assessments are based on six decades of product testing experience. We examine the features of each air purifier, and test how well each model removes dust, smoke and pollen particles from the air in an industry-standard test chamber. We also check how noisy it is, whether it's energy-efficient and if each one is easy to use, including how straightforward it is to remove the all-important filters.

• We test each air purifier’s ability to clean air to an industry-recognised standard.
• We buy every machine we run through our lab and our tests cover a wide range of brands and sizes, so you can be sure we’ll always recommend the right air purifier for you.
• We give each air purifier a Which? test score, so you can see at a glance which are the best and worst, plus how each model compares with each other on features and specifications.

If we find that an air purifier is bad enough to be a Don’t Buy, you can be sure that it’s one to avoid. No matter how attractive the price might be, it won’t do a good job in your home and is best avoided.

Find our more about how we test air purifiers.

Which? is independent – we work for you, the consumer, so you can be sure that our product recommendations are influenced only by our test results. We're not influenced by third parties and we don't accept freebies from product manufacturers or retailers. We buy all the products that we test ourselves, so our advice helps you to make the right choice first time and avoid costly mistakes.

Not yet a Which? member? Join Which? to access all our air purifiers reviews, including our Don’t Buys and Best Buys.