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Howdens Joinery kitchens review - by owners and experts
Hannah has almost three years of experience overseeing surveys, product testing and investigations around home improvements and pet care.
Like Benchmarx, Howdens is a trade kitchen supplier, meaning you need to find a trader to install your kitchen before you buy.
It has three kitchen ranges – Handleless, Ready Assembled and Flatpack. The Handleless and Ready Assembled ranges come pre-assembled. The Flatpack range offers a more reasonable price point.
Read on to find out how they performed in our lab tests, and how satisfied owners are with their purchase.
See how Howdens compares with other leading brands in our guide to the best kitchen brands.
How we test our kitchens
In the lab
We buy all of our kitchens at market price and send them to a specialist laboratory, where expert assessors run 19 tests across four key areas.
Our surveys
We survey Which? Connect members and the UK public who've bought a kitchen in the past 10 years. We never ask people to test kitchens for us.
Editorial independence
The writer and editor have no contact with the brands, laboratory, or survey respondents during the testing process.
More than just reviews
Which? members can also access our expert kitchen planning, budgeting, and money-saving tips.
Howdens kitchens overall scores
If you're considering buying a Howdens kitchen, discover how the brand performed in our assessments.
Log in or join Which? to reveal the results for Howdens
| Kitchen range | Overall score | Lab score | Customer score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flatpack | Sign up to reveal Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations Unlock tableDigital £8.99 per month, cancel any time. Already a member? Log in | ||
| Handleless | |||
| Ready Assembled | |||
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Table notes: Overall score is based on a lab assessment of units and a customer survey of 4,580 Which? Connect members and members of the UK public, conducted online in February and March 2025. Howdens sample size: 955.
We tested 21 kitchen ranges from various brands and the best kitchen achieved an overall score of 82%. The top nine all scored more than 75%.
At the bottom end of the table, the lowest-scoring kitchen earned 63%. Six kitchens from four brands all got scores of less than 70%.
Two of Howdens' kitchen ranges scored identically, while the other lost marks in our lab assessment.
Howdens kitchens lab test scores
Will a Howdens kitchen stand up to everyday use? Our expert lab tests are specially designed to test this.
Which? is fully independent, and we buy every kitchen we test, so you can be confident in getting an honest and unbiased review.
Log in or join Which? to reveal the results
| Kitchen range | Lab score | Quality of units | Loading shelves | Drawers and runners | Hinges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flatpack | Sign up to reveal Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations Unlock tableDigital £8.99 per month, cancel any time. Already a member? Log in | ||||
| Handleless | |||||
| Ready Assembled | |||||
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Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations
Unlock tableDigital £8.99 per month, cancel any time.
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Table notes: Lab assessment scores are calculated based on a kitchen’s performance in 19 tests across four key areas – quality of units, loading shelves, drawers and runners, and hinges. Ratings are combined to create an overall assessment score.
Our lab scores for all the kitchens we tested ranged from 89% to just 54%.
Ranges from two different brands failed our hinges test.
Two of Howdens' ranges scored identically in our lab tests. The other lost marks for quality of the units and hinges.
Find out how we test kitchens in our lab
Howdens kitchens customer score
Want to be confident that Howdens is a reliable kitchen supplier? We spoke to people with a Howdens kitchen to find out how owners rate them.
Log in to or join Which? find out how Howdens is rated by its customers
| Customer survey category | Scores and ratings |
|---|---|
| Customer score | Sign up to reveal Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations Unlock tableDigital £8.99 per month, cancel any time. Already a member? Log in |
| Quality of build | |
| Quality of finish | |
| Durability | |
| Value for money | |
| Customer service |
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Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations
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Table notes: Customer score and star ratings based on an online survey of 4,580 people Which? Connect members and members of the UK public in February and March 2025. Customer score is a combined score based on customer ratings of satisfaction with their sofa and likelihood of recommending to a friend. Howdens sample size: 955.
Our top two-scorers achieved 80% overall in our customer survey.
At the other end of the table, two brands scored less than 70% overall and three got two-star ratings for customer service.
Revealed: The top kitchen brands falling short on customer service
How well do Howdens kitchens last?
We asked Howdens customers whether their kitchen showed any signs of damage or wear and tear.
We only asked people who reported buying their kitchen between 2015 and 2021, to get a sense of how they hold up in the long term.
Log in or join Which? to find out what Howdens customers told us.
| % of kitchens showing signs of damage or wear and tear | % of kitchens that required repairs | |
|---|---|---|
| Howdens | Sign up to reveal Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations Unlock tableDigital £8.99 per month, cancel any time. Already a member? Log in | |
| Brand average | ||
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Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations
Unlock tableDigital £8.99 per month, cancel any time.
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Table notes: Damage and repairs based on an online survey of 2,496 people Which? Connect members and members of the UK public who reported buying a kitchen between 2015 and 2021, conducted in February and March 2025. Howdens sample size: 511.
On average, across all the brands we collected data for, 44% of survey respondents reported that their kitchen was showing signs of damage or wear and tear after at least five years.
The most common issue was the finish of the cabinets being scratched (15%) and the soft-close mechanisms failing (12%).
In contrast, just 34% of owners from the most reliable brand reported damage to their kitchen.
Looking for a new oven, fridge or washing machine that will go the distance? Here's how to buy the best kitchen appliances
Howdens kitchens cost
To find out how much you can expect to spend on a Howdens kitchen, we set up mystery shopping appointments to source prices for all the kitchens that we test.
Unfortunately, as Howdens only sells to trade, we're currently unable to assess prices for its kitchens.
We do have prices for other brands, including DIY Kitchens, Ikea and Magnet.
Howdens kitchen design service
Howdens offers free design appointments, either in person or online (book online at howdens.com).
In our survey, 380 Howdens customers reported having used its design service.
We asked them to rate their experience and tell us whether they have any issues with their kitchen as a result of poor planning.
Log in or join Which? to see what they said.
Read our guide to kitchen planning and layout ideas and discover 7 things people regret most about their kitchen design
Howdens kitchen installation
Howdens doesn’t install kitchens and you can’t install them yourself.
Howdens can guide you through the process of finding a trader.
Compare the services of Magnet, Wren and more in our assessment of the best kitchen fitters.
If you'd prefer to find your own installer, use Which? Trusted Traders to find a reliable kitchen fitter near you:
The Which? verdict
Log in to or join Which? to see the pros and cons of Howdens kitchens.
Find out more about each kitchen range on the Howden's website:
Howdens kitchen guarantees
Howdens offers a 25-year guarantee on its cabinets, a five-year guarantee for doors and a one-year guarantee for worktops.
The guarantee mostly covers defects in the manufacturing process or raw materials.
Make sure you keep the proof of purchase, as you'll need it to make a claim. Even if the kitchen was bought by a trader, you can contact Howdens directly.
Find out how other companies perform in our guide to the best and worst kitchen brands.
This article uses insights from the Which? Connect panel, collected from research activities with our members. Find out how to get involved