Best Espresso Machines 2026: Comparison and Buying Guide

Seventeen reviews and the tie at 8.8

Our espresso machines category holds seventeen machines with their own review, and all seventeen now exist in revised form. Here are the eight of them that are rated highest. The range runs from 9.4 points for the Gaggia Classic Evo Pro to 8.8 for the DeLonghi La Specialista Touch EC9455. No criterion other than the score counted in the selection.

It gets tight at the cut-off. The Gaggia Classic UP is also on 8.8 points and is still missing. The deciding factor was not an editorial judgement but the script that compiles this list: it sorts by score and leaves machines with equal scores in the alphabetical order of their file names. The DeLonghi’s file name starts with d, the Gaggia’s with g. By the same mechanism the Rancilio Silvia comes before the Barista Express (both 9.0) and the Impress before the Barista Pro (both 8.9). What the reviews offer as a difference between these pairs is covered below under the rankings.

The overall score is not a simple average. In addition, each machine gets four sub-scores in its review, for build quality, performance, handling and value for money. For the Barista Pro, 8.9, 9.1, 8.8 and 8.8 average out at exactly its 8.9. For the Gaggia Classic Evo Pro, 9.4, 9.5, 8.6 and 9.0 would come to about 9.1, while 9.4 was awarded. No review records a formula that explains this gap, so the overall score remains an editorial grading that cannot be recalculated. Sub-scores that we quote below each come from the machine’s review.

We have not used any of the eight ourselves. Our material consists of instruction manuals, manufacturer pages and Amazon catalogue data. How the espresso tastes or what the crema looks like is therefore something this page cannot answer, but it can answer questions about basket size, boiler design, maintenance obligations and price.

Five of the eight places belong to one group. On its German warranty page, Lelit presents itself as a brand of Sage Appliances GmbH, which lists Breville there among its brands too, and the Impress product page carries the copyright of Breville Pty Limited. The Elizabeth and Victoria thus come from the same house as the three Barista models.

Grinder in the housing or alongside

Four with a grinder, four without. The three Sage models and the DeLonghi have one built in. Gaggia, Rancilio and the two Lelits only brew, so you need an espresso grinder as a second purchase, and none of the four has one in the box.

With this decision you also buy a basket size. The Sage machines are fixed at 54 millimetres, and baskets, tampers or funnels in the 58 mm size do not fit them. For the La Specialista Touch, De’Longhi gives no diameter at all, so a replacement tamper cannot be matched with certainty. On the other side, the figures hover around 58 millimetres. Gaggia gives the Classic Evo Pro’s portafilter as 58 millimetres, and Lelit puts the shared LELIT58 brew group of the Elizabeth and Victoria at 58.55 millimetres in an accessories text. For the Silvia, Rancilio lists a tamper with a diameter of 58 millimetres, but a measurement for the brew group itself appears in neither the product page nor the catalogue or manual.

How finely the built-in grinders step is documented in all four reviews: 15 settings on the DeLonghi, 16 on the Barista Express, 25 on the Impress and 30 on the Barista Pro. On the three Sage models the range can also be shifted via the adjustable upper burr. On the DeLonghi you turn the selector dial only while the grinder is running.

For faults, the Impress manual specifies that maintenance and repair are carried out only by an authorised service partner. If the grinder fails, the whole machine goes to service, not just the grinder. In our assessment that is exactly what the compact solution costs, and it appears in no price box.

Boiler, thermocoil, thermoblock and ThermoJet

Three of the four machines without a grinder are single-circuit machines. Gaggia, Rancilio and Victoria have a single boiler for brew water and steam, and on the Silvia and Victoria it holds 0.3 litres. For steam, this boiler has to get hotter than for brewing, so it heats up after the espresso and has to cool down again before the next one. Gaggia limits steam output to one minute at a time and then requires you to release water until the boiler is back at brewing temperature. According to the manual, anyone who skips this risks burns.

The Elizabeth has a second boiler for this problem. 300 millilitres of brass supply the brew water, set at 95 °C as delivered, and 600 millilitres of AISI 316L stainless steel supply the steam, set at 135 °C as delivered. Espresso and milk foam run there at the same time.

The Express, Impress and the DeLonghi keep no hot water in reserve and heat it on the fly, Sage in a thermocoil, De’Longhi in a thermoblock. The Pro heats with the ThermoJet, for which Sage gives 3 seconds to extraction temperature. Its review leaves open how it heats the water, and so we do not assign it to either of the two designs here. For the Impress and Pro, the manual expressly requires you to take the portafilter out of the brew head before frothing. Whether the DeLonghi can brew and steam at the same time is something De’Longhi leaves open.

On temperature control, the list sorts itself differently. Gaggia and Rancilio work with a thermostat: it switches the heater on and off at fixed points, the water swings between them, and when you start the shot helps decide how hot it arrives at the coffee. On the Silvia, your only signal is an orange heating lamp. On the Elizabeth and Victoria you set coffee and steam temperature as a figure in degrees in the LCC, although Lelit uses the word PID for neither. Sage regulates by PID, sets the Express and Impress to 93 °C and lets you go up or down by as much as 2 °C. The Pro, by contrast, shows brew temperature only as a bar between HOTTER and COOLER. De’Longhi specifies four brew temperature profiles, likewise without degree values.

Places one to eight, with the reason from the review

Place 1: Gaggia Classic Evo Pro (9.4)

Three components carry the 9.4 in the review: the 58 mm portafilter, the boiler made of lead-free brass and the 3-way solenoid valve which, according to Gaggia, dries the coffee puck after the shot. On temperature, its own review sees it trailing, since the Lelit Anna and the Barista Express regulate by PID for approx. €489.00 on Amazon.de, while the Gaggia uses a thermostat. The Evo generation came onto the market in 2023, and Gaggia states design and manufacture in Italy for the range.

Before the first espresso of the day, about 150 millilitres of water should run through according to the manual, after which the clamped-in portafilter helps heat up for a few minutes. If you have those minutes to spare in the morning, already own a grinder or deliberately choose one separately, and want to find the moment to start the shot yourself, you get the 58 mm format here for approx. €499.52.

Place 2: Lelit Elizabeth (9.2)

What distinguishes the Elizabeth is the second boiler, whose figures are given above in the section on heating. It carries the Premium pick badge with us and costs approx. €1,187.29. Its review gives it 9.6 for performance and 8.5 for value for money, and from that gap you can read where it sees it as strong and where not.

Two obligations come with it. Once a year, according to the manual, a specialised technician descales the hydraulic circuit, not you. And 15.3 kilograms sit on your worktop. In our assessment it will only pay off if you regularly make several milk drinks directly one after another, because that is exactly what the steam boiler next to the brew boiler is for.

Place 3: Lelit Victoria (9.1)

Compared with the Elizabeth, the Victoria lacks the steam boiler: it shares the LELIT58 group with it and has a brass boiler the size of the Elizabeth’s coffee boiler, but only that one. What it has over the Gaggia are the temperature as a number and an OLED display with a running brew timer. It is meant for you if you mostly drink espresso, want to shift the brew temperature in degrees for lighter or darker roasts and plan for a separate grinder. You can only switch the pre-infusion on or off, and its duration cannot be set. In our price box it stands at approx. €799.00, and in the German Lelit shop it cost €879 on 24 September 2026.

Place 4: Rancilio Silvia (9.0)

The Silvia has existed since 1997, and in 2020 Rancilio itself wrote that little had changed on it in more than twenty years. Its highest sub-score is for build quality, 9.4, carried by a stainless steel housing, a brass brew group and a portafilter of chrome-plated brass at a total weight of 14 kilograms. The weakest is handling at 8.2, since it has no pressure gauge, temperature display or PID.

It shares the 9.0 with the Barista Express, and the two reviews describe almost opposites. The Silvia needs a grinder alongside and reports only whether it is heating. The Express grinds by itself and regulates by PID. In the sub-scores the Silvia leads on build quality, the Express on handling and value for money with 8.9 and 9.2. We would take the Silvia if you can do without a display and want to take over the steps yourself. Before buying, ask whether the dealer is supplying the Silvia or the Silvia E: the E switches itself off 30 minutes after the last shot, and because there is no unambiguous article number, our purchase link leads only to an Amazon search.

Place 5: Sage Barista Express (9.0)

For approx. €489.00, the Express puts a conical burr grinder and PID control into one housing. Its value-for-money score is 9.2, and it carries the Editor’s pick badge with us. Tamping is done by hand, the manual gives 10 to 15 kilograms for it, and until grind size and tamping pressure sit right, its review reckons with several packs of beans. If you want to take care of both appliances in one purchase and learn tamping yourself, it is right for you. With a grinder of your own, the side glance at the Gaggia Classic Evo Pro is worthwhile: it has no grinder but the 58 mm portafilter, and with us costs €10.52 more than the Barista Express. In the Amazon catalogue, the model has been listed since 1 April 2018.

Place 6: Sage Barista Express Impress (8.9)

On the Impress, a lever takes over the tamping. Sage gives 10 kilograms of pressure and a 7 degree twist, which the manufacturer calls Barista Twist. The machine calculates the dose from the last amount of grounds, and a bar display reports whether the quantity is right. You still find the grind size yourself, and as a starting point Sage recommends setting 16 of 25. At approx. €379.00 it is the cheapest of the eight.

What separates it from the Barista Pro with the same score is the principle. The Impress automates puck preparation. The Pro relies on the ThermoJet and on 30 instead of 25 grind settings. If you already tamp confidently, the lever leaves you little room: in automatic mode it always presses to the height that Sage specifies, and a height of your own exists only in manual dosing mode. Its field is therefore getting started without a grinder of your own, if you do not want to learn tamping pressure yourself.

Place 7: Sage Barista Pro (8.9)

The Barista Pro’s review highlights two things: the ThermoJet from the heating section and 30 grind settings on a 40 mm conical burr grinder made of hardened stainless steel, set to setting 15 as delivered. If you drink single espressos through the day and the machine switches off again in between, the short heat-up time helps most in our assessment, whereas with four cups in a row it helps little. You froth the milk yourself at the steam wand. In our price box it stands at approx. €474.01, which is €14.99 below the Barista Express.

Place 8: DeLonghi La Specialista Touch EC9455 (8.8)

In eighth place is the DeLonghi with 8.8 points, level with the Gaggia Classic UP, which only the file name sorts behind it. What sets it apart from the other seven: it is the only one that froths milk automatically and makes cold brew. Its Auto LatteArt wand works automatically in position A, to one of five foam levels, and by hand in position M. According to De’Longhi it delivers cold brew in under five minutes, but only as a single portion of between 90 and 220 millilitres, and before every cold brew the tank has to be emptied, rinsed and refilled.

For value for money its review gives 8.2. It is built for anyone who drinks milk drinks every day and does not want to learn frothing. But allow for depth: the manual gives 46 centimetres, the product page 36.7, and we would plan with the larger figure.

What sets each machine apart

The table does not replace a current price. The price column reflects what our price boxes listed as a guide on 1 October 2026, and the rating is an editorial grading, not a measured value. It says nothing about promotional prices or available colours.

What the roughly €808 between the Impress and the Elizabeth buys

According to our price boxes, the eight fall into three groups. At the bottom stands the Barista Express Impress alone at approx. €379.00. Next, four machines crowd into €75.96: the Barista Pro at approx. €474.01, the Barista Express at approx. €489.00, the Gaggia Classic Evo Pro at approx. €499.52 and the La Specialista Touch at approx. €549.97. At the top follow the Lelit Victoria at approx. €799.00, the Rancilio Silvia at approx. €829.00 and the Lelit Elizabeth at approx. €1,187.29.

For the machines without a grinder a second calculation applies, because the grinder is added. If you choose, say, the Eureka Mignon Specialità for approx. €431.90 from our grinders category, you end up at €931.42 with the Gaggia Classic Evo Pro and at €1,230.90 with the Lelit Victoria. The Victoria together with this grinder thus lies above the price of the Elizabeth without a grinder. If you do not yet have a grinder, the Impress gets you to espresso most cheaply of the eight. If you already have one, you pay for a second grinder with it.

Two surcharges bring little in return, in our assessment. The first lies between the Gaggia Classic Evo Pro and the Rancilio Silvia. For €329.48 more you get the same control principle, a thermostat without display on a boiler for brewing and steam, plus more mass, 14 instead of 8.1 kilograms, and a portafilter of chrome-plated brass instead of stainless steel. The Silvia’s tank, at 2 litres, even holds slightly less than the Gaggia’s 2.1 litres.

The second sits with Sage, where the catalogue prices run against the equipment. The Barista Express costs €110 more with us than the Impress, but has 16 instead of 25 grind settings and no tamping lever. The Barista Pro, with 30 settings and ThermoJet, is also cheaper with us than the Express. In its own shop, Sage ranks two of the three the other way round: €599.90 for the Express and €729.90 for the Pro, whose shop price was recorded on 25 September 2026.

The step from the Victoria to the Elizabeth is different. The €388.29 difference buys the second boiler and with it brewing and steaming at the same time. That is a function that can be named, but it only helps if you make milk drinks in series.

Which machine suits which morning

If you already have an espresso grinder and the machine should stay under €500, take the Gaggia. Its water tank holds 2.1 litres and is pulled out towards the front, as is the drip tray. Above the 38 centimetres of unit height you still need room for the tank lid and cup tray, and according to the safety booklet it must not go inside a cupboard.

If you regularly make three or four milk drinks in a row at the weekend, work through the numbers for the Elizabeth. On any single-circuit machine you repeat the switch between steam and brewing temperature for every cup, and on the Impress and Pro there is also the removing and re-inserting of the portafilter. For the Elizabeth you plan for 38 centimetres of height, the value that agrees across all three sources in its review.

If you are starting without a grinder and want to do little by hand in the morning, the Impress is the candidate. Check your worktop first: the Impress and Pro manuals rule out wood and porous surfaces as a standing surface, as well as operation in an enclosed area or cupboard. A solid wood worktop is thus out for both.

If you drink cappuccino or latte every day and do not want to learn frothing, the DeLonghi is the only one left among the eight. It gives off heat, so De’Longhi requires at least 3 centimetres of clearance to the side and rear walls and 15 centimetres of air above. Under a wall cabinet, with a unit height of 40 centimetres, that means a clear height of at least 55 centimetres.

If you want to see the brew temperature in degrees and work with a separate grinder, the Lelit Victoria is ahead. If timing by a lamp is enough for you, the Rancilio Silvia is the alternative, although it costs €30 more than the Victoria.

Nine machines that are not on the list

Below place eight, our catalogue lists nine further espresso machines. They are missing here because their overall rating is lower, in the case of the Gaggia Classic UP because of the tie, which the order of file names resolves above. For certain buyers one of them is the better choice, and two badges of the category, Beginner pick and Value pick, hang on machines outside this list.

The Gaggia Classic UP (8.8 points, approx. €950.89) belongs to the same series as the Classic Evo Pro and has a 58 mm portafilter, two PID controllers, a display and a pre-infusion in three stages. If the temperature control is all you miss on the Evo Pro, you find it there, for €451.37 more than the Classic Evo Pro.

The Sage Barista Touch (8.7 points, approx. €971.54) is the second most expensive machine in the category after the Elizabeth. It froths the milk automatically, you choose the milk temperature on the touchscreen between 40 and 75 °C, and grinding, as on the Barista Pro, is in 30 settings.

The DeLonghi La Specialista Arte EC9155 (8.6 points, approx. €369.00) is the cheapest espresso machine with a built-in grinder in our catalogue, ten euros below the Barista Express Impress. Level with it stands the Lelit Anna PL41TEM (8.6 points, approx. €489.00), which costs as much as the Barista Express and has PID and a pressure gauge on a single-circuit machine, although in the Lelit format LELIT57 with 57.35 instead of 58 millimetres.

The Sage Bambino Plus (8.4 points, approx. €479.90) carries our Beginner pick badge. It heats by ThermoJet, froths the milk automatically with the help of a temperature sensor and has no grinder.

Scales and a conical burr grinder with 25 settings are found on both Ninjas, the Ninja Luxe Pro (8.3 points, approx. €386.85) and the Ninja Luxe Premier (8.1 points, approx. €381.43). Ninja sells both as 3-in-1 machines for espresso, filter coffee and cold brew.

At the lower end stand two De’Longhis. The DeLonghi Dedica EC685 (8.3 points, approx. €123.99) is the cheapest espresso machine we list, 149 millimetres wide according to the manufacturer, and carries the Value pick. The DeLonghi Classic EM450 (7.8 points, approx. €127.00) has a thermoblock and pressure gauge but neither a grinder nor temperature selection, and at 7.8 points the lowest rating in the category.

All products on the list side by side

The prices are guide values from our price boxes and change with the retailer. Prices are in euros from Amazon.de and may differ in your country. You will find the current status for each product on the linked product pages, and all products side by side in the comparison table.