We flushed plastic balls, sponges, and water-filled condoms to identify the toilets that don’t clog
These highly rated toilets perform well in our tests and are water-efficient and budget-friendly.
By Liam McCabe, Molly Bradley
In the absence of dramatically new features, it may seem like toilets these days are the same as ever. But manufacturers are always finding ways to make toilets that flush better, use less water, and feel more comfortable to sit on. So if you find yourself flushing the toilet multiple times, hoping against hope that you won’t have to break out the gloves and a scrub brush, you need to know: You don’t have to live like this.
The best toilets in CR’s tests can clear out solid waste and clean the bowl well with one flush. Stronger flushing mechanisms make this possible even as toilets use less water (measured in gallons per flush, or gpf) than they historically have. Some toilets also have nonstick coatings that help with bowl cleaning. A number of our top toilets have elongated bowl shapes, which tend to be more comfortable for most people, though you may favor a round bowl depending on the size of your bathroom and the spot where the toilet goes.
CR members can read on to find a handful of our top-ranked models across a few popular styles and prices. Dozens of other great toilets have earned CR’s recommendation as well, all tracked in our full toilet ratings of over 50 models. And for more information as you shop, check out our toilet buying guide.
Best Toilets
The toilets below performed impressively in our tests, evacuating waste and cleaning the bowl well—and with minimal noise. Most are single-flush models, though the top-rated Glacier Bay model is a dual-flush toilet, meaning you can use minimal water for most flushes. All of the models below are WaterSense certified by the Environmental Protection Agency, meaning that they use 1.28 gallons or less per flush and also meet certain other performance criteria.
Glacier Bay Beck GBTO103
The dual-flush (1.1 or 1.6 gpf) Glacier Bay Beck GBTO103 ties with the Gerber Viper (below) for the highest-rated model of all the toilets we test (and nabs the top spot for the highest-rated dual flush toilet on our ratings). It’s excellent at solid-waste removal and also scores very well in bowl cleaning. It’s not the absolute quietest, but it still scores very well for noise, so you won’t have an earsore on your hands. It has an elongated bowl—which some people find more comfortable than a round seat—and comes with a soft-close seat that won’t slam down. At 17.1 inches from floor to seat, it meets the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) standards for an accessible or “comfort height” toilet (between 17 and 19 inches). It comes with a one-year warranty, a wax ring, and a hardware kit to attach the seat.
Gerber Viper GWS31502S
The Gerber Viper GWS31502S is a single-flush toilet that aces every category we test, earning excellent scores for solid-waste removal, noise, and bowl cleaning. Its bowl and seat are round in shape, which may be less comfortable but will fit certain spaces better than an elongated bowl.
Kohler Gleam K-31674
The Kohler Gleam K-31674 is a single-flush elongated toilet that nabs excellent scores in our bowl-cleaning and solid-waste-removal tests. It also earns a very good score for noise. It has an elongated bowl and seat, and it’s a comfort-height toilet. In addition to its one-year warranty, the Kohler comes with a slow-close seat, a wax ring, and floor hardware. It also has a standard 10-year warranty on its mechanical parts.
Glacier Bay N2451E
The single-flush Glacier Bay N2451E earns a top-notch score in our solid-waste-removal test and very good scores for bowl cleaning and noise. Like the Kohler above, it comes with an elongated bowl. Glacier Bay offers a limited lifetime warranty.
Glacier Bay Power Flush N2450E
The single-flush Glacier Bay Power Flush N2450E lands an excellent score for solid-waste removal, and it cleans the bowl’s front and sides very well. Plus, it’s not too noisy, earning a very good score in that test. It has an elongated bowl and soft-close seat, and it meets the comfort height standard. It comes with a limited lifetime warranty, a wax ring, and floor hardware.
What to Consider When Buying a Toilet
It’s easy to overlook key considerations when buying a toilet, such as extra accessories or hardware you’ll need for a complete assembly, or even regulations that may restrict which type of toilet you can buy, depending on where you live.
State-level restrictions: A small number of the toilets tested by Consumer Reports aren’t available in a handful of states. California, Colorado, New York, Texas, Washington, and others have banned the sale or installation of toilets that don’t meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense standard of 1.28 gallons, on average, per flush. It’s worth noting that the top-rated toilets listed here all meet the EPA standard, including our highest-rated model—a dual-flush toilet that allows you to choose between 1.1 or 1.6 gpf for each flush. (If you’re on a budget, check out our compilation of the best water-saving toilets for $200 or less.)
Variants: Double-check that you’re getting the exact model you want. We’ve seen some toilets with similar model names or numbers that are available in multiple variants. For example, one version of the Kohler Kelston meets the WaterSense standard, while another doesn’t. Similarly, the Glacier Bay N2420 has an elongated bowl and the Glacier Bay N2428R-DF has a round bowl. Kathleen Halevah, CR’s senior project leader for toilets, says that when it comes to variations in water use or bowl shape in toilets that seem similar, “sometimes there’s no difference, sometimes there is, so we have to take it on a case-by-case basis.”
Seats and hardware: Some toilets recommended by CR don’t come with a seat, a wax ring, or mounting hardware, so you’ll need to buy those separately. Expect to pay at least $40 more for all the necessary accessories.
How CR Tests Toilets
In our Yonkers, N.Y., lab, we connect each toilet to a specially built plumbing system that measures the volume and flow of water into and out of the toilet. In the crucial solid-waste-removal test, our tester uses a 5-gallon bucket filled about a quarter full with simulated waste: 160 solid polyethylene balls, seven sponges studded with No. 10 screws for realistic weight, and nonlubricated latex condoms filled with water.
If that sounds a little extreme, it’s meant to be. Because very few toilets can remove the simulated waste in just one flush, we’re able to get differentiating data to score each toilet. Our tester notes how many flushes each toilet requires to finish the job. The best in our tests can do it all in one go; the worst get clogged with the first flush.
We also test each toilet’s self-cleaning ability, noise level, and ability to carry a load through a drain line, out of a home, and into a sewer or septic system. All of this data allows us to separate the good toilets from, well, the crappy ones. These clips of CR’s toilet tests show you how we do it.
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