Our Experts
Written by
Pamela Vachon
Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission.
Reviews ethics statement
Pamela Vachon Contributor
Pamela is a freelance food and travel writer based in Astoria, Queens. While she writes about most things edible and potable (and accessories dedicated to those topics,) her real areas of expertise are cheese, chocolate, cooking and wine. She’s a culinary school grad, certified sommelier, former bartender and fine dining captain with 10 years in the industry. When not sitting at the keys, she leads in-home cheese classes, wine tastings and cocktail demonstrations.
Expertise Wine | Cheese | Chocolate | Cooking
CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.
What’s the best travel mug?
When it comes to a cup of hot coffee or iced tea on the go, a good travel mug really makes all the difference. The best mug will provide you with spill-proof convenience, and even keep the temperature just the way it was meant to be.
CNET recommends Zojirushi’s $30 stainless steel travel mug as the top pick for keeping your beverages at the perfect temperature on the go. It’s a reliable choice for busy mornings or commutes, and you can often find it for under $20.
But your requirements may differ, and we’ve tested the best options to help you find the one that suits your needs.
You can always find an inexpensive travel mug, but if you want a high quality one, then you might need to drop more dough. They can cost up to $45 (which makes it a great gift under $50). To help you navigate through the sea of travel coffee mugs on the market, we tested several of the best to see which ones keep drinks hot the longest, protect against leaks and feel nice to hold — and look at. These are the seven best travel mugs of 2025, which should keep your car’s cup holder occupied.
Best travel coffee mugs
A travel coffee mug must do at least two things extremely well: keep your coffee hot and keep it from spilling all over your bag, car or desk. Additionally, matters of size, aesthetics, ease of cleaning and one-handed operability may be factors to consider. Our list was assembled based on CNET’s previous picks — those that have been well-vetted by other review sites and appear repeatedly on best lists — and best-selling and consistently highly rated models at major retailers such as Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond and Target.
Most travel coffee mugs claim to keep liquids “hot” for about 5 to 6 hours. To test this, I filled each of the models here with 170-degree Fahrenheit liquid and measured the temperature after both 3 hours and 5 hours. Lids for travel mugs tend to fall in one of two camps, either some sort of threaded, screw-on mechanism or else a plastic and rubber twist/press-on lid that creates a vacuum seal. To test for leakproofness, I repeatedly upended each mug while full, looking for even a hint of a dribble.
Best travel mugs compared
| Zojirushi Stainless Mug | Miir Flip Traveler | Yeti Rambler | Contigo West Loop | Keep Cup | Hydroflask 16 oz | S’well Tumbler | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sizes, ounces | 12, 16, 20 | 12, 16, 20 | 10, 14, 20, 24, 30 | 16, 20, 24 | 6, 8, 12, 16 | 12, 16, 20 | 10,16 |
| Lid type | Screw top | Screw top | Twist/press on | Screw top | Press on | Screw top | Press on |
| Leakproof | Yes | Yes | Mostly | Yes | No | Yes | Mostly |
| Dishwasher safe? | No | Yes* | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Price | $30 | $28 | $35 | $16 | $31 | $33 | $30 |
Are travel coffee mugs dishwasher-safe?
It is mostly recommended to hand wash travel mugs and their lids in the sink with warm, soapy water. Of the models listed here, only the Yeti and Contigo give their full blessing as being dishwasher safe. Miir suggests that its Flip Traveler is dishwasher safe, but with an asterisk, recommending sink washing as a better practice to not ruin its exterior. Zojirushi, Keep Cup, Hydro Flask and S’well all are marked as not dishwasher safe.
Are travel coffee mugs good for the environment?
All of the travel mugs included here are BPA-free, which is a highly chemically processed form of plastic. To that degree, they are environmentally safe, and to the degree that they reduce the number of paper, plastic and styrofoam disposable cups, they are extremely good for the environment.
14 successful and terrible attempts to make dalgona coffee at home
See all photos
