First, so there is no confusion: we have not filled, heated or sat in the hot tubs on this site. You will not find a hands-on test or a "best buy" badge here. Instead we show you which numbers we use and how the score comes out of them, so you can check every score yourself.
Where the data comes from
- Amazon.co.uk: the price, the buyer reviews (stars and number of reviews) and most of the spec: size, seats, jets, heater, wifi, weight and guarantee.
- Maker websites: when the listing leaves something out, we look at the Lay-Z-Spa, Intex, Wave Spas or MSpa product page.
- Missing figures: when nobody publishes a value, we write "not published". We never estimate a figure or fill one in.
Prices change often. We checked every price on 30 October 2026, and the shop always shows the current one.
The score: six parts, up to 2 points each
1. Insulation
How well a tub holds its heat decides what it costs to run from October to April.
| Wall | Points |
|---|---|
| Foam wall | 2 |
| Rigid frame with an insulation layer (for example TempXcel) | 2 |
| Rigid frame | 1.5 |
| Inflatable with an insulated liner or drop-stitch panels | 1 |
| Plain inflatable wall | 0.5 |
More on this in inflatable, foam or frame.
2. Price per seat
We divide the Amazon.co.uk price by the number of people the maker says the tub holds. Makers are generous here, so a low price per seat is good, not a promise of space.
| Price per seat | Points |
|---|---|
| up to £70 | 2 |
| up to £110 | 1.5 |
| up to £170 | 1 |
| more than £170 | 0.5 |
3. Massage
- Water jets (hydrotherapy) as well as air jets: 2 points
- 140 air jets or more, no water jets: 1.5 points
- Fewer than 140 air jets: 1 point
4. Features
- Heater built into the wall (no separate pump box): 0.75 points
- Wifi and app control: 0.75 points
- LED lights: 0.25 points
- 13 A plug and play, confirmed by the maker: 0.25 points
5. Guarantee
| Guarantee | Points |
|---|---|
| 3 years or more | 2 |
| 2 years | 1 |
| less than 2 years | 0.5 |
| none published | 0 |
A guarantee nobody publishes is not one you can rely on, so it scores 0 and still counts. You keep your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act either way.
6. Buyer reviews
We only count the rating when a tub has at least 20 reviews on Amazon.co.uk. Fewer than that tells you little, so the part drops out.
| Rating | Points |
|---|---|
| 4.6 stars or more | 2 |
| 4.3 or more | 1.5 |
| 4.0 or more | 1 |
| below 4.0 | 0.5 |
How the parts become a score
We add up the points and divide them by the points that were possible. A part that drops out does not count against the tub. We then scale the result to 0 to 10 and round it to one decimal place.
Example, the Lay-Z-Spa Miami: a plain TriTech wall gives 0.5 points. £299 over 4 seats is about £75 a seat, which gives 1.5 points. 120 air jets give 1 point. No built-in heater, app, lights or confirmed plug and play gives 0 points. The 2-year guarantee gives 1 point. 4.5 stars from 1,246 reviews gives 1.5 points. That makes 5.5 of 12 possible points, a score of 4.6.
Example, the Lay-Z-Spa Carrara: the foam wall gives 2 points. £725 over 6 seats is about £121 a seat, which gives 1 point. 140 air jets give 1.5 points. The built-in heater and wifi give 1.5 points. The 2-year guarantee gives 1 point. 4.5 stars from 36 reviews gives 1.5 points. That makes 8.5 of 12 points, a score of 7.1.
What the score does not tell you
The score compares numbers on a spec sheet. It says nothing about how comfortable the seats are, how loud the pump is at 11 at night or how the maker handles a leaking liner. Read the reviews for that, and look at the notes on each product page.
How we earn money
When you buy through one of our links, we may earn a commission. It does not change the score, because the code works the score out from the data. The details are in our affiliate disclosure.