The 5 Best Travel Mugs in 2020

Editors' Choice: Zojirushi Stainless Steel Mug

Amazon

The Zojirushi mug is hands-down our top choice for travel mugs. It keeps your drinks hot for up to eight hours, prevents leaks, and is small enough to grip with one hand.

This travel mug comes in a variety of colors, hold 16 ounces of liquid, and is easy to clean thanks to its removable stopper and nonstick interior.

What’s more? It has a five-year warranty on heat retention!

Zojirushi Pros

• Color variety: This mug comes in 12 colors: black, cinnamon gold, clear red, coral pink, matte blue, matte gold, pearl pink, black, slate gray, turquoise blue, new clear red, and stainless steel.
• Easy cleaning: A removable stopper and nonstick interior make this mug super easy to clean.
• Heat retention: This mug keeps your beverages hot for up to eight hours.
• Heat warranty: It comes with a five-year heat retention warranty.

Zojirushi Cons

• Higher price: This option is more expensive than other travel mugs on the market.

Best Value: Contigo SnapSeal Byron Travel Mug

Amazon

The Contigo SnapSeal Byron mug is a vacuum-insulated, stainless steel, travel mug that is available in 16 or 20 ounces.

It will keep your beverages hot for up to six hours or cold for twelve. It’s easy to use, dishwasher safe, and even has a lifetime warranty.

With all of the above benefits, you’d think this travel mug would be on the higher end of the price range. It isn’t. We love this travel mug because it’s top quality and still affordable, making it an excellent budget-friendly pick.

Contigo SnapSeal Byron Travel Mug Pros

• Color variety: This mug has a variety of color options, including Monaco (navy), dark plum, earl gray, grayed jade, gunmetal, matte black, stormy weather, and vivacious (pink).
• Dishwasher safe: You can clean this mug in the dishwasher when you need to.
• Temperature retention: This mug keeps your hot beverages hot for up to six hours. It can also keep cold drinks at their ideal temperature for up to twelve hours.
• Lifetime warranty: This mug’s warranty makes it so that you can feel more confident in your purchase.

Contigo SnapSeal Byron Travel Mug Cons

• Tricky lid: Some reviewers note that the lid is tricky to open and close with one hand, which can be a deterrent if you want to use this while driving.

Best Large Size: Bubba Classic

Amazon

Sometimes you want a large cup of coffee. If that’s the case, consider investing in the Bubba Classic desk mug, which can hold a whopping 52 ounces of your favorite beverage!

This mug is durable and will keep your beverages at the ideal temperature for hours.

It comes in a patented keg shape and has an ergonomically designed handle with a soft touch grip for added comfort.

Bubba Classic Pros

• Large capacity: This mug holds up to 52 ounces of your favorite beverage.
• Temperature retention: It will keep your hot drinks hot and your cool beverages cold.

Bubba Classic Cons

• Too big: This mug is too large to fit in most car cup holders.

Best Design: Ello Campy Vacuum-Insulated Stainless Steel Travel Mug

Amazon

If a beautiful design in your primary objective in your hunt for a travel mug, check out the Ello Campy Vacuum-Insulated Stainless Steel Travel Mug.

We like this mug because it’s pretty. It looks like a traditional coffee mug, but it functions like a travel mug.

The Ello mug is made of stainless steel and will keep 16 ounces of your favorite coffee (or other hot beverage) piping hot for up to five hours and your water cold for up to 10 hours. Its leakproof lid helps prevent spills, and the mug itself has a handle lined with cork composite that is comfortable and easy to hold.

What’s more? This travel mug is dishwasher safe!

Ello Pros

• Unique design: If you’re looking for a vintage-inspired travel mug rather than something resembling a stainless steel water bottle, you’ll love this Ello mug.
• Leakproof design: This mug claims to be 100% leakproof.
• Temperature retention: The mug will keep your hot beverages hot for up to five hours and your cold drinks cold for up to 10 hours.

Ello Cons

• Large: Mug has a large base so isn’t as easy to travel with as other mugs

Best for Coffee: Contigo Autoseal Transit Mug

Amazon

Looking for a travel mug to keep your coffee hot as long as possible? This Contigo travel mug is your best bet.

It keeps hot drinks piping hot for up to seven hours (or cold for up to 12) thanks to Thermalock vacuum insulation. It also has an auto sealing lid to prevent leaks, spills, and accidents.

This mug is also incredibly easy to use. You can sneak a sip with one hand thanks to the easy push button.

Contigo Autoseal Transit Mug Pros

• Color variety: This mug comes in four color options.
• Leakproof design: This mug claims to be 100% spillproof, leakproof, and accident-proof
• Strong insulation: This mug will keep your hot beverages hot for up to seven hours. It will also keep your water cold for up to 12 hours.

Contigo Autoseal Transit Mug Cons

• Heavier than other mugs: This mug is heavier than others we reviewed, so it may not be the best if you’re trying to pack light.

Travel Mugs Buyer’s Guide

Mooshny / Shutterstock

If you’re looking for a travel mug as opposed to a simple travel water bottle, there are specific features that you want to get.

Here’s everything you need to consider when looking for the best travel mug for your needs.

Durability

When looking at travel mugs, make sure to check how durable it is.

Some mugs (like ones made of glass or ceramic) can break. Other mugs might dent, scratch, or leak if you drop them.

Read reviews on Amazon or on other retail websites to get an idea of what other users say about the longevity of the mug you’re most interested in buying.

Ease of Cleaning

There are a lot of travel mugs on the market. Some of these have small openings, which are great for drinking out of, they’re a pain to clean!

If you want to drink coffee out of a travel mug, get one that is easy to clean — especially if you drink milk in your coffee.

Look for mugs that are easy to disassemble and allow you to clean all parts if you’ll be hand washing your cup.

If you want the easiest way to clean your mug, get one that is dishwasher safe.

Leak and Spillproof

Have you ever taken a sip of your coffee only to wind up with a dribble down the front of your shirt? It’s the worst. Not only can it burn you, but it can also stain your clothes.

When you get a new travel mug, find one that is as leakproof and spillproof as possible.

The best options have two sealing mechanisms to prevent leaks. The first covers the sipping area, and the second keeps the lid in place and prevents it from being knocked loose. Both will help keep you injury-free and free of stains.

Size

As with any travel product, size is incredibly important (especially if you like to travel light).

Look for a travel mug that meets your thirst requirements. For example, if you like Venti lattes, consider an 18-ounce mug.

In addition to quenching your thirst, you’ll also want a mug that won’t rattle in the cupholder of your car, is small enough for you to grip with one hand (if you’re driving), and won’t take up too much space in your bag. Look at the base of the mug and make sure it’s easy to grip.

Stainless Steel

Have you ever noticed that the best water bottles and mugs are usually stainless steel? This isn’t a coincidence.

Stainless steel retains heat better than plastic and is more durable than glass and ceramic. It’s the best material for retaining heat because it’s the best material for vacuum insulation.

If you’re searching for a new travel mug, we highly recommend one that is stainless steel.

Vacuum Insulation

If you’re looking for a good travel mug to keep your coffee hot, get a vacuum-insulated mug.

Vacuum insulation is what provides the best heat retention. Because heat transfers by conduction, a gap between surfaces (i.e., the vacuum seal between your hand and the interior of the mug) will slow the transfer of heat.

Think about holding a standard coffee mug: you can feel the heat transferring from the cup to your hand as the heat leaves your coffee. Now imagine holding a vacuum-sealed travel mug. It’s cold to the touch. That’s because the heat from the coffee does not have a solid surface to transfer to. As such, the coffee retains its heat, and you maintain your hot, tasty beverage.

AnaNS / Shutterstock

The next time you need a travel mug, use this buying guide and our top picks to help you find the perfect option.