The 5 Best Travel Mugs in 2019

Editors' Choice: Zojirushi SM-SA48 Stainless Steel Mug

The Zojirushi SM-SA48 Stainless Steel 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 5-year warranty on heat retention!

Zojirushi Pros

• Heat retention: Keeps your beverages hot for up to eight hours
• Warranty: Comes with a five-year heat retention warranty
• Easy to Clean: A removable stopper and nonstick interior makes this super easy to clean
• Color variety: Comes in 12 different colors

Zojirushi Cons

• Price: More expensive than other travel mugs on the market

Best Value: Contigo SnapSeal Byron Travel Mug

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The Contigo SnapSeal ByronTravel mug is a stainless steel, vacuum-insulated travel mug is available in 16 oz or 20 oz and comes in a variety of colors.  It will keep your beverages hot for up to six hours or cold for 12. 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 and you’d be wrong. We love this travel mug because it’s not only top quality, but it’s one of the more affordable mugs we’ve come across.

Contigo SnapSeal Byron Travel Mug Pros

• Heat retention: Keeps your hot beverages hot for up to six hours
• Cold retention: Keeps your cold beverages cold for up to 12 hours
• Warranty: Comes with a lifetime warranty
• Easy to Clean: Dishwasher safe
• Color variety: Comes in a variety of colors

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

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Sometimes you just want a large cup of coffee. If that’s the cast, consider investing the in the Bubba Classic Insulated Desk Mug which can hold a whopping 52 oz of your favorite beverage!

Not only is this travel mug large, but it’s durable and will keep your hot beverages hot for hours and your cold drinks cool for hours as well. It comes in a patented keg shape and has an ergonomically designed handle with a soft touch grip for added comfort.

Pros

• Big: Holds up to 52 oz of your favorite beverage
• Heat retention: Will keep your hot drinks hot
• Cold retention: Will keep your cool beverages cold

Cons

• Too big: This mug is very large and won’t fit in most car cup holders

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If a beautiful design in your primary objective in your hunt for a good 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 functions like a travel mug. 

The Ello mug is made of stainless steel and will keep 16 oz 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 so it’s comfortable and easy to hold. What’s more? This travel mug is dishwasher safe!

Ello Pros

• Pretty: 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: This mug claims to be 100% leakproof
• Retains heat and cold: Will keep your hot beverages hot for up to five hours and your cold drinks cold for up to 10 hours.
• Easy to clean: Mug is dishwasher safe
• Warranty: Comes with a lifetime guarantee

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

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Looking for a travel mug to keep your coffee hot as long as possible? This Contigo travel mug is your best beg. It keeps your hot drinks piping hot for up to seven hours (or cold for up to 12) thanks to THERMALOCK vacuum insulation and has an autoseal lid to prevent leaks, spills, and accidents.

This mug is also incredibly easy to use. Driving? You can sneak a sip with just one hand thanks to the easy push button. It’s also easy to clean.

Contigo Autoseal Transit Mug Pros

• Leakproof: This mug claims to be 100% spillproof, leakproof, and accident proof
• Retains heat longer: Will keep your hot beverages hot for up to seven hours
• Keeps beverages cold: Will keep your water cold for up to 12 hours
• Color variety: Comes in four different color options

Contigo Autoseal Transit Mug Cons

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

Travel Mugs Buyers Guide

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If you’re looking for a travel mug as opposed to a simple travel water bottle, chances are you want the versatility to enjoy either hot or cold beverages from it. Drinking water? You want it to stay cold. Coffee or tea? You want it hot! You’ll also want something that’s durable, big enough to hold your beverage of choice without being too large and cumbersome for travel, and of course something that’s easy to clean. You’ll also want to make sure it’s leak and spillproof. And perhaps you’ll want it to be made of stainless steel like most good travel water bottles and mugs are.

Here’s everything you need to consider when looking at the best travel mug:

Vacuum Insulation

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If you’re looking for a good travel mug to keep your coffee hot, it’s imperative that the mug is vacuum-insulated. Vacuum insulation is what provides the best heat retention. As heat is transferred by conduction, a gap between surfaces (ie, the vacuum seal between your hand and the interior of the mug) will slow the transfer of heat.

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

Stainless Steel

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

Stainless steel retains heat better than plastic and is more durable than glass and ceramic. It’s also the best material for retaining heat as it’s the best material for vacuum insulation. Thus – if you’re searching for a new travel mug, we highly recommend you purchase one that is comprised of stainless steel.

Leak and Spillproof

Have you ever taken a sip of your Starbucks coffee only to wind up with a dribble down the front of your shirt? It’s the worst. Not only can it burn you (ouch!) but it can stain your clothes. Our point? If you’re looking for a new travel mug, make sure you find one that is as leakproof and spillproof as possible.

The best travel mugs have two sealing mechanisms to prevent leaks. The first covers the sipping area, and the second locks the lid into place and prevents it from being knocked loose. Both are major wins for you as they will help keep you injury free and free of stains.

Ease of Cleaning

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

If you want to drink coffee out of a travel mug, you’re going to want a mug 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 thoroughly clean all parts.

Size

As with any travel product, size is incredibly important (especially if you like to travel light). Thus, you should look for a travel mug that meets your thirst requirements. Like Venti lattes? Consider an 18-ounce mug. Ok with something a bit smaller? Check out the 16-ounce options.

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. Thus, make sure to look at the base of the mug and make sure it’s easy for you to grip and drink from.

Durability

When looking at travel mugs, make sure to inquire about durability.

We’ve already told you we like stainless steel travel mugs because they won’t break like glass or ceramic. You’ll also want to make sure the mug won’t dent or begin leaking if you accidentally drop it.

We hope this guide helped you in your quest for a new travel mug.