The best artificial Christmas trees, rated by our experts for easy set-up and appearance, from £40

How we test artificial Christmas trees

To find the best artificial Christmas trees, our experts consider how simple each one is to set up, as well as its overall appearance, sturdiness and how easy it is to store away.

Our testers first assemble each tree, timing how long it takes to put every branch into place and fluff them up. They award points for realism, assessing the coverage provided and whether you can see the internal mechanisms or if it’s bushy enough to hide them.

Then they decorate the tree, seeing how well it supports everything from baubles to a star on the top. They knock into it too, to see if it’s stable enough to suit busy households. They also try moving it about to gauge how heavy it is if you need to alter its positioning at all.

Finally, they take everything down, timing it again and scoring how easy it is to put it back into its box (or storage bag if relevant) so it’s ready for next year.

These are the trees that really set the scene.

Score: 90/100

This bushy, pre-lit tree looks realistic and was up in six minutes, sitting securely in its base. Our testers liked the fact it rotates – especially as it's heavy to manoeuvre – which made decorating a breeze (and ensured no bare patches).

All our baubles stayed in place well, although our star topper tilted ever so slightly. However, the pre-lit lights worked a treat – they were expertly strung to avoid any visible wires and cast a warm glow over the tree. It took a while to put it away though, mainly because the branches were hard to squeeze back into the box. That’s a small niggle, however – and it’s available in a range of heights, so you can find the perfect fit for your living room.

If that hasn’t convinced you, it’s also worth noting that this tree has been awarded our GHI Green Seal. This means that as well as passing our rigorous tests, it’s been through a life cycle assessment (LCA) that evaluates the carbon impact of every step of its journey – from the materials it’s made of and how its produced, to how its packaged, transported and eventually disposed of.

Balsam Hill’s tree generates lower emissions than 75% of artificial Christmas trees on the market, in part because of its low carbon impact during transport of materials (4.1% of its emissions) and distribution (5.9%). It also uses True Needles made with 30% post-consumer, GRS-certified recycled polyethylene (a type of plastic sourced from tear-away water bottle caps) to help reduce emissions and increase the lifespan of the tree.

Choose this if: You want a realistic Christmas tree that’s speedy to assemble with luxurious touches.

Key specifications

Score: 87/100

If you’re looking for an affordable, realistic Christmas tree this year, look no further than Habitat’s Pre-Lit Dewdrop tree. This pretty 6ft option features a mix of 3D and flat pine needles to help create an authentic depth and texture from all angles.

The hinged branches make set-up relatively quick – all the branches were in place and fluffed up within nine minutes. Once you stand back, you might find the tree isn’t fully symmetrical, but we thought this added to its natural charm and brought it to life even more. There’s one longer branch at the top for the star but we had to fold it over to keep our topper upright.

The tree’s lights offer a nice, warming glow, along with eight different settings if you want to change things up. A timer would have been a nice add-on but that’s a feature we can live without for the overall price tag.

Choose this if: You want a realistic Christmas tree without the premium price tag.

Key specifications

Score: 87/100

This gorgeous pre-lit Christmas tree really impressed us in testing. Standing at a statuesque 7ft, it has 2,500 bulbs, and the warm lights really brightened up the room, casting a lovely glow.

It takes a while to get to the final unveiling though, with assembly taking us 22 minutes and 12 seconds. The tree comes in three sections (which are individually tied with a red festive bow) and each part slotted into one another easily. The hinged branches fell into position smoothly, but fluffing the individual branches took time. We found this tree wasn’t as realistic as the Royal Blue Spruce either, so go for that one if this is a priority.

We did find that the branches were stronger on this tree, though, perfectly supporting our baubles and a star without it sitting on a slant. Overall, it looks fantastic, and it comes with all the Balsam Hill luxuries, including gloves to protect your hands, a storage bag, and helpful diagrams showing how to get your tree looking its best year after year.

Choose this if: You want the best lights and don’t mind paying the premium price tag.

Key specifications

Score: 85/100

If you’re looking for something less expensive than our winner but still want that realistic design, choose this pre-lit tree from Neptune. It has a natural shape rather than an overly perfect appearance and the distribution of the branches and pines was fantastic, with minimal gaps.

It was easy to assemble too, taking just four and a half minutes, thanks to the hinged branches. Lightweight decorations hung nicely although chunkier baubles dangled slightly from softer branch tips. The star needed a bit of adjusting to get it sitting upright too.

The warm white lights were well-distributed through the tree, but we’d have preferred a few more bulbs – the effect was less dazzling than others; it was more charming and understated. You can always add extras if you’re after a bit of wow-factor.

Choose this if: You want that realistic look without paying the price of the most premium trees.

Key specifications

Score: 84/100

If you like the look of Balsam Hill’s Canadian Blue Green Spruce Christmas Tree but don’t want to pay as much, this tree is a slightly cheaper alternative that has a similar warming effect.

Initially, the top two sections didn’t light up but once we reconnected the joins and fiddled with the positioning of the connectors, the 4,800 LED bulbs cast a warm, yellowy glow over the room – it was certainly worth the wait.

The tree isn’t completely symmetrical, but its bushy finish gives it a more natural look. We had to use a few branches to prop up the star, but the rest of the tree easily supported lightweight baubles and decorations.

Choose this if: You want an ultra-bright tree without the cost of the premium Balsam Hill model.

Key specifications

Score: 83/100

At under £300, this pre-lit artificial Christmas tree offers excellent value for money. Assembly was quick, taking just under eight minutes to build and fully fluff the branches. It’s worth taking the time to do this too, as the finished result was a very full, realistic-looking tree with sturdy branches that easily held up decorations. The very top branch struggled to hold our star straight though, so we had to use a few smaller branches to stop it slanting.

This tree also has a voice command function that allows you to set the timer, change the setting or turn the tree off. You can’t command the tree to turn on though, so you will have to emerge from your cosy pile of blankets on the sofa when you want that festive glow.

Choose this if: You’re looking for excellent value for money and smart features.

Key specifications

Score: 83/100

With its neat, structured silhouette, this tree is less realistic than some, but the emerald green colour and different textures on the tips help bring it to life. It was quick to put the sections together, but the whole assembly process took over 10 minutes as the branches needed lots of fluffing.

Some areas were sparser than we’d have liked but lightweight decorations can easily disguise any gaps. You’ll need to use two branches to support the star up the top too as just one left it a bit wonky. It was easy to set the timer for the lights, and the eight functions allow you to customise the look of your tree.

Taking it down was quick and simple and the box is a good size, making it easy to get back in after Christmas. Overall, this offers great value for money.

Choose this if: You’re after a neat-looking tree with an affordable price tag.

Key specifications

Score: 82/100

This impressive tree also has hinged branches to make set-up simple. Fluffing up the branches took longer than with other trees – nearly 15 minutes – due to the size and number of the tips. Once spread apart though, the tree looked beautiful.

The foliage kept our star upright and burning bright on top; however, adding two branches gave it a more stable finish. The pre-lit lights have eight functions and a timer that switches them on and turns them off again after eight hours.

Putting the tree away was easy and we appreciated the large box which meant we didn’t have to spend time squeezing it in.

Choose this if: You have plenty of space in your living room and want an impressive pre-lit tree.

Key specifications

Score: 80/100

With “Opulent” in the name, we expected something grand – and this tree delivered thanks to its impressive size. While set-up took longer than planned (almost 19 minutes), it scored full marks for the even and realistic distribution of the branches once fluffed.

Our main challenge came when connecting the lights within the tree, as it was tricky to find the right points with so many branches in the way. So, we recommend finding the connectors before assembling so they’re all lined up. Although the foliage at the top lacked the strength to hold our star completely straight, our decorations hung nicely on the sturdy branches.

Choose this if: You want a large, grand tree with sturdy branches.

Key specifications

Score: 79/100

This great value tree has a beautiful ‘upswept’ look. Assembly took just over 13 minutes – but most of that time was spent fluffing the branches – and all the tree parts easily slotted into one another. Plus, it’s light at 8kg, which makes it easy to move around once built.

The tree isn’t as full as others on this list, but the branches still gave it a good shape and were thick enough to support baubles without weighing them down. The star on top was a little wonky!

Choose this if: You want an affordable tree or prefer an unlit option.

Key specifications

At under £100, this tree is a good budget option with lots of sizes available to suit different homes. It was quick to put up and position, and it didn’t take long to fluff the branches. However, the foliage isn’t as bushy as other trees, with a few gaps that mean you to see the stand in places.

The tree has a mix of two different textured pine needles, which adds depth, but the colouring is slightly off – it’s a bit too dark for a real Christmas tree. Once you add lights and baubles though, you won’t notice this too much though.

Choose this if: You want an affordable tree that’s quick and easy to put up and take down.

Key specifications

Score: 78/100

Available in three different sizes, this pre-lit tree is a great pick for a range of households. Like some of the other trees in this list, it has three parts that slot together and branches on a hinged mechanism for speedy set-up.

We love that the lights can be switched between warm white and multi-coloured at the touch of a button as this should save some arguments about this year’s festive colour scheme. Plus, with 11 light settings, you can create the perfect glow.

The branches are quite widely spaced so there were a few gaps throughout the tree, and we did notice a little drooping when we popped the decorations on, but overall, this is a good, affordable buy.

Choose this if: You’re looking for a budget pre-lit pick with the option of warm white or multicoloured lights.

Key specifications

Score: 78/100

At less than £100, this is an excellent pick for anyone on a budget. The snow-tipped, six-foot tree was quick and easy to assemble, taking under eight minutes to build and fluff up thanks to its thick, dense branches.

These do sit far off the ground though, so none of them cover up the stand. They were strong enough to hold an array of decorations though – we had to wiggle some decorations on past the dense pines. That said, this did make it tricky to get the star on as the branches were too wide to for its base.

Choose this if: You prefer a snow-flocked artificial Christmas tree and want something that’s quick to put up and take down.

Key specifications

Score: 77/100

Turn to this Habitat pre-lit design if you don’t want your Christmas tree taking up too much space (or need more room for present opening and cheese gobbling…). It comes in two sections, which easily slot together, although assembly took just under nine minutes due to the way the lights were wrapped around each section, making fluffing up trickier.

It failed to support heavier decorations in places – our star needed three branches to remain upright – but the tree’s slim shape makes it easy to pack away once the festivities were over.

Choose this if: You don’t have much space for a tree or want a smaller second tree for another room in your home.

Key specifications

Score: 76/100

While this tree was quick to put together, taking just two minutes, we then spent 19 minutes fluffing up the branches to create an attractive finished look. Overall, it looked bushy with plenty of branches to fill any gaps and they were sturdy enough to support decorations. As the branches are quite large and full, it was slightly tricky to manoeuvre once assembled so we recommend getting the tree in place first.

This one was easy to take down but getting it back into the box proved a challenge due to its size – buying a storage bag might be an easier solution.

Choose this if: You want a large, bushy tree without spending a premium price.

Key specifications

Why you should trust the Good Housekeeping Institute

Good Housekeeping comes into its own at Christmas, thanks to the GHI's best Christmas food and drink, and our expert gift guides.

Christmas trees are an equally serious business, and our reviews are overseen by our homes testing manager Blossom Boothroyd, who has devised rigorous protocols to ensure each meets our very high standards.

Our senior homes and lifestyle writer, Megan Geall, is responsible for making sure we’ve tested the must-have brands and for turning all the results into helpful reviews. Which means all you have to do is decide on your decorations.

What to look for before buying an artificial Christmas tree

There’s more to consider when shopping for an artificial tree than with a real one you pick up at the garden centre. Some come in non-traditional shades like pink and white, or with artificial snow or glitter finishes, giving you more options for your festive scheme.

Colour aside, here’s what our experts recommend bearing in mind when you shop.

Size

This one goes without saying really but check the tree’s measurements to ensure it’s not too tall (or too small) for your space before buying.

Material

Most artificial trees are made of plastic; either PVC or polyethylene (PE). The latter is the more recent innovation and involves the use of moulds to create a more realistic look. Consequently, these trees also tend to be more expensive.

Branch design

As well as looking for full and realistic foliage, look at whether the branches are hinged, which means they fall easily into place when you put the tree up, or if you’ll need to hook each one in, which can take longer. Some need shaping too.

Above, we've included the number of tips (the branch ends you can hang decorations off) where possible, as this helps give an idea of the finished look and just how many baubles you can hang.

Lighting

Some trees come with built-in lights – which is handy if you want to speed up your decorating and avoid lots of tangled cables. As you would with standard fairy lights, make sure you like the light colour and that it has the settings you’re after (some can flicker, for example).

Check if the cable is long enough to reach your plug socket too, and see if the tree also comes with spare lightbulbs.

How much should I spend on an artificial Christmas tree?

The price of an artificial Christmas tree varies depending on their height and fullness. In our list, they range between £1199 (RRP) and £40. Our higher scorers sit around the £300-£400 mark for a 6ft or 7ft tree. These will make a great statement in the home and, thanks to the high number of tips and branches, look more realistic than cheaper options.

There are some standout value buys in our list, though, including Habitat’s 6ft Mixed Tip Natural Upswept Christmas Tree (£120 RRP).

While artificial trees are typically more expensive than real trees at first, they do last for years, so think of it as an investment piece for years to come.

How to make an artificial Christmas tree look more realistic

Many artificial Christmas trees on the market are impressive when it comes to nailing that realistic look. They use a mix of materials to create a more textured finish, as well as a higher number of tips on the branches for a fuller appearance. However, if you’re concerned about it looking too artificial, there are a few easy steps you can take to make it look better.

First, make sure to fluff up all the branches. It can be a boring job, but it’s important to spend time spreading them out to achieve that all-important natural finish. Work from the inside out and fan smaller tips in different directions, making sure to take a step back now and then to check for any bare patches. Avoid perfect symmetry by bending branches to mimic a real tree.

You could also add some real branches to give a more authentic texture or add more artificial ones if your tree is looking slightly sparse in places. And if it’s the fresh, Christmas tree scent you’re missing, try adding some scent sticks into the depths of the branches. You’ll hardly notice the difference.

Artificial Christmas trees vs real ones – which is greener?

As is so often the case with questions about sustainability, the most sustainable option would be forgoing a tree altogether. However, if you can’t be without one for the big day (us, either), then investing in a real tree that still has its roots means it can be replanted in your garden or in a larger pot and kept for next year.

If you don’t have a garden, you can still opt for this, as there are many rental services now available that will collect your tree after Christmas and nurture it until the following festive season. Some even let you have the same tree year after year.

Real trees that have been cut down and have lost their roots are still recyclable. Many local councils will collect them to be chipped and turned into compost. There are also recycling sites and certain garden centres will accept trees if your council doesn’t.

Artificial trees tend to be non-recyclable and although you can reuse them each year, to avoid buying more plastic, real trees are generally the greener option.

What is the GHI Green Seal?

The new Good Housekeeping Green Seal offers reassurance that a product has not only passed our rigorous tests but has also been through a thorough life cycle assessment (LCA). An LCA measures the carbon impact of every stage of a product’s journey, from materials and production to transport and end of life.

We’ve teamed up with Planet FWD to carry out the life cycle assessments. The female-founded brand collects all the data from brands, then processes and analyses it to identify which areas have the biggest carbon impact, feeding back on how they can improve their processes, and looking at how they stand up against other products in the same category. Because we want to make it easy to make more sustainable choices when you’re shopping. Just look for our logo.