British appliance brand Stoves has conducted a survey of range cooker customers to find out what they want in future models and the features and functions they value the most.

The brand surveyed 1,000 consumers across the UK who had purchased any range cooker model within the last two years.

Interestingly, it revealed range cooker owners are getting younger, with the highest proportion (39%) aged 25-34.

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In addition, the survey also revealed the range cooker is no longer the preserve of the affluent, with the average combined salary of an owner £35,000 or less.

Stoves discovered the most highly-rated features were a multi-function oven, having multiple oven cavities and a separate grill, plus easy cleaning functionality.

When asked what their current range cooker could do better, more than half of respondents (52%) said speedier cooking.

A further 26% wanted their existing appliance to be bigger with larger cooking cavities.

Interestingly, when asked whether connectivity would be important in their next range cooker purchase, nearly three-quarters (74%) said they wanted Artificial Intelligence or Connectivity capability.

And when probed about what element of connectivity was most important, more than a third (37%) said a range cooker which can connect to smart phones or home assistants, such as Alexa.

The research asked consumers what functions of other electronic goods or appliances, they would like to see applied to range cookers.

The top results (26%) was for a range cooker to be “fully customisable” with interchangable door covers to change the look of the appearance at will.

Equally popular was the addition of “weight recognition”, from the laundry sector, so the oven cavity can weight items and automatically adjust cooking times, this was followed (22%) by speech recognition.

head of category for range cooking at Stoves Steven Dickson said: “In the last couple of years we’ve invested heavily in the application of new technology to what has always been quite a traditional sector, including the introduction of Zeus Bluetooth connectivity to our Deluxe range cookers.

“This research proves that the appetite is there for further innovation and it was designed to give us an insight into what consumers are looking for from us as manufacturers.

“The findings have proven to be extremely thought provoking for us as a business and we hope to apply some of these ideas to future product development.

“Technology is moving quickly and the expectation amongst consumers seems to be that they want their kitchen appliances to keep up.”