The Russell Hobbs RHDIH103 is our best plug-in pick: a freestanding twin-zone induction hob that plugs into an ordinary socket, with no electrician and no fitting cost. For renters, caravans and extra hob space, it's the install-free way to get real induction cooking. Here's what it does, and where its limits lie.
Most induction hobs are built-in appliances that need wiring into a dedicated circuit, which rules them out for plenty of people. The Russell Hobbs RHDIH103 is the answer to that problem: a portable twin-zone induction hob that runs from a normal 13A socket. It can't match a built-in hob for power or zones, and it isn't trying to. What it offers is genuine induction speed and precision with zero installation, and for the right buyer that's exactly the trade worth making.
| Model | Price | Type | Controls | Power | Rating | Link | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ★ Top pick Russell Hobbs RHDIH103 Double Portable Induction Hob | £207.39 | Freestanding, twin zone | Digital touch, 10 power levels | 2000 W total, plugs into a 13A socket | ★ 4.1 | View → |
£207.39
Freestanding, twin zone · Digital touch, 10 power levels · 2000 W total, plugs into a 13A socket
The verdict from Freya Lindqvist, kitchen appliance tester
The best plug-in option. The Russell Hobbs RHDIH103 is the answer for anyone who cannot or does not want to fit a built-in hob: renters, caravanners, students, or anyone needing extra rings at Christmas. It is a twin-zone freestanding induction hob that plugs into an ordinary 13A socket, with proper digital controls and ten power levels. It cannot match a built-in 60 cm hob for power or zones, but for portable, install-free induction cooking it is excellent value.
Sets up in seconds and gives you real induction speed on a worktop, with no electrician required.
This hob is for anyone who can't, or doesn't want to, fit a built-in hob. Renters who aren't allowed to alter the wiring, caravanners and campervan owners, students in shared kitchens, and anyone who needs an extra couple of rings when entertaining at Christmas: this is the hob for all of them. It plugs into an ordinary socket and is ready to cook in seconds, with proper digital controls and ten power levels, so you get the real induction experience without the cost and disruption of an electrical job.
It's less suited to a permanent main hob in a busy family kitchen. With only two zones and a lower total power than a built-in hob, it can't run a full multi-pan meal at full tilt. If you have the wiring and want a primary hob, a built-in 60 cm model like the Bosch Series 6 or the budget Beko HII64200MT is the better long-term choice. The Russell Hobbs is about flexibility and freedom from installation, not maximum capacity.
Despite running from a normal socket, the RHDIH103 gives you genuine induction speed on a worktop. A pan of water comes to the boil far faster than it would on a portable ceramic or a gas camping ring, and heat changes are instant, just as on a built-in induction hob. For its intended use, a pan of pasta on one zone and a sauce on the other, it's quick and capable, and a world away from the slow, fiddly portable hobs of the past.
You get two independent cooking zones with their own digital touch controls and ten power levels each, so you can hold a low simmer on one ring while boiling hard on the other. The controls are clear and the power range is fine enough for careful cooking. The key limitation is the shared circuit: because both zones draw from a single 13A socket, the hob manages the total power between them, so you can't have both zones at maximum at once. For everyday two-pan cooking that's rarely an issue; it only shows if you try to push both hard simultaneously.
This is where it wins outright. There's no installation at all: unbox it, set it on the worktop, plug it in, and cook. It's light enough to move, store in a cupboard, or take to a caravan, and it needs no permission from a landlord and no electrician. That convenience is the entire point, and for people who've assumed induction simply wasn't an option for them, it's a small revelation.
The RHDIH103's limits are inherent to its plug-in design, and worth being clear about. It has only two zones, not four, and a lower total power than any built-in hob, and because both zones share one 13A circuit you can't run two large pans at full power together. It is not a replacement for a proper built-in hob in a busy kitchen. But none of that is a fault; it's the trade you accept in exchange for needing no installation at all. If you have the wiring for a built-in hob, choose one; if you don't, this is the realistic route to real induction, as we explain in our buying guide.
No, and that is its whole appeal. It is a freestanding twin-zone induction hob that plugs straight into an ordinary 13A socket, so there is no electrician and no fitting cost. That makes it the obvious choice for renters, caravans, student kitchens, or as extra cooking space when you are entertaining.
Not at the same time at maximum power. Both zones share a single 13A circuit, so the hob manages the total draw between them. For everyday use, such as a pan of pasta on one zone and a sauce on the other, it is fine; it simply cannot match a hardwired built-in hob that gives each zone its own full power.
For its job, yes, but the jobs are different. The Russell Hobbs gives you genuine induction speed and precision with zero installation, which a built-in hob cannot. A built-in 60 cm hob gives you four zones and far more total power, which the portable cannot. Choose the portable when you need flexibility or cannot fit a built-in hob, and the built-in when you can.
The Russell Hobbs RHDIH103 is our best plug-in pick because it brings genuine induction cooking to any worktop with zero installation. For renters, caravanners, students and anyone needing extra rings, it's the obvious choice, and excellent value for what it offers. It can't match a built-in hob for power or zones, so if you can have a dedicated circuit fitted, the Bosch Series 6 or the budget Beko HII64200MT are the stronger long-term buys. Either way, check your pans are induction-compatible before you order, since the magnet test applies just the same to a portable hob.