Tired of spilling coffee? These travel mugs will save your morning commute

CNN

01-07-2025

The best travel mugs we tested
Best travel coffee mug: Zojirushi 16-Ounce Seamless Stainless Mug
Best travel coffee mug runner-up: Fellow 16-Ounce Carter Move Travel Mug
Best travel coffee mug for commuters: Miir 16-Ounce 360 Traveler Mug There are few things I enjoy more than a piping-hot coffee in the morning, but if the vessel I use can't keep things warm, or worse, spills something, my favorite morning ritual might end up ruining my entire day. That's where the best travel coffee mug comes in.
Travel mugs are a staple for morning commutes and anyone wanting to take their beverage on the go. You can drink hot tea atop a mountain or bring ice-cold water to the beach. Taking a travel mug to a local coffee shop might even score you a discount. The possibilities are endless.
I pushed the limits of these drink containers to see what they're capable of. After all, things happen when you're on the move, be it morning traffic or a slight tumble. Even our best-tested water bottles won't cut it when it comes to certain boiling beverages. You'll need something with insulation, a leakproof lid and a body comfortable to hold onto. So, I assembled a product pool of 16 of the most popular, top-rated mugs and rated them side by side. Here's what I found.
Zojirushi 16-Ounce Seamless Stainless Mug
This Zojirushi travel mug was a top performer in my temperature testing, keeping both hot and cold drinks secure and well insulated while on the go, whether to the office or up a mountain.
Fellow 16-Ounce Carter Move Travel Mug
This mug from Fellow is equipped with a detachable splash guard for moving with your beverages throughout the day. This mug keeps your drinks both hot and cold and protects you from any spillage along your travel route.
Miir 16-Ounce 360 Traveler Mug
The Miir 360 Traveler lets you drink your beverage of choice with just the push of a button. Simply press down on the center of the cap to unlock and have 360-degree access to your morning brew. Along with convenient sipping, its strong insulation for hot and cold beverages makes it one of my winning picks. When it comes to hot coffee, the Zojirushi Seamless travel mug is almost too good at its job. Once I started using this stainless steel mug, I was shocked at how well it kept my morning beverages piping hot, to the point where I had to add some oat milk to cool things down after a while.
Testing different travel mugs from the brand proves that Zojirushi products have some of the best insulation on the market. The Seamless Stainless Steel Mug comes out on top because it pairs high performance with portability. For example, the newer 27-Ounce Stainless Mug also keeps drinks piping hot, but it can't fit in my cup holder. Others from the brand were similarly too large or not as well insulated, but the 16-ounce Seamless travel mug had a Goldilocks fit that remained just right.
The Zojirushi Seamless mug's capability for both hot and cold liquids is hard to beat. I filled it with my morning coffee at 6:30 a.m., and I felt the same level of heat after nursing it for around four hours. When filling it with tea at the office, I had to add some cold water after 30 minutes, as my beverage would not cool down enough for me to take a comfortable sip.
Where the Zojirushi Seamless mug truly impressed me was in the ice water test. I placed three cubes of ice in each travel mug and left the bottle out in extreme heat. Three ice cubes were still intact after several hours in the sun. Honestly, I was stunned.
After numerous durability tests, this bottle was susceptible to a scratch or two (which could be because of its matte finish); however, it's unlikely you'll intentionally drop your travel mug on a concrete patio or roll it down a rocky trail as I did. Despite these scratches, the mug is easy to hand-wash and dry (since vacuum mugs from the brand are not dishwasher-safe). It's also important to note that if the mug's heat-retention capabilities become damaged, this product comes with a five-year warranty.
Regarding its dimensions, the Seamless mug holds 16 ounces and has a smallish base that sits comfortably in my car's cup holder. The cap twists open and closed, and I had no issues with leaks while throwing it loose into my work bag. However, I did find that it was too tall to be compatible with my home and office coffee machines. This didn't bother me in the end, since it kept my drinks warm for so long and I didn't need to top off the coffee throughout the day (and could just use a coffee cup to fill the mug if need be).
You can often find the Zojirushi Seamless mug at around $30 online, but the exact price does tend to fluctuate between retailers. Regardless, this travel mug is a solid investment to keep your drinks warm (or cool) and secure while on the go. Just be careful not to burn your tongue.
Though the Fellow Carter Move Mug looks smaller than the Zojirushi mug above, it also offers 16 ounces of well-insulated liquid real estate. Its shorter stature does make it compatible with different sized coffee machines, however, and it has impressive temperature retention for both warm and cold liquids.
The Carter Move is easy to carry, with shorter and wider dimensions than my top pick in the Zojirushi. The cylinder has a rounded-edge design that's compatible with standard car cup holders, and its matte finish is sleek.
It came neck and neck with my top pick in temperature retention tests, keeping hot liquids at a biting temperature after an hour and protecting the three ice cubes under the southern California sun for an equal amount of time.
The Fellow Carter Move has something no other travel mug in my testing pool had, however: a unique splash guard. This guard is a removable piece of the mug that sits at the top of the lid opening and prevents liquids from spilling out as you drink or while it sits in a cup holder. I tested this over a sink, filling the mug with water and swishing it around violently. Some water did escape, but the splash guard kept larger amounts of water from flying out.
Despite this praise, the Fellow Carter Move is a runner-up because the Zojirushi has better insulation, a feature that's arguably the most important part of any travel coffee mug. Rather than casting the Carter aside, however, the strong performance across other categories proves it's worthy of being a top pick. You might not burn your tongue from your beverage, but you're still sipping from something that will carry your drink well.
I've tested this product over several months, and it continues to impress me. For $35, you're buying a travel mug that can last through many morning commutes, a few tumbles and several heat waves.
Drinking from a travel mug while driving is a strenuous ordeal, but the Miir 360 Traveler makes it easy to sip without taking your eyes off the road. The push-to-sip lid and impressive temperature regulation make it my winning pick for the best travel mug for commuters.
What I liked most is that you can sip from any side of the lid since there is no designated spout — you just push the center of the lid down to unlock and take a swig. No untwisting or turning the mug to the right angle is required. This is especially useful if you're keeping your eyes on the road while driving or just reaching blindly into your bag for the mug.
Along with its overall ease of use, the cup boasts excellent temperature regulation. The 360 Traveler kept boiling water above 150 degrees for over three hours. While the Fellow and Zojirushi proved better in these tests, the Miir is by no means less impressive. After all, sipping something that's 150 degrees Fahrenheit can still burn your tongue. Honestly, it can be too warm for too long.
When it came to ice water, the Miir also protected my heart-shaped ice-cubes from the sun for over three hours. I could still see them swishing around in the water after testing. It's important to note that large ice cubes likely won't fit in the 360 Traveler since it has a smaller overall diameter (something to remember if you freeze custom ice cubes, like me).
Another feature I appreciated was that the 360 Traveler is 100% leak-proof when locked. I can turn it over, shake it, even drop it on the ground and it won't release a single drop. As someone with a morning commute, I know I can toss it into my work bag or tote without worrying about it spilling. Even better, I can grab it and take a sip on the way to the office without having to wait for a red light.
I'm a habitual coffee and tea drinker, so I had no problem sipping numerous steaming cups throughout testing for the best travel coffee mugs. I also added ice-cold water to each mug to assess its cooling capabilities.
A post shared by CNN Underscored (@cnnunderscored) I carried the mugs all over Los Angeles, making pit stops at work and my favorite coffee shops. I conducted various performance and durability tests along the way, evaluating their performance based on the following rubric.
Temperature
Insulation: Travel mugs are designed to keep drinks hot and cold, so I conducted two separate tests to evaluate each capability. I filled all travel mugs with ice water and left them outside during a hot day in Los Angeles. I checked on the ice hourly, noting which travel mug had the least melted ice after four hours in the sun. Next up was the hot water test. I poured boiling water into each travel mug and checked the temperature difference hourly. Top performers kept water above 150 degrees Fahrenheit after three hours.
Design
Functionality: I used each travel mug in my daily routine. If it made my life easier, I counted it as a win. If it leaked or made drinking difficult or uncomfortable, it lost points.
Cup holder test: A true test of whether a travel mug is portable is if it fits in a car cup holder. I took each travel mug with me in my 2016 Volkswagen Beetle to see if it fit in the cup holder, which has a 3-inch diameter, and nearly every mug in my testing pool did.
Comfort: I noted when the overall design of each mug, as well as the design and feel of each mug's lid, made it more comfortable to hold and drink from than others.
Performance
Daily use: I took each travel mug on my morning commute and across various activities in my daily routine. I noted how easy it was to pack each travel mug, the temperatures of my drinks throughout the day and ease of cleaning.
Leak test: A travel mug should keep your drink secure so you can throw it in a tote and not worry about any spillage. I filled the travel mugs with water and held them upside down, shaking them slightly for 10 seconds. Any travel mugs that leaked water — be it one drop or a larger spill — did not pass this assessment.
Durability: After filling each travel coffee mug with water, I dropped it onto a concrete patio to see if it could survive a slight fall. Despite a few scratches and loose lids, all the travel mugs proved to be fairly durable.
Cleaning: I do not have a dishwasher at my apartment, so I hand-washed all the travel mugs. However, I read the cleaning instructions for each travel mug and noted which are dishwasher-safe. Dishwasher-safe parts are not essential, but they do add a layer of convenience when it comes to cleaning.
Warranty
Warranty: I searched for the warranty information for each travel mug. Thankfully, all offer some kind of protection for your purchase.
Travel mugs are used daily to keep people caffeinated or hydrated. Naturally, there are a few things to consider when picking your beverage's sidekick. You'll want something with good insulation, meaning it keeps your beverages hot or cold. While you're not likely to fling it on the ground, as I did during testing, having a durable and leakproof travel mug is important for any bumps that might occur on the go.
CNN field producer Norma Galeana realized her appreciation for travel mugs through her work. Her job often requires her to travel constantly and be out the door even before most early risers.
'Having that travel mug is essential,' she said. 'I can make my coffee in the hotel or get it from the lobby, and I'm covered until the coffee shops open. Plus, it's good for the environment and it's a money saver.'
There are many designs and colors to choose from when browsing for a new travel mug, but aesthetics alone don't make for a good investment. Different features can fit into your routine in different ways. For example, if you're drinking on the move, a splash guard might minimize your risk of showing up to work with coffee on your shirt. If you plan to use your travel mug for outdoor adventures, invest in the best insulation so your drink stays at a consistent temperature for longer. It's also important to consider portability. 'I think what's essential is that it fits into the cup holder of the car,' Galeana said.
After all, you don't want things rolling around while you're making a tight turn or tucked away in a tote bag when you need a pick-me-up on the road. Convenience and functionality are key, but it's also an important safety consideration.
Lastly, looking at the price and warranty of different travel coffee mug options can help you narrow down your top picks. I've done this work for you with my testing pool, considering the price and warranty in my overall evaluation. While none of these products exceeded a $100 price point, these mugs are meant to last a long time and perform well for daily use. Knowing your investment is protected will give you peace of mind.
Owala 20-Ounce SmoothSip
The Owala SmoothSip is made for sipping coffee in style. There are four bold color combinations to choose from, and the spout is one of the most comfortable I've tested. Unfortunately, the lid is also prone to leaks and the insulation is not as strong as it is in other mugs in our testing pool. The Owala SmoothSip brings some personality to a traditional to-go coffee mug. The signature bold, mismatched colors of the brand made me smile throughout testing; however, the lid leaking throughout testing dampened the fun of this travel mug.
While the SmoothSip is comfortable to hold and sip from, the less-than-stellar insulation and lack of a locking lid caused it to fall in the rankings. If you plan on commuting from the kitchen to your at-home office, this mug will do the trick, but if you plan on braving the outdoors, I'd recommend something more leakproof, such as the Owala SmoothSip Slider below.
Owala 20-Ounce SmoothSip Slider
The Owala SmoothSip slider looks like the original SmoothSip, but it has a leakproof, locking lid. It's comfortable to hold, sized to fit in a car cup holder and available in 12 color combinations that are sure to match your aesthetic. Most importantly, it has a spout that makes it quite easy to sip from.Read our review It's no secret I'm a fan of the Owala SmoothSip Slider. I wrote a piece when it was released praising its spout and locking lid. While it's a triumph of comfort, the SmoothSip Slider is slightly less capable when it comes to temperature regulation than my top of the Zojirushi, but it still kept my drinks well insulated throughout testing.
While this travel mug didn't secure a winning spot, it's still fully capable of keeping your drinks secure, especially on the go. Not to hyperfixate on the point, but the lid's spout is the most comfortable I sipped from among the travel coffee mugs in our testing pool.
Miir 16-Ounce Flip Traveler
This travel mug has the same body as the winning Miir 360 but with a different lid you flip open to sip from. Aptly named, the Flip Traveler performed well in our insulation testing. Unfortunately, the flipping lid was not as comfortable to sip from as the winning Miir 360 Traveler. The Miir Flip Traveler surprised me with its strong insulation and impressive durability. It's easy to travel with, maintaining both hot and cold drinks for several hours.
What knocked this travel mug down a few spots was its comfort — or, rather, lack thereof. The flipping lock on the lid was not only awkward to sip from but downright uncomfortable at times. The opening of the spout is almost indented in the top of the lid, so taking a drink means you need to tilt your head back. If only filled halfway, I felt like I was on the verge of doing a backbend just to take a drink.
Stanley 24-Ounce Stay-Hot Camp Mug
Prefer to hold your coffee with a handle? The Stanley 24-ounce Stay-Hot Camp Mug is your solution. It includes a removable lid that is not leakproof. In terms of insulation, it did not retain temperature as well as others in the testing pool. The insulation of the Stanley 24-Ounce Stay-Hot Camp Mug was one of the least effective in the testing pool for both hot and cold beverages. During the ice-water test, for instance, the ice cubes had melted and the liquid felt slightly warm after three hours in the sun — not exactly thirst-quenching when I went to take a drink.
Where this mug excelled was with its sipping experience. You feel the cost of carrying around a travel mug shaped like an actual mug (what a concept), but this type of design proved to be more leak-prone and difficult to travel with throughout testing.
For example, the removable lid of the Stanley Stay-Hot Camp Mug has an open spout that failed to keep water from flowing out during my leak test. The other mug-shaped tumbler in the testing pool has a lid with a locking spout, but even that wasn't impervious to gravity.
This mug also does not fit into a car cup holder, which makes it extra prone to spillage if you're driving with it. I ended up emptying mine before I got in the car at the end of the workday, just to be safe.
Stanley 16-Ounce Aerolight Transit Bottle
Stanley's Aerolight Transit Bottle's pros include a leakproof lid and a design that fits in a car cup holder. The major con is that it did not perform well in my temperature insulation test. It lets warm liquids cool, and iced water heated up too quickly for my taste. I'm so accustomed to seeing Stanley Tumblers on my timeline that I forgot they made other kinds of travel mugs. The 16-ounce Aerolight Transit Bottle is a smaller travel mug from the brand that I had high hopes for.
To my surprise, this travel mug did not perform well in my boiling water insulation test. It dropped from 189 F to 134 F in just one hour. However, it did perform better in the ice water test. Though the ice in the bottle melted completely after three hours, the water was still cold and enjoyable to drink.
Hydro Flask 16-Ounce Wide Flex Sip
This is the only coffee tumbler in the testing pool with a large top handle. It performed well in both insulation tests and across durability and design, but the temperature regulation was just not as great as my winning picks. The Hydro Flask Wide Flex separates itself from the pack with its built-in handle on the lid. It's easy to swing by your side as you take a walk, and I also appreciated how easily it fit into my car's cup holder. The lid twists to lock, revealing a hidden spout whenever you're ready to take a sip.
The Wide Flex sip is also very durable. I can report seeing no dents after dropping it on concrete. And while its insulation tested well — it kept hot drinks hot and cool drinks cool for several hours — it didn't best any of my winning picks in this area.
Hydro Flask 24-Ounce Mug
This coffee cup-style mug from Hydro Flask delivers a cozy drinking experience, but this isn't the best for travel, as its lid tends to leak. This isn't one I'd throw into my tote bag with confidence. My mug collection at home would make you believe I don't sip from anything else, so I was excited to try this travel mug design. In general, though, travel mugs shaped like actual mugs proved to be less effective throughout testing. That said, the Hydro Flask Mug provided the best insulation and most comfortable feel out of the two I tested.
The exterior of the Hydro Flask Mug feels smooth. The rubberlike exterior of the Hydro Flask Mug is easy to grab, and the removable lid has a spout you can open and close. Despite the locking lid, a few drops of liquid escaped during the leak test.
I enjoyed using this mug to sip tea around my home and at the office, but traveling with it was a pain since it doesn't fit in a car cup holder and is prone to leaking. But if you're only taking this mug on a walk or using it around your home, then the lid should protect you from any major spillage.
Fellow Carter Slide Mug
The Fellow Carter Slide Mug has a unique slide cap that allows you to enjoy beverages without needing to untwist the lid. It fits comfortably in a car cup holder and sits under most pour-over drip coffee makers. Compared with the other Fellow mugs I tested, the insulation of the Slide was not as effective. Though not selected as a winner, this mug became a personal favorite of mine throughout testing. Its slanted cap pushes open to reveal a sipping feature other mugs I tested did not have. I loved the intentionality behind this design. It is sleek and easy to use, especially while driving, and while this mug does have impressive temperature retention, the other winners beat it in this area.
Corkcicle Sierra Commuter Cup
The Corkcicle Sierra Commuter Cup — available in five different nature-inspired hues — is easy to take on the go and can slide into a cup holder. I loved that it's dishwasher-safe, but my coffee cooled a little faster than I liked. The Corkcicle Sierra Commuter Cup was one of the most durable mugs I tested. It survived rolling down a rocky trail without any lasting scratches and no leaks. But where this mug lost points was with its temperature retention. Of all the mugs in my testing pool, the Sierra Commuter Cup was perhaps the worst at keeping drinks hot or cold. However, this mug is easy to grip and can fit in a cup holder for your morning commute.
Zojirushi 7-Ounce Stainless Steel Mug
This 7-ounce Zojirushi Stainless Steel Mug packs the same temperature retention capabilities as my overall winner but into a smaller vessel. Though this model performed slightly worse than the larger mugs, its performance was still significantly better than most others in the testing pool. This Zojirushi mug is a mixture of the two winners. It has a matte finish and a latch to lock the cap. Testing this smaller version was interesting. Though it worked extremely well, the smaller dimensions seemed almost too small to use comfortably at work. We'd recommend this version of the Stainless Mug packed into a children's backpack for back-to-school beverages.
Zojirushi 20-Ounce Vacuum Bottle
This Zojirushi 20-Ounce Vacuum Bottle is a durable travel mug with solid insulation that's just not quite as good as the winning Zojirushi pick. Still, you can't go wrong with any travel mug from this brand. The Zojirushi 20-Ounce Vacuum Bottle is another example of Zojirushi's excellent insulation, as this mug's performance rivaled my winning pick. Along with maintaining boiling and cool temperatures, the Vacuum Bottle is leakproof. The lid locks to protect the spout and flips open when you're ready to take a drink.
Of all the Zojirushi travel mugs I tested, this is the easiest one to drink in the car with. You don't need to twist any lid, and you can unlock it with one hand. Had it performed better in the boiling water test, it likely would've been one of my top picks.
Zojirushi 27-Ounce Stainless Mug With Lid Handle
The Zojirushi 27-Ounce Stainless Mug With Lid Handle keeps boiling water at piping-hot temperatures and does a great job keeping ice water chilled. However, its larger size is not compatible with a car cup holder. This Zojirushi model performed extremely well in the insulation testing, but that's no surprise considering the brand's proven track record. It's taller and wider than my winning pick with a handle that makes it easy to carry around.
Once twisted on properly, the lid is leakproof. Placing the travel mug in my purse resulted in no spilling, and when it came to using it in my car, the size became an issue. It's just too wide to fit in my car's cup holder. It went down a little but not far enough to be stable.
Zojirushi Stainless Carry Tumbler
This Zojirushi is the largest travel mug I tested. It performed well in my insulation and durability tests, but it proved to be one of the least practical travel mugs I tried. The Stainless Carry Tumbler is huge. It towers over the other travel mugs in my testing pool, and yet its inverted design still lets it fit in my car's cup holder.
The handle lid makes it easier to carry, especially since it gets heavy when you fill it up to its 27-ounce capacity. Like other Zojirushi mugs, it performed well across all my tests; insulation is strong and only a few scratches were left after the durability testing. The main detractor is that this tumbler feels clunky and is inconvenient to carry around.
How should I clean my travel mug?
How should I clean my travel mug?
As a general rule, hand-washing can preserve the color and finish of your travel mug. Some of the travel mugs I tested had components that are top-rack dishwasher-safe, while others did not. Either way, follow the care instructions associated with your travel mug.
Can you put cold liquids in travel mugs?
Can you put cold liquids in travel mugs?
Many of the travel mugs I tested keep drinks cold for up to 12 hours (some can even achieve up to 24 hours). The stainless steel insulation of these travel mugs works for both hot and cold liquids. However, be mindful when putting carbonated cold beverages in stainless steel mugs, as those kinds of drinks can erode the metal lining.
What's the best size for a travel mug?
What's the best size for a travel mug?
Tumblers and travel mugs come in all shapes and sizes, so it's really about what best suits your routine. Consider the size of the cup holder in your car or the bag you bring to work. It's also smart to think about whether the travel mug will be compatible placed under your at-home coffee maker. From there, you can narrow down the size of your travel mug based on functionality.
How long does tea or coffee stay hot in travel mugs?
How long does tea or coffee stay hot in travel mugs?
Temperature retention varies among travel coffee mugs, but in my testing, I noted that my drinks stayed hot for at least six hours. I tested travel mugs throughout the day, taking the liquid's temperature frequently and using both tea and coffee. While many of these travel mugs function with similar insulation, the capabilities vary.
Norma Galeana, a CNN field producer who uses travel mugs on the job
CNN Underscored editors thoroughly test all the products we cover and provide full transparency about how we test them. We have an experienced team of writers and editors with many years of testing experience who ensure each article is carefully edited and products are properly vetted. We talk to top experts when it makes sense to ensure we are testing each product accurately and speaking about the pros and cons of each item.
Gareen Puglia is an associate testing writer and tea enthusiast. She's tested coffee and tea-related items for underscored in the office and around Los Angeles. Picture her brewing espresso with a portable coffee maker at a concert or serving Armenian coffee to her coworkers. This kind of hands-on testing informs Puglia's product reviews. For this guide, she relied on her expertise and conversations with Los Angeles coworkers who use travel mugs to stay caffeinated during early call times and during work travel.