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Cuisinart Smart Elite 2-Slice Toaster CPT525U review

No. 7 of 10 in our toasters ranking · Updated · How we rank

Our verdict: The Cuisinart Smart Elite 2-Slice Toaster CPT525U ranks 7th of the 10 toasters we compare, with 7.9 out of 10.

Cuisinart Smart Elite 2-Slice Toaster CPT525U

7.9/10

The Cuisinart CPT525U is a two-slice toaster that lowers and lifts the bread by motor and saves up to four of your own settings. It suits people who want push-button toasting and are happy to pay more than for a lever model.

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Why it's here

  • One-touch motorised lowering and lifting
  • MemorySet stores up to four settings, kept when unplugged
  • Six bread types and seven shade levels
  • Slots are larger than on Cuisinart's older models

Keep in mind

  • Very new, so there is little long-term owner feedback
  • Motorised and digital, so more to go wrong than a plain lever toaster, and it costs more

Why the Cuisinart CPT525U scores 7.9

Each bar shows where it places among the 10 toasters in this guide, so a full bar is 1st of 10. How happy owners are counts for most of the score.

  • How happy owners are9th of 10
  • How many rated it9th of 10
  • How new it is1st of 10

Why it sits behind the Morphy Richards Signature Matt 4-Slice Toaster 245703

The Morphy Richards Signature Matt 4-Slice Toaster 245703 (8.2) beats the Cuisinart Smart Elite 2-Slice Toaster CPT525U (7.9) because it leaves owners clearly happier and has been rated by more owners. The Cuisinart Smart Elite 2-Slice Toaster CPT525U is the newer design, but not by enough to close the gap.

About the Cuisinart CPT525U

The CPT525U has no lever. You press a button and the toaster draws the bread down, then raises it when the cycle ends. The slots are about 40% larger than on a standard toaster, which gives more room for thick slices such as sourdough.

Controls are digital. There are six bread settings (white, bagels, fruit bread, rye or brown, sourdough and grain) and seven shade levels. A +30-second boost adds browning at the end of a cycle, and a Quick View feature lets you check the toast mid-cycle without stopping it. True Bagel mode toasts the cut side and warms the crust, and Single Slice mode toasts one side only.

MemorySet stores up to four personal settings. The body is stainless steel, with a removable crumb tray, and the cord stores away in the base. Retail listings also show defrost and cancel buttons.

What owners report about the Cuisinart CPT525U

There is little owner feedback for this exact model so far, and what exists is short.

The few UK owners on eBay are positive. They like the motorised lift, the choice of bread settings, the Quick View check and the look of the toaster on the worktop. One reports even toasting from one slice to the next, and the toaster is described as easy to clean.

No reviewer reports a fault, but the toaster is new and nothing here shows how it holds up after months or years of use.

Who the Cuisinart CPT525U suits

It suits someone who wants a compact two-slice with automatic lowering and lifting, and who toasts the same few things (bagels, sourdough, white) often enough to save settings. The larger slots help with thicker bread.

If you want fewer parts to go wrong, look at the Dualit Newgen 2 Slice Classic, which has a mechanical timer and replaceable elements. For a motorised alternative in die-cast metal, the KitchenAid Artisan Toaster 5KMT2204 also lowers and lifts the bread. Households that need four slices at once should look at the Russell Hobbs Stylevia 4 Slice.

Questions about the Cuisinart CPT525U

Does the Cuisinart CPT525U lower and lift the toast by itself?

Yes. It is motorised, so you press a button and it lowers the bread and raises it when done, with no lever.

Can the Cuisinart CPT525U toast bagels?

Yes. It has a True Bagel mode, which toasts the cut side and warms the crust.

How many settings can the Cuisinart CPT525U remember?

Up to four personal settings, stored by its MemorySet feature.

Can you check the toast on the Cuisinart CPT525U without stopping it?

Yes. Its Quick View feature lets you look at the toast mid-cycle without interrupting the cycle.

Other toaster picks

The other badge winners in our toasters ranking.

All 10 toasters, compared

  1. 1 Smeg TSF01SSUK 2 Slice ToasterBest Choice 8.9 Check Price
  2. 2 Dualit 4 Slot Lite Toaster 46205 8.6 Check Price
  3. 3 Dualit Newgen 2 Slice Classic ToasterBest Premium 8.5 Check Price
  4. 4 KitchenAid Artisan Toaster 5KMT2204 8.2 Check Price
  5. 5 Russell Hobbs Stylevia 4 Slice Toaster 26292Value for Money 8.2 Check Price
  6. 6 Morphy Richards Signature Matt 4-Slice Toaster 245703 8.2 Check Price
  7. 7 Cuisinart Smart Elite 2-Slice Toaster CPT525UThis review 7.9 Check Price
  8. 8 Breville Edge Long Slot 4-Slice Toaster VTR023 7.9 Check Price
  9. 9 Tower Solitaire 2 Slice Toaster T20082Best Budget 7.8 Check Price
  10. 10 Salter Alchemy 4-Slice Toaster EK5565BG 7.8 Check Price
See the full toasters ranking

The Cuisinart CPT525U on Amazon

Cuisinart Smart Elite 2-Slice Toaster CPT525U

The Cuisinart CPT525U is a two-slice toaster that lowers and lifts the bread by motor and saves up to four of your own settings. 7.9 out of 10.

Check Price on Amazon

How we score it

Every score here comes from our ranking model; no editor sets the order. Too few review sites cover toasters for their verdicts to lead, so this ranking is led by owners. It ranks products by how happy owners are, holding back any product few owners have rated until more agree. How many rated it and how new it is only settle close calls, and value for money earns its own badge rather than a higher place. We compared 19 models for this guide before settling on these ten.

Brands can't pay to be included or to move up. We last checked these picks in November 2026.

How we rank, in full

Where these facts come from