The best inflatable hot tubs, picked on published facts

Six tests, each on a figure the maker publishes for its US model. Nothing here is a rating, a review, a price or anyone's opinion, and there is no expert pick on this page. A model that wins more than one test is listed once.

1. Largest capacity: the most water. Ties go to more jets, then the longer warranty.
2. Most jets: air jets plus water jets. Ties go to more water, then the longer warranty.
3. Longest warranty: the term on the tub itself. Where a maker's page and manual disagree, we use the shorter. Ties go to more water, then more jets.
4. Fastest published heat-up: the maker's own °F-an-hour figure, by its low end and then its high end. Ties go to the most heater watts per gallon, the limit physics sets.
5. Best for cold weather: the tub needs a published freeze-protection mode. Then the lowest outdoor temperature its maker allows, then the number of insulation features it lists, then heater watts.
6. Most jets in a 4-person tub: the jets test, among 4-person tubs.

6 models tie on the fastest claim (Tekapo 4-person, Bergen 4-person, Carlton, Vito, Soho and Portland); the Tekapo 4-person has the most heater power per gallon of them. On cold, every MSpa has an anti-icing mode too, but MSpa's US manual still sets a 39°F limit, so the Bestway SaluSpa Hot Springs AirJet leads on 3 listed cold-weather features and a 14°F limit.

• The lowest air temperature the manual allows. For most inflatables it is 39°F.
• The standby label on the box, if it was sold for California. No maker prints it online.
• The warranty card: what it covers, for how long, and whether freeze damage is excluded.
• The outlet: a 120-volt GFCI outlet with nothing else big on the circuit, and no extension cord.

How inflatables compare with rigid tubs on heat, running cost and lifespan: inflatable vs hard-shell hot tubs. Every model and its full spec sheet: inflatable hot tubs. If you want a rigid tub instead, start with the best hot tubs.