The smell of fresh pine is about as festive as it gets, but a real Christmas tree can be impractical, especially if you have small children or pets at home. So it's no wonder that many of us prefer an artificial Christmas tree to provide our homes with some magic. We wanted to find out which are the best artificial Christmas trees on the market this year. So we called in trees from some of our favourite brands to put it to the test!
If you're in the market for a fake festive focal point, read on to discover what we thought when we tested the best artificial Christmas trees. Our reviews include trees from Balsam Hill, The White Company, M&S, and more. Plus, we also share our pick of the best of the rest - trees we haven't tested, but from brands we love.
Best artificial Christmas trees at a glance:
- Editor's pick: Habitat Mixed Tip Natural Look Christmas Tree | Argos, £120
- Best luxury artificial Christmas tree: 6ft Nordmann Fir | Balsam Hill, £329
- Best value for money artificial Christmas tree: Vancouver Snowy Spruce | Homebase, £100
- Best cheap artificial Christmas tree: COSTWAY 6ft pink Christmas tree | Amazon, £49.99
- Most realistic artificial Christmas tree: Young Pine Christmas Tree | Cox & Cox, £210
- Best unlit Christmas tree: St. Petersburg 7ft Unlit Christmas Tree | John Lewis, £259
- Best pre-lit artificial Christmas tree: Grand Spruce Pre-Lit 6ft Christmas Tree | The White Company, £325
- Best alternative Christmas tree: Indoor Outdoor Light Up Alpine Fir Tree | Cox & Cox, £175
Habitat Mixed Tip Natural Look Christmas Tree
Editor's pick
Pound for pound, we reckon this is the most realistic artificial Christmas tree you can buy without breaking the bank. While designer artificial trees can set you back up to £1,000, this natural-look 6ft tree from Habitat comes in at a much more attainable £120.
With its full, upswept branches and ultra-realistic tips, you’d be forgiven for mistaking it for a freshly-cut spruce. And despite the glamorous final effect, the tree only takes minutes to assemble – just slot the three layers into place and fluff the branches.
Our digital editor Rebecca is going into her third year as the proud owner of this tree. 'It just looks so full and natural - visitors always go "wow" when they walk in and see it,' she says. 'We love to decorate it with quite traditional ornaments to really lean into that classic Victorian Christmas look.'
6ft WeRChristmas pre-lit traditional fir multi-function tree
This 6ft artificial Christmas tree from WeRChristmas comes pre-lit with 350 LEDs to cast a warm white glow. You can choose from a variety of lighting patterns to choose from to set the desired mood.
Our reviewer, Anna-Lisa, thought it was super-easy to assemble. 'The hinged branches of this tree flopped down easily into position,' she said. 'In all, it took us around five minutes, with another 10 minutes to fan out the branches and tips to create a natural effect.'
Although the overall look wasn't as 'bushy' as some artificial trees, the lifelike clusters of green-grey needles - 2,436 tips in all - gave it a naturalistic effect. Plus, profile is slightly slimmer than average, making it ideal for smaller spaces. Just the job if you want to conjure up Scandinavian Christmas vibes this year!
Read her full review in our test of the most realistic artificial Christmas trees on the market.
Vancouver 6ft spruce tree
Best value for money artificial Christmas tree
The 576 branches of the 6ft Vancouver snowy spruce from have been flocked with an artificial dusting of snow for a two-tone effect. In the photos it looks super-convincing - so we had to try it for ourselves!
Our reviewer Lara scored it 9/10 in her review of the best cheap Christmas trees on the market. In fact, she only subtracted a point because the cardboard packaging wasn't as sturdy as she'd have liked.
'The snowy effect on the Homebase Vancouver spruce gave a lovely finish once I had pieced it all together,' she says. 'The flocking also stayed on the branches really well, and didn’t even come off after I’d been rummaging around and getting the branches "just right"!'
6ft Young Pine Christmas tree
Most realistic artificial tree
- Buy now from Cox & Cox (£210)
With its detailed 1,799 PE and PVC tips, you'd have to look very closely to clock that this 6ft Young Pine Christmas tree from Cox & Cox isn't the real deal! And our reviewer Anna-Lisa agreed - it came first place in her quest to find the most realistic artificial tree.
'The tree had a very realistic, slightly uneven shape and a slimmer silhouette than some of the other trees we tested,' she said. 'The foliage was dense and bushy and the tips of the branches had an attractive, slightly upturned shape, which made the tree look full and without any obvious gaps.' Read her full review for more.
Buy now from Cox & Cox (£210)
Balsam Hill 6ft Nordmann Fir Christmas Tree
Best luxury Christmas tree
- Buy now from Balsam Hill, £329
This 6ft Nordmann Fir emerged as a firm favourite of ours when we tested it at YourHomeStyle HQ. Every detail, down to the silvery under-side, curved needles and brown branches, has been painstakingly replicated from moulds of live tree cuttings. It even feels like the real thing!
The tree comes with an extensive assembly guide, and the three parts slot together quickly and easily. Then, use the included soft cotton gloves to shape the branches into an incredibly thick, lush, real looking tree.
The price tag makes this tree an investment piece, but we definitely think it’s worth it - in this case, you really do get what you pay for.
Buy now from Balsam Hill, £329
COSTWAY 6ft pink Christmas tree
Best low-budget Christmas tree
We all know that Barbiecore is big. If you want to bring that fun and unabashedly 'girly' feeling into your Christmas decor, then this pink artificial Christmas tree by COSTWAY might be the one for you!
Given the low price tag, our reviewer Lara was pleasantly surprised by the quality feel of the finished product when she gave it 9.5/10 in her round-up of the best cheap Christmas trees.
'Once in place the tree created a lovely, classic shape. The branch tips were nice and fluffy so I could easily manipulate them to cover the hinges and central pole, giving a nice dense finish to the tree,' she said. 'It’s the cheapest tree I tested, but I was impressed with the gentle pink colour, ease of construction and the overall finish.'
More of the best artificial Christmas trees:
Still looking for inspiration? Here are a few more favourites that have caught our eye - we haven't had the chance to test them yet, but these are brands we're confident in recommending.
John Lewis St. Petersburg Unlit Tree
Best Unlit Christmas Tree
St. Petersburg Unlit Christmas Tree
- Style: Unlit Christmas tree
- Height: 7ft
- Weight: 15.4kg
- Number of branch tips: 2,736
John Lewis describes this tree as 'classically conical', and they couldn't be more spot on. This artificial Christmas tree is full, but not too heavy at the base, making it a fantastic option for your home if you're after something simple, traditional, and not likely to date any time soon.
We also love the fact that this tree's outer tips have been accurately moulded and coloured to mimic a real spruce tree - it really makes all the difference. It also has bushier PVC branches closer to the trunk to make it look nice and full.
The White Company Grand Spruce Pre-Lit 6ft Christmas Tree
Best pre-lit artificial Christmas tree
- Buy now from The White Company, £325
- Style: pre-lit Christmas tree
- Height: 6ft
- Weight: 9.8kg
- Number of branch tips: 1,559
This White Company tree is a really natural shade of green, and the memory flex branches make it looks super realistic. It has 390 warm white lights studded amongst the artificial foliage, with the outlets tucked into the trunk so you don't have to worry about hiding pesky wires. The lights also have multiple settings, so you can choose whether you program them to shine, flicker or softly glow. Finish the look with a stylish Christmas tree topper, et voila!
Buy now from The White Company, £325
Cox & Cox Indoor Outdoor Light Up Alpine Fir Tree
Best alternative artificial Christmas tree
- Buy now from Cox & Cox, £175
- Style: alternative Christmas tree
- Height: small 1.8m / large 2.4m
- Weight: Not specified
- Number of branch tips: N/A
If you’re looking for something a little out of the ordinary, consider these Alpine Fir trees from Cox & Cox. We love their frosted, realistic branches and the fact that you can style them outdoors, but the real wow factor comes when you plug them in. The delicate branches are dotted with hundreds of glowing warm white bulbs, which light up to create a totally magical ambience.
They make a stylish alternative to a traditional evergreen Christmas tree, and you could easily use them to add charm to your home all winter long. Style them solo, or group a few trees together with some quirky baubles for extra impact.
Buy now from Cox & Cox, £175
M&S 7ft Warm Pre-Lit Noble Christmas Tree
- Buy now from M&S, £179
The Marks & Spencers name is synonymous with quality, and when it comes to their artificial Christmas tree offering, they certainly don't disappoint. This year, they've got a huge range of artificial trees available online and in-store, and this 7ft Noble tree really caught our eye.
Bearing in mind that some luxurious faux trees can set you back anything up to £1,000, we were pleasantly surprised when we found out that this seven-footer was well under £200. Pound for pound, this tree is a fantastic option if you're looking to make a big statement, without breaking the bank.
Follow our step by step guide on how to decorate your Christmas tree like a professional, and this tree is guaranteed to make an impact.
Buy now from M&S, £179
Where can I buy the best artificial Christmas trees?
If none of the trees we've tested have fit the bill, follow our quick links to browse artificial Christmas trees.
What are the best artificial Christmas trees?
As a rule of thumb, the more branches and branch tips an artificial tree has, the better - just be aware that more needles usually means a higher price tag. Denser branches and needles will help create a thick, bushy finish, with plenty of room for baubles.
Similarly, better quality trees tend to be heavier – expect premium trees to weigh in at 12kg or more.
What type of artificial Christmas tree is most realistic?
If you want your artificial tree to realistic, opt for a PE Christmas tree that has a high number of branch tips.
- Modern PE Christmas trees are made of Polyethylene needles using moulds of real Christmas trees. The PE is poured into the moulds, and this makes a 3D, realistic branch tip.
- A PE Christmas tree looks much more realistic than a PVC Christmas tree. PVC tree needles are made from flat sheets of PVC cut into uniform rectangles. This means they look less realistic, but PVC trees remain a solid budget option.
- PP Christmas trees are somewhat of a middle ground. They look more real than PVC trees, but they're not quite as lifelike as PE Christmas trees.
Are real Christmas trees more environmentally friendly than fake?
The simple – and uncomfortable – truth is, is that fake trees are about 10 times less eco-friendly than real trees. According to the Carbon Trust, a two-metre artificial tree has around ten times the carbon footprint that a real tree does. This is because most fake trees are made of synthetic materials that are hard or impossible to recycle. Plus, most are made overseas and have to be shipped to the UK.
So, if you’re keen on an artificial tree, try to use it for as many years as you can. This way, you’ll be helping to mitigate its impact on the environment.
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