In the morning travel mugs are the most important thing for a busy person. You do not want to spill coffee and destroy your perfect outfit for the office or meeting.

Choosing the right travel mug is important for everyone. We have researched more than twenty hours online an offline to list some of the best travel mugs to you present in the current market. As usual, our research point was based on three points price, quality, and usability.

We tried to find the best travel mug for your hot or cold drinks with good capacity to last all day long. Let’s check out the list and see which one best fits you in price, design, and quality.

Best Picks

01. Contigo AUTOSEAL West Loop Stainless Steel Travel Mug

When other travel mugs are prone to leaking and less standard for a busy person, we choose this one as a winner in our small list. The Contigo mug has an attractive auto seal function which made it almost accidental spill proof and easy for anyone to drink with one hand.

A perfect companion of people looking for a travel mug for everyday use. Contigo has a push button to open the lid when you are ready to drink, as soon as release the button it closes the vacuum seal again. Very few in the market has implemented this quick fail-safe release lid.

The mug can keep your cold drinks cool for at least 12 hours and hot drinks for 8 hours. Although the more time you keep the lid open the less time it will keep the internal temperature.

No sweating in the outside wall is also noticeable in the design. You can’t really feel hot and cold with your palm while drinking.

There are three sizes available in Amazon 16 oz, 20 oz and 24 oz, pick the one that best suits you. The mug fits most of the cupholder in the car. More than 20 color variations are available for the mug, so there is an option for everyone.

The stainless steel inside keeps it easy to clean and also the lid opens up completely to wash in the dishwasher. Although the manufacturer recommends to wash it by hand. If you wash in the dishwasher, it can get scratches.

We are happy with the unit we tested. This is a fantastic travel mug with well-balanced design, good grip and does keep coffee hot for 7 hours. No wonder it’s one of the top sellers in the USA.

02. Zojirushi SM-SA48-BA Stainless Steel Mug

It was pretty hard for us to put this mug into the second position. It almost got the top of the list, but we prefer to put it on second due to some reason.

The Zojirushi is absolutely a brilliant mug made for your everyday travel. It has all the features like the Contigo mug plus an extra locking system for the lid. The lock restrains the auto pushing button of the mug to open the lid accidentally.

While some people find it irritating to always keep the button pushed to drink from the Contigo mug, otherwise the lid locks itself. In here, the Zojirushi SM-SA48-BA has worked it out. You open the lock then press the push button to open the lid.

It will not automatically lock the lid, but once you close the lid and lock it, there is no chance of spilling. A slight intelligent invention from Zojirushi.

Zojirushi is a famous name in making house cookware. Their travel mug is an excellent example of that.

Zojirushi steel mug has a smart outlook with an intelligent design. The steel body is a good choice to make it drop resistant. Interior is coated with a non-sticky Teflon material for easy cleaning. Excellent heat retention capacity with a maximum warranty from the manufacturer.

The mug comes in three sizes 12, 16 and 20 ounces with 12 different color variation. The company Zojirushi has several other versions of the mug, but this one is perfect in price and for everyday use. Their signature smart lock is present on all the travel mug.

The mug is a bit skinnier than other travel coffee mug, might not fit all cup holder firmly. But it is not a deal breaker. The smart design with great insulation capacity made it one of the best travel mug in the market.

03. Contigo SnapSeal Byron Stainless Steel Travel Mug

This mug is super budget friendly for people looking for a cheap Contigo travel mug. Simple and durable design. Contigo SnapSeal features the leak-proof snap and close lid. Snap up for a sip then snap down to close the opening. It is not going to close by itself like the AUTOSEAL mug.

Either way, we have tested the seal and it works perfectly. As a cheap option we didn’t expect much on the mug, but to our surprise, we saw the company retains its name and quality. Made from BPA free plastic and stainless steel body makes it more durable than other cheap options in the market.

Although we are sure the snap up and down lock is not as secure as the AUTOSEAL option. So, when you are going to put the mug in your bag, be very careful. It’s leak proof but the lid can easily be opened accidentally.

The Contigo SnapSeal mug fits perfectly in the bicycle or car cup holder. We have tested the 16 oz version. There are two more sizes available 20 oz and 24 oz.

All of the version has a rubber grip to grab the cup more comfortably. Keeps your drink hot for 6 hours and cold for around 12 hours. Wide mouth opening.

How to buy the best travel mug?

There is plenty of travel mug online, but you need to choose the best one to save money. Most people go for the cheap ones and make mistakes. Cheap mugs won’t last long and they do not have manufacturer warranty. So, in the long run, you lose double money.

To buy the best one you have to choose very carefully. Almost all the thermal mugs work with the same insulation technology. Depending on the material and build quality the mugs prices are low or high.

So, choose a good one that will last longer. The design is also a factor in the workability of the mug. Like, with wider mouth opening the heat is easily passed away and the hot liquids get cooler fast. If you want to keep your drink hot for a long time choose a narrow mouth travel mug.

This is why the AUTOSEAL option is our favorite one. It gives the liquid less time to cool. The lid keeps open only when you drink.

The wider mouth mugs might be easier to clean up but they do not trap heat accordingly.

There are also other factors like, how many times you open the lead and how much hot it was when you pour it in the mug.

The top three mugs we choose above are the best in most cases and the environment. Their design for heat-trapping and single hand use is fantastic. The insulation material and stainless steel inner and outer surface also gave them a good rating among the users.

Although most mugs seem to keep cold drinks cold for a long time, they do not show the same when we tested with hot drinks. You need to know that your usage behaviors are a vital fact in this situation.

The hotter drink you put in the mugs, the better it will work. Don’t open the lid unless you need to. This will keep your drinks hot for a long time.

Some specialists say if you put your coffee hot for a long time it will not taste like the initial state. This is because the acidic portion of the coffee breaks down and changes the good taste. The water portion of a hot coffee is also responsible as the ion get oxidized when you put a coffee in the mugs for a long time.

We hope these little facts will help you to buy your latest travel mug.