Every year, our experts test and review thousands of products from hundreds of brands to help you find the best.

They assess appliances, groceries, tech, insurance and more to sort out the great-value buys from the duds that just aren't worth your money.

On this page:

• Overpriced health insurance policies
• Cheap but disappointing TVs
• Washed-up cleaning products
• Baby products that fail key safety tests
• The Shonkiest of them all

Overpriced health insurance policies

Health insurance is an expensive necessity for some people. If you need top-level Gold hospital insurance, you'll already be paying sky-high premiums – at a time when cost of living pressures are worse than ever.

And now CHOICE analysis of four years of hospital insurance pricing data shows that health insurers – including the five biggest health funds – are jacking up the price of premium cover at a much higher rate than the advertised averages.

The price of top-level Gold hospital policies has increased by over 48% on average

CHOICE health insurance expert Jodi Bird

CHOICE health insurance expert Jodi Bird says, "Average health insurance premiums across all levels of cover went up by 11.86% over the past four years, according to the Department of Health and Aged Care.

"But when we looked at the prices actually available to an average customer shopping for insurance, we found that the price of top-level Gold hospital policies has increased by over 48% on average."

If we compare policies in NSW with a $750 excess to their 2021 prices:

• Medibank's 2024 Gold hospital policy costs 53% more
• NIB's Gold policy is 73% more expensive
• Bupa's offerings are about 43% higher
• HCF policies have increased by 47%
• In WA, HBF's current Gold policy is 69% more expensive

CHOICE experts encourage you to scrutinise the offer you're getting from your current insurer. These exorbitant price increases mean that it's more important than ever to ensure you have the right cover for your needs and that you're getting the best deal possible.

We'll help you find the best policy for you – not what's best for the insurer

To help you make sense of your options, our health insurance comparison tool helps you compare policies from over 40 insurers.

We're a nonprofit organisation and we don't take any commissions, so you can be sure we'll help you find the best policy for you – not what's best for the insurer.

Both Kogan and Aldi make big screens at small prices, but they're still not worth buying.

Cheap but disappointing TVs

Everyone loves a bargain, but the thrill of snagging a steal will be short-lived if you buy a TV from Aldi or Kogan.

They make regular appearances in our list of TVs to avoid buying, and our reviews don't paint a pretty picture of their performance.

Their prices may be hard to beat, but their scores most definitely aren't. The Kogan and Aldi Bauhn TVs we've tested are only rated as OK by our experts, and generally sit at the bottom of the leaderboard for TVs their size.

If you're looking for a big screen on a small budget, there are better options than Aldi and Kogan TVs

Denis Gallagher, CHOICE tech expert

"Whenever we've tested TVs from Kogan and Aldi's house brand Bauhn, they've been among the lowest scorers," says CHOICE tech expert Denis Gallagher.

"They deliver underwhelming picture quality in both standard and high definition and sound quality that definitely won't be music to your ears.

"If you're looking for a big screen on a small budget, there are better options than Aldi and Kogan TVs."

These are the ones not to watch:

• Bauhn ATV40UHDW-0124 40-inch LCD: CHOICE Expert Rating: 61%; Price: $329
• Kogan KAQLED65XQ98JSTA 65-inch LCD: 69%; $829
• Bauhn ATV55UHDW-0124 55-inch LCD: 70%; $479

Washed-up cleaning products

Never-ending cleaning chores are one of the least fun parts of being an adult, so anything that makes this soul-sucking task even more sucky gets a big thumbs down from us.

These products performed so poorly that you'll have to use your own elbow grease to actually get things clean.

Steer clear of these products – they'll lighten your wallet but do the opposite for your cleaning workload.

No better than plain water: Lucent Globe dishwasher detergent sheets.

Dishwasher detergent sheets

On the face of it, dishwasher sheets sound like a brilliant invention: biodegradable, plastic-free, low-allergenic and less packaging than traditional dishwasher detergents.

But while they tick the boxes for enviro-friendliness, they're not quite there in terms of performance. 

In our testing, Lucent Globe Ultra Concentrated Dishwashing Detergent Sheets scored exactly the same as plain water – just 12%. It was the lowest scoring detergent by quite a margin, with the next-worst product coming in at 45%. 

For a dishwasher detergent that actually works, go for Aldi's Logix Platinum 18 in 1 Dishwashing Tablets, which topped our test with a score of 79%. (Plus they cost just 19 cents a wash.)

If you're looking for a greener option, try Earth Choice Dish Tablets, which scored 75% and are also recommended by our experts. 

Great idea, poor execution: Laundry sheets were a washout in our tests.

Laundry detergent sheets

Unfortunately, some laundry products deplete not only your will to live but also your bank balance. 

They're also so bad at their one job that you might as well not use them at all.

Detergent sheets strike once again, this time in the laundry department, with a number of sheets scoring barely better than plain water using our test methodology.

Here's how we test laundry detergents. 

Here's how they compare:

• Water only: 45%
• Re.stor Pre-measured Laundry Detergent Sheets Tropical Breeze: 47%
• Lucent Globe Ultra Concentrated Laundry Detergent Sheets Ocean Breeze: 47%
• Earth Rescue Laundry Detergent Sheets Fresh Linen: 48%

Want to know how your brand compares? We reveal the best and worst laundry detergents from our tests. 

Your cash, but not your stains, will Vanish with this product.

Stain removers

Some products are worth every cent you pay for them, but some products are the complete opposite. 

And it turns out money can't buy you laundry love. 

The lowest-scoring powder in our stain remover tests was one of the most expensive: Vanish NapiSan Oxi Action Gold Multi Power Liquid Laundry Booster. 

It's $1.60 per 100mL, but the 2L bottle will cost you $32 at the checkout. Ouch!

Admittedly, it did work better than soaking with just plain water but did barely any more for removing stains than running a regular wash with laundry detergent. 

You might as well not add it to your wash for all the good it'll do to your stained clothes

You might as well not add it to your wash for all the good it'll do to your stained clothes. 

If you're trying to save money by buying home brand products, unfortunately supermarket powders won't do much for stains: products from IGA, Coles and Woolworths were among the lowest-scoring soakers. 

These are the ones to cross off your shopping list:

• Vanish NapiSan Oxi Action Gold Multi Power Liquid Laundry Booster (CHOICE Expert Rating: 64%)
• Community Co Loads Cleaner Oxy Action Multi-Action In-Wash Booster & Soaker (64%)
• Woolworths Clean Boost In-Wash Booster, Soaker & Stain Remover (66%)
• Woolworths Clean Laundry Soaker and In-Wash Booster (67%)
• Coles Laundry Soaker and In-Wash Booster (67%)

Find out more about the best and worst stain removers.

Even a $1249 price tag doesn't mean a product is safe.

Baby products that fail key safety tests

Sweet dreams definitely aren't made of the portable cots and bassinets that failed key safety requirements in our testing. 

CHOICE testing uncovered multiple bassinets that pose suffocation risks because of a lack of breathable zones, mattresses that don't fit properly or are too soft, and limb entrapment hazards. 

We consider all of these issues to be serious safety failures.

In July 2024, a mandatory safety standard for bassinets and some other infant sleeping surfaces was finally introduced. 

But before then, there was no Australian safety standard for bassinets, and we had to create CHOICE safety tests based on established Australian standards for cots and portacots. These tests are what our current results are based on.

The new standard means that suppliers must ensure their bassinets meet design and construction standards including minimum height, stability and gap requirements. They must also have sufficient warnings. 

New laws won't come into effect until 2026, so until then we may still see plenty of unsafe products on the market

However, the new laws won't come into effect until 19 January 2026, so until then we may still see plenty of unsafe products on the market. 

For portacots, there is an Australian standard which is mandatory, but there's also a voluntary standard that manufacturers don't have to meet. It's more stringent and we think it keeps babies safer, so we test portacots to the voluntary standard. 

Want to know more? Here's How we test bassinets and How we test portable cots.

Our experts found serious safety issues when they tested the $570 Bednest bassinet.

In case you're thinking that spending more will buy you a safer bassinet, think again: these bodgy bassinets include affordable models alongside ones that cost $400+. 

One of them is a fancy designer bassinet that retails for more than $1200 – if the safety issues don't keep you awake at night, the cost will!

These are the bassinets we tested this year that have serious safety issues. Click through to see full reviews and risks.

• Bednest Bassinet ($570)
• Baby Inc Sonno Bassinet ($150)
• 4baby Sleep and Stay ($229)
• 4baby Serenity ($159)
• Childcare Osmo Bassinet ($150)
• Troll Sun Bassinet ($450)
• Pottery Barn Kids Bassinet and Mattress set ($649)
• Chicco next2me ($490)
• Stokke Sleepi Mini V3 and mattress ($1249)
• Kmart Anko Bassinet with Canopy ($159)
• Fisher-Price Soothing View Bassinet ($145)
• Valco Rico ($169)

Two-thirds of portacots tested by CHOICE fail safety standards

A portable cot (also known as a travel cot or portacot) is a handy item to have in the first few years of your child's life.

It's great for holidays and sleepovers, and a convenient option if you want a second, collapsible cot at the grandparents' or another carer's house.

But CHOICE experts recommend proceeding with caution when you're buying a portacot, as many popular brands pose serious safety risks to babies.

"We regularly test a selection of portable cots currently available on the Australian market in our labs," says CHOICE testing expert Kim Gilmour.

"Two-thirds of these products failed key safety requirements in our tests, which is a really disappointing result. Unfortunately, this is something we are used to seeing with this particular baby product.

There are still many models failing to even meet the minimum mandatory requirements

Kim Gilmour, CHOICE household expert

"We assess all models in our labs against the most current Australian safety standard for portable cots. But there are still many models failing to even meet the minimum mandatory requirements, such as mattress firmness," says Kim.

Find out the portable cots to avoid buying.

The Shonkiest of them all

Every year, we call out the dodgiest products on the market with our Shonky Awards so consumers know what not to buy.

These are the products and companies that we awarded a Shonky in 2023:

• Woolworths and Coles – for cashing in during a cost-of-living crisis.
• Kogan First – for tricking customers into a $99 sign-up.
• Xbox Mini Fridge – for being a 'fridge' that doesn't make things cold.
• Personal alarms – for being unreliable and hard to use.
• RentTech – for 'data gouging' people desperate to find a home.

We'll be announcing the winners (or should that be losers?) of the 2024 Shonky Awards soon – stay tuned to find out who'll take out the awards no-one wants to win.

Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.

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