It’s easy to overlook key considerations when buying a toilet, such as extra accessories or hardware you’ll need for a complete assembly, or even regulations that may restrict which type of toilet you can buy, depending on where you live.
State-level restrictions: A small number of the toilets tested by Consumer Reports aren’t available in a handful of states. California, Colorado, New York, Texas, Washington, and others have banned the sale or installation of toilets that don’t meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense standard of 1.28 gallons, on average, per flush. It’s worth noting that the top-rated toilets listed here all meet the EPA standard, including our highest-rated model—a dual-flush toilet that allows you to choose between 1.1 or 1.6 gpf for each flush. (If you’re on a budget, check out our compilation of the best water-saving toilets for $200 or less.)
Variants: Double-check that you’re getting the exact model you want. We’ve seen some toilets with similar model names or numbers that are available in multiple variants. For example, one version of the Kohler Kelston meets the WaterSense standard, while another doesn’t. Similarly, the Glacier Bay N2420 has an elongated bowl and the Glacier Bay N2428R-DF has a round bowl. Kathleen Halevah, CR’s senior project leader for toilets, says that when it comes to variations in water use or bowl shape in toilets that seem similar, “sometimes there’s no difference, sometimes there is, so we have to take it on a case-by-case basis.”
Seats and hardware: Some toilets recommended by CR don’t come with a seat, a wax ring, or mounting hardware, so you’ll need to buy those separately. Expect to pay at least $40 more for all the necessary accessories.
