Looking for a water filter for London water? Want clean and better-tasting water without contaminants like lead and microplastics? What kind of filter do you need what are the most affordable options?
I was living in London for 5 years and most of my friends told me the tap water was undrinkable. The most common solution was buying bottled water or using a Brita pitcher to filter the water. But is this really the best solution?
Do you need a water filter for London?
London generally offers good quality tap water to households based on international standards. But good doesn't mean that it tastes great or that the water is clean when it comes out of your tap at home. Generally street pipes in London are old and this also applies to many houses and buildiongs. Therefore more and more people are concerned about potential contaminants such as lead, pesticides, microplastics, PFAS, and byproducts from Chlorine. Others simply don’t like the taste of tap water.
What about bottled water in London?
The most common substitute to tap water is bottled water but according to recent research over 90% of all bottled water contains microplastics and some brands as many as 30,000 pieces per litre. In addition to this bottled water is terrible for the environment, expensive and heavy to carry home. There must be a better solution.
What kind of water filters for London are available?
Choosing a filter is not easy. There are lots of water filter options available. Here’s an overview table with the pros and cons of the most common filter types.
| Filter Type | Pros | Cons |
| Pitcher / carafe filters (activated carbon) | Cheap and easy to use and requires no installation | Slow and impractical, limited water volume, limited filtering capabilities |
| Under-the-sink reverse osmosis (RO), Ion exchange and activated carbon filters | Not visible in the kitchen, high volume filtering and good filtering capabilities | Expensive and complex to buy, install and maintain. Water wasting and removes minerals (especially RO). |
| Whole house filters (RO, Ion exchange, and activated carbon) | Not visible in kitchen, high volume filters, filters all water in the house and good filtering capabilities | Very expensive and complex to buy, install and maintain. Water wasting and removes minerals (especially RO) |
| Shower filters (KDF/Activated Carbon) | Removes chlorine from the water which reduces skin and hair dryness and irritation | None really |
| Tap Water filters (attaches to the kitchen tap/faucet and can contain multiple stages including activatedcarbon) | Affordable, easy to install and use and maintain, high volume filtering and some have very good filtering | Visible in the kitchen |
The best and most affordable water filter for London
For most households in London the best option is an affordable tap filter that improves taste and removes the most common contaminants such as microplastics, PFAS and lead. Based on reviews by the BBC and the Telegraph as well as independent lab tests by top labs in Europe, EcoPro (previously TAPP 2) and PitcherPro are the highest rated water filters. These filters will cost about 60 pounds per year including cartridge replacements and require no tools or maintenance.
Find out more about TAPP.
Rating source: Amazon