Is the Breville Barista Express still worth it in 2026?
The Barista Express has been the default first espresso machine for years. We look at whether it still stacks up, and how the delivered prices compare.
By Cartwise · 12 July 2026 · 6 min read
The Breville Barista Express has been the default answer to "what espresso machine should I buy" for close to a decade. That is a long time in appliances, and it is fair to ask whether it still deserves the crown, or whether it is just the one everybody recommends because everybody recommends it.
Short answer: it still holds up, but not for everyone. Here is what it costs right now across the sellers we track.
Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine (BES870)
| Seller | Price | Shipping | Delivery | Delivered total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Good GuysBest value ★ 4.4Lowest priceFastestFree shippingLocal stock | $649 | Free shipping | 2–6 days | $649✓ checked 23 July | Go to store |
Amazon AU ★ 4.5Lowest priceFastestFree shippingLocal stockTop rated | $649 | Free shipping | 2–6 days | $649✓ checked 23 July | Go to store |
eBay AU ★ 4.1FastestFree shippingLocal stock | $695 | Free shipping | 2–6 days | $695✓ checked 23 July | Go to store |
Kogan ★ 4.0FastestFree shippingLocal stock | $698.99 | Free shipping | 2–6 days | $698.99✓ checked 23 July | Go to store |
Harvey Norman ★ 4.2FastestFree shippingLocal stock | $849 | Free shipping | 2–6 days | $849✓ checked 23 July | Go to store |
The Good Guys is the best value at $649 delivered, which is $200 less than the dearest seller, and it ships in 2 to 6 days from an Australian warehouse.
Lowest of 5 sample sellers: $649 delivered. These are indicative figures showing how the comparison works, not current quotes, so check the seller's site before buying.
What you are actually paying for
The reason this machine keeps winning is the grinder. It is built in, it is a conical burr, and it is genuinely decent. Buy a cheaper machine and you will end up spending three hundred dollars on a separate grinder anyway, which puts you back at the same total with more bench space gone.
Grinding fresh into the portafilter is the single biggest difference between coffee that tastes like a cafe and coffee that tastes like sadness. Pre-ground beans go stale within days. If a machine cannot grind, it is not really a bean to cup machine, it is a hot water pump.
Who should not buy it
Be honest with yourself about two things.
It needs attention. This is a manual machine. You dose, you tamp, you watch the shot. That is the fun of it if you like the ritual, and it is a chore if you just want caffeine before work. If you want a button that produces coffee, buy a fully automatic machine and do not look back.
It takes real bench space. It is a big, heavy lump of stainless steel. Measure your bench first. People consistently underestimate this one.
The alternatives worth a look
If the Barista Express is not it, the honest options are:
- A cheaper machine plus a separate grinder. More flexible and often better coffee, but a bigger footprint and more fiddling.
- A fully automatic. More expensive up front, far less effort, slightly worse coffee.
- The Bambino Plus. Same Breville build quality, no grinder, much smaller. Great if you already own a grinder or you are short on space.
So, is it worth it?
If you want to learn to pull a proper shot, want one machine that does everything, and have the bench space, yes. It is still the best value entry point into real espresso in Australia, and the price has barely moved in years, which tells you something about demand.
If you want coffee without thinking about it, spend your money elsewhere. It will sit there judging you.
A note on price
Watch the spread in the table above. On a machine at this price, the gap between the cheapest and dearest seller is often seventy dollars or more for the identical unit in the identical box. That is a bag of good beans and a month of not thinking about it.
We rank purely by what it costs delivered, never by who pays us the most. Here is how that works. Always double check the final price at the retailer before you buy, since these things move daily.