Best ergonomic office chairs 2025 UK – shop now

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Because you can't put a price on good posture

On working-from-home days, it’s all too easy to pitch up at your dining table, or even settle down on the sofa with your laptop. But given how long we spend working, having the best ergonomic office chair that supports your posture is crucial.

That’s why it’s worth investing in the perfect one for your home office (or seeing if your employer will provide one). We know, they’re not always the prettiest, but your back will seriously thank you. (If that's a concern, we've also tested the best mattresses for back pain, just FYI).

So, here at the Good Housekeeping Institute, we took it upon ourselves to find the most comfortable buys for your home. We’ve also done a deep dive into the difference they can make and what to look for, but if you're ready to shop, these are our winners at a glance:

Ergonomic chairs are specifically designed to provide support for your body. But we wanted to understand more about why they're worth investing in, so we asked Dr Lara Shemtob, an occupational health expert who writes a weekly newsletter on health and work, to tell us more.

“Posture at work is important to get right because it affects musculoskeletal health and therefore productivity,” says Dr Lara. "The two are inextricably linked in a work context, so there are clear incentives for optimising a desk set-up.

“Chairs are one piece of the puzzle when it comes to work, health and productivity. It always surprises me how many people spend hours uninterrupted at unsuitable and sometimes even unstable chairs.”

So, where we’re sat is crucial for concentration, as well as our overall health. But Dr Lara has a caveat: “Having an amazing chair is not a panacea when it comes to work and health,” she explains.

Instead, it should be “part of a wider, good occupational health set-up,” which, yes, includes your workstation, but also extends to the culture of the company where you work. Ultimately, Dr Lara says that lots of factors contribute to workplace health and productivity, so while having the right chair is important, it’s worth taking a holistic look at your office environment.

So how do we ensure we're sitting comfortably? “There's no one perfect desk set-up that suits everyone,” says Dr Lara. "However, as a guide, when seated, the lower back should be supported. Forearms should be able to rest horizontally, and your eye level should be roughly at the same height as the top of the display screen equipment. Feet should be able to rest flat on the floor, with your knees at 90 degrees.”

Dr Lara also recommends looking for “chairs with functioning adjustment mechanisms for seat back height, tilt and castors or gliders.”

"For people with musculoskeletal conditions who find movement a helpful way of managing symptoms such as pain and stiffness, the best standing desks or standing desk attachments can be useful,” she adds.

Finally, she recommends, “identifying and reducing tasks that involve repetitive motions and encouraging regular movement breaks.” Really want to get some movement in while you work? We've also tested the best walking pads and best under-desk bikes.

So, ergonomic chairs are a good investment for your home and your health. But they don’t all offer the same level of support, so here are some things to consider before you buy.

Decide if you’d like a head rest or a lumbar pad (for extra lower back support), and whether you need wheels.

Then consider the adjustable features Dr Lara mentions above – most office chairs allow you to alter the height of the seat and potentially the arm rests, but for even more tailored support, look for chairs that let you adjust the tilt or back height.

Of course, design encompasses aesthetics too, but really the way these chairs look is secondary to the support they offer.

If you suffer from back pain, it may be advisable to look for a chair that will arrive already assembled, rather than building one yourself.

If you're suffering from back pain or stiffness at work, we recommend consulting a specialist for dedicated advice.

Our expert tester gets started just like you would at home – by assembling each chair. They analyse the instructions and whether any tools are provided, and even what the packaging is like.

Once the chairs are up, we look at general wear and tear. We mark each one with everyday household stains such as tea, coffee, biro, and ketchup, before seeing how easy the chair is to clean – both immediately after staining and when left to set in for 24 hours.

Finally, our team at the Good Housekeeping Institute takes turns to work from each chair and share their verdicts. At least five people try each chair for half a day.

All the testing is then tallied up to award a final score. These are our WFH heroes.

Score: 91/100

Our winner didn’t drop a single mark for its design and was a clear favourite among our whole team of testers, all of whom loved sitting in it while at their desks. Set-up was fiddly and required two people, but the instructions were clear.

And once that was out of the way, it was faff-free to use. It has accessibly-placed levers to adjust the seat, was easy to move and cleaned up nicely. There are ample positions and heights, so you can tailor the chair to you – there’s even a head rest and adjustable lumbar support. The back support was “excellent” according to testers, and everyone agreed that it’s a comfortable buy.

Score: 86/100

The shape of this chair’s mesh back promoted good posture among our testers, who liked the way it moulded to their spines, and praised the adjustable lumbar support pad. The chair arrives fully assembled and you can choose from over 20 cushion colours, so it’s the best we’ve found for coordinating with your interiors.

Aesthetics aren’t the only thing you can customise though; you can change the height, tilt and even depth of the chair. We tried the model with fixed arm rests but you can make those fully adjustable too should you wish. It’s not that clear what lever adjusts each part of the chair without the instructions, but they were all easy to use. It didn’t stain much either, making it a quality buy. It’s expensive but it's a chair that even Goldilocks would struggle to fault.

Score: 85/100

While this chair requires assembly, it’s not complicated. Everything pushes into place without requiring any tools, resulting in a speedy build time in our lab, taking less than five minutes. Adjusting the seat configuration was just as simple, with easy-to-reach levers – although there’s no tilt lock, so when you’re changing that, you need to make sure it doesn’t roll too far back.

While tea, coffee and biro didn’t leave stains, food proved trickier to clean, so you may want to avoid this one if you often eat at your desk (or even better, take a break at lunchtime and get outside!). It moved smoothly across carpet and hard flooring though. Plus, testers found the back and lumbar support comfortable, and praised the wide arm rests. It’s not the most premium we tried but it should do the job nicely.

Score: 84/100

While not the quickest on our list to assemble, this office chair was up and ready to use in under 20 minutes, with all the parts fitting securely into place. Adjusting the armrests and height mechanism proved simple, and panellists said it provided good lumbar support, with the majority agreeing that it helped them maintain the correct posture while working.

Water rolled off rather than soaking into the seat and stains came off without too much scrubbing needed – and if you do make a mess of the chair, you can rely on the instructions for clear cleaning and maintenance advice.

Score: 79/100

At less than £150 and available in black and beige, this is a value buy. Our testers praised its comfort, intuitive design, and straightforward assembly. It comes with all the tools you’ll need to put it together (so you won’t have to root through your toolbox) and it's a decent quality for the price.

There are limited adjustments you can make to the set-up – you can change the seat height, tilt and arm rest position but not the back height. There’s no lumbar pad either. But its wheels glided well, and hot drinks and biros didn’t stain.

Score: 76/100

Another budget pick, this one is actually the cheapest on our list but it still ticked plenty of our testers' boxes. It was simple to put it together thanks to the clearly labelled parts and accompanying diagrams. All the levers are nicely placed too (although the arm rests were stiff to move at first).

You should be okay if you spill your tea or coffee, but be careful with pens, food and makeup as they left marks. In terms of comfort, its support is on the more basic side (although you can adjust the tilt), but that didn’t prevent some testers from saying they’d consider it for their own home office – so it all depends on the level you need. It’s certainly a significant upgrade from a sofa!

With adjustable head, back and lumbar support, the Flexispot Flexi-Chair Ergonomic Office Chair BS8 is hard to beat when it comes to its ergonomic design.

It’s not the most aesthetically pleasing though; that crown goes to Herman Miller’s Sayl Office Chair with its customisable cushion.

But both will set you back a fair bit, so if you’re on a budget, we suggest John Lewis’ Anyday Dorsal Office Chair – it’s a simpler design but was still a comfortable hit with our testing team.

With 100 years of testing under our belts, we have lots of experience to draw on when analysing new products. Our homes tester, Masudah Khatun, looks after our home office reviews, making sure we’re judging each product rigorously and fairly, from ergonomic chairs to the best standing desks.

Our homes editor, Hannah Mendelsohn, and our senior homes and lifestyle writer, Megan Geall, ensure that the testing protocols cover everything you might want from an office chair, and that we’re including the leading brands and latest launches across the category. They then transform Masudah’s findings into easy-to-read reviews, so that you can find the best buy for you.

Hannah is our homes editor, specialising in reviewing the latest kitchen appliances, cleaning products, mattresses and bedding, and crafting equipment. Hannah has written about hundreds of products, from air fryers to smoothie makers to pillows, and is committed to finding the most reliable and best value for money buys.

Hannah is also interested in sustainability in the home and has completed a course with the University of the Arts London in sustainable textiles, so she can help cut through the noise on what’s green and what’s not. Hannah has an MA in Magazine Journalism and has previously worked as a freelance lifestyle and women’s sports journalist, working for Stylist, Sky Sports and more.

Hannah has also previously worked in a florist and can normally be found caring for her house plants or sewing something new for her home or wardrobe.

Megan is the Good Housekeeping Institute’s homes writer. She loves diving into the latest product releases to find the very best buys on the market. When she’s not writing about the newest gadgets and gizmos for your home and garden, you’ll find her cooking, running and exploring London’s foodie hotspots – or trying to make friends with every dog she passes. Megan has an MA in Magazine Journalism and has previously written for Stylist, Glamour, TimeOut, SquareMeal, and YOU magazine. You can find Megan on Instagram @meganlouisegeall and on X @megan_geall

Masudah has a master's degree in clinical drug development and combines this scientific background with a love for all things homes – from cooking appliances to smart home tech. She enjoys collecting and analysing quantitative data, ensuring that her product evaluations go beyond mere opinions. She particularly loves using the Digi Eye machine in the GHI lab to assess the colour and texture of products as part of our duvet cover and detergent tests. In her spare time, Masudah enjoys learning about new tech, baking delicious treats, and keeping her home spotless. With a passion for creativity and an eye for detail, she brings a unique perspective to every product she tests.

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