If you require a quick answer, the best breathalyser is the AlcoSense Pro, which is an award-winning device that uses a genuine police fuel cell alcohol sensor. It even features advanced breath flow, pressure and volume sensors for additional accuracy. However, if you require a single-use alternative for keeping inside the car, the AlcoSense NF is the best.
To rate the breathalysers within our roundup, we based our recommendations on thorough testing, our experience using multiple breathalyzers, the latest research and several factors. Some of the factors that we took into consideration included their ease of use, accuracy, alerts, provided mouthpieces, display, certifications, warranty and value for money.
Best Breathalyser Overview
- Best Overall: AlcoSense Pro
- Best Smart: BACtrack Mobile
- Best All-Rounder: AlcoSense Excel
- Best Value: AlcoSense Lite 2
- Best Budget: SAKUUMI Portable
- Best Single Use: AlcoSense French Certified
Whether you opt for a digital device or disposable breathalysers, both will provide results in less than a minute. You can also purchase additional mouthpieces for your digital device in case you run out too.
Below is a list of the best breathalysers that are easy to use and provide accurate results for peace of mind.
The Best Breathalysers
1. Best Overall: AlcoSense Pro
AlcoSense dominates the market for breathalysers in the UK and the “Pro” device is the brand’s flagship model that includes additional sensors. This particular model even allows you to pre-select the country’s drink-drive limit that you want to compare your results against which isn’t possible with the brand’s alternative devices.
In terms of the sensor used within the Pro device, it’s a 121mm2 fuel cell sensor that the brand states is the same as the sensor used by the police.
- Uses a genuine police fuel cell alcohol sensor
- Features breath flow, pressure and volume sensors
- Advanced temperature compensation
- Can be used abroad as you can select different country drink drive limits
- Manufactured under ISO13485
- Clear TFT colour screen that makes the device much easier to use
- Most expensive breathalyser within our roundup
Overall, the AlcoSense Pro is the ultimate breathalyser that’s built by an industry-leading brand for complete peace of mind. It’s an excellent bit of kit that’s accurate, easy to use and well worth the investment. As you can see in our “How We Rated” section, we’ve been testing it over a prolonged period and it’s far better than other breathalysers we’ve used.
2. Best Smart: BACtrack Mobile Smartphone Breathalyser
BACtrack is another brand that offers several breathalysers and this smartphone-based model is their new and improved offering. The device itself is very compact and it uses Bluetooth for a simple integration with your smartphone.
- Powered by BACtrack's patented Xtend Fuel Cell Sensor
- We really liked the ability for the app to estimate the time until your BAC is 0.00%
- Very easy to use and setup via Bluetooth
- Backed by a 1 year warranty
- Compatible with the majority of smartphones
- Tracks previous tests for interesting analysis the day after
- You need to reconnect your phone to the device each time
Although expensive, BACtrack’s smartphone-based breathalyser is a great option to consider and the fact that it is so small, it can be carried with you at all times. During testing, the only negative we found was that you needed to reconnect your phone each time but apart from that, it offers plenty of functionality and the all-important accuracy.
3. Best All-Rounder: AlcoSense Excel Breathalyser
Another highly rated AlcoSense breathalyser is the Excel model, which also features a genuine police specification sensor. This particular device reads up to 2 decimal places using its 64mm2 fuel cell sensor. In terms of the differences when compared to the brand’s “Pro” model, it lacks the additional sensors and country-specific drink drive limits.
- Full graphical user interface that's easy to use
- Accurate to 2 decimal places
- Made in the UK and manufactured under ISO13485
- Adjustable drive alert
- Relatively expensive considering it lacks features
Although the Excel model by the brand lacks the extra features when compared to the Pro, it’s still an excellent bit of kit. It’s easy to use and provides accurate results via the 64mm2 fuel cell sensor for complete peace of mind.
4. Best Value: AlcoSense Lite 2
If the “Pro” and “Excel” models are too pricey, the AlcoSense brand has an affordable alternative that’s known as the Lite 2 breathalyser. As the model name suggests, it’s the successor of the previous Lite model and it carries the same desirable qualities that include an easy-to-use interface and superior accuracy to one decimal place.
- Accurate to one decimal place
- Clear and easy to read interface with single button operation
- Features a semi-conductor sensor (19mm2)
- Useful recalibration reminder every 12 months
- Entry level sensor that isn't as accurate when compared to the brand's alternative models
To conclude, the AlcoSense Lite 2 is the perfect mid-range breathalyser that ticks all the boxes and is more than suitable for the average driver. It’s also backed by the reputable AlcoSense brand for complete peace of mind.
5. Best Budget: SAKUUMI Portable Breathalyser
One of the cheapest breathalysers that comes with a digital display and is actually worth buying is by the SAKUUMI brand. It’s a basic device that’s simple to use and features automatic alarms that indicate the test results.
- Easy to use and automatically turns off after 1 minute
- Accuracy of -0.01%- +0.02% at 0.05% BAC
- Clear digital display that shows all the information you require
- Powered by 2 x AAA batteries
- Supplied with 5 mouthpieces but the brand offer bulk buy packs
- The construction quality could be improved
- No certification of accuracy
If you want a cheap breathalyser to use at home out of curiosity, you really can’t go wrong with this model. It’s one of the cheapest on the market that features a digital display and it’s very easy to use, even if you are too far gone!
6. Best Single Use: AlcoSense French Certified Breathalysers
Although the French have recently scrapped the law regarding driving with breathalysers, there were only a few options that were approved by the French authorities. The AlcoSense NF Breathalysers are an example of what was approved and they are a single use breathalyser that’s designed to prove that you are below the 0.5 French limit.
- Approved for use in France
- Single use breathalyser
- Come in a pack of two with long expiry dates
- Used by French police
- Not as easy to use as the digital alternatives
If you don’t wish to use a digital device but instead want reliable breathalysers that you can trust, the AlcoSense NF kit is the best option. The fact that they are approved and used by the French police is a clear indication of their quality and they are the cheapest way to fulfil the legal requirements for use in France.
How We Rated
Breathalysers are great devices that provide you with peace of mind before driving and after using multiple over the years, we have plenty of experience with a range of devices. This includes the budget options to the premium AlcoSense models that provide the best accuracy.
During our testing, we analyse how easy they are to use, accuracy, speed of results, functionality and build quality.
To keep up our commitment to reviewing and testing the latest breathalysers (for this article), we are continually testing the latest breathalysers from top brands in the UK. This means that when we notice a brand has released a new and improved model, we will attempt to buy it and put it to the test (where applicable).
Below is a video that we posted on our YouTube channel that shows us testing our top recommendation (AlcoSense Pro). As you can see, it’s very easy to use with the instructions on the screen and the results are displayed in seconds.
As well as testing and our experience using multiple breathalysers, we also based our recommendations on the latest research and multiple factors. Some of the factors that we took into consideration included the breathalyser’s ease of use, accuracy, alerts, provided mouthpieces, display, certifications, warranty and value for money.
Conclusion
If you have been out the night before and want to have complete peace of mind before driving your car the next day, investing in a breathalyser is highly advised. Within this article, we have listed some of the best options that are available as digital devices or single use alternatives. As you can see from the recommendations, AlcoSense dominates the market for breathalysers in the UK and for good reason too. Although there are plenty of alternatives, we would highly recommend the AlcoSense devices where the brand offers a range of models to suit all budgets.
If you require further information regarding our breathalyser recommendations, feel free to get in touch and we will try to provide our assistance where possible.
