Best water butts for the garden (2026)

Who it's for: Six water butts of capacity in a 60cm-deep wall tank.

This is what serious garden rainwater storage looks like: 650 litres — three of an ordinary butt's capacity several times over — in a flat-backed tank that stands against a wall and takes about 60cm of depth. Through a British winter it banks the roof water that hosepipe-ban summers make precious. It's two-thirds of a tonne full, so it needs a genuinely flat, load-bearing base against the wall, and like all rainwater it's for the garden, not the tap: untreated rainwater is non-potable, full stop.

Who it's for: A full tonne of rainwater, UK-made, in a side-return-sized footprint.

The garden-scale ceiling: a thousand litres in a UK-manufactured slimline tank that fits a side return or the strip behind a garage. If you irrigate a serious vegetable plot, this is the difference between a water butt that's empty by mid-June and a reserve that carries you through a dry spell — which is exactly when it matters. A tonne of water demands respect: a flat, load-rated base (a proper slab, not gravel), and it's garden water, not drinking water, without treatment.

Who it's for: Households wanting a robust, British-made rainwater store to keep the garden going through a hosepipe ban.

A sturdy, long-proven 227-litre butt made in Britain from recycled HDPE, with a child-safe lid and a universal rain trap that fits most downpipes. It is a low-fuss, durable way to bank rainfall for dry spells, and the 5-year guarantee reflects that.

Don't buy if Don't buy if space is tight against a wall or fence, where a slimline flat-backed butt fits better, or if you only need occasional top-ups and a cheaper 100-litre model would do.

Who it's for: The pump that makes stored rainwater usable — a hose instead of a watering can.

Stored rainwater is only as useful as your willingness to carry cans of it, which is why a butt pump changes behaviour: drop it in, and the butt runs a hose or sprinkler at mains-like convenience. Hozelock's Flowmax is the mainstream pick from the name UK gardeners already own fittings for. In a hosepipe ban, note the fine print: bans restrict mains-fed hoses — most companies permit hoses fed from stored rainwater, but check your supplier's wording before assuming.

Who it's for: Turn the butts you own into one system — capacity without replacing anything.

The economical route to big capacity: rather than replacing your water butt with a tank, link two, three or four butts so they fill and empty as one system. For anyone who already owns a butt or two, it's the cheapest litres-added-per-pound on this page, and butts can sit where a single big tank couldn't. The honest caveat is plumbing-reality: linked butts want level bases at matched heights, and every joint is somewhere to check for drips.

Who it's for: Proof a rain tank can be an ornament — 300 litres disguised as a terracotta amphora.

For the gardens where a green plastic butt was never going to be allowed: a 300-litre tank moulded as a terracotta-effect amphora that reads as garden ornament rather than plumbing. Capacity-per-pound it can't touch the plain tanks above — you're paying roughly double per litre for the looks — but it solves the real reason many households never fit a butt at all: someone vetoed the ugly one. Same rules as every rain tank: solid base, and non-potable without treatment.

Who it's for: Households with a narrow gap or tight corner who want to start collecting rainwater cheaply.

A sensible, low-cost way to bank rainwater against hosepipe bans and dry spells, and the slim square footprint tucks into spots a barrel-shaped butt won't. UK-made from recycled HDPE and supplied as a complete kit, so there's little to buy separately.

Don't buy if You have the space for a larger 200L+ butt - bigger capacity is far better value per litre and more useful when a dry spell drags on. This is garden/non-potable water only, not for drinking.

Who it's for: Slim, space-saving rainwater collection in a tight garden corner.

A sensible, UK-made slimline butt that stores a useful 250 litres against a wall without dominating the garden. Well reviewed for stability and value, with only minor assembly and fitting niggles to watch.

Don't buy if You are looking for emergency or drinking-water storage. This collects rainwater off the roof for garden use only and should never be treated as a potable supply.

Who it's for: Feeding a garden water butt from a standard house downpipe, cheaply and without tools beyond a saw.

A cheap, sensible way to fill a water butt from your guttering, and most universal kits fit the 68mm round and 65mm square downpipes on typical UK homes. It does one job well, and the built-in overflow means it stops diverting once the butt is full.

Don't buy if Your water butt already came with its own diverter, or your downpipes are cast iron or a non-standard size, in which case a matched or bespoke fitting will seal far better.

Who it's for: Small gardens, patios and side returns where a full-size butt simply won't fit.

A sensible, affordable way to start collecting rainwater in a tight spot. The slim 36cm-wide footprint and complete kit make it easy to set up, though 100L is modest and empties quickly in a dry spell.

Don't buy if Don't buy this if you're trying to irrigate a large garden or ride out longer dry spells — you'll be far better served by a 200L+ butt (or two linked together) rather than refilling this constantly.

Who it's for: Small gardens, patios and balconies where storing rainwater and growing a few plants have to share the same footprint.

A neatly designed, UK-made modular butt that stacks in 67L tiers and doubles as a set of self-watering planters, so it earns its place where a plain barrel would look out of place. Useful garden water resilience during hosepipe bans, but treat it as non-potable supply, not drinking-water storage.

Don't buy if You simply want the cheapest bulk rainwater storage, or you're looking for emergency drinking-water capacity — a plain 200L+ butt costs a fraction of this, and neither stores water you can safely drink untreated.