Seven air purifiers, rated for Perth homes

This is the one we'd point most people to, and it's the performance rather than the price that earns it. Independent bench tests clear a room in 24 to 30 minutes, which is quick at this price, and the app's scheduling and auto mode work well.

Two things to know. Levoit stopped calling the filter “HEPA H13” in 2023, so the grade is now unstated. And the pre-filter is bonded to the main filter, so you can't rinse it on its own, which matters after a dusty Perth summer.

Our pick for a Perth summer. The 530 m³/h clean-air rate is the highest on our list, so it brings smoke levels down quickly, and the PM2.5 sensor reacts when smoke drifts in. Breville is an Australian company, so filters and service are easy to find mid-season.

It isn't cheap, and the “138 m²” coverage claim is very optimistic. Treat it as a unit for a large living area. Filters run to about $100 a year.

The most coverage for the money on our list, and in independent testing Winix units beat Dyson and Coway on clean air per dollar. The H14 filter is a real step up if grass pollen or asthma is your main worry, and it's quiet enough to sleep beside.

PlasmaWave is Winix's ioniser. It helps a little with odours but can produce trace ozone, so switch it off if that bothers you; the HEPA does the real work. The lack of a published CADR is a mark against it at this price.

A capable large-room unit, as long as you pay the right price for it. Good sensors, a clean app and solid airflow. Caught in the low $300s, it undercuts most of its rivals.

At the $699 list price, don't bother. It's discounted hard and often, so set a price alert and wait. Filters are dearer than most, at about $120 a year.

A sensible cheap buy for a small room. It's the cheapest to run on our list, and the colour ring tells you how the air is without opening an app. Well built for the money.

Keep expectations in check: coverage is small, there's no app or scheduling, and Winix's budget models edge it in testing. Bedroom or nursery, not the lounge.

The cheapest way to get an app and auto mode. Fine for a single bedroom, and filters cost about $65 a year.

It's a small unit and behaves like one. Past about 18 m² it struggles, so don't ask it to do a living room. If your room is bigger, the 400S is the step up.

A lovely object and a weak purifier for the money. Independent testing is blunt about it: in one US bench test, a Dyson delivered 89 CFM of clean air while a Levoit costing a fraction as much managed 140.

The case for it is that it heats, cools and purifies, replacing three appliances. If that's what you want, fair enough. If clean air is the goal, everything above does it better for a third of the price.