Best puppy crates in the UK: four picks by dog size and budget
The short answer
- Our pick
- A wire crate with a divider and a slide-out tray, bought in the size the adult dog will need. Ellie-Bo is the one range in this list that goes all the way from 24in to 48in, from £33.95 to £99.95 when I checked in September 2026.
- On a budget
- The smallest wire crate that fits your adult dog. At 30in it was £36.56 in September 2026, and the divider is what stops you paying twice as the puppy grows.
- Don't buy
- Anyone whose puppy already sleeps settled and toilet-trained in a room with no car travel planned, and anyone who plans to crate a dog through a working day. No crate on this list fixes that.
On this page
Most lists of the best puppy crates rank on looks and star ratings. The things that decide whether a crate works are less glamorous: the size the dog will be at two years old, whether there is a divider, and how long the dog will really spend inside. So this list is ordered by dog size and budget, and each pick says what it does badly.
I ran a boarding kennel in Rio de Janeiro for years and I own a Boxer who outgrew his first crate in a few months. I have not lab-tested these crates side by side, and I am not going to pretend otherwise. The prices below come from UK retailers and were checked in September and October 2026, and they move often.
The short version
| If you have | Pick | Price (checked) |
|---|---|---|
| Any dog, 24in to 48in | Ellie-Bo wire crate with divider | £33.95 (24in) to £99.95 (48in), September 2026 |
| A small or medium dog and you like the Omlet look | Omlet Fido Classic, 24in to 36inad | £40 (24in) and £50 (36in) in September 2026, see the caveat below |
| A settled adult dog, a hotel room or the boot of a car | zooplus First Class fabric crate | £29.09 (M), £38.99 (L), £48.29 (XL), October 2026 |
| A puppy that needs a toilet area in the space | A crate plus a pen | Ellie-Bo heavy duty pen, six panels at 60cm, £57.95 |
1. Best all-round: Ellie-Bo wire crate
A folding wire crate is the default for a reason. It is the cheapest way to get the two features that matter, a divider panel and a plastic tray, and it is the only style that comes in sizes for the very large breeds.
Ellie-Bo prices in September 2026 were £33.95 at 24in, £36.56 at 30in, £52.95 at 36in, £61.16 at 42in and £99.95 at 48in. That is the full run, which is the main reason it is first on this list.
- Good: a size for every breed from a Dachshund to a Great Dane, and the price is low enough that buying for the adult dog is not a gamble.
- Bad: wire is noisy, it is not pretty, and the quoted size is the outside measurement, so a dog close to a size boundary should go up. Check the listing for a divider and a tray before you order, because not every listing includes both.
Sizing is the part people get wrong, and the rule is the same for every crate here: the dog must be able to stand without lowering the head and lie flat on their side with all four legs stretched out.
2. Best-looking, up to 36in: Omlet Fido Classic
The Omlet Fido Classicad is a folding wire crate with a divider and a plastic tray, in three sizes: 24in for dogs up to 11kg, 30in up to 20kg and 36in up to 32kg. In September 2026 the 24in was £40 and the 36in £50.
Two honest caveats. First, the range stops at 36in: there is no 42in or 48in, so a Labrador, a Boxer or a German Shepherd needs a crate from someone else. Second, Omlet has told its affiliates it is discontinuing several dog product lines, and in October 2026 its page showed the Fido Classic “from £38.95” without per-size prices. I have not confirmed with Omlet that the Fido Classic is staying, so check that it is in stock before you plan around it.
- Good: well made and neater than most wire crates, and sold for car use as well.
- Bad: priced above the equivalent Ellie-Bo, capped at 36in, and its future is unconfirmed.
3. Cheapest and lightest: zooplus First Class fabric crate
The zooplus First Class fabric crate was £29.09 in M, £38.99 in L and £48.29 in XL when I rechecked in October 2026.
It is light, it folds small and it suits an adult dog who is already settled, in a hotel room or a holiday cottage. It is not for a teething puppy. A puppy that has not decided whether to chew its way out will tell you expensively, and fabric offers no help with house training because it cannot be set up as a snug, divided space.
- Good: cheap, light, easy to carry.
- Bad: no divider, easy to chew through, and not a car-safety option on its own.
4. The pairing: a crate plus a pen
Dogs Trust’s line is that it is often not a choice between a crate and a playpen but about using the two together. If your puppy needs a toilet area in the space, a pen next to the crate does that and a crate alone cannot. An Ellie-Bo heavy duty pen with six panels at 60cm high was £57.95 in September 2026, so doing it properly is a £90 to £110 decision, not a £40 one. Playpen or crate goes through where each one wins.
What I would not spend extra on
Fancy covers and furniture-style crates. A cover you can throw over a wire crate does the same job for less. A crate that doubles as a side table is a good idea until the dog is bigger than the table.
Buying two sizes. Buy for the adult dog and use the divider. If the crate you like has no divider, look at a different crate rather than buying twice.
A bigger crate to leave the dog longer. It does not work that way. Blue Cross and PDSA both cap crate time at three hours (more on the limits), and a bigger box does not extend a bladder.
Car travel
If the crate will ever go in a car, remember that the Highway Code (Rule 57) requires dogs to be suitably restrained and names a dog cage as one acceptable method. Car travel and crates covers what to check.
Who should not buy a crate
If your puppy is already settled sleeping loose in a room, is toilet-trained and you have no plans to travel by car with them, you may not need one. A crate is a tool for a particular stage, not an obligation, and Battersea is honest that crates are not for everyone.
And if the plan is to leave a puppy crated through a working day, that is a question of cover and company. No crate on this list answers it.
Prices were checked at UK retailers in September 2026 (Ellie-Bo, Omlet, pen prices) and October 2026 (zooplus fabric crate, and the Omlet page showing the Fido Classic from £38.95), and they move often. Omlet sizes and weight limits are Omlet’s own. Crate-time and sizing guidance follows the RSPCA, Blue Cross, PDSA and Dogs Trust. Vehicle restraint is Highway Code Rule 57. I have not tested these crates. The kennel examples are from my own years running a boarding kennel. Nothing here is veterinary or behavioural advice. For a dog showing real distress when confined, speak to your vet or a qualified behaviourist.