If you can’t stand the thought of vacuuming up pine needles from the carpet for the whole of December, it’s worth considering investing in a really good artificial Christmas tree that will last you for years to come. But the most authentic-looking trees come with a higher price tag - so what are the most realistic Christmas trees worth splashing out on?
We put five fab fakes through their paces, looking at how many branches and tips they had, how easy they were to assemble, if they were well made, and - most importantly of all - if they could make you double-take and believe they were the real deal.
Most realistic artificial Christmas trees to buy in 2024
- Best overall: 6ft Young Pine Christmas tree, £210, Cox & Cox
- Best budget buy: 6ft Ultra Mountain Pine, £149.99, Christmas Tree World
- Best for modern schemes: 6ft WeRChristmas pre-lit traditional fir multi-function tree with 350 LED lights, £192.99, Amazon
- Best for traditional schemes: 6ft Nordman artificial Christmas tree, £200, B&Q
- Best for large rooms: 7ft Calgary Spruce premium artificial Christmas tree, £200, Homebase
6ft Young Pine Christmas tree, £210, Cox & Cox
Score: 10/10
Features at a glance:
- Product dimensions (H) 182cm x (W) 117cm
- Material: Metal, PE and PVC
- Number of tips: 1799 tips
- Unlit
Pros
- Very realistic looking with bushy foliage and luscious, fat tips
Cons
- Quite expensive
This 6ft Young Pine artificial tree comes in three sections along with a foldable metal stand. The top section has 39 branches with 5-9 tips per branch, the middle section has 38 branches with 25-34 tips per branch, while the bottom section has 16 branches with between 30-35 tips per branch. The trunk and branches are made from metal, while the needles are made from a combination of PVC and PE.
The three sections fitted together easily and it fixed smoothly into the stand. Although it's only available in one size - 6ft - this tree is also available as a pre-lit version if you don’t want the hassle of stringing it up with fairy lights.
Results
It only took us one minute to assemble the tree and slot it into the stand, with a further five minutes to primp the branches and tips into a natural position. The tree had a very realistic, slightly uneven shape and a slimmer silhouette than some of the other trees we tested. The foliage was dense and bushy and the tips of the branches had an attractive, slightly upturned shape, which made the tree look full and without any obvious gaps.
The trunk of the tree was covered in matt green tinsel, while the branches were made from matt green tinsel close to the trunk, with fat, luscious upward-facing plastic needles on the outer tips. These were slightly variegated in colour, slightly paler than the inner tips, verging on a grey-green towards the outer tips.
Value for money
Although at £210, this was the most expensive tree we tested, it was also one of the most realistic Christmas trees we tested, so it justified the price tag.
6ft WeRChristmas pre-lit traditional fir multi-function tree with 350 LED lights, £192.99, Amazon
Score: 10/10
Features at a glance:
- Product dimensions: (H)182.9cm x (W)120cm
- Material: Metal, PE & PVC
- Number of tips: 2436 tips
- Prelit
Pros
- Pre-lit with 8 different light functions
Cons
- Unusual appearance, so maybe not for traditionalists
This 6ft traditional fir tree comes in three sections with a foldable metal stand. The top section has 61 branches with 5-22 tips per branch, the middle section has 18 branches with 23-41 tips per branch, while the bottom section has 24 branches with between 54-61 tips per branch. The needles are made from a combination of PVC and PE.
The tree has a strong frame, thanks to the metal trunk and branches, and the three sections were simple to assemble and fit into the metal stand.
This tree is available in a range of sizes: 6ft, 7ft, 8ft, 9ft, 10ft and 12ft. The 6ft size we tested boasts 350 warm white LED lights with 8 different settings including flash, twinkle, chasing, fade, static or on/off. These are adjusted by simply pressing a button on the plug.
Results
The hinged branches of this tree flopped down easily into position although, as this is a pre-lit tree, we did have to join two small two-pin screw-fit plugs together to ensure the lighting circuit was fully connected over the whole tree. So, in all, it took us around five minutes to assemble, with another 10 minutes to fan out the branches and tips to create a natural effect.
The trunk of this tree was covered in green and brown tinsel, while the inner part of the branches were made from matt green and brown tinsel. However, the outer tips of the branches were made from unusual plastic needles arranged in small clusters along the length of the branch. The lights were bright, warm-looking and perfectly spaced around the tree.
This model had a different 'look' from the other trees we tested, perfect if you prefer a contemporary Nordic-style Christmas. The foliage wasn’t very bushy, but the grey-green clusters of needles gave a really interesting and realistic appearance. It also had a slightly slimmer profile than some of the other trees we tested, making it convenient for smaller homes. For more ideas for compact spaces, check out our round-up of mini Christmas trees.
Value for money
Priced at £192.99, we felt this offered great value for money, considering it was pre-lit with multifunctional lights and had needles with a really different look to many standard trees.
6ft Ultra Mountain Pine, £149.99, Christmas Tree World
Score: 9/10
Features at a glance:
- Product dimensions (H)180cm x (W)120cm
- Materials: Metal, PE & PVC
- Number of tips: 1972 tips
- Unlit
Pros
- Good value for money
Cons
- Takes a while to arrange the branches and tips satisfactorily
This 6ft Ultra Mountain Pine comes in three sections with a fold-out metal stand. The top section has 57 branches with 3-25 tips per branch, the middle section has 26 branches with 25-47 tips per branch, while the bottom section has 14 branches with between 38-48 tips per branch.
The tree felt very robust - the trunk and branches are metal, while the needles are made from a combination of PVC and PE synthetics. All three sections were easy to assemble and slot into the metal stand. The Ultra Mountain Pine is available in a range of sizes: 4ft, 5ft, 6ft, 7ft and 8ft, as well as pre-lit options in 4ft, 5ft, 6ft, 7ft, 8ft, 9ft and 10ft sizes, so there’s an option to suit most spaces.
Results
The hinged branches of this tree fell effortlessly into place, so it only took us a minute to assemble the tree and fit it into the stand. However, we the took about 15 minutes to spread out the branches and tips to get a full, realistic look.
The trunk of the tree was covered in green and brown tinsel, while the branches closes to the trunk were made from matt green tinsel changing to plastic needles towards the tip. Unlike some of the other trees we tested, this one seemed to be just one colour - a lush, forest green shade. The tree has bushy, slightly uneven silhouette which felt quite naturalistic. It had a lovely bushy top, unlike many real trees which can be quite sparse towards the peak. However, there were a few gaps between the layers of branches.
Value for money
At just £149.99 for a lovely bushy 6ft tree, we felt this tree offered really good value for money.
6ft Nordman artificial Christmas tree, £200, B&Q
Score: 8/10
Features at a glance:
- Product dimensions:(H)180cm x (W)135cm
- Material: Metal, polyethylene (PE) & PVC
- Number of tips : Over 1100 tips
- Unlit
Pros
- Comes with a handy tree scarf to allow for easy tweaking
- Realistic-looking tips to the branches
Cons
- Took a fair bit of tweaking to spread out the branches and tips
This 6ft Nordman tree comes in three sections with a fold-out metal stand. The top section has 26 branches with 5-25 tips per branch, the middle section 24 branches with 27-37 tips per branch, while the bottom section 24 branches with between 33-38 tips per branch.
The tree felt sturdily built, the three sections fitted together smoothly and the three bolts anchored the trunk firmly to the base. The trunk and branches are made from metal, while the needles are made from a combination of PVC and PE.
This artificial Nordman fir is available in three different heights to suit all homes: 6ft, 7ft and 8ft, and also comes with a handy Velcro tree scarf to allow you to hold sections of branches out of the way for perfect branch tweaking and assembly. For more tips on finishing touches, check out our guide to styling your Christmas tree like a professional.
Results
This tree had hinged branches attached to the trunk which made set-up a breeze - it only took a minute to assemble the three sections of the tree and place them into the stand. We then spent another 10 minutes spreading the branches out and arranging the tips to create a realistic appearance.
The branches were fairly dense, although there were a few gaps in the foliage, and the tree has a natural-looking, slightly irregular silhouette, rather than being a perfect conical shape. The trunk of the tree was covered in green and brown tinsel, while the branches had matt green tinsel at the end closest to the trunk, while the outer ends boasted lifelike plastic fine needles.
Value for money
At £200, we felt this tree offered fairly good value for money
7ft Calgary Spruce premium artificial Christmas tree, £200, Homebase
Score: 8/10
Features at a glance:
- Product dimensions: (H)210cm x (W)137cm
- Material: Metal, PVC & PE
- Number of tips: Not specified by retailer
- Unlit
Pros
- Very quick to assemble and needed very little tweaking
Cons
- This tree was quite heavy so could be a challenge if you wanted to store it in the loft
This 7ft Calgary Spruce tree comes in three sections with a fold out metal stand. The top section has 48 branches with 5-22 tips per branch, the middle section has 30 branches with 22-29 tips per branch, while the bottom section has 24 branches with between 30-39 tips per branch. The trunk and branches are made from metal, while the needles are made from a combination of PVC and PE.
The tree felt well built, the three sections fitted together easily and the trunk bolted firmly to the base. This tree is only available in the 7ft size, so it might be too big and imposing for smaller rooms.
Results
The hinged branches fell into position and it only took moments to assemble the tree and attach it to the base. It only needed a couple of minutes minor tweaking to spread out the branches and tips to create a realistic look.
The tree had dense, bushy branches and no obvious gaps. The trunk was covered in green tinsel, while the branches had matt green tinsel close to the trunk and stiff plastic pine needles closer to the tips. With its layered branches and new growth two-tone colour this tree looked quite realistic, although the near-perfect conical shape looked almost too perfect.
Value for money
For a very bushy 7ft tree, we felt £200 was very good value for money.
Found the Christmas tree of your dreams? Now add the finishing touches with our pick of the best baubles, tree toppers and tree skirts! Or if you're celebrating Christmas on a budget, you won't want to miss our guide to the best artificial Christmas trees under £150!
