Autumn has arrived, bringing with it the frequent and unpredictable rain showers typical of the season. With that in mind, it’s important to stay prepared for these wet conditions. And if you’ve ever wrestled with a broken brolly in the wind, you’ll know just how important it is to find the best umbrella to keep you dry and protected from the elements.
Our team of testers have faced drizzles, dashed between downpours and braved blustery storms to find the best umbrellas that won’t leave you sopping wet. Our testing process proved how surprisingly tricky it is to find one that actually lasts. From the design, size and weight to the canopy strength, grip and how it opens, we evaluated it all. Paired with one of the best waterproof jackets, you’re on track to stay completely dry.
From compact umbrellas for your handbag and backpack to larger ones for the car boot, we’ve tested options for every occasion. There are clear styles for weddings, lightweight picks for kids, and windproof designs that won’t flip at the first gust. Together, we both thought the Blunt metro umbrella was the best for everyday use thanks to its sturdy build and curvy design, while the Fulton tornado battled well through strong winds, and didn’t cost the Earth. Keep reading for our full review and to find out our picks for the best umbrellas in 2025.
The best umbrellas for 2025 are:
How we tested
Each umbrella was tested by Siobhan and I in drizzle, heavy rain and wind. For each umbrella, we looked at wind resistance, quality, ease of use, coverage and the design. You can read our full testing criteria at the end of this guide.
Blunt metro umbrella
Best: Umbrella overall
Style: Foldable
Weight: 385g
Open diameter: 100cm
Closed size: 37.5cm
Wind tested to: Category 1 hurricane (up to 95mph)
Automatic or manual: Automatic
Why we love it
- Really stylish
- Clever design
- Sturdy in high winds
Blunt’s metro umbrella is the dreamiest brolly you’ll ever lay your eyes on, with a stylish, scalloped design that not only looks good but is also practical. Its design is thoughtfully engineered, and it helped us avoid close calls and accidental pokes in the eye when navigating busy London streets.
That’s because the Blunt metro has reinforced pockets at the canopy edge to keep the spokes out of harm’s way and stop them from popping out as they often do on cheaper umbrellas. It also has a 360-degree spinning canopy to protect the core mechanism if it is knocked. It never blew inside out in strong, 30mph winds (it’s rated up to 95mph), and remained strong and sturdy in our hands.
It has an auto-open button, and the umbrella release button is rubberised, so there’s no danger of catching your finger on any metal tabs, collapsing down with ease. The handle is super comfortable to hold, and the genius half-zip case meant we didn’t have to wrestle trying to put it back in its sheath. It comes in a range of bold and bright colours, as well as more subdued hues, plus it’s pretty lightweight and can fit neatly in a backpack, though maybe not a small handbag.
Buy now £74.95, Amazon.co.uk
Fulton tornado umbrella
Best: Budget umbrella
Type: Folding
Weight: 545g
Open diameter: 120cm
Closed size: 37cm
Wind tested to: Extreme weather
Automatic or manual: Automatic
Why we love it
- Sturdy umbrella
- Opens and closes automatically
Take note
- Slightly uncomfortable to hold
Family-run business Fulton was founded in 1956. Its umbrellas were used by Queen Elizabeth II, and now King Charles III and the Queen Consort; even royalty can’t escape the British rain.
The Fulton tornado is one majestic-looking umbrella. Featuring a wide canopy that two people can just about fit under, and a clever three-stage automatic frame. We always felt protected from the elements under this brolly, and it never flipped inside out.
It’s strong, featuring reinforced polymer ribs of steel for extreme strength and a vented canopy, so we never felt like the thing was going to collapse in on us in high winds. Plus, this one opens and closes automatically, and folds up so that we can store it away easily in our rucksack.
There are a few things to consider, however. The handle is a little uncomfortable to hold with its bulbous size and foam texture, and it’s also on the heavy side. But, given its affordable price tag, it’s a pretty good buy.
Buy now £24.17, Amazon.co.uk
Fulton birdcage umbrella
Best: Clear umbrella
Type: Stick umbrella
Weight: 530g
Open diameter: 84cm
Closed size: 94cm
Wind tested to: Wind-resistant
Automatic or manual: Automatic
Why we love it
- Nice clear design
- Keeps you fully covered from the rain
Take note
- Can’t be stored in a handbag or backpack
If you’re sick of bumping into people every time it rains, as you can’t see a thing under your umbrella, Fulton’s birdcage umbrella is for you. The brolly design used by Queen Elizabeth II features an elegant dome shape that stretches right down to your shoulders, for full coverage.
The dome shape already gave the umbrella some resistance in the strongest of winds, but its fibreglass ribs really ensured it was flexible enough to withstand a big gust of air. And the clear PVC material made it a doddle to see through, while keeping us completely dry.
The curved handle is easy to hold and comes in four colours with a matching trim on the canopy. The clear design makes it particularly suited for weddings, if the weather turns. It doesn’t fold up, however, so you do need to carry it like a cane when not in use, but it closes and opens automatically to make that chore easier.
Buy now £25.00, Amazon.co.uk
Hunter transparent moustache bubble umbrella
Best: Umbrella for style
Type: Full-length stick
Weight: 466g
Open diameter: 86cm
Closed size: 89cm
Wind tested to: Unspecified
Automatic or manual: Manual
Why we love it
- Quirky print
- Covered two on the school run
- Surprisingly lightweight
Add some pizzazz to precipitation with this statement umbrella from British brand Hunter. The sturdy brolly has a hybrid frame of fibreglass and reinforced plastic, for maximum flexibility, and barely even trembles in the fiercest wind, while the transparent canopy means you can hold it low over your face but still not bump into anyone.
We tested it in the pouring rain on the school run, and it easily kept two dry underneath. The quirky moustache-shaped trim is printed tastefully with the Hunter name and comes in military red and black, which coordinate perfectly with Hunter boots, if you have them.
Despite its size, it’s also surprisingly light to hold for a long time with the matte curved handle, although there’s no case to keep it dry after use. Still, we’ll be storing it in our car boot, secretly hoping for rain, just so we can whip it out.
Buy now £45.00, Hunterboots.co.uk
Gilley umbrella
Best: Compact umbrella
Type: Folding
Weight: 400g
Open diameter: 98cm
Closed size: Unspecified
Wind tested to: 30mph
Automatic or manual: Manual
Why we love it
- Plastic case means brolly can go into handbag
Getting a wet umbrella into its thin plastic case is no mean feat, which is exactly why we love Gilley’s design. Thanks to the hard-shell case, you can put the umbrella into your bag and none of the contents will get wet. While slightly more chunky than other designs (it won’t fit into a smaller handbag), it’s certainly a smart feature.
In terms of performance, we tested the brolly in some fairly wet and windy conditions and were impressed by its ability to withstand some large gusts of wind and protect us against rain. Even better, it has a large canopy, so two people can snugly fit underneath it. While the price tag might seem a bit of an investment, it’s one we’d certainly recommend making.
Buy now £36.90, Gilley.uk
Senz large
Best: Windproof umbrella
Type: Full-length stick
Weight: 468g
Open diameter: 133cm (W94cm x D94cm)
Closed size: 80cm
Wind tested to: 60mph
Automatic or manual: Automatic
Why we love it
- Intriguing design
- Survives the harshest of winds
Take note
- Only just covers an extra person
We always catch people’s eye whenever we take Senz’s umbrella out for a stroll on a blustery wet day. That’s mainly because of how this thing looks. It’s beautiful, unusual and comes in a host of gorgeous colours.
Senz’s umbrellas don’t have circular canopies like traditional brollies, they’re asymmetrical, with a kite-like design, to help you battle ferocious winds. We tested the Senz large, which is extremely strong, has a wide canopy and fibreglass ribs.
Instead of pushing up the shaft to open the canopy, you pull down the wooden handle in the middle, and the umbrella wings open. There’s an auto-close button on the shaft as well, which sends the mechanism handle back into the middle.
While you might think the asymmetric canopy wouldn’t provide coverage to all parts of your body, we never got wet underneath the Senz large, and it remained solid in the wind, as gusts never got caught underneath. The spokes have little attachments on them, too, so they won’t poke anyone’s eye out as they’re admiring the design. It comes sheathed in a luxurious sleeve with a shoulder strap, too.
The only negative is that, despite being so large, it only just shelters an extra person, because of its awkward shape, but at least it won’t flip up and break when you’re faced with high winds. It’s slightly heavy, but extremely comfortable to hold, and we are in love with the Sudan brown colourway.
Buy now £65.00, Senz.com
The Davek solo umbrella
Best: Premium umbrella
Type: Folding
Weight: 510g
Open diameter: 109cm
Closed size: 29.8cm
Wind tested to: Wind-resistant
Automatic or manual: Automatic
Why we love it
- Rock steady in high winds
- Automatically opens and closes
Take note
- Heavy
- Pricey
This elegant brolly from New York company Davek had us at ‘hello’ with its smart red gift box. Inside, the umbrella is the ideal compromise between a teeny handbag-sized option and a long stick umbrella that can’t be folded away.
The Solo packs down to a respectable 30cm when closed, to fit in a larger bag or rucksack, yet it’s as solid in high wind as a larger stick style. Coverage is a comfortable 94cm when open, which just about kept two of us dry, and the high-grade steel, fibreglass and aircraft-grade aluminium frame was rock steady.
It comes in plain navy or black, or black trimmed with either lavender, green or pale blue, and has a leather wrist strap, a handy clip for attaching to a bag and a smooth ergonomic handle. We loved the fact that we could open it one-handed, even when weighed down with bags, thanks to the auto-open and close button, which also ingeniously corrects the ribs if they ever do invert.
It’s on the heavy side and definitely pricey, but Davek promises to repair or replace the umbrella for free forever if it fails to work properly. Just make sure you don’t leave it on the bus.
Buy now £115.00, Davek.co.uk
London Undercover navy city gent lifesaver umbrella
Best: Long-lasting umbrella
Type: Full-length stick
Weight: Not specified
Open diameter: 106cm
Closed size: 91.5cm
Wind tested to: Unspecified
Automatic or manual: Manual
Why we love it
- Easy to hold
- Lightweight
- Kept us completely dry
Seriously up your rain game with a pricey but devastatingly chic handcrafted umbrella from London Undercover. This is probably the fanciest brolly you’ll ever lay eyes on, but it will definitely put a spring in your step on even the dampest days.
Handmade in – surprise! – London, it has a sleek silver tip cup and spokes, an unshakeable steel frame and a navy polyester canopy that opens to a generous 106cm diameter to keep you bone dry. We particularly loved the curved handle made of stylish dark brown maple, which was easy to hold and not at all heavy.
It can’t be folded and tucked into a bag, of course, but you’ll want to keep this umbrella swinging proudly from your arm anyway. The brand will even engrave it for you, if it’s a present.
Buy now £165.00, Londonundercover.co.uk
Fulton cyclone umbrella
Best: Golf umbrella
Type: Stick umbrella
Weight: 878g
Open diameter: 131cm
Closed size: 100cm
Wind tested to: 78mph
Automatic or manual: Manual
Why we love it
- Extremely large canopy
- Strong in high winds
Golfers, this is the umbrella you’ve been searching for. Larger than your standard brolly, it’ll protect you from the rain and the sun, including your basket, while out on the green. And you won’t have to worry about holding it upright when you’re on the course on a blustery day because it’s wind-tested up to 78mph. It was strong in our tests and had us protected at every angle.
Featuring a classic black UV design, it has a rubberised handle, making it comfortable to hold, and there’s even a silicone finger pad for increased ergonomics. It comes inside a smart carry case with a strap for slinging over your back when you’re all done.
It is very heavy, but that’s to be expected, given its size and its glorious fibreglass construction. While the cyclone is best for holes in one, we’ve also used it on drizzly walks in the park with our dog, and it performed just as well.
Buy now £38.25, Amazon.co.uk
Totes eco-brella x-tra strong auto open/close umbrella
Best: Umbrella for strength
Type: Folding
Weight: 452g
Open diameter: 108cm
Closed size: 32.3cm
Wind tested to: Wind-resistant
Automatic or manual: Automatic
Why we love it
- Really strong
- Packs easily into our backpack
- Opens automatically
Ever dumped a brolly in disgust after it’s turned inside out at the merest hint of wind? We have. There’s no chance this fantastic umbrella will meet the same fate, though, as it was easily one of the hardiest we tested, standing firm even on a very blustery day when we’d normally skip a brolly completely. Made of 100 per cent polyester with an aluminium and steel frame, it’s been previously tested in a wind tunnel, and Totes claims the brolly will withstand 60 per cent stronger winds than an average umbrella.
Although it’s a reasonable 32.3cm when folded and easily packs into a rucksack, it opens up to a diameter of 108cm, which kept us completely dry even in squally rain. The canopy is also made completely from recycled PET polyester fabric, but you’ll never know it just by looking.
There’s no need to battle to close it after the wind’s done its worst, either, as it closes automatically at the (smug) push of a button. A fantastic all-round buy.
Buy now £30.00, Amazon.co.uk
Fulton aerolite
Best: Lightweight umbrella
Type: Folding
Weight: 86g
Open diameter: 83cm
Closed size: 20cm
Wind tested to: Wind-resistant frame
Automatic or manual: Manual
Why we love it
- So light, it didn’t feel like we were holding an umbrella
- Good coverage
Take note
- Kept flipping inside out
OK, this might be one of the lightest umbrellas ever made. It was featherlight, and sometimes we even forgot that we were holding it. It weighs just 86g – that’s 10 50p coins, or a deck of playing cards, or a tube of mascara, or a box of beeswax. You get the idea, this thing is light, and folds away into a teeny-tiny cylinder.
But how does that lightweight design translate when used as an actual umbrella? Surprisingly well. It still features a three-stage frame, and the polyester canopy effectively covered us from the elements. But its downfall is the wind. While it features five carbon ribs, it’s not strong enough to resist inversion. It kept flipping inside out at the smallest gust.
That’s the trade-off with having a lightweight brolly. The good thing? It doesn’t actually break when it inverts; you can just push it back in, and it will continue on its way as if nothing happened. The wind won’t damage the umbrella, but you might feel a little embarrassed.
Buy now £17.06, Amazon.co.uk
Your questions about umbrellas answered
What is the best umbrella?
You’ll probably never need to buy another umbrella again if you splash out a little bit on the Blunt metro umbrella. It’s a gorgeous brolly that looks the part and won’t let you down in even the strongest wind and rain. If you can’t face splashing out quite so much to stay dry, the Totes auto open/close umbrella is an impressive hard-wearing alternative that won’t let you down, and the Senz large is seriously good if you’ve just had enough of the wind.
How we selected the best umbrellas
Siobhan and I have put a range of umbrellas to the test in the drizzle, heavy rain and winds of up to 30mph over several weeks and months, to find the ones that kept us dry and saved us from the embarrassment of having them blow inside out, only to be dumped within days. We looked at the following when testing each umbrella:
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Alex Lee is The Independent’s senior tech critic and helps lead the tech reviews section. He writes news pieces, reviews and round-ups for IndyBest, covering everything from VPNs and wireless headphones to the best air purifiers and even dog raincoats. No matter the topic, Alex hunts for affordability and quality materials that get the job done.
Siobhan Grogan has been writing product reviews for IndyBest since 2021. She has a keen eye for detail and quality, and looks for products that will ensure our readers get the best value for money. She’s reviewed everything from reusable water bottles to the best fans, so she knows how to spot a great product.
Both testers are frequent commuters and appreciate the importance of a very durable umbrella.
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