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Best budget office chair UK: chairs under £200 to £300 compared

Updated 2026-11-15 · Researched by the SoleStack team · How we research

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A budget office chair has to do a lot for the money: adjust to your height, hold your weight and last long enough to be worth buying. This guide compares chairs sold in the UK between about £150 and £350, plus two step up options for anyone who can spend more. We have not sat in these chairs ourselves. Every price, measurement, weight rating and warranty below comes from the brand's UK website or the Amazon UK listing, and each source is linked at the end.

All prices were checked on 15 Nov 2026. Black Friday prices change fast, and some of these chairs were discounted when we checked, so check the live price before you buy. Where a brand's own pages disagree with each other, we say so rather than pick the better number.

Comparison at a glance

How to read this table:

• "Not stated" means the brand page or listing did not give a clear figure when we checked. For the Sihoo M18, the brand FAQ gives 44 to 54cm but labels it as armrest height, so we have not used it as a seat height.
• Weight figures are what each brand publishes. IKEA says "tested for", Steelcase says "tested to" and the others give a maximum user weight. They may not be measured the same way.
• The Secretlab and Steelcase prices sit above a typical budget, so treat them as step ups rather than like for like rivals.

Who should pick what

• Pick the IKEA MARKUS if you want the longest warranty under £200, a clearly published seat height and the option to see it in a store before you buy. The trade off is fewer adjustments and a lower weight rating.
• Pick the Sihoo M18 if you want adjustable lumbar, armrests and a headrest for under £175, and you are happy to buy direct from Sihoo, where it was £25 cheaper than on Amazon UK.
• Pick the Hbada P5 if you want a footrest and the highest weight rating we found under £200.
• Pick the Sihoo Doro C300 if you can spend about £250 and want 4D armrests, seat depth adjustment and a published seat height range.
• Pick the Hbada E3 Air if you want the deepest recline in this guide (140 degrees) and multi zone lumbar, and do not mind that the listing gives two different weight limits.
• Pick the Secretlab TITAN Evo if you want a gaming style chair in a choice of three sizes and can buy during the sale.
• Pick the Steelcase Series 1 if you want the longest warranty terms here and a chair from an established office brand.

IKEA MARKUS

MARKUS is a useful baseline because it is widely available in store. IKEA UK lists it at £159 in Vissle dark grey. The published specs are:

• Seat height 46 to 57cm
• Tested for 110kg
• Seat height adjustment, tilt tension, synchronised tilt and a 3 position tilt lock
• Built in lumbar support, which is part of the back rather than separately adjustable
• 10 year warranty

The armrests appear to be fixed, according to a customer review on IKEA's page rather than the spec list, so check this in store if armrest height matters to you. MARKUS is not sold on Amazon UK, so you buy it from IKEA online or in store. Note that an older IKEA page showed £150 in search results; the live page showed £159 on 15 Nov 2026.

See IKEA MARKUS on IKEA UK

Sihoo M18 Classic

The M18 is the cheapest chair here with adjustable lumbar support. Sihoo's UK site listed it at £169.99 in black or white (was £179.99), and £179.99 with an upgraded pedal. On Amazon UK, where it is sold and shipped by Amazon, it showed £194.99 in search results on the same day.

Published specs:

• Lumbar support adjustable for height and depth
• Height adjustable armrests
• Headrest with height adjustment and a 45 degree pivot
• Recline to 126 degrees
• 136kg (300lb) maximum user weight, according to Sihoo's FAQ
• 3 year warranty and 30 day returns, according to Sihoo's FAQ

Two things to be aware of. The spec table on Sihoo's page says "330 pounds" while the FAQ says 136kg (300lb), so we have used the lower figure. And we could not confirm a seat height range in centimetres. If you are shorter or taller than average, ask Sihoo before buying.

Or see the Sihoo M18 on Amazon UK

Hbada P5 with footrest

The Hbada P5 sells on Amazon UK, where it is sold by HbadaDirect and dispatched by Amazon. It was £189.99 on 15 Nov 2026. We could not find a UK Hbada store, so Amazon is the route.

Published specs:

• Adjustable headrest, lumbar support and tilt
• Built in footrest, according to the listing title
• 150kg maximum user weight in the Amazon spec table
• 3 year warranty, according to the listing bullets
• Seat height range: Not stated on the listing

Sihoo Doro C300

The Doro C300 is Sihoo's step up from the M18 and the chair to look at if you can stretch to around £250. Sihoo UK listed the standard black version at £249.99, or £339.99 with a footrest. On Amazon UK it was £249.97, sold by SIHOOUK.

Published specs:

• Self adaptive lumbar support
• 4D armrests and a 3D headrest
• Weight sensing recline with positions at 110, 120 and 130 degrees
• Seat depth adjustable from 43.5 to 46cm
• Seat height 47 to 55cm
• 136kg (300lb) maximum user weight
• Recommended for users 150 to 180cm tall, according to Sihoo
• 3 year warranty

Compared with the M18, the main additions are the 4D armrests, seat depth adjustment and a published seat height range. Its 47cm lowest seat height is a little higher than MARKUS (46cm), which may matter for shorter users.

Or see the Doro C300 on Amazon UK

Hbada E3 Air

The E3 Air without footrest was £329.99 on Amazon UK, sold by HbadaDirect and dispatched by Amazon. It sits just above £300 and lists the deepest recline in this guide.

Published specs:

• 3 zone dynamic lumbar support
• 4D headrest and 4D armrests
• Synchronous recline to 140 degrees
• 3 year warranty, according to the listing bullets

The weight limit is unclear: the spec table says 300lb and the bullets say 330lb. The spec table also lists an "adjustable seat height maximum" of 7cm, which looks like the amount of travel rather than a height range, so we have left seat height as not stated.

Step up: Secretlab TITAN Evo

The TITAN Evo is outside a strict budget, but it comes up in almost every UK chair search, and it was discounted for Black Friday. Secretlab's UK site showed £469 for the Regular size in Stealth NEO Hybrid Leatherette, with a £50 discount applied at the basket, so £419. It ships from Daventry and was not available on Amazon UK when we searched.

Published specs:

• 4 way L-ADAPT lumbar support, adjustable for height and depth
• 4D armrests
• Magnetic memory foam head pillow
• Three sizes: S, R and XL. Secretlab recommends Regular for users under 100kg and 170 to 189cm tall
• 3 year standard warranty, plus a complimentary 2 year extension (5 years in total) when the owner shares a photo, according to the brand page

We could not capture a seat height range because the specs tab did not load when we checked.

Step up: Steelcase Series 1

If you can spend around £600, the Steelcase Series 1 brings the most detailed warranty terms and specs in this guide. Steelcase's UK shop listed the default configuration at £609, with other configurations from £599 to £835. Amazon UK also listed it at £609, sold by Amazon.

Published specs:

• 4D armrests (height, width, depth and pivot)
• Adjustable lumbar support
• Seat depth 420 to 480mm and seat height 41 to 52cm
• Tested to 150kg, for users 150 to 190cm tall
• Warranty: lifetime on the frame, seat shell, outer back, arm structure and base; 12 years on mechanisms, lumbar, gas lift, foam, arm caps and castors; 5 years on surface materials

Its 41cm lowest seat height is the lowest published figure in this guide, which may suit shorter users.

See the Steelcase Series 1 on Steelcase UK or on Amazon UK

What to check in a budget chair

• Seat height range. Only MARKUS, the Doro C300 and Series 1 publish one here. If a listing does not give it, ask before you buy.
• Weight rating. Ratings in this guide run from 110kg (MARKUS) to 150kg (Hbada P5 and Steelcase Series 1). Some listings contradict themselves, so use the lower figure.
• Lumbar adjustment. "Built in" lumbar (MARKUS) is fixed. Adjustable lumbar (Sihoo M18, Secretlab, Steelcase) lets you move the support to suit you. These chairs are designed to support posture, but fit varies from person to person.
• Armrests. Fixed, height only, or 4D (height, width, depth and angle). More adjustment helps the chair fit different desks.
• Warranty. IKEA's 10 years is unusually long at this price. The Sihoo and Hbada chairs in this guide all list 3 years.
• Who sells it. Prices can differ between the brand site and Amazon UK by £25 or more, as the Sihoo M18 showed.

FAQ

What is the best office chair under £100 in the UK?

None of the chairs we checked on 15 Nov 2026 were under £100. The cheapest was the IKEA MARKUS at £159. We would rather leave the under £100 band empty than recommend chairs we could not confirm specs for.

What is the best office chair under £200 in the UK?

It depends on what matters most. On published specs, the IKEA MARKUS (£159) has the longest warranty and a published seat height, the Sihoo M18 (£169.99 direct) has the most adjustment, and the Hbada P5 (£189.99) has the highest weight rating at 150kg.

What is the best budget ergonomic chair in the UK?

If "ergonomic" means adjustable, the Sihoo Doro C300 at £249.99 offers the widest range of adjustment we found under £300: adaptive lumbar, 4D armrests, a 3D headrest, recline positions and seat depth. Under £200, the Sihoo M18 adds adjustable lumbar and armrests for £169.99.

Is the IKEA MARKUS worth it?

At £159 it has a 10 year warranty, a 46 to 57cm seat height and tilt adjustment with a lock. The trade offs are fixed lumbar support, armrests that appear to be fixed and a 110kg tested weight, the lowest here. It suits buyers who value a long warranty and a store to try it in.

What is the best office chair on Amazon UK?

Of the chairs we checked, the Sihoo Doro C300 (£249.97, sold by SIHOOUK), Hbada P5 (£189.99) and Hbada E3 Air (£329.99) are sold on Amazon UK, as is the Steelcase Series 1 step up (£609, sold by Amazon). The Sihoo M18 is on Amazon UK too, though it was £25 cheaper on Sihoo's own site. IKEA MARKUS is not sold on Amazon UK, and we did not find the Secretlab TITAN Evo there when we checked.

Is the Secretlab TITAN Evo cheaper on Black Friday?

On 15 Nov 2026 the Regular TITAN Evo was £419 after a £50 basket discount, down from £469. Black Friday prices change fast, so check the live price on Secretlab's site before buying.

Sources

• IKEA UK, MARKUS office chair: https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/markus-office-chair-vissle-dark-grey-30261152
• Sihoo UK, M18 ergonomic office chair: https://uk.sihoo.com/products/sihoo-m18-ergonomic-office-chair
• Sihoo M18, Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0831LPLQB
• Hbada P5 with footrest, Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CH7RBQQ7
• Sihoo UK, Doro C300: https://uk.sihoo.com/products/sihoo-doro-c300-ergonomic-office-chair
• Sihoo Doro C300, Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C3T865C2
• Hbada E3 Air, Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CQ4J5NGW
• Secretlab UK, TITAN Evo: https://secretlab.co.uk/products/titan-evo-2022-series
• Steelcase UK, Series 1: https://uk.steelcase.com/products/steelcase-series-1
• Steelcase Series 1, Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B332GPD2