8 best umbrellas for facing the unpredictable British weather

If there’s one thing you can rely on in life, it’s the unpredictable British weather. Make sure you’re prepared for anything it can throw at you by investing in a decent umbrella that won’t leave you drenched and miserable.

First, consider where you’ll use it to make sure you choose the right brolly for you. If you’re always in the car or will be holding it over yourself and your children on the school run, go for a large umbrella that can be stashed in the boot of your car for sudden downpours.

These are also ideal for anyone who needs a little more coverage, such as dog walkers or parents who spend every Saturday morning on the side-line of a football pitch.

Commuters, shoppers and anyone on the go would be better choosing one that can be thrown in a bag to pull out at a moment’s notice. Other useful features include automatic closing or opening, a reinforced frame to withstand wind and a cover to stop your bag from getting soaked after use.

We put a range of umbrellas to the test in drizzle, heavy rain and wind over several weeks to find the ones that really kept us dry and didn’t end up blown inside out and dumped within days.

The best umbrellas for 2022 are:

• Best overall – The Davek solo: £105, Davek.co.uk

• Best for brightening up dull days – Fulton tiny-2 rainbow umbrella: £24, Fultonumbrellas.com

• Best for the city – Blunt metro umbrella: £70, Bluntumbrellas.co.uk

• Best for visibility – Asab large 31in clear see-through dome umbrella: £6.99, Onbuy.com

• Best investment buy – London Undercover navy E1 city gent umbrella: £145, Londonundercover.co.uk

• Best for handbags – Marimekko mini manual unikko umbrella: £50, Trouva.com

• Best for style – Hunter Original moustache bubble umbrella: £38, Hunterboots.com

• Best for wind – Totes x-tra strong auto open/close umbrella: £28, Totes.co.uk

The Davek solo

Best: Overall

We’ve never swooned over an umbrella before (honest) but 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 or 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 back or rucksack, yet it’s as solid in high wind as a larger stick. 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, handy clip for attaching to a bag and a smooth ergonomic handle. We loved the fact 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 £105.00, Davek.co.uk

Fulton tiny-2 rainbow

Best: For brightening up dull days

We’ve never been complimented on an umbrella before but this one attracted comments every single time we used it. Its neon-bright rainbow design cheered up even the dullest day and stood out in a sea of boring black brollies.

At just a tiny 15cm long when closed, it was one of the smallest umbrellas we tested and its compact flat shape means it couldn’t be simpler to store – we even carried it in our coat pocket one day and barely noticed. It has an aluminium and fibreglass flexible frame which makes it extremely light to carry though the 85cm span is on the small side if you’re stood in a downpour for a long time.

You’ll be in good company if you choose a Fulton too – the family-run business was founded in 1956 and its umbrellas are now used by the Queen and the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall because even royalty can’t escape the British rain.

Buy now £24.00, Fultonumbrellas.com

BLUNT metro umbrella

Best: For city streets

If you’ve ever tried to keep dry on a busy city street, you’ll know it’s almost impossible to hold up an umbrella without putting someone’s eye out. This striking scalloped shape brolly 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 cheap umbrellas. It also has a 360 degree spinning canopy to protect the core mechanism if it is knocked.

There’s an auto-open button, comfortable easy-grip handle and genius half-zipped storage case so you won’t need to wrestle with it to squeeze it back inside when soaking wet. We also loved the fact it comes in a range of bold colours including tomato red, sunshine yellow and, our favourite, a distinctive fuchsia pink. It is a little heavier and longer than some others so it won’t fit in your smallest handbag but would work perfectly in a rucksack or briefcase.

Buy now £70.00, Bluntumbrellas.co.uk

Asab large 31in clear dome umbrella

Best: For visibility

Sick of bumping into people every time it rains as you can’t see a thing under your umbrella? This bargain brolly is the answer as the clear PVC material is a doddle to see through while keeping you completely dry. We loved the practical dome shape that allowed us to hold the umbrella low over our heads – a life-saver if your hair frizzes at the first drop of rain – and found this helped it resist even the strongest wind.

The curved handle is easy to hold and comes in four colours with a matching trim on the canopy. The white would be especially ideal for a wedding if the weather turns. It doesn’t fold up so needs to be carried cane-like when not in use but the fantastic visibility would still be invaluable on a gloomy evening.

Buy now £6.99, Onbuy.com

London Undercover navy E1 city gent umbrella

Best: Investment buy

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.

Want to spend a little less? Try the company’s London vintage map classic umbrella (£85, Londonundercover.co.uk), which we also loved and features a fascinating 1930’s map of the capital under the black canopy.

Buy now £145.00, Londonundercover.co.uk

Marimekko mini manual unikko umbrella

Best: For handbags

The rain will never put a dampener on your day again with this teeny umbrella that can be chucked in any bag and forgotten about. Measuring just 16cm when closed, it comes in a monochrome floral pattern that goes with everything and is opened and closed manually. We were particularly impressed with the wide Velcro strap to keep the brolly tightly closed after use, which felt much more secure than the usual thin fastener and made it easy to slip back inside the cover after use. Despite its size, we found it surprisingly robust in all but the strongest winds making this brolly a worthy handbag staple.

With autumn fast approaching, the Marimekko mini is currently out of stock online – sign up here to shop the restock in the next three weeks.

Buy now £50.00, Trouva.com

Hunter original moustache bubble umbrella

Best: For style

Add some pizazz to precipitation with this statement umbrella from iconic 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 olive green, zingy yellow and bright red which co-ordinate 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.

Although currently out of stock in black, the Hunter original is available in both military red and yellow.

Buy now £38.00, Hunterboots.com

Totes x-tra strong auto open/close umbrella

Best: For wind

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 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 claim it will withstand 60 per cent stronger winds than an average umbrella.

Although it’s a reasonable 35.5cm 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. It also has a smart grey check print and a lovely wood-effect handle which looks a lot more expensive than it is. There’s no need to battle to close it after the wind’s done it’s worst either, as it closes automatically at the (smug) push of a button. A fantastic all-round buy.

Buy now £28.00, Totes.co.uk

The verdict: Umbrellas

You’ll never need to buy another umbrella again if you splash out on The Davek solo, 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.

To keep little ones warm and dry, invest in one of the best kids’ puddle suits