Accessibility

What this site aims for

The target is WCAG 2.2 Level AA, the standard referenced by UK public sector accessibility regulations and the usual benchmark for commercial sites.

Accessibility here is treated as part of the build rather than an overlay added afterwards. There is no accessibility widget or toolbar on this site, because those frequently interfere with the assistive technology people already use and configure.

What has been done

Semantic HTML. Real headings in order, real lists, real tables with row and column headers and captions. Screen reader navigation depends on this more than on anything else.

Keyboard access. Every interactive element is reachable and operable by keyboard, with a visible focus indicator.

Colour contrast. Text aims to meet or exceed AA contrast ratios in both light and dark themes.

Colour is never the only signal. Where a comparison table marks a winning value, it uses weight and a tick as well as a background tint, so the information survives colour blindness and monochrome printing.

Responsive and zoomable. Layout uses relative units and reflows to 400 per cent zoom without horizontal scrolling. Wide content such as tables scrolls inside its own container rather than forcing the whole page sideways.

Dark mode support that follows the operating system setting.

Readable line lengths and spacing, with body text set at a comfortable size rather than the smallest that fits.

Plain language. Technical terms are defined where used, and specifications are explained rather than assumed.

Known limitations

Listing these is more useful than claiming full conformance.

Some tables are wide. Comparison and specification tables scroll horizontally on narrow screens. The data is complete and reaching the far column takes more effort on a phone.

Interactive tools. The calculators and quizzes on this site are being built with keyboard operation and screen reader labelling in mind, and they are the most likely place for problems to appear.

Third party links. Where a link goes to a retailer, that site's accessibility is outside our control.

If you hit something not listed here, that is a fault rather than an accepted limitation.

Reporting a problem

Get in touch with the page, what you were trying to do, and what happened. Knowing the browser and any assistive technology you use helps and is not required.

Accessibility reports are treated as corrections: fixed and logged on the corrections page like any other error.

If something is unusable for you and a fix will take time, say so and the content can be provided another way in the meantime.

Related reading

How this site works

Nothing here is paid for by a brand. No manufacturer has copy approval, a preview, or the ability to change a score, and where a link earns a commission that never changes a ranking.

Where a brand does not publish a specification, that is stated rather than estimated, because an absent number is itself information. The corrections log and the products I will not recommend page are both public.