Home » Product Reviews » Smeg Victoria SR964NGH 60cm Gas Hob review
The Smeg Victoria SR964NGH is a 60cm built-in gas hob with a classic, slightly retro look and a premium black enamel finish. With four burners, cast iron pan supports and a powerful wok burner, it’s designed to handle everything from quick weeknight meals to more adventurous cooking.
Sitting in the mid-to-premium bracket for a 60cm gas hob, it focuses on solid build quality and straightforward controls rather than flashy extras. Owners clearly rate it highly – it holds a strong 4.8 out of 5 from user reviews – suggesting it’s a reliable choice if you want a stylish hob that simply works well.
The Smeg Victoria SR964NGH is ideal for households that cook regularly and want a dependable, good-looking hob rather than a basic builder’s spec model. The four burners and integrated wok burner make it a great fit for couples and families who juggle multiple pans at once.
Its price and brand position it as a mid-to-premium option, so it suits buyers who are happy to pay a bit more for design, durability and a recognised name. If you’re refreshing a kitchen with other Smeg or traditional-style appliances, the Victoria range styling will slot in nicely.
Thanks to simple front-mounted rotary dials and automatic ignition, it’s also a sensible choice for anyone who prefers straightforward, tactile controls over touch panels and complex functions. First-time gas hob owners should find it reassuringly easy to use.
It’s also suitable if you’re on LPG rather than mains gas, as it’s fully LPG compatible and comes with a conversion kit, making it a flexible option for rural homes, flats with bottled gas or holiday lets.
The integrated wok burner is a standout, delivering quick, intense heat that’s perfect for stir-fries, searing meat or rapidly bringing large pans to the boil. It gives this fairly compact hob real punch when you need it.
Sturdy cast iron pan supports provide a solid, stable platform for your cookware and add a premium feel. They’re designed to withstand daily use and heavy pans far better than the lightweight enamelled supports found on cheaper models.
Automatic ignition and clear front-mounted rotary dials keep operation very straightforward. You turn the knob, the burner lights – there’s no fiddling with matches or separate ignition buttons.
Safety is well covered, with both automatic safety shut-off and a flame failure device. If a flame goes out, the gas supply is cut, which is reassuring in busy family kitchens.
The hob is LPG convertible with the kit included, which saves you the extra cost and hassle of sourcing parts if you’re not on mains gas.
There’s no timer or control panel lock, so you don’t get some of the convenience and safety extras that appear on more feature-packed hobs. If you’re used to digital timers or have young children, that may be a downside.
The enamel surface, while attractive, typically needs a bit more care to keep it looking pristine compared with some modern glass surfaces. Spills left to dry can be more effort to clean around the pan supports.
With only four burners and a standard 60cm width, serious batch cookers or very large households might find the space limiting, especially when using big pans alongside the wok burner.
As a mid-to-premium brand model, it won’t be the cheapest 60cm gas hob available. If you just want the absolute lowest price and don’t care about styling or heavy-duty supports, there are more basic alternatives.
Day to day, the Smeg Victoria SR964NGH focuses on being simple and dependable. The front-mounted rotary knobs are easy to see and reach, so you’re not stretching over hot pans to adjust the flame. Automatic ignition means each burner lights with a twist of the dial, which quickly becomes second nature.
The cast iron pan supports create a continuous, stable cooking surface, with enough heft to feel secure when you’re sliding heavy pots around. Once you learn the layout of the different burner sizes, it’s easy to choose the right one for simmering sauces, boiling pasta or hitting high heat on the wok burner.
Cleaning is fairly typical for a traditional gas hob: you’ll lift off the cast iron supports and burner caps to wipe down the black enamel surface. Regular quick wipe-downs will keep it smart; leaving burnt-on spills too long will require a bit more elbow grease, as with most enamel hobs.
Installation needs both an electrician to connect the power for ignition and a Gas Safe registered engineer for the gas connection. That’s standard for a built-in gas hob, but worth factoring into your planning if you’re upgrading from an older model.
Performance-wise, the burner power range of 1.05 to 3.3 kW covers everything from gentle simmering through to high-heat cooking. The ultra-rapid burner acts as the dedicated wok burner, giving you the intense heat needed to get properly hot pans for fast stir-frying and sealing meats.
The four-burner layout with three different burner sizes provides decent flexibility for a 60cm footprint. You can have a large pan boiling on the wok burner while a sauce simmers and vegetables cook on the smaller zones, which will suit most everyday cooking patterns.
Safety features are solid for a gas hob in this class. A flame failure safety device cuts the gas if the flame is accidentally extinguished, and automatic safety shut-off adds another layer of protection. These features help reduce the risk of gas leaks if a pan boils over or a draught blows out the flame.
The hob surface is finished in black enamel, giving a traditional look that complements the Smeg Victoria aesthetic. Combined with the chunky cast iron supports, it feels more robust and upmarket than basic stainless or lightweight enamel designs, and visually ties in well with range-style ovens.
LPG compatibility and the included conversion kit are practical touches. Whether you’re on mains gas now or planning for a different property in future, you know the hob can be adapted without needing extra parts. Overall, while it doesn’t offer digital displays or smart features, the SR964NGH focuses on strong core performance and durable components that most cooks will appreciate.
Given its brand, styling and feature set, the Smeg Victoria SR964NGH sits comfortably in the mid-to-premium segment of 60cm gas hobs. It’s more of an investment than entry-level models, but you’re paying for substantial cast iron supports, a powerful wok burner, Italian manufacture and the cohesive Victoria design.
The strong 4.8 out of 5 user rating suggests that most owners feel they’ve got good value, especially in terms of day-to-day reliability and ease of use. The two-year manufacturer warranty is decent, though not exceptional, and adds some peace of mind.
If your priority is simply the cheapest hob that cooks food, you can certainly spend less. However, if you want something that looks the part in a carefully planned kitchen and feels well built, this model offers fair value for its specification and brand cachet.
The Smeg Victoria SR964NGH is a well-rounded 60cm gas hob that combines classic styling with dependable performance. The powerful wok burner, robust cast iron supports and straightforward rotary controls make it a pleasure to use for everyday cooking and more adventurous dishes alike.
Its limitations are mostly around extras rather than core performance: there’s no timer or child lock, and cleaning an enamel surface always rewards a bit of regular care. It’s also not the cheapest option, so those on a tight budget may look to simpler models.
For anyone updating a mid-to-premium kitchen, especially if you like the traditional Smeg aesthetic, this hob is an excellent fit. If you value solid build quality, a strong safety spec and a high-heat burner more than fancy electronics, the Victoria SR964NGH is a very strong contender.