The Levoit Core Mini is half the price of the Philips 600 Series and uses less electricity, 7W against 12W. Run around the clock at the October 2026 price cap of 26.32p per kWh, that is £16.14 a year against £27.67. But electricity is the small part of owning an air purifier. Filters are the big part, and here the order can flip: over three years the Levoit costs £208.36 if its filter lasts six months and £274.33 if it lasts four, while the Philips costs £252.71 on a twelve-month filter.
Before you work out which room size suits you, know that Levoit gives three different answers for the same purifier. Its Amazon title says up to 24 m², the listing's details say 370 square feet, which is 34 m², and the UK user manual says its ideal room is 17 m².
The verdict, 8 November 2026
- Electricity at full speed, 24 hours a day: Levoit 4.4p a day, Philips 7.6p a day.
- Filters: Levoit £21.99, to be replaced every 4 to 6 months per its manual. Philips £34.86, lasting up to 12 months per Philips.
- Three years of ownership, run all day: Levoit £208.36 to £274.33, Philips £252.71. Which is cheaper depends on how long the Levoit filter really lasts.
- Philips publishes a clean air delivery rate of 170 m³/h. Levoit's UK listing and manual publish none, so there is no like-for-like measure of how much air the Core Mini moves.
| Levoit Core Mini (LAP-C161-WUK) | Philips 600 Series (AC0651/10) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £49.99 (Amazon, sold by Amazon) | £99.99 (Philips shop and Amazon) |
| Rated power | 7W | 12W |
| Electricity a day / a year | 4.4p / £16.14 | 7.6p / £27.67 |
| Clean air delivery rate | Not published | 170 m³/h |
| Room size the maker gives | 17 m² (manual), 24 m² (title), 34 m² (listing details) | Up to 44 m² |
| Genuine filter | £21.99 (Core Mini-RF) | £34.86 (FY0611/30) |
| Filter life the maker gives | 4 to 6 months | Up to 12 months |
| Filters a year | £43.98 to £65.97 | £34.86 |
| Three years, all in | £208.36 to £274.33 | £252.71 |
Prices and specs last checked by Look Into on 8 November 2026 · next check 1 January 2027 · how we picked
Why the filter decides it
Electricity first. 7W for 24 hours is 0.168 kWh, which is 4.4p a day at 26.32p a unit and £16.14 a year. The Philips at 12W is 7.6p a day and £27.67 a year. Levoit's listing says the Core Mini costs "around 28p per week for 24/7 use (based on 24p/kWh)". The arithmetic holds, but at today's cap the same week is 31p.
Now filters. The Core Mini's UK manual says the filter "should be replaced every 4–6 months". A genuine Core Mini-RF filter was £21.99 on Amazon on 8 November 2026, so a year of filters is £43.98 at six months and £65.97 at four. Philips says its FY0611/30 filter lasts up to 12 months, and it was £34.86. Over a year of round-the-clock use the Levoit's filters cost between 1.3 and 1.9 times the Philips'.
| Purchase | Electricity, 3 years | Replacement filters | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Levoit, filter every 6 months | £49.99 | £48.42 | 5 × £21.99 = £109.95 | £208.36 |
| Levoit, filter every 4 months | £49.99 | £48.42 | 8 × £21.99 = £175.92 | £274.33 |
| Philips, filter every 12 months | £99.99 | £83.00 | 2 × £34.86 = £69.72 | £252.71 |
Run either for fewer hours and the electricity shrinks, but the filters still wear with use and time. Philips' "up to 12 months" is a best case, so if its filter tires sooner the Philips total rises too.
One purifier, three room sizes
We read Levoit's Amazon UK listing for the Core Mini on 8 November 2026. Its title says "Up to 24 m²". Its product details give a floor area of "370 Square Feet", which is 34.4 m². The user manual linked from that same listing, for model LAP-C161-WUK, gives an "Ideal Room Size" of 17 m². The largest figure is twice the smallest.
None of the three comes with a clean air delivery rate, the measure that says how many cubic metres of filtered air a purifier puts out an hour. Without it there is no way to check any of them, or to know how many times an hour the Core Mini changes the air in your room. The manual's 17 m² is the cautious figure, and the one to use if you are buying for a bedroom.
Philips does publish one: 170 m³/h. Its "up to 44 m²" assumes the air is changed fewer than twice an hour. At the 4.8 changes an hour often recommended for allergy relief, 170 m³/h covers about 14.8 m² with a 2.4 m ceiling. That is the honest bedroom figure for the Philips.
99.97% on the box, 97% on the filter
The Core Mini's Amazon title says it "Captures 99.97% of Airborne Allergens & Dust". The listing for Levoit's own genuine replacement filter, the Core Mini-RF, describes its HEPA layer as one that "traps at least 97% of airborne particles 0.3 microns in size". Both can be true under different tests, and the purifier listing shows a lab report image for its figure. But if you are comparing filtration on the words in the listings, the filter you will be buying for years states the lower number.
One more thing to know. The UK manual tells you to search Amazon for B09GTRVJQM to find official filters. On 8 November 2026 that code returned "Page Not Found" on amazon.co.uk. The genuine filter we found is B09FK5PN4H.
Which one to buy
Buy the Philips 600 Series if you want a purifier you can size properly and will run most of the day. It states its clean air delivery rate and its filter lasts twice as long as Levoit's at best. Over three years of daily use it can cost less than the Levoit despite being twice the price to buy.
Buy the Levoit Core Mini if you want something small for a bedroom of around 17 m² or less, or will only run it some of the time. It is £50 cheaper up front and the cheapest of the two to run. If you get six months from each filter, it stays the cheaper one to own.
How we worked it out
| Item | What we did |
|---|---|
| Electricity rate | 26.32p per kWh, the Ofgem cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026, direct debit, Great Britain average, no VAT on electricity this quarter. |
| Power | Levoit 7W from its UK manual and listing. Philips 12W maximum from its UK shop and listing. Costs assume full speed for 24 hours, the most each could use. |
| Filters | Genuine filter prices on Amazon UK (both sold by Amazon). Intervals from Levoit's UK manual (4 to 6 months) and Philips' filter listing (up to 12 months). Over 36 months that is 5 to 8 Levoit replacements and 2 Philips replacements after the one in the box. |
| Room sizes | As each maker states them. The 14.8 m² for the Philips is our arithmetic: 170 m³/h divided by 4.8 changes an hour and a 2.4 m ceiling. |
| Prices | Levoit £49.99 on Amazon; Philips £99.99 on Philips' UK shop and on Amazon. |
| Rounding | Pence rounded once, at the end of each sum. |
What this comparison could not check
- We have not used either purifier, and we did not measure airflow or filtration. Every figure is the maker's.
- How much air the Core Mini moves. Levoit's UK listing and manual publish no clean air delivery rate.
- How long either filter really lasts in your home. Both makers give a range or a best case, and smoke, pets or cooking shorten it.
- Which of Levoit's three room sizes the company stands behind.
Today's Amazon prices
These boxes pull Amazon's live price when you load the page, so they can differ from the figures above, which were read on 8 November 2026. Look Into earns a commission if you buy through them; it does not change the verdict.
As an Amazon Associate, Look Into earns from qualifying purchases. Product prices and availability are accurate as of 8 November 2026 5:56 pm and are subject to change.
As an Amazon Associate, Look Into earns from qualifying purchases. Product prices and availability are accurate as of 8 November 2026 5:56 pm and are subject to change.
The two purifiers
Levoit Core Mini
4.4p a day at full speed at the October 2026 cap, on its 7W rating. Small enough for a bedside table at 16.5 × 16.5 × 26.4cm, with three fan speeds and an aroma pad.
The catch: no published clean air delivery rate, and a filter to replace every 4 to 6 months.
Philips 600 Series (AC0651/10)
7.6p a day at full speed at the October 2026 cap, on its 12W maximum. A published 170 m³/h clean air delivery rate, with an air quality sensor.
The catch: twice the price to buy, and its "up to 44 m²" is about three times the room it covers at allergy-relief rates.
Look Into earns a commission on qualifying purchases made through the Amazon links above, at no extra cost to you. It never changes the arithmetic.
Common questions
Is the Levoit Core Mini cheaper to run than the Philips 600 Series?
On electricity, yes: 4.4p a day against 7.6p at full speed all day at the October 2026 cap. Add filters and it depends on how often you change the Levoit's. At every six months it stays cheaper over three years; at every four months the Philips is cheaper.
What size room does the Levoit Core Mini cover?
Levoit gives three answers: 17 m² in its UK manual, 24 m² in its Amazon title and 34 m² in the listing's details. With no published clean air delivery rate, use the manual's 17 m².
How often do you change the Levoit Core Mini filter?
Every 4 to 6 months, according to Levoit's UK user manual. A genuine Core Mini-RF filter was £21.99 on Amazon UK on 8 November 2026.
How long does the Philips 600 Series filter last?
Up to 12 months, according to Philips. The FY0611/30 filter was £34.86 on Amazon UK on 8 November 2026.
Compare more
- All our running-cost head-to-heads
- Best air purifiers UK: eight purifiers sized at 4.8 air changes an hour
- Product Ownership Cost Index
Sources
- Ofgem, changes to the energy price cap between 1 October and 31 December 2026
- Levoit, Core Mini user manual, model LAP-C161-WUK (7W, ideal room 17 m², filter every 4 to 6 months, 2-year warranty)
- Philips, 600 Series Air Purifier AC0651/10 (£99.99, CADR 170 m³/h, up to 44 m², max 12W)
- Amazon UK listings read 8 November 2026: Levoit Core Mini (B0CG1N11DV), Levoit Core Mini-RF genuine filter (B09FK5PN4H, "at least 97%"), Philips 600 Series (B0CCF2KFHR) and Philips FY0611/30 filter (B0BX741G4P, "up to 12 months")
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