Slow cookers for beginners?

[AintNobodyHereButUsKittens]

Sorry, I’m sure this one’s been done to death, but sometimes technology moves on and it’s worth asking again. I’ve moved from a part time to a full time job which means that cooking a stew for a midweek evening meal isn’t an option - so it seems like a slow cooker may be the answer.

I have three questions.
What size do I need to get for a four person (adults and teens) household?
Is it worth getting a Sear+Stew one or does it not make much difference?
Anything else I need to bear in mind - are any of the fancy features worth having or will a 20 quid one from Argos do the job?

As a general rule of thumb, a 1.5-3L slow cooker will feed one or two people; a machine that’s 3-5L will serve three or four people; and anything between 5-5.5Lwill feed four to five people; while a 6.5Lmachine will feed six to eight people. I’d go for a large one because it gives you the options to batch cook for the freezer and if you’re hosting guests.
Searing meat is 100% about building flavour and texture. When that meat hits a scorching hot pan, the surface instantly begins caramelizing. But cooking meat for a long time at a low temperature also helps to tenderise meat and bring out the flavour, so to be honest, you don’t really need to sear when using a slow cooker.
Will you need a keep-warm setting, or would you prefer a timer that turns the machine off if you’re not back when cooking has finished? Slow cookers with digital controls are usually more expensive than more basic models with just a couple of settings. Many cheap slow cookers still come with a keep-warm setting, so you could save money by choosing a basic model over something fancier.
Some slow cookers have an inner pot that can be used on electric, gas and (less commonly) induction hobs, which obviously cuts down on the washing up and makes cooking easier.
Ceramic and stoneware pots tend to be a bit heavier than aluminium ones. Aluminium pots have a non-stick coating, which is easier to clean. On the other hand, stoneware pots can be put in the oven.

PP has done a very comprehensive post, so a few extra points.

You'll probably not want to prep food, sear it etc before you go to work - I certainly don't. So a searing function may not be that useful.

A "keep warm" function will be useful; a working day can easily be more than 10 hours & food could be disintegrating by then.

I suggest prepping & measuring all the ingredients the night before, but leave perishables in the fridge to save time in the morning.

Liners are great - the pots are normally not dishwashable & they save DH a lot of work!
I've got a basic SC & a pressure cooker, but I'd like to replace them both with something like the Instant Pot.

Thanks both. Dishwashable pot and lid is priority number 1 I think.

I prep everything into the pot and in the night before and put in fridge then lift it out and put it in the next morning. Once forgot to switch in at the wall socket - we had a pizza that night! I sometimes use Schwartz slow cooker mixes to keep it super simple and never brown anything as would be too much faff. We have a crock pot branded one. I do think I tend to over cook as out the house 7.30-4.30. Switch to warm as soon as get home. Might consider a wall timing plug. Use liners and nothing needs washing - well the lid takes about ten seconds.