http://www.amazon.com/Oxo-Good-Grips-LiquiSeal-Travel/dp/B0001YH1LG

hands down the best mug. I've used it for about 3 years now and I can throw it in my bag, bike to school, and it stays sealed. It isn't the best at keeping heat in, but it is more than adequate.

http://www.amazon.com/Contigo-AUTOSEAL-Stainless-Insulated-Tumbler/dp/B001RMIWJ6/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1291155630&sr=1-1

Gotta go with this one. Keeps my coffee HOT.

I'll go with sleevan on this one. Contigo rocks.

http://www.gocontigo.com/autoseal.html

I can't come up with one that is microwaveable, but the Contigo autoseal works great. It's double wall aluminum with vacumn between. Keeps coffee hot for 3 hours. I've seen them at Target, and in Costco ($20 for 2, there)

http://www.rei.com/product/808887

I have this mug and I really love it- one of the few that's microwave and dishwasher safe. I have two minor complaints:
1. the tree printing wore off after going in the dishwasher regularly, I think if you hand washed the print would stay, but I don't really care that much.

2. It holds the scent of whatever was in it last. If I wash it with really hot water the scent goes away, but I often fill my cup with water after I finish my coffee and it's really noticeable then.

It's not as fancy as the stainless steel options the other posters have suggested, but this Aladdin mug meets all of your requirements: microwavable, dishwasher safe, fits in the cup holder and it's even made of recycled plastic (and can be recycled when you're done with it). I have had one for a couple of years now and LOVE it.

http://www.amazon.com/Aladdin-Recycled-Recyclable-16-Ounce-Green/dp/B0014HFVNE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291156394&sr=8-1

I like the Tervis tumbler. You just have to buy the lid to go with it. We have several. Dishwasher safe. Practically indestructible.

http://www.amazon.com/Tervis-oz-Clear-Tumbler-CLEAR/dp/B000Z4K9BQ

Your specifications are too restrictive. Focus on what you would like to have with you and do the maintenance - handwash... not in the microwave... I have recently been down this road and I love to use, enjoy, and don't mind washing a mug I got at Starbucks, a ceramic replica of the paper cups that they give you with a regular cup of overpriced Starbucks joe. It does fit in the cup holder in my car.

Another vote for the Contigo!

I'm seconding JaimePMac's recommendation for an Aladdin mug. Mine goes in the dishwasher and microwave constantly.

Cost Plus warehouse is selling a silicon mug cover that can go over any mug - I haven't tried the ceramic "non paper" travel mugs they're selling with it, but it seems to me like that might fit all your criterion as long as you don't mind breakability.

Frankly, we found a mug I like that fits all your specs at WalMart - it's one piece of heavy molded plastic (BPA free) with a separate lid plastic in an awful sky blue or a really awful purple shade. I think it cost like $2; it was on clearance and I don't see it on their website. We use them for camping.

I am a devotee of the Contigo travel mug. I would pass up on the microwave component to have a 100% leak proof travel mug. Just bought 2 at Costco for $20. Good luck!

honestly ive been using a jar (mason, classico sauce) what ever is clean...its microwaveable and dishwasher safe.

Most tall travel mugs won't fit in a typical office microwave. Get an immersible heating element (Bed Bath & Beyond has them near the coffee/tea making area - $8) for heating/re-heating and a Contigo Autoseal - the non-colored ones are dishwasher safe.

So many great suggestions! I think the REI and Aladdin mugs are just what I'm looking for. That Contigo looks great too! Thank you so much awesome Kitchn readers :)

Does anyone know *why* most can't be microwaved? Something to do with a vacuum seal?
I've microwaved my OXO (linked in the first comment) a couple of times before I saw the "do not microwave" print on it and it still works fine...

I have somthing like this:

http://www.worldmarket.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4422555

Which is affordable and meets your criteria. I really like mine. Not 100% spill proof, but if I want that I have a thermos.

@any such name... some plastics aren't meant to be microwaved. Doing so causes them to release chemicals into the food/liquid contents and alters the structure of the plastic. Microwave frequently enough and you may find that the plastic becomes brittle, or that it starts to deform.

Tempered glass seems the ideal solution. Shame no one seems to make a glass travel mug...

We have several of these:

http://www.dcigift.com/product.cfm?productID=1081&catID=17

We LOVE them! Dishwasher and microwave safe, and cute to boot!

I love love love my Thermos Backpack Bottle.

I like that it never leaks, can easily be opened one-handed, and it can keep things warm for hours. I actually have to cool my coffee down with a couple of ice cubes in the morning because otherwise it would be too hot to drink during my hour long commute. I have left it in my car on a cold day and still found it to be toasty warm hours later. It's not microwavable, but I've never needed it to be!

http://www.amazon.com/Thermos-JMW500P6-16-Ounce-Stainless-Steel-Backpack/dp/B000K604P0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291172011&sr=8-1

I have an aqua ovo and I love it. It's made of glass so it's totally microwavable and it fits in any cup holder I've tried it in.

I love this one
www.keepcup.com

It's affordable, dishwasher and microwave safe and you can choose your favourite colour combination.

The microwave requirement makes this one a tough cookie to fill, because I've found that any travel mug which is microwave safe (plastic) generally isn't very good at keeping things warm (poor/cheaper construction is the general cause). I own something like 20 travel mugs of various brands, because I keep trying to find better ones for different circumstances, and in every case I've found that dishwasher safe is usually unecessary (especially for coffee usage - you lose the patina!) and a quick rinse under a very hot tap will do, and microwave safe is also not relevant if it keeps the drink hot enough for long enough!

I'd personally recommend this stanely mug:
http://www.shopstanley-pmi.com/detail/TCL+10-00163-000

It's a bit tall, so might not always fit in cars with an overhang on the mug holder, but it does fit the slot just fine. It's nice and solid, holds a good amount of drink, and here are the big plus points:
1) Heat retention - nothing I've seen compares to this mug. I once left tea, freshly made for my wife, in our car, all day, in -2C conditions (the inside of the car was maybe -1C throughout, and we didn't actually drive anywhere, so we forgot it was there). When I retrieved it 6 hours later, the tea inside was still hot enough to burn my tongue when I took a big gulp expecting it to be colder! On warmer days, it's kept hot drinks too hot to drink for upwards of 3 hours!
2) Totally watertight - When the cap is closed (it's a screw fitting, twist one way to open and the other to close it), it's completely watertight and airtight, so you don't have to worry if you do need to drop it in a bag or rucksack and it's upside down.
3) Travel mug style drink cap - the cap, which as i mentioned screws up and down to open and close, does so by dropping a central block up and down to open and close the seal inside the mug, so you can drink from any angle safely. The mechanism is also totally bombproof, and can be taken apart in seconds for cleaning if you need to.

The only downside of the mug that I've found is the height, it's quite a tall mug...but beyond that I've yet to find an insulated mug which is better than this. At least try and find one in a camping store to have a look at before you try anything else, I'm pretty confident you won't be dissapointed!

I've got to put in yet another vote for the Contigo. I'm drinking some coffee from mine right now. They are fantastic, and 2 for $20 and costco! Top rack dishwasher safe, too.

I've got to put in yet another vote for the Contigo. I'm drinking some coffee from mine right now. They are fantastic, and 2 for $20 and costco! Top rack dishwasher safe, too.

http://www.amazon.com/Livestrong-Chantal-Stainless-Steel-Travel/dp/B000VX7HO8

I've had this Chantal one for years and I still love it. Keeps my coffee hot for hours!

http://highwave.bigcartel.com/category/stainless-steel-mugs

The JoeMo is good too - I bought this for the BF and it is excellent, too.

My favorite mug is ceramic and has a silicon slip on holder and a silicon lid with that little sippy cup slot. I bouht it at target and havbe since seen others with a firm lid not the nice silicon lid. Mine holds heat great, sips nicely, and is microwave safe ect. Perfect. Now if I could just find another one

Ditto on they Thermos Backpack Bottle!!! Best purchase ever. It literally keeps drinks hot for 8 hours. I got a chai latte an hour before I departed for my 5 hour Thanksgiving car ride home. The tiny bit that was left at the end of the drive was still hot at the end of the drive. Absolute perfection, there is nothing better. Seriously buy it.

WHATEVER you buy, do NOT get the OXO: Dudek, i had one for a while but was perpetually not feeling well. press down the button as hard as it goes and look into that wonderful area between the sippy part and the screw-on part: its UNWASHABLE and gunk builds up and molds:

http://www.bing.com/search?q=oxo+mold+travel+mug&form=QBRE&qs=n&sk=

i checked in mine and promptly threw it away. absolutely digusting (though i wish i could find something as spillproof).

Someone who had the oxo also made a video of undoing the lid, super icky: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLmsxEu4Ofw

I also vote for contigo in a second. As a student, my coffee is constant getting kicked or knocked in lectures. With the auto-locking, it is never a problem. Some of the other locking mugs have a loud click which would be very disruptive in class.