They are still the best option for heating water. At best, a microwave could match its performance if it is nearly perfectly efficient and dumping all it's energy only into the water, which is what a kettle does. They have the same potential power draw, so they can put the same energy in as each other. A kettle's design is perfect for heating water though.

Unless you have an inductive stove top, an electric kettle is going to be the best option, even in the US. It's the most efficient at putting energy into the water and, since all these options have the same power draw, it is consequently the fastest (again, assuming no inductive stove top which can draw more power).