With autumn and winter on their way, the best electric heaters become essential as colder days inevitability start to creep in. With ever increasing and fluctuating energy costs, finding efficient and effective ways to heat the home without cranking up the thermostat remain a priority, which is where an electric heater could come in handy.
Modern electric heaters are incredibly proficient, heating up a room or small space quickly and focusing energy where it’s needed. For this reason, they could be the ideal solution if you’re looking to just heat the room you’re in, rather than an entire house. And, if it’s incredibly cold, they also work well to add extra heat alongside other warming products such as electric blankets and hot water bottles.
As someone who’s permanently complaining about feeling the chill, I’m the perfect person to analyse electric heaters for their effectiveness, alongside other factors such as design and ease of use. If you’re looking for the perfect electric heater for the upcoming chillier months, read on for my pick of the crop.
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The best electric heaters for 2026 are:
- Best overall – Dreo smart whole room heater 720S: £119.99, Dreo.com
- Best budget buy – Wessex Electrical 2kW PTC heater 2000W: £19.99, Toolstation.com
- Best budget convector model – Beldray portable convector heater: £24.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for desktops – Russell Hobbs bladeless cooling fan with heater: £144.99, Amazon.co.uk
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Dreo smart whole room heater 720S
Best: electric heater overall
Why we love it
- Heats up very quickly
- Whole room heating is effective
- Elegant design that’s simple to use
Take note
- You can’t feel any heat blowing on you when the fan is in whole room mode
Dreo’s smart whole room heater 720S is the best electric heater I’ve tested, packing a powerful punch with some clever features. You get three heat levels, with a temperature range of 5-35C and there’s also a fan-only mode for cooler air. Helpfully, each mode is designated by a coloured band across the bottom of the petite heater, although you can turn this off if you prefer.
I was really impressed by how quickly this little heater warmed up and I was able to feel heat from the fan element almost immediately. For such a small machine, the 360-degree air flow is particularly impressive and makes the Dreo extremely fast to heat up a whole room.
My only bugbear was that, as someone who really feels the cold, I couldn’t actually feel it blowing warm air on me in whole room heating mode. However this can be remedied with a small adjustment by focusing the heat down to turn it into a personal space heater. That adjustment happens with a lifting top element on the heater, which changes the angle of the airflow.
The heater can be controlled on the body of the machine, via a remote control or you can hook it up to be voice control through Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. It’s quiet and has a decent eco mode to help reduce electricity use.
Key specifications
Buy now £119.99, Dreo.com
Wessex Electrical 2kW PTC heater
Best: budget electric heater
Why we love it
- Quick to heat a small room up
- Compact and portable
- Solid design
Take note
- Noisy
Small but mighty, the Wessex 2kW heater is the best choice for those on a tight budget, coming in at just shy of £20. Its compact size means it’s best suited for heating smaller space but, with two heating modes to choose from, it heats up impressively quickly, making a cold room warm in a matter of minutes.
Controls are incredibly simple, with a dial to control the speed of the internal fan and another to choose your mode. As well as two heating modes, you can run the fan on its own to help cool a room down.
Despite its small size, the Wessex feels sturdy thanks to its rectangular design however, it does make a fair amount of noise while it’s running. There’s no remote or timer either but, in fairness, I wouldn’t expect these features for the price. But for an efficient, budget-friendly little heater, you can’t do much better than the Wessex.
Key specifications
Buy now £17.99, Toolstation.com
Beldray portable convector heater
Best: budget convector heater
Why we love it
- Lightweight and portable
- Budget friendly
- Heats a small room quickly
Take note
- Plastic feels a little bit flimsy
- More effective in smaller spaces
The Beldray portable convector heater is a cheap and cheerful model that packs an impressive punch considering its size and cost. It’s incredibly simple to use with three heat settings, along with an adjustable thermostat that allows you to pick the right heat levels for your home. There are also two handles at either end, which allow you to pick the heater up easily and move it about – helped by the fact that it only weighs 2.56kg.
It’s impressively quiet for a convector heater and heated up a small room quickly. I do think it’s best suited to smaller spaces though and this wouldn’t be my first pick to heat up a large room or open plan spaces. Large feet keep the unit sturdy and stable, but the plastic does feel a tiny bit flimsier than more expensive options. But overall I was impressed by this little Beldray heater and found it a great fit for smaller spaces.
Key specifications
Buy now £24.99, Amazon.co.uk
Dreamland silent power eco fan heater & cooler
Best: quiet electric heater
Why we love it
- Eco mode that does effectively reduce costs
- Compact and portable
- Useful extra features – ionizer for dust and pollen, and antifreeze
Take note
- The lid over the controls is fiddly to open
Calling a fan heater silent always seems like a risky move to me, particularly with these smaller models that are notorious for being a bit rattly and rickety. However, the Dreamland silent power eco fan heater was a pleasant surprise here, with it emitting no more than a low level hum, even when turned up to maximum speed. I also really liked the ‘rapid heating’ mode, which produced warm air almost instantly and the eco mode, which actually did cut power consumption considerably.
Like the Wessex above, the Dreamland just has two simple dials, with one controlling which setting you’re on and the other controlling the speed of the fan. However, these are hidden beneath a flip up lid that’s somewhat fiddly and awkward to open, although it does help add to the overall splash protection that the fan has.
There’s a built-in ionizer that helps to trap dust and pollen, although this obviously won’t be as efficient as a dedicated air purifier. But it’s still a great feature for such a small heater. Build quality is excellent and I thought this was a great little fan to heat up a room incredibly quickly.
Key specifications
Buy now £74.99, Amazon.co.uk
Duux edge 1000 smart convector heater
Best: wall-mounted electric heater
Why we love it
- Slim and elegant design
- Remote and app control
- Maintains heat efffectively
Take note
- Lower wattage means it’s not quite as powerful as some of our picks
The Duux edge 1000 is an incredibly sleek and smart convector heater, and you can choose to hang it on your wall or attach feet to it to create a freestanding unit. Be warned though that those feet are somewhat fiddly to attach. I loved the packaging for this heater, with everything labelled so you know exactly what’s in the box when it comes to putting the unit together. There’s a remote and you can also download the app or connect the heater to compatible voice assistants, meaning it’s easy to control from anywhere in the house.
It heated up pretty quickly but as it’s a slightly lower wattage than some of the other models I tested, I noticed that it took a little longer to heat the whole room overall. But once up to temperature it maintained the chosen heat setting effectively and made a good difference to the temperature.
This is an elegantly designed convector heater that is slim enough to be unobtrusive in a room, while still performing its job well. Bonus points as well for the lights that will go completely dark when on sleep mode and the eco mode that only uses 50 per cent of the power.
Key specifications
Buy now £129.99, Duux.co.uk
Russell Hobbs bladeless cooling fan with heater
Best: value desktop electric heater
Why we love it
- Lightweight and portable
- Quick to heat up
- Fan isn’t too noisy on higher speeds
Take note
- Controls on the fan are a little fiddly
The Russell Hobbs bladeless fan is another dual function option, with both heat and cool functions. There are a good choice of modes to choose from, along with nine fan speeds, touch control buttons on the fan’s LED display and a remote control.
It’s lightweight, portable and the best value desk fan I tested, coming in far cheaper than the Dyson alternatives. While it’s not as powerful as some options, it was impressively quick to heat up, with a temperature range of 5-35C, and the design is sleek and elegant.
The heater has a series of ambient lights to scroll through, which don’t really serve any function other than to make your room look a little like a disco, so you’ll be pleased to hear that these can be turned off when you’re trying to sleep.
Controls on the fan are a little fiddly and it’s quite easy to hit the heat or cool buttons by mistake, but the remote is far better spaced out.
Key specifications
Buy now £144.99, Amazon.co.uk
TCP 4-in-1 air care circulator fan
Best: electric heater and humidifier
Why we love it
- Compact
- Humidifier is a useful addition to the heater element
- Heats a small room quickly
Take note
- Nasty smell for first few minutes of running
This compact unit offers two heating levels with adjustable temperatures, along with eight speed settings and oscillation to allow you to personalise the fan to your preferred settings. Like the Russell Hobbs heater that I also tested, you’ll get some mood lighting (although this can also be left off).
Alongside its heating function, this is also a fan for hotter weather, an air purifier and a humidifier with a built-in 180ml water tank. The heating was very impressive, with the fan warming up quickly and providing plenty of warmth. Due to its size, I’d recommend this for smaller spaces – it would make a great addition to a bedside table.
The humidifier is a useful feature for adding moisture back into the air if you feel the heater is drying things out too much. The air purifier also does a decent job but, just for warmer months, I didn’t find the fan effective for cooling the air. Do be warned though that my unit had quite a nasty smell for the first few minutes of running, although this did wear off quickly.
Key specifications
Buy now £97.99, Robertdyas.co.uk
Dyson pure hot + cool HP00
Best: air purifying electric heater
Why we love it
- Heats up quickly
- Distributes heat evenly
- Remote and app control
Take note
- Higher speed settings are a little noisier than some other brands
- Pricey
Like the Dyson HF1 above, the HP00 is a combined fan and heater, covering the entire year in your house. As a desk heater, there’s 70-degrees of oscillation and 10 different speed settings to choose from, along with a remote control and the ability to control the fan via the MyDyson app.
Temperature wise, you can set the thermostat from 0-37C, with the heater cutting out once it reaches the desired temperature. Like the HF1, the HP00 also heats up incredibly quickly and the heat is distributed evenly. I was highly impressed by the speed of heating again here, but I did notice that the fan was a little noisier at higher speeds than some of its competitors. Plus as it’s a desk fan, you’ll need to make sure you have a suitable surface to put it on.
As well as being an effective electric heater, my friend who has pretty severe allergies swears by this Dyson to keep his symptoms at bay in the home. This is thanks to the HEPA H13 filter that’s designed to draw in dust, pollen and other particles. There’s also a helpful layer of activated carbon to remove odours and even some gases.
Key specifications
Buy now £379.99, Markselectrical.co.uk
Dyson hot+cool HF1
Best: smart electric heater
Why we love it
- Rapid heating
- Remote app control
- Solidly built
Take note
- Noisy when heating up
- Pricey
Just missing out on the top step due to price, the Dyson HF1 is nevertheless well worth the investment if you’ve got the budget. This is one of the cleverest heaters on our list, with both a remote control and the ability to connect it to the MyDyson app, which allows you to set schedules, tweak your temperature settings and even switch it on to pre-heat a room while you’re out and about. The built-in thermostat also makes this a more economical option than some, as it will maintain the temperature you set automatically.
One issue with the heater is that when it’s in hot mode, it’s quite loud while heating up. Once it reaches its desired temperature, things quieten down again. However, if you’re using the fan overnight in sleep mode, this could be an issue for light sleepers who may be disturbed if the fan has to ramp up to maintain temperature. But with a host of clever features, 10 fan speeds and the ability to pick a temperature between 12-32C, this is a very effective heater. And, as the name suggests, it’s also a cooling fan, so you get two options for the price of one.
Key specifications
Buy now £399.99, Dyson.co.uk
Philips air performer 8000 series 3-in-1 air purifier, fan and heater
Best: electric heater for room coverage
Why we love it
- Heats up quickly
- Covers a whole room at impressive speed
- Fan isn’t too noisy on higher speeds
Take note
- Included diagram instructions are somewhat confusing
- Pricey
The Philips 8000 is a bit of a beast. Coming in at 106.4cm tall, it’s probably best suited to larger rooms as the power of the fan is highly impressive. However, even at high speeds, it remains quieter than most of its competitors. You can set the temperature from 1-37C, there are 10 speed settings and oscillation is particularly impressive as it’s adjustable up to 350-degrees. This heater reached even the highest temperature setting impressively quickly and, thanks to how powerful it is, you can feel it warming up all areas of the room.
I wasn’t blown away by the included instructions, which were just a series of slightly confusing diagrams, and I’d recommend downloading a full manual to set the fan up properly. However, the remote is pretty intuitive to use and I was also impressed by the air purifier in the fan, which did a great job of reducing dust particles. The Philips is also a cooling fan, so is another model you can use all year round.
Key specifications
Buy now £509.99, Currys.co.uk
Meaco cirro 12000 BTU air conditioner & heater
Best: electric heater for large houses
Why we love it
- Heat covers a large area
- Remote app and voice control
- Multiple modes to cover all weather
Take note
- Hose needs to be installed to drain water
- Pricey
If you live in a house with large rooms, heating just one of them can seem like an impossible task. Enter the Meaco cirro, with incredibly powerful heating capabilities that will warm even the largest of spaces quickly and efficiently, at a surprisingly reasonable rate. You can set the temperature between 16 and 32C and, although there’s no oscillation, the Meaco does have flaps that can be set to rotate up and down to move the air about in different directions.
As the name suggests, the Meaco is also a pretty powerful air conditioner, plus you’ll also get a fan-only mode and a ‘dry’ mode that’s similar to that of a dehumidifier. All these features help to make the higher price far more acceptable in my book. Keep in mind however that in drying mode, you have to attach a drainage hose to the back of the unit and place it over a drain or bucket to collect moisture that builds up.
Like the Dyson heaters I tested, the Meaco can be controlled via an app and comes with a remote control. You can also set up voice control through Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. With an incredibly efficient quiet mode and a whole host of advanced features, this is the heater I’d choose if I had the room sizes to justify it.
At the time of writing the Meaco cirro is out of stock, but should be available to buy in October.
Key specifications
Buy now £539.99, Meaco.com
Your questions about electric heaters answered
What is the best electric heater?
I awarded the Dreo smart whole room heater 720S the top spot as the best electric heater, thanks to its ability to heat a room quickly and its flexibility to turn into a personal space heater. For those on a tighter budget, the Wessex Electrical 2kW PTC heater impressed with the speed in which it heated up a small room, although you do need to be prepared for a noisier fan while you’re using it.
How I tested electric heaters
As someone who always seems to feel a chill, I tested each electric heater in my home across different rooms and assessed how effective they were at warming up a space. These are the criteria I tested each heater on:
What are the advantages of electric heaters?
“Electric heaters are cheap to buy, portable, and give you instant warmth with no installation,” explains Lincoln Smith, managing director at Custom Heat. They’re also a great solution if you just want to heat one room or live in a house that gets particularly chilly in winter and needs some extra help to get the temperature up.
Are electric heaters cheaper to use than central heating?
“Almost never,” warns Smith. “A typical 2kW plug-in heater costs around 50p an hour at current prices, while a modern gas boiler delivers the same warmth for roughly a third of that. If you genuinely only need one small room warm for an hour or two, fine, a plug-in heater can beat firing up the whole system. But trying to heat a home on electric heaters is the expensive way to do it.”
What features are useful on an electric heater?
A built-in thermostat helps to maintain a steady temperature and stops you from wasting energy. More expensive models should have a timer function, so that you can just heat a room when needed.
A quiet mode is essential if you want to run the heater in the bedroom, while remotes or app controls will make it easier to control the heater from wherever you’re sitting. Premium models often have air purifying and cooling options as well, making them an all year round option that can justify a higher cost.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
IndyBest’s testers examine a range of products for The Independent’s reviews section in an unbiased process to find the very best. IndyBest experts assess whether or not these products actually live up to their marketing.
Jo Plumridge is an expert product tester with more than 20 years of experience, and has tested the best cylinder vacuums and best shower heads for IndyBest. Her interests centre on interior design, sleep and photography, as well as home and tech products.
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