Top 5 compared
The best electric heaters
Warm the room you’re actually sitting in, without firing up the whole house.
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The top 5 at a glance
A portable electric heater is moved to wherever it’s needed: a home office, a spare bedroom, or the living room in a cold snap before the central heating goes on. Fan and ceramic heaters blow warm air and heat up quickly; oil-filled radiators are slower to start but give a steady heat; convectors warm the air with no fan, so they run quietly.
Every heater here has a thermostat, so it holds the room at the temperature you pick instead of running flat out, and some add a timer or a remote. A fan heater is at its best for short bursts in a cold room; an oil-filled radiator or a convector gives a quieter, steadier warmth for a bedroom.
What matters
- Overheat protection, and a tip-over cut-off on anything easily knocked.
- A cord long enough to reach a wall socket, not an extension lead.
- Oscillation, to spread the warmth across a bigger room.
#1Dreo Atom 316 Ceramic Heater with Remote (1500W)
£30–£50
- Quiet at 34dB
- 12-hour timer
- Remote control included
A small ceramic heater, about 25cm tall, with a digital thermostat set from 5 to 35°C in single degrees, a 12-hour timer, a remote and a fan-only mode for warm days. Dreo rates it at 34dB. The Dimplex scores more but has one dial; the Dreo’s fuller controls put it first.
What owners say: Owners say it warms a room quickly and quietly, and is surprisingly strong for something about the size of a kettle.
A closer look: Keep it on a hard, level floor with clear space all round, well away from curtains and bedding. The child lock stops small hands changing the settings, and the memory function brings it back on the mode and temperature it had last time, so it’s one press each morning.
Best for: Setting an exact temperature
- Type
- Ceramic fan
- Power
- 1500W
- Thermostat
- 5–35°C
- Timer
- 12 hours
- Tip-over cut-off
- Yes
- Extras
- Remote, child lock
#2De’Longhi Dragon 4 Oil Filled Radiator (2kW)
£100–£150
- Wheels come pre-fitted
- 24-hour mechanical timer
- Anti-frost setting
- Newer TRDX40820E model out
A proper oil-filled radiator, 2kW with three heat settings, whose ‘chimney effect’ fins push warm air up through the vents to heat the room faster. A thermostat, an anti-frost setting and a 24-hour mechanical timer let it come on and off through the day, and it rolls on pre-fitted wheels.
What owners say: Owners say it fills a room with warmth, taking about half an hour to reach temperature, and like its looks and its timer.
A closer look: Push in the timer’s pins for the times you want heat, such as an hour each morning and evening. Give it a few hours on full the first time with a window open, as a new radiator can give off a smell while it beds in.
Best for: Heating on a schedule
- Type
- Oil-filled radiator
- Power
- 2kW
- Thermostat
- Yes
- Timer
- 24-hour, mechanical
- Tip-over cut-off
- –
- Extras
- Anti-frost, wheels
#3Dreo Solaris Slim H3 Oscillating Tower Heater (1800W)
£50–£75
- 70° oscillation
- Quiet at 34dB
- Switches off after 24 hours
A slim 40cm tower that swings through 70°, spreading warm air across a living room rather than heating one spot. It’s rated at 1800W and 34dB, with a remote, a 12-hour timer, tip-over protection and a 1.8m flat power cord.
What owners say: Owners say it warms up quickly, holds a comfortable temperature and looks smart, and find the remote easy to use; some find it quiet, others say it isn’t as silent as billed.
A closer look: Put it a little out from a corner, facing into the room, so its sweep covers the seats rather than the walls. Dust the grille every few weeks, as fluff drawn into a fan heater can give off a burning smell when it next warms up.
Best for: Sweeping heat round the room
- Type
- Ceramic tower
- Power
- 1800W
- Thermostat
- Yes
- Timer
- 12 hours
- Tip-over cut-off
- Yes
- Extras
- 70° oscillation, remote
#4Dimplex HeatLite Convector Heater (2kW)
£30–£50
- Fanless convector design
- Tilt cut-off
- Built-in carry handles
- No timer
A light 2kW convector with one large dial, three heat settings and an adjustable thermostat. Dimplex bills it as near silent, and it’s rated for rooms up to 20m², with overheat protection, a tilt cut-off and carry handles for moving it from room to room.
A closer look: Stand it against an outside wall, ideally under a window, where it meets the coldest air first and stops a draught settling across the room. Keep the top clear, as the warm air rises out of the grille along it, so nothing should be draped over it to dry.
Best for: Near-silent heating
- Type
- Convector
- Power
- 2kW
- Thermostat
- Yes
- Timer
- None
- Tip-over cut-off
- Yes
- Extras
- Carry handles
#5Warmlite Thermo Fan Heater (2000W)
£10–£20
- Light at 1.13kg
- Cool fan setting for summer
- BEAB safety approved
- No timer
A small, light fan heater, 1.13kg with built-in handles, for quick warmth in a spare room, office or conservatory. It has 1000W and 2000W settings, an adjustable thermostat, overheat protection and a cool setting that turns it into a fan in summer.
What owners say: Owners like that it’s compact and warms a small room quickly; reliability is the worry, with some units stopping or burning out within months, and noise splits them.
A closer look: Start it on 2000W to take the chill off a spare room or office first thing, then drop to 1000W once it’s warm rather than leaving it on full. Register it online to add a second year to the standard one-year guarantee.
Best for: Light to carry
- Type
- Fan heater
- Power
- 1000/2000W
- Thermostat
- Yes
- Timer
- None
- Tip-over cut-off
- –
- Extras
- Cool fan setting
Side by side
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1Dreo Atom 316 | #2De’Longhi Dragon 4 | #3Dreo Solaris Slim H3 | #4Dimplex HeatLite DXCV2001 | #5Warmlite WL44001 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best budget | ||||
| Picked Rating | 9.2 | 9.1 | 8.9 | 9.3 | 8.4 |
| Price | £30–£50 | £100–£150 | £50–£75 | £30–£50 | £10–£20 |
| Type | Ceramic fan | Oil-filled radiator | Ceramic tower | Convector | Fan heater |
| Power | 1500W | 2kW | 1800W | 2kW | 1000/2000W |
| Thermostat | 5–35°C | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Timer | 12 hours | 24-hour, mechanical | 12 hours | None | None |
| Tip-over cut-off | Yes | – | Yes | Yes | – |
| Extras | Remote, child lock | Anti-frost, wheels | 70° oscillation, remote | Carry handles | Cool fan setting |
| Best for | Setting an exact temperature | Heating on a schedule | Sweeping heat round the room | Near-silent heating | Light to carry |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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