12 best electric blankets that will keep you warm this winter

The faux mink fleece on this Slumberdown heated throw is as soft as any you’ll find. We like that it comes in a range of colours – we tested light pistachio, but there’s mole and dark charcoal, too. But what we particularly liked about this heated throw was how easy it was to use, despite having 20 settings.

There are 10 heat settings and 10 timer setters, allowing you to keep it on for up to 10 hours. You can see exactly what you’ve set by looking at the LED display and it’ll tell you whether the number you’re looking at corresponds to the heat or the timer. There’s also a simple on/off switch. We felt toasty under this blanket and liked that there were so many heat options so we could be like Goldilocks and find the temperature that was just right.

For a budget-friendly way to keep warm this winter, Silentnight has nailed it. This blanket also costs around 1p to warm your bed (if you use it for two hours on the low setting). It feels quite utilitarian – the fleece feels quite felt-like, and the wires do create small bumps under the mattress. However, we liked the elasticated straps to hold it in place on the mattress. There are single controls with three heat settings meaning if you share a bed, you both need to like it at the same temperature. This is a great basic electric blanket and kept us noticeably warm even on the lowest setting.

Thanks to the battery pack on this fleecy heated blanket, you can take it away from the mains. This is great if you want it in the car, or the seat you want to use it on is just a bit too far from a plug socket. It comes in a range of colours and the removable cover can be machine-washed at 30C. Using it is simple, just charge and then connect the battery pack in the pad’s zip-up pocket then click the power button on the blanket.

There are three LED lights which indicate which heat setting you have it on, which range from 28C to 42C. One charge of the blanket should last you between 90 minutes and three hours, depending on how high you have it whacked. The heat was mainly focused in a few patches on the blanket, rather than throughout, but they’ve been placed to ensure they’re at the points you’re going to be in contact with the pad.

This velvety, soft-as-a-baby-bunny throw comes in a gorgeous inky navy that looks super high-end and we loved the herringbone stitching on it too. In fact, it’s the perfect answer for those of us who are style conscious and want a throw that looks great draped over the sofa.

Initially, the controls look a bit intimidating, but actually, there are loads of handy settings. There’s an auto shut-off timer with options for one, two or nine hours. We found this helpful if we were settling down for a movie night or using it during the day while we worked. There are also six heat settings, and if you stick it on the highest setting it will preheat super quickly. We also didn’t detect any cold patches and while the cables are well spread out over the blanket, it didn’t feel too bulky when we were sat under it. Plus, you can machine wash this blanket at 30C and can even tumble dry it too.

Utterly strokeable and luxurious, this was probably the softest throw we tried. It is large too – big enough for two testers sitting on the same sofa. The single control has six heat settings and we tended to whack it to six to prewarm, and then turn it down when we were under it.

It is quite bulky though; the well-spread-out wires make sure there are no cold patches, but you can definitely feel all the cables and it’s quite heavy to lug. There is an auto shut-off after three hours to prevent overheating which might be an issue if you’re using it for long stretches during cold days – although you just have to click it off and on to fire it back up. We found that if we wanted it on overnight, we were quite glad it switched itself off so we didn’t wake up a hot, sweaty mess.

We were impressed with this heated mattress protector right from the initial unboxing. It feels premium, made from crisp 200-thread count cotton that’s going to help you regulate your temperature. With quilted stitching, the Dreamland mattress protector feels more akin to a mattress topper as it’s also thick and supportive.

Testing was done with a couple who are famously hard to please, and like different temperatures to sleep. This dual control was deemed perfect, and even marriage-saving. The fan of cosy sleeping could heat up their side of the bed by using their controls and the six temperature settings, while the tester who preferred colder sleeping conditions could put their side on low or even off. There’s an adjustable timer shut off on both controls too. Testers found this electric blanket soft and comfortable and the wiring is barely perceptible.

Remember when slankets were a big deal? Well, they’ve had an upgrade courtesy of kitchen-and-home-electronics overlords, Lakeland. This heated throw has sleeves and a foot pouch. A foot pouch! The idea is you sit on the sofa tucked up in it, feeling gloriously smug. And after one testing session, we are on board.

It’s perfect if you hate gaps letting the cold air in under your blanket, as you can tuck it under you. And you never have to share it. You do have to sit close to a plug socket though, as it requires being plugged in while in use, but there are three heat settings on it, and we found it warmed up in around five minutes. The blanket auto shuts off after three hours to prevent overheating. Plus, you can machine wash the throw at 30C.

Considering the price of other dual-control electric blankets, this Silentnight offering is decent value for money. Sure, it’s not as plush as some other electric blankets we tried, but it does the job. It’s made from microfleece, which makes it soft to lay on all night and cushions against the feeling of the wires. During testing, we didn’t notice any cold patches and our co-tester appreciated that they didn’t need to have their side switched on as the dual controls allow each side of the blanket to be adjusted independently.

There are three heat settings and an LED display on the controls, which allow you to easily see how warm your blanket is/is going to get. You can keep this blanket on all night, but it does have a safety overheat protection system which will switch the blanket off automatically if it detects it’s getting too hot.

This faux-fur throw comes in three different designs. We went for “husky”, which is gorgeously soft and fluffy. Not only does it look great – and highly inviting – draped over the corner of a sofa, the LED controls offer six temperature settings and three auto shut-off timers – one, three or nine hours. We found that this throw kept us very warm indeed thanks to a combination of the heating elements and the faux fur. This Dreamland throw felt a tad smaller than some heated throws in this line up – definitely one to keep to yourself and not offer to share.

Fleecy on one side, and soft and smooth on the other, this Lakeland heated throw feels as cosy as can be. We liked that it came in a different colour other than grey – ours was teal, although we’d say it’s more of a dark blue to our eyes – and it is one of the most lightweight we tried, which is great if you don’t like being weighed down or tend to overheat under heavy layers. The controls are great for customising too. There are nine levels of heat and nine options for when the auto shut off kicks in. This allows you to set it to be on from 20 minutes up to three hours. It’s easy to see what you’re setting too as there’s an LED screen on the controls.

When we’re working from home we find we’re cold, don’t want to turn the heating on (hello crazy energy bills) and a blanket keeps slipping off our lap. Well, ladies and gents, we’ve found the solution: the heated poncho. Are you going to win style points in it? No. But are you going to be smug and warm as you have to sit through a two-hour meeting that could’ve (should’ve) just been an email? Yes, yes you are.

The soft, cosy fleece poncho sits on your shoulders and then poppers up around you. You can then plug in and feel like you’re getting a warm hug. It’s also amazing if you have a sore upper back or shoulders as the heat can relieve aches and pains. We found it pretty lightweight, and having it around our shoulders meant our hands were free to type away. There are nine heat settings and time timer settings, meaning you can find the perfect combo for you.

For the ultimate cosy factor, this under blanket is just the ticket. On one side it’s a deep-pile Sherpa fabric that creates a bed that just needs to be snuggled into – even when the blanket itself is switched off. In warmer months you can flip the blanket over to the cool polyester side. There are dual controls, which means you can govern the temperature on your side of the bed without interference from co-sleepers.

The controls are easy to use, with six heat settings – including a fast-heat setting – and three options for the auto shut off duration. There are also elastic straps to keep it in place. We loved this under blanket not just for the warmth factor, but also because you couldn’t feel the wires at all under the Sherpa fabric. And there were no cold spots at all – even at the very edge of the mattress.