Best Ceramic Heaters in the UK

There are mean heaters. Then, there are these cute little appliances that provide some heat but not too much. The De'Longhi Capsule HFX30C18 is somewhere between them.

As you can probably tell from the pics, this unit is pretty stylish and even somewhat elegant. Its polished accents and smooth edges make the appliance look warm and inviting. The contemporary pod-esque profile is complemented with this leather-like carry handle. The handle elevates the unit's appearance and lets you easily carry this ceramic heater.

Measuring 19.1 x 10.9 x 27.9 centimetres, the unit takes up very little space considering its performance. In the same fashion, its weight barely reaches 1.3 kilograms, so you'll have no issues carrying the appliance using one hand. Its plastic construction is pretty durable, especially when you take the elegant aesthetics into account.

Setting aesthetics and transportation aside, there's not much here separating this appliance from its direct competition. Drawing 1800 watts, this ceramic fan heater is powerful enough to quickly heat up small spaces and keep them warm for as long as necessary. The controls are about as straightforward as they come.

You have two dials. The first one will let you adjust the temperature and choose between two heat settings. The first heat setting will draw 900 watts and will be able to keep rooms up to 30 square metres nice and warm. The second setting uses the entire 1800 watts and will let you maintain a pleasantly warm temperature within premises reaching 55 square metres.

Despite the model being not necessarily as affordable as its direct competition, the ANSIO 2000W Oscillating PTC Ceramic Tower Heater makes a much more convincing case from the get-go than 9/10 ceramic heaters we've reviewed before. Of course, whilst the unit looks pretty good, the part that convinces first is the fact that the model can be placed both vertically and horizontally. Since this is not something you can say about most heaters, this one change makes a huge difference. Aside from suiting different spatial needs, this part also means that you can transport the unit without worrying that the new place might not be able to accommodate it. Also, placing this appliance horizontally, you can even work with mobile homes.

Needless to say, the model looks quite attractive, we doubt that many customers would believe otherwise. Its profile is clean, concealed, and streamlined, with almost perfect proportions giving the unit an execute aesthetic that will fit decorative schemes. Matching light grey with black, the appliance will mesh great with modern and contemporary settings, with the safety grille not just protecting kids and pets from injuries but also making the model look less bland. The one problem we have with this grille is that the PTC element behind it oscillates internally. In other words, the unit does not visibly oscillate, which is a little confusing initially, but not the biggest issue you can generally find with ceramic heaters.

It’s important to stay warm, especially when the wind outside is howling like a pack of wolves and the snow is making traffic a nightmare. Such weather is the perfect chance to stay in, kick back, and turn on the Pro Breeze Ceramic small fan heater. This little gizmo will warm you right up and do so without drying out the air. This way, you’ll be cosy in your home without feeling like the air is stifling.

The Pro Breeze Mini heater uses a ceramic plate, which gets heated by electricity and, as the fans blow on it, emanates heat all over the room. This is a safer and smarter choice than standard glowing filament models as the casing doesn’t get hot (due to a lack of contact with the heating element) and the plate retains warmth longer. Thus, you can use in shorter periods and still get the room toasty.

Speaking of temperatures, the Pro Breeze Mini has 4 main modes - low heating with 1200 W consumption and high with 2000 W consumption plus two of the same but with the added benefit of 60° oscillation. The latter keeps the warmth spread a bit broader so if you have a particularly large room to heat, turn it on. As for the former two, the low mode is good for getting the temperature up over a long term whilst keeping the fat off of the electricity bills whilst the high mode is perfect for quickly heating up if you’ve spent a bit of time out in bad weather.

The De'Longhi 60c20 Bend Line does not necessarily bend the line that's drawn between more affordable and more premium ceramic heaters but, at the very least, the model toys with that line quite a bit and with decent success. Its biggest strength would have to be the appliance's overall appearance though. The low-profile outline looks clean, the dials in the front can be accessed with ease, and the stand will let you put this space-saving unit on an uneven surface without worrying that it might slip or slide. The light, white-ish stand works quite well with the otherwise black body. That being said, the same light paintwork also makes the stand easily soiled, so you'll have to wipe it clean a little more often than the main body.

On the upside, the above-mentioned dial thermostats are quite chunky, letting you control the temperature without grabbing and squeezing the dials like a madman. On the one hand, the model could use a handle. On the other hand, the stand that we've just discussed will let you carry this compact unit with comfort and relative ease. Measuring 33 х 22.9 x 16.8 centimetres, the model takes up very little space, fitting most desks. Likewise, with its weight capping at 1.9 kilogrammes, the heater enables hassle-free relocation, so you can move it between different rooms throughout the day without feeling like you're lugging something unnecessarily heavy.

The BLACK + DECKER BXSH37003GB incorporates both its predecessors' accomplishments and the more successful functions that the company's competition has been implementing, delivering a pretty impressive unit at an affordable price. Surface-level, the model brings very little new to the table, and we're not complaining one bit.

There's nothing new about the carry handle that this unit integrates but, what's more important, the handle enables easy manoeuvring around the home. There's nothing new about the two thermostat dials at the top but putting them atop the unit makes them accessible without reaching behind the heater's back or without increasing the appliance's frontal length.

Speaking of, the model stands at 26.1 x 17 x 12.8 centimetres, making this bad boy even more compact than its direct competition. Commanding the smallest footprint among its peers, the unit can be carried with almost laughable ease. Besides its modest size, the subject appliance also weighs ~1.8 kilogrammes, furthering the 'easy transportation' case.

On the appearance front, the model looks very much alike most budget ceramic heaters in its price bracket. The chrome handle is a pretty good fit with the grey top, complimenting the black body and creating a pretty sleek ensemble that should mesh well with contemporary and modern interiors.

Where the model falls a little flat is with the lead. Being a touch short, the lead keeps you more tied to the mains than most would like. What does not fall flat (or fall at all, for that matter) is the rubber feet on the heater's bottom. Owing to these feet, the unit can be placed on uneven and slippery surfaces without scratching them or you worrying that it might skid or slide.