We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.
Cost-effective and cosy, these are the GHI experts' tried and tested best buys Composite Geogrid
With the cold weather on its way, it may be time to consider an electric blanket.
These soft, versatile warmers will make your bed snug on even the coldest nights and can also keep you cosy while you're sat on the sofa – plus, they’re also fairly cost efficient to run.
Stay cosy for less by shopping in the Black Friday sales – running from now until 2 December, it's a great time to buy one of our top-rated blankets below at a lower price.
The Good Housekeeping Institute has put a range of electric blankets to the test to find our top picks – here they are in a handy list, but read on for our detailed reviews.
If you’re replacing an existing electric blanket, there are plenty of places for you to safely recycle your old one. Find your nearest electrical recycling point, or read our guide on how to donate or dispose of your appliances and tech for extra guidance.
Under blankets operate a bit like mattress toppers and tend to come with elasticated straps or as a fitted sheet, so you can secure them to your bed and drift off on top of them. Many can run for up to eight hours at a time, so you stay warm all night long.
In contrast, over blankets are meant for curling up under; they’re a more versatile choice as you can use them on the sofa or even at your desk if you work from home. Some even resemble a fleecy blanket, which not only feels extra soft against the skin, but will look good in your living room if you want to leave it out. Throws tend to have shorter operating times though – most we tried time out after three hours.
We also tested an electric blanket with sleeves and a foot pouch, allowing you to essentially wear your blanket and retain more heat. Aside from the extra design features that make them wearable, these ponchos operate in an almost identical manner to electric throws, with a range of temperatures and a timer.
All the electric blankets on our list come with varying heat zones and settings – some include extra foot warmers too.
Those with dual controls will let you adjust the settings during the night without disturbing your partner. Blankets that have these – often size double and upwards – will have left and right zones, so the settings can be customised if there are two of you in the bed.
All the heated blankets on our list have auto-shut off settings, which turn them off after a certain amount of time, minimising the risk of any accidents. Some even let you decide how long they run for, thanks to handy in-built timers.
Always check the manufacturer's guidance to make sure your choice of blanket is suitable for you.
Given the current economic climate, it’s understandable that you may be looking for more cost-effective ways to stay warm and save on your heating bill. Electric blankets can come in handy here, as they're becoming increasingly more energy efficient.
Under blankets, for example, can run for up to eight hours, so you could opt for this at night instead of central heating, while a throw can keep you warm while working from home.
As part of our testing, we measured how much energy each blanket used and therefore how much each one costs to run. We did this on the lowest setting for each blanket’s maximum operating time – eight hours for under blankets and three hours for throws. All prices are based on the electricity price capped by Ofgem at £0.245/kwh. You'll find the results in our write-ups below.
Note that dual control under blankets are plugged in on both sides, which means they can use double the electricity versus those with a single control.
At the Good Housekeeping Institute, our experts made up a double bed to test each electric blanket on, measuring how evenly temperature was distributed, as well as whether the warmth fluctuated or remained consistent over an extended period of time, across different heat settings. We measured energy consumption, too.
For blankets with dual controls, we also looked at how accurate the settings were on each side and if there was any temperature crossover when the settings were different.
For throws and wearable blankets, we assessed their overall feel and how well they hugged the body.
Finally, we put any washing claims to the test to check for shrinkage or damage.
These are the ones we’ll be cosying up with this year.
With its cosy, soft faux-fur finish, this is a winning living room addition. On test, this blanket was a real show-off, and not just because it will make a statement on your sofa – it scored full marks for even distribution of warmth and maintaining a stable temperature.
It has nine temperature settings, nine timers, and simple controls. It aced our wash tests too, emerging just as luxurious as before, so you don’t need to worry about any matting. Note that it is big, so may not fit in smaller drums and takes a while to dry.
It’s also one of the priciest throws on our list, but it should start warming you up within ten minutes and it used just over one pence of electricity per hour on its lowest setting, making it cost effective to run.
There’s no doubt about it, this under blanket is an outstanding winter warmer. On test, it distributed heat evenly across its soft, fleecy surface on all temperature settings, even after extended use.
It only took five minutes to heat up and fitted our double mattress with minimal effort. It barely shrunk after washing either.
It also has built-in foot warmth, but you can’t adjust its settings and the control isn’t the easiest to read at night. Overall, though, this high-quality blanket costs little to run and would make a comfortable addition to any bed.
Most electric throws we’ve tried have safety cut-off times after about three hours, but not this one – it runs for up to nine hours, so you can doze off peacefully and stay snug all night.
It’s just as soft as its name claims, and testers found it very lightweight, which is ideal if you don’t want a heavy layer on top of your duvet. Plus, it comes in three chic colours, so you can find one that matches your existing décor.
This blanket doesn’t waste any time either, heating up in under five minutes. Its digital screen makes selecting one of its six settings easy, but while warmth was fairly evenly distributed, it took the temperature a while to stabilise. This could be down to its Intelliheat technology, which monitors your body temperature and the temperature of the room to continuously keep you and your bed at the same cosy level – impressive, right! It maintained its high quality after washing, too.
Swap your usual blanket for this heated throw and enjoy extra warmth for up to three hours at a time. Ideal for sitting on the sofa with, it drapes comfortably across the body and feels velvety-soft to touch. Plus, it was one of the best on test for even temperature distribution, while the controls are intuitive and it’s easy to wash.
It’s not as cost effective as an under blanket – on test, the throw cost 3.2p for three hours while our winning blanket costs a similar amount for eight hours – but it was the most energy efficient throw we tried. So, if you’re after a blanket for daytime use, this is a worthwhile buy.
This soft cotton under blanket slips easily onto your mattress and will bring you warmth all night long. In the lab, it heated up in just five minutes, so you don’t need to worry about getting into a chilly bed. It has two controls, three timers, and six settings, bringing flexibility too.
The warmth was well distributed, especially on the higher settings, and it was fairly stable too. The wires were a tad noticeable when lying on them, so it may not be for light sleepers, but the topper emerged from the washing machine in pristine condition. It’s a great bedroom addition.
With double the controls comes double the energy usage, but this electric blanket still only costs 3.4p to run per night.
Nine settings (including foot warmth) and easy-access controls mean both you and your partner should drift off happily, while the padded design also adds some extra cushioning to your bed (similar to a traditional mattress topper).
It proved reliable too, taking a respectable 15 minutes to heat up with minimal temperature fluctuations, although we found the right side wasn’t as effective as the left.
Thanks to its herringbone detailing, this electric throw will look the part whether it's draped over you or your sofa. We found it was a great size to snuggle under, providing ample coverage, while its thick, velvety finish was soft against skin.
Heating up in just seven minutes, there was minimal temperature fluctuation for the full three hours, and heat distribution was best on the lowest setting. It also washed well, maintaining its luxurious feel.
This is a simpler electric blanket design than some with three temperature settings, but it’s still just as cosy thanks to its soft, fluffy material. It stayed securely on our mattress and distributed heat well, especially on its lowest setting. It was a little less even on the higher settings (and it took over an hour for the temperature to stabilise), but nothing that would be noticeable at night.
It washed well too, although it’s a bit fiddly removing the controls and the fluffy topper flattened a little afterwards. But these are small niggles, especially as it will likely sit underneath a bedsheet. It should still bring plenty of warmth to your bed – and for a much lower price than many, making it our best value under blanket.
This great value under blanket was a top scorer on our dual control tests; it kept a steady temperature all night on both sides, even when we varied the temperatures. Plus, the controls are easily accessible.
Patience is required though, as it takes 30 minutes to get to temperature and with only three settings and no foot warmth, it’s not the most advanced buy.
As is the case with all dual control options, it’s more expensive to run, so you may not want to keep it on all night. But given its affordable price, we were impressed with its performance (it also washed well) and comfortable design.
For a won’t-break-the-bank throw that can move from your bed to the sofa and back, look no further. It's designed to keep you warm in bed, but it does time out after two hours, making it best suited to an initial injection of heat before you fall asleep.
Testers liked the soft, fluffy blanket, which boasted a quick eight-minute heat-up time and even temperature distribution with minimal fluctuation. It has nine warmth settings, straightforward controls and is machine washable – but we’d suggest taking care when washing as testers found it hard to stretch out fully afterwards.
Here’s one for those whose feet feel the chill most. It scored full marks for its extra foot warmth option, reaching a toasty temperature while the rest of the blanket stayed on its lowest setting.
It’s a speedy heater too, warming up in just 10 minutes (although this was longer than the advertised five minutes) and it distributed heat impeccably, even on the warmest of its nine settings.
The temperature wasn’t as stable as most we tested, but its controls are simple to use and it washed well. It didn’t cost much to run overnight either.
This well made blanket comes with some thoughtful design features, including the ability to position its control on either side of the bed.
Our expert was also impressed with its even heat distribution on all three heat settings, although the temperature fluctuated during prolonged use. Its straps are fiddly to use and there’s no timer, but it will shut off if it gets too hot. Overall, it's a reliable budget buy.
Sometimes a simple blanket doesn’t quite provide the coverage you need. But this clever design does, as it has sleeves and a pouch for you to tuck your feet into. Testers found it soft and were impressed with the even and stable distribution of heat.
They noted that it would work for a range of heights and builds and found it easy to control. It washed well too, remaining soft to the touch, but it stretched out of shape a little. While it's also fairly bulky, it folded away neatly. It’s a snuggly one.
Something tells us we’ll never be far from this luxe, faux-fur electric blanket as the temperature starts to drop. Our testers found the weight just right for curling up under, and praised the clear controls that made it easy to cycle through the ten different heat settings.
While it took 15 minutes to warm up on test, the temperature was evenly distributed throughout. It fluctuated somewhat though, but you likely won’t notice this in use. It washed impeccably too (note, it’s air dry only, so factor that into your timings). And when you're not snuggled up under it, it will look chic nonchalantly draped over the arm of your sofa. Dreamy.
There are two standout electric blankets we’d recommend you consider, and it all comes down to how you plan to use them.
If you want one to go on top of your mattress, then this Monogram by Beurer heated over blanket ticked our boxes for speed and even, stable temperature distribution.
For one that’s got cosy evenings on the sofa written all over it, go for the Lakeland StaySnug Faux Fur Heated Throw which barely dropped a mark on test. It’s relatively pricey though, and if you don’t want a furry look, do check out some of the other velvety options on our list.
When the weather’s cold, you’ll often find our homes editor, Hannah Mendelsohn, tucked up under her electric blanket (she has this Dreamland one because the navy is a perfect match for her living room). So, she's well equipped to tell you all about them.
She worked with the Good Housekeeping Institute's homes testing manager, Blossom Boothroyd, to make sure our testing protocols covered everything you need to know before buying. So you can rest assured the ones on our list won't let you down on chilly nights.
Hannah is our homes editor, specialising in reviewing the latest kitchen appliances, cleaning products, mattresses and bedding, and crafting equipment. Hannah has written about hundreds of products, from air fryers to smoothie makers to pillows, and is committed to finding the most reliable and best value for money buys.
Hannah is also interested in sustainability in the home and has completed a course with the University of the Arts London in sustainable textiles, so she can help cut through the noise on what’s green and what’s not. Hannah has an MA in Magazine Journalism and has previously worked as a freelance lifestyle and women’s sports journalist, working for Stylist, Sky Sports and more.
Hannah has also previously worked in a florist and can normally be found caring for her house plants or sewing something new for her home or wardrobe.
Blossom is passionate about finding the best home products and appliances for GH readers. As head of the homes testing team, she has led reviews across multiple categories, from pizza ovens, and smart plugs to portable fans and hobs. She enjoys delving into the intricacies of products and refining testing protocols to ensure we’re testing them against their claims. Her aim is to find the top-performing products on the market, to help take the hard work out of housework. Blossom’s most notable accomplishment in the lab has been toasting 528 slices of bread in her quest to find the best toasters money can buy. In her free time, she openly admits to being a music geek and indulges her creative side through crocheting, baking, singing and writing.
The best air purifiers to clean up your home
The best weighted blankets to help you relax
The GHI put the Oura Ring to the test
Best cast iron casserole dishes, tried and tested
The best SAD lamps to banish the winter blues
The best food processors for 2024
Best heated clothes airers, tried and tested
Best artificial Christmas trees to shop now
17 best online flower delivery services
Best toastie makers and sandwich toasters 2024
The best letterbox flower delivery services
Good Housekeeping, Part of the Hearst UK Fashion & Beauty Network
Good Housekeeping participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.
Non-woven geotextile ©2024 Hearst UK is the trading name of the National Magazine Company Ltd, 30 Panton Street, Leicester Square, London, SW1Y 4AJ. Registered in England. All Rights Reserved.