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5 Best Electric Blankets and Heated Blankets 2021
I reckon there are two types of electric blanket on the market in the UK. I'm sure there are exceptions but let's keep it simple:
It's also worth looking at the material that the electric blanket is made from. Posher ones are made with breathable cotton whilst cheaper ones are manmade polyester.
All of the electric blankets we've picked out can go in the washing machine, so you won't be taking it to the dry cleaners forevermore. You can also buy heated blankets which you sleep under, but this guide just focuses on the traditional style where you lie on top of it.
Anyway, we've picked out five of the best electric blankets available in the UK in 2020 and 2021 by looking at customer reviews, value for money, specification, warranty length and so on.
Prices are correct at the time of writing and are for a double size electric blanket. Electric blankets also go by the name of 'heated blankets' in the UK, but they do the same thing.
- Simpler and cheaper electric blankets/heated blankets usually have two or three heat settings and not a lot else. They are ideal for a technophobe who doesn't want to be reading an instruction manual at 11pm whilst shivering in bed. You usually leave them on all night or use one of those timer switches which you use when you go on holiday. Simple electric blankets in our top 5 include one from Silentnight (£30 - see #1).
- More expensive and more complicated electric blankets come with features such as dual controls so you can have one side warmer than the other and different zones so you can have warm feet and a colder body. Some automatically adjust the temperature throughout the night depending on how cold the room is and others can turn themselves off after a few hours. Feature-filled heated blankets in our top 5 include a Dreamland one (£85 - see #2) and a Slumberdown electric blanket (£50 - see #4).
It's also worth looking at the material that the electric blanket is made from. Posher ones are made with breathable cotton whilst cheaper ones are manmade polyester.
All of the electric blankets we've picked out can go in the washing machine, so you won't be taking it to the dry cleaners forevermore. You can also buy heated blankets which you sleep under, but this guide just focuses on the traditional style where you lie on top of it.
Anyway, we've picked out five of the best electric blankets available in the UK in 2020 and 2021 by looking at customer reviews, value for money, specification, warranty length and so on.
Prices are correct at the time of writing and are for a double size electric blanket. Electric blankets also go by the name of 'heated blankets' in the UK, but they do the same thing.
1. Silentnight Comfort Control Electric Blanket - £30
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This simple electric blanket from Silentnight doesn't have all the bells and whistles which you get with some. It won't impress your dinner party friends or give your life a renewed sense of purpose.
However, it's good value, it's simple enough for granny to use, it's hugely popular and it's made by a brand with a strong reputation (Silentnight scores 4.2/5 on TrustPilot). The electric blanket itself scores 4.5/5 from a whopping 14000 customer reviews. It's got a very simple design with three heat settings, which is probably a good thing if you don't fancy wrestling with a complicated digital display at bedtime. It deliberately doesn't cover the whole mattress, so that it lies flats and doesn't overheat - the downside is that you might have cold feet if you're very tall. You can choose from a fleecy version or a less-fleecy version which both cost about the same and are available as single, double or king size heated blankets. If you really want to, you can get one that works with an app and with Alexa so you control it from your phone or shout across the room at it and annoy the neighbours. The standard model comes with just one handset but you can upgrade to a dual control version so that you won't have to argue in bed about what temperature to put it on. It's made from synthetic materials and can be washed in a washing machine. It comes with a three year guarantee, which is quite decent for an electric blanket. If you want a more complicated and cleverer heated blanket from Silentnight, have a look at the Silentnight Easi Heat (£60) which costs about twice as much as their standard electric blanket and allows you to heat up different 'zones'. Pros: much cheaper than most other electric blankets, several variations and upgrades available, machine washable, three year guarantee Cons: synthetic materials, cheap option has limited settings, not available in super king size |
The Silentnight electric blanket has thousands of positive reviews and simple controls
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2. Dreamland Boutique Electric Blanket/Mattress Protector - £85
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This electric blanket from Dreamland costs about three times as much as the cheap Silentnight electric blanket above (see #1), but it has a number of advantages.
Firstly, it also acts as a mattress protector because it covers the whole bed, whilst the Silentnight model just covers the middle. It's got an elasticated edge to stop it sliding around and getting creased. It's made from cotton rather than synthetic materials like polyester. Cotton is a natural and breathable material which is seen as a posher material for bedding. It's also got fancy features such as an auto switch off after a certain number of hours and five different temperatures to choose from. There's a super-fast five minute warm up setting too, so it should be ready by the time you've brushed your teeth and flossed. The larger sizes also come with two control units so you can get your side of the bed to the right temperature. You can machine wash and tumble dry this one too. Reviews average about 4.5/5. You can buy the Dreamland electric blanket in single, double, king size or super king size (they're listed on separate pages for some reason). Pros: good range of sizes, multiple heat settings, dual controls, warms up quickly, switches off with timer, breathable cotton Cons: may be a bit complex for some, expensive |
The Dreamland Boutique heated blanket is made from cotton and has an auto switch off timer
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3. Lakeland Luxury Fleece Fitted Electric Blanket - £99
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This Lakeland electric blanket comes in double and king size and is another one which goes onto the mattress like a fitted sheet rather than just covering the top. That helps keep it in place despite your shuffling.
It heats up in 10 minutes which is not as quick as the Dreamland electric blanket (see #2) which takes 5 minutes but it is better than most. It's got 5 heat settings, as well as the quick-warm up setting. Clever features include 'graduated foot warmth' which means that it is a bit warmer around your feet than the top of your body. It also switches itself off after nine hours (not sure when I last got nine hours sleep but that's not particularly relevant). You get a three year guarantee and, as with most modern heated blankets, you can put it in the washing machine. Customer reviews for this one were averaging 4/5 at the time of writing. One downside with this one is that it is made from a synthetic material (polyester) which isn't as posh or breathable as a cotton electric blanket. Lakeland reviews on TrustPilot are about as good as they get at 4.8/5 when we checked. Pros: dual controls, several different heat settings, warms up quickly, switches off automatically Cons: synthetic materials, not available in single or super king size, expensive |
This fleecy electric blanket from Lakeland switches off after nine hours
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4. Slumberdown Perfectly Warm Luxury Electric Blanket - £50
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This Slumberdown Perfectly Warm electric blanket has more features than my first car (a 1990s Fiat Punto, in case you're interested). Customers give it great reviews of about 4.5/5.
It's probably more suited to someone who likes a gadget rather than someone who just wants a simple electric blanket. It's got nine different heat settings as well as an extra setting for your feet and is split into four zones so you can pick different temperatures for different parts of your body. It cleverly adjusts the temperature depending on how warm the room is during the night and you can tell it to switch off after a certain number of hours. The bigger sizes have dual digital controls to avoid arguments. The downsides with this one are that it is polyester rather than cotton which is a bit more breathable (the Dreamland electric blanket mentioned earlier is cotton - see #2). It's also a bit slower to heat up than the Dreamland electric blanket (15 minutes compared to 5 minutes). The description says it comes with a one year guarantee but there's a great big sticker on the front which says it has a two year guarantee. Either way, it's not as good as the three years you get with the Silentnight (see #1) or Lakeland electric blankets (see #3) but it offers a lot of features for the price tag. It's available as a single, double, king size or super king size electric blanket. You can machine wash and tumble dry this one too. Pros: low price considering the multiple settings, dual controls, heats in zones rather than all the same, good choice of sizes Cons: some people will struggle with multiple settings, synthetic materials |
Slumberdown's electric blanket comes with loads of options and features
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5. Slumberland Easy Fit Electric Blanket - £55
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The Slumberland electric blanket is another simple to use model from a brand that you've actually heard of.
We've included it because of its positive reviews and the fact that it covers the whole bed (like a fitted sheet) rather than just lying in the middle, which is what the Silentnight heated blanket does (see #1). That's a big advantage if you're very tall and don't want cold feet. In fact, it calls itself a 'heated mattress cover' rather than an electric blanket or heated blanket. It's got a few more heat settings than most simple models but isn't complicated to use. You pick a heat level from 1-9 and then switch it to all-night use once it's heated up. There isn't an option for auto switch off but the king size version does have two controls so you can just turn on one side if you want to. Customers score it an average of 4.4/5 after more than 700 reviews. It's got a long warranty (3 years) and goes in the washing machine/tumble dryer. The main downsides with this one are that it's slow to heat up (15 minutes) and that it is made from polyester rather than breathable cotton. It's also much more expensive than the Silentnight electric blanket without offering the fancy features of the similarly priced Slumberdown Perfectly Warm electric blanket (see #4). Pros: quite low price, lots of different heat options, dual controls Cons: not available in super king size, synthetic materials |
The Slumberdown electric blanket covers the whole bed and has had hundreds of good reviews
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Which electric blanket is best for you?
Our comparison grid below should help you make up your mind when you're looking for an electric blanket.
All of our top five come in a double and king size but if you are looking for an electric blanket for a super king size bed then your choice is limited to the Dreamland Boutique or the Slumberland Perfectly Warm. Similarly, if you need an electric blanket for a single bed then the Lakeland Luxury Fleece is no good.
Only one of our top five electric blankets uses cotton rather than polyester (Dreamland Boutique). That might be the clincher for you, as cotton is naturally more breathable than polyester. Of course, we associate breathability with keeping cool which is not a priority with an electric blanket. However, breathability also helps to regulate your temperature rather than just making you feel colder. A study called 'Sleep and the temperature field of the bed' by Bischof, Madsen et al found that 'larger fluctuations of temperature in the bed are connected to a shorter deep-sleep time.' In other words, if you feel hot and then cold during the night, then you won't sleep as well.
That research would also seem to be an endorsement for the Slumberland Perfectly Warm, as it uses technology which adjusts the temperature depending on the temperature in the room. If you have the heating off during the night (either to save money or to stop the boiler keeping you awake) then this should help avoid those 'larger fluctuations'.
If simplicity is what you are after, then I would certainly avoid one of the designs with multiple zones and settings. The Silentnight Comfort Control is probably your best bet.
All of our top five come in a double and king size but if you are looking for an electric blanket for a super king size bed then your choice is limited to the Dreamland Boutique or the Slumberland Perfectly Warm. Similarly, if you need an electric blanket for a single bed then the Lakeland Luxury Fleece is no good.
Only one of our top five electric blankets uses cotton rather than polyester (Dreamland Boutique). That might be the clincher for you, as cotton is naturally more breathable than polyester. Of course, we associate breathability with keeping cool which is not a priority with an electric blanket. However, breathability also helps to regulate your temperature rather than just making you feel colder. A study called 'Sleep and the temperature field of the bed' by Bischof, Madsen et al found that 'larger fluctuations of temperature in the bed are connected to a shorter deep-sleep time.' In other words, if you feel hot and then cold during the night, then you won't sleep as well.
That research would also seem to be an endorsement for the Slumberland Perfectly Warm, as it uses technology which adjusts the temperature depending on the temperature in the room. If you have the heating off during the night (either to save money or to stop the boiler keeping you awake) then this should help avoid those 'larger fluctuations'.
If simplicity is what you are after, then I would certainly avoid one of the designs with multiple zones and settings. The Silentnight Comfort Control is probably your best bet.
Electric blanket name |
Features |
Material |
Sizes available |
Price (double) |
Our value rating |
Silentnight Comfort Control |
Three heat settings |
Polyester |
Single, Double, King |
£30 |
**** |
Dreamland Boutique |
Five heat settings, dual controls, quick warm up, timed switch off |
Cotton |
Single, Double, King, Super King |
£85 |
**** |
Lakeland Luxury Fleece |
Dual controls, auto switch off five heat settings, quick warmup |
Polyester |
Double, King |
£99 |
*** |
Slumberland Perfectly Warm |
Nine heat settings, auto temperature, zonal heating, dual controls |
Polyester |
Single, Double, King, Super King |
£50 |
***** |
Slumberland Easy Fit |
Nine heat settings, dual controls |
Polyester |
Single, Double King |
£55 |
**** |
Our value rating is out of five and is our opinion of what the product offers for the money. A five star rating is the highest possible and represents a product which we think offers a lot for the price.