The best patio heaters to keep you cosy outdoors year-round
While we like to stay optimistic about summer, hoping for sunny, cloudless days spent basking in the garden, it’s good to also prepare for Britain’s altogether-more-unpredictable reality. And with the best patio heaters, you can still stay warm outdoors, even on those chillier nights.
As well as saving you carrying out armfuls of blankets, patio heaters also offer a safer alternative to traditional fire pits, which can be a cause for concern when you have children or pets running around.
The type of outdoor heater you buy will depend on your space, budget and personal preference. In our list, you'll find a range of electric and gas heaters for every need and every garden furniture set-up, and you'll find a guide to what to consider before you shop (including the benefits of electric vs. gas heaters) under our reviews.
How we chose the best patio heaters
The Good Housekeeping Institute's homes writer, Megan Geall, has reviewed hundreds of home and garden products, including the best electric heaters, and used all those learnings and protocols to inform her choices.
She considered ease of use, range of settings, design and value for money. She discounted products that had multiple negative reviews and opted for ones from well-trusted, market leading brands.
The best electric patio heaters
Home Electric Table Top Heater
Designed to provide 360-degree warmth, this tabletop heater should keep you cosy during small alfresco dinners and BBQs. Its fast-action halogen tubes and three heat settings should banish any shivers once switched on, and it can be controlled via a remote for added convenience.
The cable is only 1.6 metres long, so your table will need to be relatively close to a power outlet. Its tabletop size means it won’t heat large areas either.
Blaze Free Standing Patio Heater
Freestanding patio heaters are great for cosy up under when you need a little extra warmth. Standing at 110cm tall, it has three temperature settings and a tip-over safety switch for peace of mind.
Boasting 1600W of power, the heater claims to provide warmth for up to 10 metres squared and operates via remote control for ease.
HeatWave Patio Heater
You’ll need to attach this compact heater to the wall – fixings are provided – so there's a little DIY involved, but it will sit discreetly and safely out of the path of pets and curious hands.
It uses infrared technology, claiming to evenly spread warmth throughout the surrounding area, so you aren’t at risk of any cold spots. And you don't need to worry about storing bulky gas bottles.
The cord is short and some users felt it could have provided more heat, but it's good for small spaces and it will take the chill off.
Shadow Sidekick 1.2kW Portable Infrared Heater
With a carry handle for easy transportation and a lightweight design, this sleek black heater would be a smart pick if there’s more than one entertaining area in your garden. You’ll just need a power source within 1.8 metres of its intended spot(s).
The hexagonal grill cover provides 360-degree heat, while the six temperature settings give plenty of scope to maximise your snugness. And at 66cm tall (the height of most tables), it should still be relatively discreet.
Halogen Bulb Electric Infrared Table Top Heater
Another tabletop design, this heater’s rattan weave base should coordinate well with most garden furniture. It’s a multi-tasker too; the halogen heating element is also a bulb, which means you can enjoy plenty of warmth and light. Three heat settings give you scope to tailor it too.
In fact, on its highest setting (2100W), this heater is one of the most powerful on our list, so you should have no worries entertaining late into the evening. A three-metre cable offers decent flexibility too.
There isn’t an anti-tilt safety switch (which turns the heater off if it tips), but the heavy base should keep it stable.
T978519 Free Standing 2000W Patio Heater
A digital display and a slim, space-saving design give this Tower heater a sleek look that will complement modern outdoor spaces. It’s freestanding and can be operated via a remote control, so you can easily switch between the nine temperature levels at the touch of a button.
It oscillates too, turning at a 45° angle to ensure the warmth reaches everyone in your party, and there’s even a timer function for effortless daily usage.
2000W Electric Table Top Patio Heater
Offering up to nine metres-squared of warmth, this tabletop infrared heater is great to have on hand if the temperature starts to dip when you’re eating outdoors. The three-metre cable offers plenty of flexibility in positioning, while its three temperature settings will let you increase the warmth as the sun sets.
As the base has a 45cm diameter, it might take up a lot of space on your table but it’s worth making room if you want to enjoy chill-free evenings.
The best gas patio heaters
Athena Plus Flame Gas Patio Heater
This tall, pyramid-style heater may be pricey, but it packs a punch. As well as boasting a 10.5-kilowatt gas burner, the top is designed to reflect heat back towards you, boosting its overall efficiency and helping you stay toasty even on chilly evenings.
The heat output is adjustable thanks to a variable dial and it should automatically shut off if tipped over – although at 28-kilograms, you likely won’t have to worry about this. The wheels should still make it easy to move, too.
Gas Patio Heater
Smaller in stature than the pyramid heater above, this stainless-steel model may be the better pick for more intimate gatherings. It doesn’t have wheels, but its 5.5-kilogram weight shouldn’t be too difficult to transport, and the simple ignition system ensures it’s quick to get up and running once in place.
With a 9500 BTU rating – a way of measuring how heat radiates – multiply the square footage of your space by 20 to get the optimal number – it’s not the most powerful heater out there, but placing it next to a seating area or on the table should keep those in the vicinity comfortable. Its tilt shut-off protection adds peace of mind, too.
12kW Freestanding Gas Patio Heater
This powerful heater has a heat output of 40,000 BTU, so is designed to warm an area of nearly 20 metres squared. Simply push and turn the control knob to switch it on, then relax in the knowledge that there are plenty of safety features built in. These include a tilt safety feature in case it topples, and a feature that switches off the gas immediately if the flame happens to extinguish.
Handy wheels make moving the large heater more feasible too. One for fuss-free warmth.
Outdoor Pyramid Patio Heater
You’ll need to assemble this patio heater before you can start cosy-ing up around it, but it comes with instructions and the claim that it will be up and ready for use in under 90 minutes.
Once the gas canister is attached, ignition is simple – just push the button to light the flame. And while it doesn’t feature an automatic tilt shut off, there are brackets included so you can secure the heater in place to prevent any topples.
12kw Gas Terrace Standing Heater with Tabletop
Rather than a simple stainless-steel or black finish, the rattan design of this gas patio heater levels up its appearance while also hiding the gas bottle away from sight. It handily doubles up as a table too.
The heat level can be adjusted by the control knob and the reflector at the top concentrates the warmth on the surrounding area. It's even suitable for heating a conservatory, should you ever feel chilly inside.
What to know when shopping for a patio heater
Before deciding on the right heater for your patio, there are a few things to consider, including type, size, and power. We’ve listed these below to make shopping even easier.
Electric vs. Gas
When choosing between an electric or gas-powered outdoor patio heater, you should think about the following as both have their pros and cons.
Electric patio heaters are easy to set up, move around and most are safe to use in enclosed spaces like gazebos, conservatories and garages. However, they must be placed near an outlet, which is not always convenient, and you’ll have to pay for the energy consumption.
Gas patio heaters do not require electricity, so they don’t need to be near a power outlet, giving you more freedom to move the heater around your garden and further from your home. They are typically heavier though, and you’ll need to buy gas bottles to power the burners.
Size
Consider the size of the model when shopping for outdoor patio heaters. Some are tall and freestanding, but if you're moving it around, you may want something smaller that can be easily carried. Lastly, if you’re only heating yourself or a small group, a tabletop heater may do the trick.
Power
The higher an electric heater’s wattage, the more warmth you’ll likely get. It’s also worth looking at the claimed coverage to work out whether it's powerful enough to heat the space you need.
For gas heaters, consider the BTU (British Thermal Unit) instead, which is another way of looking at a heater’s power. A commonly cited rule of thumb is to multiply the square footage of the space you want to heat by 20. Like watts, the higher the BTU, the more effective a heater will be at warming your outdoor space.
Also, keep in mind it may be worth investing in multiple smaller patio heaters for targeted areas of heat instead of one big heater.
Why you should trust Good Housekeeping
Our homes writer, Megan Geall, has reviewed hundreds of products across the homes and garden categories and has spent time visiting exhibitions and product launches in these sectors to find the best buys on the market.
She’s used her knowledge and expertise as a consumer journalist to select a range of patio heaters that tick the boxes across a range of budgets, styles and uses.
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