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Cost-effective and cosy, these are the Good Housekeeping Institute experts' tried and tested best buys Velvet Cushion
We will be updating this article regularly throughout November to highlight any Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on GHI approved electric blankets.
With the cold weather setting in, it may be time to consider an electric blanket. These soft and versatile warmers will make your bed snug on even the coldest nights and keep you cosy while you're sat on the sofa, and they’re also fairly cost efficient to run.
The Good Housekeeping Institute has put electric blankets to the test and found these top picks:
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, which buttons up, allowing you to wear it like a poncho to retain 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 warmth too.
Dual controls will also let you adjust 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 nifty 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 the government at £0.27/kwh.
Note that dual control under blankets are plugged in on both sides, meaning 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.
Where the blankets had 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 hug 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, meaning 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 3.5p 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.
With double the controls comes double the energy usage, but this electric blanket still only costs just over 3p 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.
With 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.
Handy poppers keep this heated poncho firmly in place, although they require a bit of force to do up at first. It heats up in five minutes and the two-metre cable means you can move fairly freely around a room (you must keep it plugged in for it to work).
Nine heat and timer settings give ample control, while the temperature remained stable throughout our testing. We noticed some differences when measuring for a consistent temperature across its surface, but this wouldn’t be obvious to the touch.
In the wash, it shrunk a bit making it tighter around the neck, but overall it kept its premium feel, making it a practical and cosy way to keep warm around the house.
With three temperature settings, this is a simpler electric blanket design than some, 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 tad 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 the 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.
If you want maximum throw for your money, this is the biggest blanket we tested. With a lightweight, premium feel, it also moulds nicely to the body and comes with simple controls that have an easy to read ‘on’ indicator.
Our expert gave it full marks for its ease of use, due to its 10-minute heat-up time and useful timers that go up in 20-minute increments. You also have nine heat settings to choose from.
On test, the blanket stayed evenly warm, but the overall temperature did fluctuate by a few degrees at times. It washed excellently though, maintaining its delightfully soft feel.
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.
Testers liked the soft and 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 being careful 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 settings, 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 were 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.
Hannah is our senior homes writer, 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 helps to uncover the best cleaning hacks too, with a focus on easy, natural solutions. 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. You can find Hannah on Instagram on @sewnbyhan
Blossom is our Senior Homes Tester. Passionate about finding the best home products and appliances for our readers, she has tested everything from blenders to pizza ovens. Blossom enjoys delving into the intricacies of products and refining testing protocols for hundreds of items. Innovative items like robot vacuum cleaners and wine coolers are among her favourite tests to date, and her most notable accomplishment is toasting 360 slices of bread in a determined bid to find the best toaster. In her free time, Blossom openly admits to being a music geek and indulges her creative side through crocheting, baking, singing and writing.
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