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Best Space Heaters in 2025

CNET's experts have handpicked the top space heaters to keep you warm and cozy when the temperature outside drops.

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Written by  Pamela Vachon
Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission.
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Pamela Vachon Contributor
Pamela is a freelance food and travel writer based in Astoria, Queens. While she writes about most things edible and potable (and accessories dedicated to those topics,) her real areas of expertise are cheese, chocolate, cooking and wine. She's a culinary school grad, certified sommelier, former bartender and fine dining captain with 10 years in the industry. When not sitting at the keys, she leads in-home cheese classes, wine tastings and cocktail demonstrations.
Expertise Wine | Cheese | Chocolate | Cooking

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Even as we enter the spring season, it can still get pretty chilly in the mornings and at night. This means that you might be finding that you're still reaching for your space heater. Using a portable heater is a great way to warm up a single room when you need it, without having to turn on your central heating for the whole home. Modern space heaters offer improved energy efficiency and heating performance, so you can warm up your home without racking up a large energy bill. Just remember that space heaters do come with some fire risks, so be sure to check out our space heater safety guide before use.

What is the best space heater overall?

honeywell heater in home

A space heater is a no-brainer if you're looking to save money on your energy bill during the winter.

Honeywell

Our team found the Vornado VH2 Whole Room Heater to be the best overall space heater. It's small but mighty, and provides consistent heat without making too much noise. In our testing, it performed well when it came to heating up and circulating air throughout the room, and its exterior didn't overheat. Of course, we've found plenty of other great options worth exploring as well. Check out all of our top picks below.

Read moreReady to Pull Out Your Space Heater? Here's How Much It'll Cost You

Best space heaters of 2025

Best overall space heater

Pros

  • Consistent temperature
  • Quiet
  • Safe for pets and children

Cons

  • On the larger size

Vornado's models topped just about every best list out there where space heaters are concerned, so you can't go wrong with a variety of Vornado products, no matter your space or heat needs this season, with the VH2 being its most consistently singled-out performer. This whole-room space heater circulates heated air throughout a medium-sized room, like a furnace in miniature, maintaining a consistent temperature without a significant space requirement. It is reported to be among the quietest models available, with several users remarking that it was quiet enough to sleep with while operating. Its plastic exterior stays comparatively cool to the touch, making it among the safest bets for households with pets and children. Vornado also offers a 5-year support term, making it easy to address technical issues should any arise.

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Best budget space heater

Pros

  • Doesn't take up too much space
  • Costs less

Cons

  • Small heat range

At a fraction of the space imprint of the Vornado model above, and about a third of the cost, Lasko's Ceramic Heater 754200 is an excellent starting place if you're still in a trial mindset where a space heater is concerned. Lasko also had a preponderance of mentions for several models among review sites. 

Its compact size is better suited to smaller spaces such as small bedrooms or home offices, or even desktop or counter use rather than an entire room. If you live with a perpetually warm person, as mentioned above, this may be an ideal model for creating different heat zones within the same room. Otherwise, users report that it warms up quickly and reliably -- ideal for helping you get out of bed on a chilly morning -- and its lightweight nature makes it especially easy to move around the house with you as your additional heat needs dictate. 

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Best space heater for bedrooms

Pros

  • Highest user rating
  • 360 degree air circulation

While the previous two models were the most singled out among product testing sites, this Honeywell model had one of the highest user ratings on retailers' sites. The feature here that significantly sets it apart from every other model is its 360 degrees of air circulation, relying on top and bottom vents to pull in air and circulate warm air around its circumference. Several users mentioned that its multidirectional airflow made it especially useful for bedroom use to create ambient warmth in a medium-sized space without an intense, one-directional flow.

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Best designed space heater

Pros

  • Aesthetic design
  • Sufficient heat in low and high settings

Who says fan heaters are out of style? Good news for those with mid-century decor who can't bear the thought of an industrial appliance interrupting their curated look. Vornado's VHeat Vintage Metal Heater manages to be both aesthetically pleasing and functional, called out by basically every review site I considered. Again, Vornado's products overall tended to top the lists of best space heaters, and this model is more than just attractive, functioning accordingly, with users reporting it delivered sufficient heat to a small space on both its low and high settings.

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Best space heater for bathrooms

Pros

  • Additional safety features for bathroom
  • Versatile
  • Good price

Of all the rooms in your house, none are as disappointing when overly chilly as your bathroom. Who wants to get out of a hot shower on a cold day and be greeted with the rude awakening of arctic air on wet skin? You can't put just any space heater in the bathroom, which adds additional safety considerations because of the moisture element. Among those that are specifically designed to be bathroom-safe, this Dreo model was the clear winner, not to mention Amazon's bestseller in space heaters overall because of its versatility and price. The Dreo DR-HSH004A is equipped with a special safety plug that cuts the power immediately upon contact with water, and its small footprint makes it ideal for one of the smallest rooms in your house with the biggest heat needs.

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Best dual heater and air purifier

Pros

  • Cooling and heating for year-round use
  • Air purifier
  • Sleek design

Cons

  • Pricey

While several space heaters here have a fan-only option for cooling during the warmer months, Dyson offers one of the few models that not only has both of these features but works as a HEPA air purifier as well. Dyson's products typically demand a higher price, and this is no exception, but it is perhaps worth it, given its one-and-done functionality and sleek design. This dual model had the highest user satisfaction rating among retailer sites, with many people pointing out that it was especially ideal for allergy sufferers, as well as lauding its year-round utility.

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Best space heater for large spaces

Pros

  • High user ratings
  • Capable of heating a whole room

Tower-style space heaters, and especially those that oscillate like this DeLonghi Ceramic Tower Heater model, are some of the best options for heating a large space such as a larger bedroom or living room. Their radiant heat is capable of reaching more space both vertically and horizontally because of its size and functionality. This model also had one of the highest user ratings among retail sites, with many users mentioning how quiet it ran, and singling out the utility of the remote control and digital display, which is a less common feature among the space heaters I researched. Several also commented how this space heater felt like it was capable of heating the whole room, rather than just delivering heat to its immediate surroundings.

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How we evaluated space heaters

Our list of space heaters was aggregated from numerous review sites for those models that were most frequently mentioned, as well as bestselling models at major retailers such as Amazon, Target, Walmart and Bed, Bath & Beyond. I researched the space heaters in this list by analyzing specs and user reviews, diving deep for mentions of persistent issues, and considering the available features and functionality compared to price as a measure of each model's overall value. I focused primarily on those models that had extremely high user ratings, typically 4.5 and above with at least 1,000 ratings.

While I didn't bring every model home and perform extensive hands-on testing, I was able to examine most models in person to get a feel for the design, footprint and intuitiveness of its controls.

Space heaters compared


Vornado VH2Lasko Ceramic 754200Honeywell HHF360VDyson HP01DeLonghi Tower Vornado VHEAT VintageDreo DR-HSH004A
Settings 23210325
Heat element Forced airCeramicForced airForced air, oscillatingCeramic, oscillatingForced airForced air, oscillating
Adjustable thermostat YYYNYYY
Tip-over protection YNYYYYY
Overheat protection YYYNYYY
Additional features NoneNoneNoneSleep timer, HEPA Air PurifierTimer, remote control, ECO modeAdjustable headRemote control, safety plug, ECO mode
Dimensions, (DxWxH, inches) 9.5 x 11.8 x 11.96 x 3.7x 9.28 x 8 x 11.56 x 8.7 x 24.97.5 x 8.7 x 23.613.7 x 11 x 8.710.3 x 6.7 x 5.5
Energy draw 750W/1,500W900W/1,500W1,500WNot available1,500W750W/1,500W900W/1,000W/1500W
Price $90$31$35$530$110$146$60
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Space heater buying advice

space-heater

Space heaters come in all shapes and sizes and use different elements to heat a room. We're here to help you find the perfect fit for winter. 

Hector Roqueta Rivero/Getty Images

Space heater price

Most electric space heaters that operate solely in that function (and not as a dual air purifier) are priced below $150, with many models on this list costing less than $100. Several smaller, well-regarded budget models may even run you less than $50. The size of the unit, additional features, number of settings and heating element all contribute to the overall cost of a space heater.

Space heater size

There are no standard sizes or shapes for electric space heaters, and most of the space heaters I researched did not specify the square footage for coverage, other than to mention its capacity to heat a "small to medium" space or to specify room types such as a bedroom or office. Space heaters may be indicated as tabletop, floor or bathroom models and many also come as tall but narrow "tower" models, which may or may not oscillate, that have a smaller footprint and therefore a smaller horizontal space requirement. 

Types of space heaters

While this list consists only of electric space heaters, (as opposed to water- or oil-heated models,) there are several different mechanisms that electric space heaters may utilize to create heated air.

Fan-forced: Fan-forced space heaters circulate air by pulling it into the unit and passing it over a heating element, typically metal coils, expelling the heated air through exhaust vents in the unit.

Infrared: Infrared bulbs are those which convert electricity into radiant heat. This is the least common type among the space heaters we included here, but no less effective.

Ceramic: Ceramic space heaters utilize electricity to heat a ceramic plate within the unit, which then emits radiant heat into the air, with or without the additional use of a fan.

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Space heater FAQs

Are space heaters a fire hazard?

The simple answer is yes, a space heater can be a fire hazard, and therefore is an appliance that must be utilized correctly and with caution. For more information on how to safely run your space heater, check out our story on space heater best practices. Most space heaters, and all that we have included in our list, have certain safety features built in, such as tip-over or overheating protection to reduce the risk of fire or injury. This doesn't eliminate all the risks of having a space heater in your home, especially if your household has children or pets.

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How do space heaters work?

Space heaters work by emitting heated air in the immediate area, heating a small to medium-sized space without needing to use a central heating system. Space heaters work via several possible mechanisms, typically either radiant heat with a ceramic heating unit, or fan-forced (which utilizes air circulation) or both.

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How effective is a space heater?

Space heaters typically receive positive reviews from those who use them, and while most of the space heaters I studied did not specify a coverage area, a well-functioning space heater should provide sufficient heat to its immediate area to be able to lower the thermostat on your central heating system. The effectiveness of a space heater is largely based on where you place it, since it depends on the initial conditions of the space you are trying to heat. For example, a larger room with a high ceiling and an open floor plan may be more difficult to heat overall than a smaller, enclosed room.

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Where is the best place to put a space heater?

Your space heater model should include instructions on placement for best use, but typically a space heater should be placed within an enclosed area that you are trying to heat. You should try not to place space heaters against a wall, near any flammable fabrics such as curtains or any place where moisture is a present (except for models that are specifically designed for bathroom use).

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Is it safe to leave a space heater running all night?

No, it is not safe to leave a space heater on all night. There is a fire risk with prolonged use, particularly near flammable materials like curtains or carpets.

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