The CHOICE Expert Rating is made up of heating (70%) and ease of use (30%).

Based on heating speed, heat distribution and thermostat performance.

Equally weighted between labelling and use of controls, the heater's mobility and stability on hard surfaces and carpet, and ease of cleaning.

The number of kWh used over two hours. You can multiple this by your own electricity cost to get a more local cost to you.

Comparative rating, based on power used versus temperature rise achieved in the performance test. The best models rate as 'good'; acceptable models are 'OK'; 'borderline' means mediocre. See our article on how we test electric heaters for details.

40dBA is very quiet, while 60dBA is equivalent to normal conversation; enough to be disruptive when watching TV, for example. Most fans have one fan setting - apart from a few which have 10. We measure on the maximum fan setting.

Our testers check electrical safety, measure surface temperatures, and carry out a tilt test. They also check which heaters continue heating when on their sides, as if they'd been knocked over. They also perform a towel drape test. See our article on how we test electric heaters for details.

We recommend models with overall scores 70% and above; however, CHOICE Recommended models also require a heating score of 70% or above.

This column shows which products have been discontinued and which are still available in shops. 'Models tested' indicates they can still be found in shops.

In some instances, at the request of members and when products are still available on the second-hand market and via sites like eBay, we include discontinued models in the tables.

This is the manufacturer's recommended retail price.

How much does the heater cost to run over 2 hours. This will give you a base to calculate how much running it for longer will cost. This is run at max temperature.

Based on 500 hours of use during a winter (6hrs/day during 3 months). Peak pricing at 30c/kWh.

How many settings does the fan have, when used with a heater?

Radiant heaters are personal heaters. They radiate heat from a red-hot heating element.

Convection and panel heaters draw cold air over an electric heating element. The warmed air then leaves the heater and rises towards the ceiling, while cooler air moves in to replace it. This includes oil filled column heaters.

Fan heaters are specifically designed to blow hot air; the fan is a key part of the heater design, rather than a booster as on other heater types. Their fans are usually more powerful and can project the hot air a reasonable distance into the room.

Heaters come in all shapes and sizes, but generally conform to type. If you see elements like 'ceramic' or 'micathermic' we've found these aren't guaranteed to give better results than other formats, so tend to fall into the marketing spin category. We list the common forms seen here, such as oil columns, towers, panel heaters, fan heaters and radiant heaters.

Useful for colder climates as it claims to maintain a temperature of about 5°C if the thermostat is left on its lowest setting, avoiding frost/freezing on the heater which could damage it. We don’t test this feature.

May be digital or mechanical. A timer allows you to set the heater to run at set times or periods – useful to heat up the room before you get back from work, for example.

Prevents the heater from overheating and potentially causing damage or even a fire.

Maintains a pre-set temperature.

Switches the heater off if it tilts over or falls. We've found some models that don't state whether they have one, but still turn off when pushed over.