WITH heating costs still high and bills set to rise in January, a heated throw is an inexpensive way to stay warm.
The best heated throws cost pennies to run and they offer adjustable warmth at the touch of a button.
Unlike traditional electric under blankets which go under your bed sheets, heated throws can be used more freely.
Whether you're lounging on the sofa over a Christmas film on a Sunday or just using it to keep warm on work-from-home days – heated throws are a great concept.
But are they as good as everyone seems to say online? We've put five to the test.
The blankets we tested cost between £36.99 and £89.99 and can easily be snapped up from big-name retailers.
Most electric throws cost less than 5p an hour to run – all the ones we tested cost between 3p and 4p.
Checkatrade estimates that the average cost of running your heating per kilowatt-hour is around 7p.
For a 24kW boiler that's about £1.68 an hour so this is much cheaper.
I was eager to give these popular products a go, as many people have been raving about them. Here's how I got on…
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Lakeland Sherpa Electric Heated Throw
- Price: £89.99
- Running cost: 4p an hour
- Number of heat settings: 9
6This was the most expensive blanket we tested and I wasn't blown away.
It has the highest power rating at 160W and nine heat settings so I was sure that I'd be able to get nice and toasty under this – but it just didn't deliver the heat I was after.
But out of all of those tested, the material used for the blanket and heat generation on this one did come out top.
It's also machine washable but can't be tumble dried unlike some of the cheaper ones we tested.
I wouldn't go out of my way and spend £90 on this blanket, as there are cheaper options available that are just as effective.
- Price: 1/5
- Size: 3/5
- Performance: 5/5
TOTAL SCORE: 9/15
Dreamland Snuggle Up Warming Throw
- Price: £59.99
- Running cost: 4p an hour
- Number of heat settings: 6
Dreamland's electric throw comes in a nice reusable bag which can be stored neatly at the bottom of any wardrobe.
It's a solid product overall and heats up quickly – within five minutes – but again these gadgets only seem to take the edge off.
I didn't find it delivers that snuggly warmth you need on the coldest of days.
The Dreamland blanket is ultra-soft to the touch and unlike the more expensive Lakeland blanket, this one can be machine washed and tumble dried.
Solid product but a little expensive for what it is.
- Price: 2/5
- Size: 3/5
- Performance: 5/5
TOTAL SCORE: 10/15
Argos Home Heated Throw
- Price: £50
- Running cost: 3p an hour
- Number of heat settings: 6
Patchy is the word I'd use to describe this heated blanket.
While it does get toasty in some sports, the whole blanket doesn't feel uniformly insulated when you're snuggled up underneath it.
However, I will give some credit where it's due because this blanket is about 10cm longer than the more expensive Lakeland and Dreamland counterparts.
This blanket is fully machine washable too.
- Price: 3/5
- Size: 4/5
- Performance: 3/5
TOTAL SCORE: 10/15
Dreamcatcher Electric Heated Throw
- Price: £44.90
- Running cost: 3p an hour
- Number of heat settings: 9
This on the cheaper side, but doesn't come at the cost of performance.
It's toasty and not too patchy but again never hot enough for me personally.
These cheaper blankets also cost 1p less to run than the top two most expensive we tested.
However, what does come at a cost is the quality of the material used.
It's just not as thick as the Lakeland, Dreamland and Argos blankets.
But if you're just after decent warming then it will do pretty much the same thing for less.
- Price: 4/5
- Size: 3/5
- Performance: 4/5
TOTAL SCORE: 11/15
Novaris Electric Blanket
- Price: £36.99
- Running cost: 3p an hour
- Number of heat settings: 3
It might be the cheapest blanket we tested but it came out on top with the highest total score.
It was the cheapest and biggest of all the blankets I tested measuring in at 180cm by 130cm.
Performance-wise it was slightly patchy when it came to heating up and it only had three temperature settings to pick from, less than the others.
But it still worked as intended and practically did what the others could all do for a lot less.
Overall I was disappointed that none of them got as hot as I would personally want them.
But if you're desperate to buy one of these gadgets don't think the most expensive will give you the best results
If you are investing in a heated throw don't waste your cash on the more expensive blankets – this is all you need for less than £40.
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- Price: 5/5
- Size: 5/5
- Performance: 3/5
TOTAL SCORE: 13/15
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