Best Heated Clothes Airers UK 2026: Running Costs Compared

The Deluxe is Lakeland's 300W three-tier airer with 36 heated bars, 21m of drying space and a 15kg limit, about two wash loads. The main extra over the standard model is a timer that you can set from 1 to 12 hours. That matters for running costs. It is the difference between paying for six hours and paying for a whole night because you forgot to switch it off.

Lakeland currently sells the airer with its cover for £194.98, which is £5 less than the airer alone at £199.99. The cover traps warm air around the clothes, and Lakeland recommends it to speed up drying. Tech Advisor found chunky items took 10 to 12 hours without one. The Telegraph made the Deluxe its top heated airer, praising its sturdy build and the timer.

On our numbers it costs 7.9p an hour and about £37 a year in a busy household. With the purchase price, the five-year total is roughly £380. That is more than the cheaper picks, but you get three years of cover rather than one, and the timer makes it less likely you will overspend on electricity.

On paper this is the same airer as the Lakeland standard model: three tiers, 300W, 21m of drying space and a 15kg limit. It folds flat and arrives assembled. Robert Dyas has it at £99.99, down from £159.99, and Currys lists it at £160. Prices for this model swing a lot through the winter, so it is worth checking a few retailers.

Owners rate it well. It holds 4.5 stars from 466 reviews at Robert Dyas and 4.2 stars from 1,551 ratings on Amazon. It has a simple rocker switch and no timer. A forgotten overnight session costs about 95p in electricity over 12 hours, so a smart plug is worth adding.

Over five years it costs about £285 including electricity, the second-lowest here. The trade-off is the guarantee. Currys lists the manufacturer's guarantee as one year, against Lakeland's three. If an element fails in year two, the saving goes.

This is the airer most people mean when they say Dry:Soon. It is 300W, with 21m of drying space and a 15kg limit, and folds to 8cm deep. The bundle adds the fitted cover for £164.98, against £159.99 for the airer alone, so the cover costs you about £5.

Lakeland's own listing shows more than 1,000 reviews. When Mighty Gadget measured one with an energy-monitoring plug, it drew 340 to 348W, a little above its rating. At today's price that is closer to 9.2p an hour than 7.9p. Expect the yearly bill to be a few pounds higher than our table shows.

The reason it sits third is the timer. The Deluxe bundle costs £30 more and switches itself off. The Telegraph also found the standard model's hinges and shelf supports got in the way when hanging clothes front and back. If you already have a smart plug to act as a timer, this bundle is good value for a three-year guarantee.

Dunelm's own airer is a three-tier aluminium tower with 20m of drying space and a 15kg limit. It is rated at 330W, so at the current cap it costs 8.7p an hour. That is about £3.70 a year more than a 300W model on our usage pattern. Dunelm's listing claims 4p an hour, but that does not fit a 330W rating at 26p per kWh, so we use the wattage.

It is one of the best-reviewed airers on sale, with 4.4 stars from 1,164 Dunelm reviews. Woman & Home tested it against the Dry:Soon Deluxe and found the same capacity at half the price, but a less sturdy feel. You can also buy and return it in store, which is useful for something this bulky.

The five-year total of about £298 is close to the Black+Decker. We could not find the guarantee length on the product page. Dunelm gives two years on some own-brand heating products, so ask in store before you buy. Note that Dunelm recalled a different model, its Heated Winged Airer, in January 2025 over fire risk. This tower airer was not part of that recall.

Minky's 300W tower has 21m of drying space spread across three tiers. Its angled Vertex arms push garments apart so air can move between them. Minky says it holds two full wash loads. It is the lightest full-size airer here at 4.5kg, and its feet fold in for storage.

Currys has it at £119, down from £159. Minky's own shop lists it at £129.99. Running costs match the other 300W models at 7.9p an hour. Over five years it comes to about £304, which is £19 more than the Black+Decker for what is, on paper, the same power and capacity.

There is little owner feedback so far, just 17 reviews at Currys averaging 4.4 stars. Minky's heated airers at other retailers come with a one-year guarantee. It is a sensible choice if the arm layout suits how you hang clothes, but it does not save you money.

Beldray's three-tier airer went on sale in late 2025. It has 36 heated aluminium bars, 300W of power and 20m of drying space, at £94.99 direct from Beldray. Currys has the black version at £99.99. At 7.9p an hour, its five-year total of about £280 is the lowest here.

We have less to go on than with the others. Amazon shows a single rating so far, and Currys lists a one-year manufacturer's guarantee. Beldray says it holds 30kg of laundry, twice the figure every other brand gives for a similar frame. We would plan around a normal two-load wash rather than that number.

It ranks last because the saving over the Black+Decker is only £5 over five years. The Black+Decker has a long record of owner reviews behind it. If the Beldray is the one in stock, it should do the same job.