9 best patio heaters to warm any garden or outdoor space

It took seconds for us to start feeling the benefits of this infrared model from Gtech. It kept us warm even when we were standing up to 4m away, thanks to its 2kW of infrared radiation.

The heater comes pre-assembled, so, all you have to worry about is mounting it. Although there were some grumblings on the Gtech website about the efficiency of this, we had no trouble getting it up and running on a wooden beam.

Another area where this heater excels is the lovely, warm and welcoming red glow that it gives out, which looks especially good if you’re setting it up in a garden room.

OK, this heater might look like something straight out of The War of the Worlds, however, rather than shooting a death ray, it emits a very efficient wave of heat at three settings (500W, 1,000W or 1,500W) from its trio of bars, backed up by a decent reflector.

The solid base means the heater will stay upright even when there’s a throng of people around it, and the stand is adjustable, as is the heating head (to 45 degrees), so, you can get just the right angle to make things comfortable for your gathered guests.

The heater comes with mounting brackets, too, while the 4.8m cable means you have plenty to work with when it comes to mounting or free-standing placement.

The remote worked well every time, although we did find the heater bars quite bright in operation, but the adjustable height (up to 2.1m) means you can raise the heater head above eye height and still make sure everyone benefits from the warmth.

Kettler’s lantern is a free-standing design, with a modern finish, that will instantly enhance the look of any patio, deck or balcony, with a handle that means you can move the heat source easily, or even hang it from a fixed point.

The lantern generates heat from its carbon tube at 600W and 1,200W, producing a satisfactorily even heat you can really feel the effect of, even at head height, which is pretty impressive considering the 59cm heater only sits at around knee height on the floor.

This means the heater can make sure people are kept warm without dominating the outside setting. The kalos proved to have a good warming range and, even though it looks a little top-heavy, there’s enough weight in the base for it to remain upright, even if someone clatters into it after hours, with the safety switch never failing to cut the heat instantly when it ended up on its side.

We liked the industrial look of this column heater, which boasts two heat settings of 1,000W or 2,000W and good directional heat.

The Swan really is a tall heater, stacking up to 1.4m high, which means, if people are standing and sitting outside at a gathering, everyone is going to benefit from the heat it produces, which was sent out nice and evenly on both settings.

For a tall heater, it’s nice and stable, too, with a base that’s heavy enough to stop it toppling over without making it a workout to move around – although, the safety switch worked perfectly if it does ever take a big hit.

We also liked the fact the unit is fully waterproof, so, you won’t have to find room for it in the utility, shed or garage when it’s not being used.

If you really want your heat source well out of the way of little fingers or wagging tails, you’re best going for a wall-mounted heater, and this is one of the best we experienced throughout our testing cycle. It’s an inconspicuous-looking heater with a touch panel that was just sensitive enough to avoid us hammering away at buttons to get to the required output, with an LED display that clearly showed which one of the nine levels of heat it was outputting. The infrared heat the Blumfeldt produced was instant and very comforting throughout all the levels, with excellent range. 

The thing that can put people off mounted heaters is the mounting process itself, but this was very straightforward, with the Blumfeldt needing just a couple of wall brackets – the fact it’s lightweight (2.5kg) made the process even easier.

Finally, we really liked the switch-off timer, which can be set in hourly steps from one to 24 hours, and the fact the gold-plated carbon tube meant there was virtually no glare, even when operating at the highest output.

A word of warning, though: the heater doesn’t come with a remote, so, you’ll need to make sure the control panel is within reach when you do mount it.

This small, lightweight infrared heater pumps out a lot of heat and performed superbly on a very windy evening. There was a cosy orange glow to the lamp, with minimal glare, and the reflector did a good job of making sure the heat was directed forward and nothing was wasted. If required, wall mounting is straightforward and the bracket is provided – you can even use a separate clamp to attach it to the spokes of a parasol. There’s good weatherproofing, if you intend to have it in a permanent position outside, as the aluminium construction resists rain and rust.

If your outdoor parasol is up and ready for summer, an infrared heater like this could be a good addition, as the umbrella itself tends to trap its heat and direct it down to anyone sitting beneath it. The heater is attached easily to the pole and is height adjustable, with three arms that operate independently, so you can tailor where the heat goes around the table, depending on your seating arrangement. Range doesn’t really apply here, because the heat is directed downwards, but the variable heat outputs of 650W, 1,350W and 2,000W provide a range of comfort options, depending on the size of your party.

This good-looking and compact infrared freestander sits neatly underneath a table, to keep everyone seated around it toasty. Taking seconds to warm up, the unit only throws out 550W of heat but you wouldn’t want any more, because of where it’s positioned. We also found the heat gets trapped under the table and circulates really efficiently, so, one heater can comfortably keep a table of four to six people cosy.

The heater doesn’t have an automatic cut-off but it is safe to touch, even when it has been working for some time, and it’s a very practical heater for summer suppers, keeping everyone comfortable well into the evening.

Standing 66cm high, this halogen heater can be placed at the centre of your table to provide warmth and a nice golden glow for everyone gathered around. It’s tall enough to be above head height when everyone’s seated, so, it won’t get in the way, but it’s not so tall that diners won’t feel the benefit of the 1,500W output that provides sufficient warmth to keep everyone comfortable.

There was no glare from the halogen, no lag time in feeling the heat once it was turned on (via a corded switch) and the automatic safety worked well.