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Best oil filled radiators
Oil filled radiators might not be quite as popular as other heater types, but the best oil filled radiators can still pack an impressive heating punch.
They look like (and sometimes weigh as much as) a classic radiator. They heat a reservoir of oil, which gives out heat at a more gradual but longer-lasting rate.
You can also get oil-free models, which work in the same way but use a different material to act as the reservoir.
We've tested more than 40 electric heaters over the past three years, including small oil filled radiators and large ones from DeLonghi, Dimplex and more.
We've found one oil filled radiator that is a cut above the rest, giving it our Best Buy recommendation.
Why you can trust us to reveal the very best oil filled radiators: Which? is a not for profit organisation and has been testing products and calling out rogue businesses for almost 70 years.
In an increasingly chaotic world, filled with so-called 'experts', it's good to know that brands still can't buy their way onto our testing or influence what we write. We buy every product we test and we'll tell you the worst as well as the best oil filled radiators.
Discover the best oil filled radiators and how much each costs to run below.
Best oil filled radiators
Only logged-in Which? members can view the test results below.
Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and recommendations below.
| Electric heater | Price | Score | Cost per hour | Heating performance | Ease of use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sign up to reveal Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations. Unlock tableFirst month £5, then £11.99 per month, cancel at any time Already a member? Log in | 78% | 54p | |||
| 72% | 53p | ||||
| 71% | 44p | ||||
| 71% | 23p | ||||
| 71% | 32p | ||||
| 68% | 60p | ||||
| 68% | 18p | ||||
| 64% | 20p | ||||
| 60% | 8p |
Sign up to reveal
Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations.
Unlock tableFirst month £5, then £11.99 per month, cancel at any time
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Dates tested: August 2024, December 2023, August 2023, November 2022. Pricing and availability last checked: May 2025. We're not able to show every retailer and cheaper prices may be available.
Cost per hour is based on using the heater on its highest setting as, following our testing, we think this is the setting you're more likely to use. Calculated using the unit price under the current energy price cap (24.86p/kwh).
Heating performance based on how quickly the heater raised the temperature of the room in half an hour, and how evenly it heated the room.
Oil filled radiators tested
All the oil filled radiator heaters we've tested are listed in alphabetical order below.
Only logged-in Which? members can view the best from our tests.
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Challenge 2kW Contemporary Digital Oil Filled Radiator
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Type Oil filled radiator
Size and weight 64 x 39.3 x 28cm (HxWxD); 9.7kg
Maximum power output (kW) 2kW
Approximate cost to run per hour on max settings Log in now or join Which? to instantly reveal.
Variable thermostat Yes, temperature programmable from 7-35°C
Need to know Three power settings, 198cm cable, digital display, remote control, has wheels, programmable timer (24 hours), one lip handle at one end on the top, integrated cable storage, overheating protection
Daewoo Mini Oil Filled Radiator
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Type Oil filled radiator
Size and weight 38 x 29 x 14cm (HxWxD); 3.3kg
Maximum power output (kW) 800W
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Variable thermostat Yes, but you can't set specific temperatures in °C
Need to know One power setting, 150cm cable, one handle on top at one end
DeLonghi Dragon 4 Oil Filled Radiator TRDX41025E
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Type Oil filled radiator
Size and weight 22.6 x 26.2 x 6.3cm (HxWxD); 18.8kg
Maximum power output (kW) 2.5kW
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Variable thermostat Yes, temperature programmable from 5-28°C
Need to know Four power settings, 130cm cable, digital display, has wheels, programmable timer (24 hours/seven days a week), two lip handles on top at both ends, integrated cable storage, automatically switches off if tips over and overheating protection
DeLonghi Radia-S 2kW Oil Filled Radiator
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Type Oil filled radiator
Size and weight 65 x 47.2 x 16cm (HxWxD); 11.8kg
Maximum power output (kW) 2kW
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Variable thermostat Yes, temperature programmable from 10-28°C
Need to know Three power settings, eco mode, delay timer, freeze setting (turns on if room temperature drops below 5°C), 137cm cable, digital display, has wheels, programmable timer (24 hours), integrated cable storage
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Dimplex 2.0kW Rapid Eco Oil Free Radiator
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Type Oil filled radiator
Size and weight 65 x 57.5 x 17cm (HxWxD); 10.2kg
Maximum power output (kW) 2kW
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Variable thermostat Yes, but you can't set specific temperatures in °C
Need to know Three power settings, 180cm cable, digital display, has wheels, programmable timer (24 hours), integrated cable storage, automatically switches off if tips over and overheating protection
Dimplex EvoRad EVO2BTA Oil-Free Radiator
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Type Oil-free radiator
Size and weight 63 x 47 x 28cm (HxWxD); 11.8kg
Maximum power output (kW) 2kW
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Variable thermostat Yes, temperature programmable from 5-30°C
Need to know Two power settings, Eco-mode, boost mode (30 minutes, 1 hour and 2 hours), 150cm cable, digital display, has wheels, programmable timer (24 hours, 7 days), integrated cable storage, lip handle on the top at one end, smartphone application to control radiator by Bluetooth, automatically switches off if tips over and overheating protection
John Lewis Digital Oil Radiator
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Type Oil filled radiator
Size and weight 31.5 x 64 x 28cm (HxWxD); 8kg
Maximum power output (kW) 1.5kW
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Variable thermostat Yes, temperature programmable from 5-35°C
Need to know Three power settings, 170cm cable, digital display, has wheels, programmable timer (24 hours), integrated cable storage, lip handle on the top at one end, remote control, automatically switches off if tips over and overheating protection
Russell Hobbs RHOFR5002B Portable Oil Filled Radiator
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Type Oil filled radiator
Size and weight 62.5 x 24 x 40.5cm (HxWxD); 9.5kg
Maximum power output (kW) 2kW
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Variable thermostat Yes, but you can't set specific temperatures in °C
Need to know Three power settings, 145cm cable, one handle on the side near the top, has wheels, integrated cable storage, automatically switches off if tips over and overheating protection
Zanussi ZOFR5005 Portable Oil Filled Radiator
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Type Oil filled radiator
Size and weight 66.5 x 14.3 x 56.3cm (HxWxD); 11.2kg
Maximum power output (kW) 2.3kW
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Variable thermostat Yes, temperature programmable from 5-35°C
Need to know Three power settings, digital display, remote control, wheels, 180cm cable, programmable timer (1-24 hours), one lip handle at one end on the top, automatically switches off if tips over and overheating protection
See the top 10 best heaters from our tests, and all of our reviews of the best fan heaters, best convector heaters and best halogen heaters
Do oil filled heaters use a lot of electricity?
Like electric heaters, the more energy an oil filled one uses, the faster it heats up the room.
While we all want to save pennies, our tests find time and time again that if you want fast heating it'll simply cost more to run.
Typically, we've found oil filled heaters heat up our test room slower than fan and convector heaters, but they cost less to run: 32p per hour on average compared to 58p per hour for fan heaters, and 46p per hour for convector heaters on average.
But oil filled heaters have the advantage of continuing to put heat out after you've turned them off, allowing you to keep getting a bit of warmth without using more electricity.
In our tests we found the temperature will increase much slower when you turn it off, but the reservoir of oil is still hot.
We typically got about half an hour more of heating before the temperature started to drop again (albeit slowly).