The 7 Best Portable Car Heaters For Winter Drives And Staying Warm On The Road

This is a niche category, which made choosing products rather difficult. What few product lines exist for this category are full of lackluster, copycat designs that don't work all that well. That said, we were able to think outside the box and come up with some devices that can help keep you warm in your car. Those who are looking for a heater that you can use with a 12V plug are going to be disappointed. That is simply not enough electricity to generate a meaningful amount of heat. 

We also took safety into consideration. For example, there are online publications that legitimately suggest something like the Mr. Heater Golf Cart Heater for vehicle use. That particular heater uses a propane tank and is meant to sit in a golf cart's cup holder. For obvious safety reasons, we don't recommend using a gas-powered heater in your vehicle, even if it's well-ventilated. Such products were immediately removed from consideration, even if some folks thought it was a good idea to use them in cars. There are safer car accessories out there.

For the products we did deem good enough to place on the list, we did our due diligence. Each product was put through Fakespot and any product with too low of a rating was immediately dismissed for not having reliable enough reviews. We also cross-checked with reviews from online publications, Reddit, YouTube, and other sources when they were available. Every product on this list has at least mostly positive and reliable reviews compared to most of its competitors.

For your passengers, a 12V electric blanket can help keep the chill out. This one uses a 12V plug so it should work in every mainstream vehicle made within the last half a century. The blanket features a fleece design, so it's relatively warm even without electricity. It's also just a hair below six feet long, so it should be long enough for a typical adult.

Rounding out the product feature list is a 96-inch cord. That is nice to have because it'll reach into the front seat from the rear, so passengers in the back can use it as well. It works about as well as an electric blanket can on a 12V connection. There should be enough heat for most folks. In any case, after a few minutes, it should be enough to stave off an otherwise chilly cabin. We do not recommend this for the driver of the vehicle for safety reasons.

You can buy the Stalwart 12V Electric Blanket on Amazon for approximately $25.

The Minetom Space Heater is another decent option for vehicles equipped with a 120V household-style socket. It plugs in and starts blasting heat. Unlike 12V options, this actually has the capacity to heat up a vehicle's cabin. It's also all one unit, so you plug it in and you don't have to worry about balancing it on your seats or in any other awkward spot.

It won't work as well as your car's HVAC system, but it'll take the edge off the cold better than any 12V option will. The only warning is that you may want to crack your windows a bit to avoid your windshield fogging over, which will almost certainly happen with a space heater like this in a cabin environment. We recommend turning it off if the windshield fog is bad enough that it starts to impede visibility.

You can buy the Minetom Space Heater on Amazon, priced in the $20-$25 range.

The iHealthComfort 12V heated blanket is a good option for electric blankets in the car. It uses a 12V connection, so it plugs right into the cigarette lighter. That means it's compatible with most types of vehicles. The material is a comfortable and familiar fleece that is reasonably warm even without electricity. There is a controller attached to the blanket with a few settings. They include timer settings to automatically shut off the blanket after a specified amount of time.

In addition to the above, the blanket has electric safeguards, which means it'll turn itself on and off to maintain a temperature instead of staying on all the time. At 55 inches long, it should be long enough for most adults, but taller folks may wish it were a little longer. It's a good overall blanket.

You can buy the iHealthComfort heated blanket on Amazon for $44.99.

There are other ways to get heat into your car without buying a portable car heater. The best idea is to use or install a remote starter for your car. Remote starters let you safely start your car from the comfort of your home. Your car's HVAC system should do a better job of heating up the interior space better than any product you can buy. Plus, the built-up warmth helps melt snow and ice off of your windshield while you make coffee and get ready for the day.

There are additional benefits to a remote starter. Some vehicles, like many Jeeps, have automatic climate controls. Those controls can activate seat warmers, a heated steering wheel, and other climate tech when remote starting. That means your seat, steering wheel, and cabin are nice and warm when you get there. Those who have to install a third-party remote starter won't get those luxuries, but they do exist.

Of course, this isn't the best idea for people who park in a garage, due to exhaust build-up. However, you can always just open the garage door, remote start, and then proceed with getting ready so you can leave without smoking out your garage. Whenever possible, using your car's native HVAC system will be better than a dedicated warmer, and a remote starter helps your car get warm before you get into it.

If everything above fails, it's time to start thinking about ponying up the money and having your heater fixed. Nothing is forever and there are several parts that can go bad in a car's HVAC system. Fans, AC compressors, knobs, and actuators all go bad. Some of them are easy to fix, but others, like the mechanism that switches your car from hot to cold air, are best left to professionals. In any case, sometimes it's better to eat the cost than it is to deal with a broken heater.

The only real hiccup is price. The average cost of an AC inspection is $200, and repairs can range up to $850 or more depending on the car and the part that broke. Heating parts are typically a bit cheaper, but heater cores can go up to $1,000 to fix. It's difficult to say for sure because the issue could be something as simple as a blown fuse, which costs a couple bucks at the most. That's why it's recommended you take your car to a trusted mechanic to find out exactly what the deal is.

Yes, you can buy gadgets to make yourself comfortable, but ultimately, unless you want to drive your car around with the windows down to avoid a foggy windshield forever, this is your best bet. The only case where you may not want to is if you're driving an ancient car, where the repair is going to cost more than the car is worth. In that case, if at all possible, it may be time to start surfing for a new car.