Top 10 Best Portable Car Heaters On The Market 2023 Reviews

Do you spend every winter morning, sitting around, wasting time waiting for your vehicle to warm up a little? If so, we have the perfect solution, get yourself a portable car heater. With one of these, you will get warm in the blink of an eye as you get into your vehicle on every cold winter morning.

In this article, we will bring you in-depth reviews of the best models of car heaters currently available, as well as serious heating systems that can create a comfortable environment even in a very spacious cabin of a minivan, SUV, passenger bus, or motorhome.

Your best ally during the winter, these portable heaters also help you to eliminate the mist and frost that appears on the windshield and blocks the view during the winter. And they are easy to install.

So let’s go through them and find the Best Portable Car Heater for you…

Top 10 Best Portable Car Heaters In 2023 Reviews

1 Eagle Products Auxiliary Heater

The Eagle Products auxiliary heater is a 12-volt car heater suitable for use in large automobiles. Trucks, buses, vans, and even water vehicles like boats can also benefit from its use. This unit displays a high power output at 30,000 BTUs, so it is effective at knocking out frost and cold over a large surface area.

What’s more?

With this product, you get a quiet operation. Not that this is unusual, but many products in its category are much noisier.

Included with a detailed manual and a complete set of installation kits, you will get this up and running in no time.

2 Lasko MyHeat M-100 Personal Space Heater

Perhaps the most outstanding feature of the Lasko is that you can use it both in your vehicle and in other locations. This portable unit can be easily shuffled around to save costs on having to buy multiple units.

It is also a true cost saver as it requires very little power to run. And with the Lasko MyHeat, you do not have to worry about assembly. It is fully pre-assembled in the box.

Auto shut-off…

To avoid damage, this unit auto shuts off if it remains in use for so long. That way, it never overheats and is able to deliver quality heat consistently.

And with its ever cool exterior, this product is safe to use around kids, the elderly, and pets.

It is available in four colors – black, blue, white, or funky purple!

3 Caframo True North Heater

The Caframo heater is designed for both home, office, and vehicle use. It has a flat design, so fits cleverly into any space without getting in the way.

Quiet as a church mouse…

With this best portable car heater, you get five heating settings so you can easily adjust it to your precise needs. And being quiet in operation, you should never be bothered by its sound.

Even better, there is an anti-freeze setting on this device As if that is not enough, you get a built-in thermostat. This regulates the heat and holds it at your desired setting while saving you on energy costs.

This product is CSA approved and offers you a 5-year warranty to ensure that you make a worry-free purchase.

4 Camco 57331 Olympian Wave-3 LP Gas Catalytic Heater

The Camco 57331 utilizes propane as its power source. This allows you to break free from electrical sockets and use a more efficient heating source.

With this unit, you can take it straight out of your vehicle, and into the woods for hunting or camping. It’s, therefore, a very practical item for everyone who loves the outdoors. To add, you can also use it inside your home, office, or workspace.

Warms you not the air around you…

This product allows for horizontal or vertical use. And it emits convective radiant heat, so you can be certain that its warming effects are instant. This heating type heats people and objects and not the air around them.

It also doesn’t feature a fan, so offers you noise-free operation. All this makes it one of the best propane heaters currently available.

5 Zerostart 2600900 Interior Car Warmer Portable Heater

The Zerostart 2600900 is both portable and lightweight. This allows it to fit in your vehicle easily. It comes with seven and a half feet cable, so you can use it almost anywhere. But you will need this because it won’t run in your car, it can only be used to warm it up from the mains supply before you leave.

What’s more?

With this product, you get easy to install DIY kits with a helpful instruction manual to guide you. Also with this best portable car heater, you get up to 3,000 BTUs of output, which is strong enough for full interior heating.

Also with a frost-free option for your windows, this mini monster packs quite a punch!

6 Blue–Net Universal Car And Truck Fan Heater

Not only is the blue–net car heater great for use in your vehicle, you can also get one of these for your home. And this 12v car heater is effective in any size of car, pick-up or truck.

How does this work?

With this product, you simply need to wire it up to your cars power supply and connect it to the water tank. This provides you both effective heating and a humidification feature. Hence, you will not only feel warm but will also be comfortable at the same time.

This appliance is best suited for high-powered diesel engines due to its mode of operation. It is superb at clearing the fog and frost from your windscreen so is a popular choice among truck drivers.

7 Mr. Heater F274830 MH18BRV Big Buddy

The Mr. Heater Big Buddy can be used and regulated at output ratings between 4,000 and 18,000 BTUs. This wide range makes it suitable for use in a wide variety of settings. It uses a highly efficient heat source, propane, which has an energy conversion rate of nearly 100 percent.

Propane burns to give you heat, which is what makes it so efficient. But it uses oxygen to do this. For safety, therefore, when this unit detects low oxygen levels, it powers down to keep you safe.

Other amazing features?

Also on safety, when this unit is tipped, even slightly, it will shut-off, ensuring that there are no accidents. And the canister it uses is a small-sized one, so it is installed within the Big Buddy frame.

It’s superb for indoor and outdoor use. And can cover up to 300 square feet of space with its fan function for better heat distribution.

It is available in two colors.

8 Mr. Heater MH4GC Golf Cart Heater

Specially designed for use in golf carts, this is a good solution for golfing during the winter. And included in the pack is a stand that fits this heater into the bottle holder compartment of any golf cart.

It requires no external cylinder and only requires the single-piece unit that you see in the picture. This unit is small and lightweight, so it is easy to work with.

To make it the most effective for outdoor use, the Mr. Heater MH4GC is wind resistant. It also features radiant heating. This heats people and objects, not thin air, so is very effective.

There is more…

For user safety, this product has two safety features. The first is a tip-over switch. The second is an oxygen depletion auto shut off. While you are very unlikely to run out of oxygen on a golf cart. It does assure you that you and your loved ones are always safe, especially if you are using it somewhere more enclosed.

9 Kingleting Heated Seat Cushion

This product from Kingleting aims to give everyone a benefit that is usually only available in luxury cars – heated seats! With this car blanket cover, you can transform your vehicle seat from plain and ordinary, to a seat that gives you maximum comfort while driving.

What do you get with this product?

First, you get a fast heat up time. In about a minute, you can start to feel the heat up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on your setting. It is totally noiseless and connects to your car cigarette lighter port for a constant power stream.

Also, with this best portable car heater, you get a timer setting. This can be programmed to auto turn off the heater in case you might forget. But, you could, of course, bypass this feature and ensure that you do not forget to switch it off after use. Also included with a thermostat, so that it never gets past your desired setting.

Universally compatible with all vehicles, this is a great fit for your needs.

More than one?

If you were wondering if you can use more than one in your car, the answer is yes. Two heaters connect to one car cigarette lighter outlet, so it is possible to “light up” both front seats without stress.

10 Heat Plus Back Seat Heater

The Heat Plus is a floor mount car heater. The full installation kits are included in the box, and its installation is simple. And with this product, you get up to 1100 BTU of output.

Designed to function as a supplementary heater, this unit will heat up the hard to reach areas of your vehicle. Mostly, the back seat car occupants that do not get enough heat from your car’s default heater. A truly portable device, you can mount this under either of the front seats.

The best part?

The included wire is 20 feet long. Hence, whatever the size of your vehicle, the wiring will prove to be more than enough for a successful installation.

You also get a two-year warranty with this product, which is always a good sign of durability.

Best Portable Car Heater Buying Guide

Here are a few tips that will enable you to make the most of your purchase.

Type Of Heater

There are three common types of portable heater, electric, propane fuel heaters, and those that can be connected to your vehicle. Each has its advantages.

However, the ones that connect directly to your car are the most practical to use. Not only do they require a one time set up, but they are also better adapted to work in a vehicle.

Take, for example, a propane heater. In no time at all, it will use up all of the oxygen in your car. When this happens, you will be forced to wind down your windows, letting all the cold air in to start warming it up again.

While electric models are great, time is money. You have to park your vehicle, and wait, just to get your vehicle “charged up.”

Installation Location

Another important factor to familiarize yourself with is the location where your preferred unit is to be installed.

First, consider the dimensions and the suitability of your best portable car heater choice to fit in such space. Secondly, consider if you would like to drill holes in, for example, your car roof?

Bear this in mind, and you will be all smiles knowing that you made the best decision.

Output Ability

The output of any heater is measured in British Thermal Units (BTUs). While several units offer you a very large number, for example, 32,000 BTUs, that does not make it the best space heater.

For any vehicle size, 4,000 BTUs, on average, will do the trick. Buying a unit with much larger capacity, unless it can be set to 4,000 BTU’s, or unless you drive a luxury bus, for example, will have a negative toll on your vehicle battery.

Fog And Frost Defrost Options

If your preferred choice is a supplementary heater, then, you probably do not need to worry about this option. If, however, it is to be your primary heater, then you do need to bear this in mind.

A heater that is only designed to warm certain parts (e.g., your back, hips, and thighs) will not be able to get fog off your windscreen.

Price

The truth is that portable car heaters are very inexpensive. However, after making a checklist of the features you prefer, you then need to compare the prices. But remember to look at product warranties.

If a product costs 25 USD more, for example, and offers you a far longer warranty, we suggest that it should be your preferred choice. Dealing with a manufacturer that backs his product with a good warranty is a great way to ensure you have a worry-free purchase.