We Slept on 28 Heated Mattress Pads—These 6 Are the Ones We’ll Be Using All Winter
The bedding layer you didn’t know you needed this season
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In This Article
- Top Picks
- Reviews
- More We Like
- How We Tested
- A Note on Safety Certifications
- What to Look For
- Why Trust The Spruce
While we love a nice set of fuzzy flannel sheets and the feel of turning on our toasty, bedside space heater, a heated mattress pad is really all you need to beat chilly fall evenings and brutal winter months.
We’ve slept on over 20 heated mattress pads in our bedrooms, and we’ve learned the best are those with dual controls and a broad heat range. Our favorites fit our mattress like a glove, warm our bed within seconds, and the wires never poke our shoulder blades.
Top Picks
Best Overall:
Sealy Heated Mattress Pad at Amazon $120
Best Size Availability:
Reaks Heated Mattress Pad at Amazon $100
Best Heat Range:
Bedsure Electric Mattress Pad at Amazon $132 $110
Best Upgrade:
Eight Sleep Pod 5 Core at Eightsleep.com $3,049
A Plush Design From Sunbeam We Like:
Sunbeam Restful Quilted Heated Mattress Pad at Amazon $170
Best Waterproof:
Beautyrest Heated Microfiber Mattress Pad at Amazon $75
Best Overall
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What We Like
- Non-existent wire feel
- Fast, even heating
- Comfortable heat on lower levels
What We Don’t Like
- Cord plug is at the bottom of the bed
The Sealy Heated Mattress Pad is made for those who run to their comforter to escape the cold, but end up tossing it off once the warmth sets in. Aside from its cozy, almost-instant warmth, it’s our top pick because it also doesn’t budge, even on our thick king-sized mattress.
We love that the mattress pad heats up within one minute, so we aren’t shivering for long. The timer can also be set to turn off once it’s reached your preferred level of warmth. For us, this is typically about an hour.
Importantly, you won’t have to use the highest setting to get this mattress pad toasty. Out of the 10 heat settings, we found that level two creates the most comfortable temperature. The higher settings may be too hot for some sleepers, especially those who sleep hot.
The Perks of Dual Controls
All the heated mattress pads in this guide have dual controls, letting each sleeper control the temperature of their designated side—no compromising required.
Best Size Availability
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$100 at Amazon $329 $178 at Sears.com $100 at Walmart
What We Like
- Stretchy sides to fit most mattress depths
- Preheat mode warms up the bed before use
- Comes in three twin sizes
What We Don't Like
- Can feel wires by hand
- Unplugging connectors can be difficult
Need a heated mattress pad for your daybed or kiddo’s room? The Reaks Heated Mattress Pad has three twin options (including a mini), and larger sizes up to a California king. It’s the only pad in our guide with this broad a size range.
Aside from its size range, this pad’s standout feature is its preheat mode. Our bed is warm and cozy before we even pull the covers back.
We tested the queen size, which has dual-zone heating, just like our best overall pick. It’s the perfect feature for partners with different sleep temperatures.
Best Heat Range
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What We Like
- Gentle, warm settings
- Deep 18-inch pockets
- Cover is breathable and not overly plush
What We Don’t Like
- Tedious post-wash care instructions
The Bedsure Coral Fleece Heated Mattress Pad is a great option for those who enjoy a wide range of heat settings and unique features, like a memory function that restores your previous heat setting and a preheat mode.
This pad doesn’t have the largest number of heat settings, but its temperature range feels much more balanced. Instead of jumping from warm to hot like others, each level warms up gradually and evenly.
Best Upgrade
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What We Like
- Comprehensive app with sleep scores
- AI-adjusted temperature
- Great for hot and cold sleepers
What We Don’t Like
- Limited function after subscription trial ends
- Confusing temperature range
However, these features are only free for the first two weeks; after that, you’ll need a monthly subscription.
A Note on UL and ETL Safety Certifications
When heating and bedding are mixed, safety has to come first. The quickest and best way to know whether a heated mattress pad is regulated is to look for Electrical Testing Laboratories (ETL) or Underwriters Laboratories (UL) certification markings.
Every pad in this guide has one, including our plush design from Sunbeam and our best waterproof pick.
Testing Heated Mattress Pads for Heat Settings and Quality
What to Look for in a Heated Mattress Pad
Consider the Number of Heat Settings
It’s important to pick a heated mattress pad with various heat settings, like our best heat range pick and our best size availability pick, which have 10 and 12 heat levels, respectively.
Prioritize Dual Controls
Along with a broad heat range, we prefer mattress pads with dual heating zones (all the ones on our list have this feature). Two separate controls make these pads suitable for partners with opposite sleep temperatures.