As temperatures soar across the UK, staying cool without resorting to energy-guzzling air conditioning is becoming a priority. Fans are a far more efficient alternative, using a fraction of the electricity while still providing relief. We tested 15 fans of all shapes and sizes—tower, desk, pedestal, bladeless, and evaporative coolers—to help you choose the best one for your needs.
Best Fan Overall: AirCraft Lume
The AirCraft Lume pedestal fan is hard to fault. Elegant and quiet, it features a dimmable backlight, 12 speeds, a 12-hour timer, and a sleep mode. It oscillates both horizontally and vertically, circulating air effectively around a room. On test, it achieved the highest air speed of 5.9m/s while using only 18W on the top setting—making it extremely energy efficient. The fan can be converted into a desk fan by removing the bottom pole. It is stable, lightweight, and packs away compactly. The only downside is the lack of remote storage.
Best Budget Fan and Best Desk Fan: Devola Desk Fan
The Devola desk fan punches above its weight with powerful airflow (4m/s) and a price tag of £64.99. It offers nine speeds, a remote, timer, and sleep mode, and oscillates both vertically and horizontally. It is inaudible on the first three speeds and provides a cooling breeze even on low settings. However, the display is on the base and hard to read from a distance, and there was no instruction manual in the box.
Best Misting Fan: Shark FlexBreeze Pro Mist FA300UK
This versatile fan can be used as a pedestal or desk fan, cordlessly or with a water mist for outdoor cooling. It includes a five-litre water tank and produces a fine mist that feels genuinely cooling on hot days. The air speed reaches 4.7m/s, and power use is a low 21W on the top setting. The remote stores magnetically on the back. However, the misting function is only suitable for outdoor use as it dampens everything.
Best Tower Fan: Dreo Cruiser TF518
The Dreo Cruiser TF518 is a slim tower fan with a small footprint, offering 90-degree oscillation, a 12-hour timer, sleep mode, and an auto mode that adjusts speed based on room temperature. It feels positively windy on full blast and is inaudible on the two lowest settings. The top air speed is 3.6m/s, and it uses 29W. The only drawbacks are relatively higher energy consumption and no remote clip.
Best Travel Fan: Morphy Richards Air Flex USB Fan
This rechargeable, folding fan is perfect for travel. It folds down to a compact cylinder and can run on battery for 4–17 hours. It can also be plugged into a laptop or power bank. The air speed is 2.6m/s, and it is quiet on the first of its three speeds. It oscillates to 90 degrees and has a nature mode that mimics a breeze. While not as powerful as larger fans, it is ideal for on-the-go cooling.
Best Evaporative Cooler: Swan Nordic Air Cooler
Evaporative coolers use water to cool the air, using much less electricity than air conditioning. The Swan Nordic air cooler has a five-litre reservoir and comes with ice packs for enhanced cooling. It lowered the temperature by over 1°C in 30 minutes and provides a wide, cooling breeze. It uses 26W on the top setting and is relatively quiet at 45dB. However, it makes gurgling noises from the water pipes.
How We Tested
We tested 15 fans from different brands, measuring power consumption with a power meter, air speed with an anemometer, and noise with a sound meter app. All measurements were taken from 1m away. We also assessed cooling feel, noise quality, controls, design, and storage. Fans not returned were donated to Furnishing Futures charity.
Why Trust Us
The reviewer is an award-winning consumer tech journalist with decades of experience, a degree in engineering, and personal experience with heat sensitivity. All testing was done scientifically and subjectively.
