Best portable air conditioners for a UK heatwave (2026)
When a heatwave pushes a bedroom past a sleepable temperature, a portable air conditioner is the one thing that genuinely cools the air rather than moving it around. But they're expensive, thirsty on electricity, and they sell out the moment it turns hot: in October 2026 almost every big-brand unit was out of stock or on pre-order for early 2027. So this page is as much about whether you need one, and when to buy, as which. We compare each unit on its energy label's cooling and noise figures, not just the BTU on the box, because the two can differ by a fifth, and we say plainly when a fan does the job for a tenth of the price.
Live: which of these are in stock today →By Tom Calder · Updated 5 November 2026 · 11 products, all price-tracked
Our picks by size
Photo: AmazonDreo AC516S
The most cooling of any single-hose unit here
as of 5 Nov 2026, 22:07 GMT · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.All 11 compared
| Unit | Box rating | Rated cooling | Room size (maker) | Type | Label noise | Heating | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
12,000 BTU · 3.7 kW · 25 m² · Single-hose, 3-in-1, drainage-free · 63 dB(A) · No The most cooling of any single-hose unit here | 12,000 BTU | 3.7 kW | 25 m² | Single-hose, 3-in-1, drainage-free | 63 dB(A) | No | £599.99 at Amazon as of 5 Nov 2026, 22:07 GMT · DetailsProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.In stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched On its energy label this is the most powerful single-hose unit we list: 3.7kW of cooling, more than most 12,000 BTU boxes deliver. It runs drainage-free in cooling (Dreo says below 85% humidity), adds app, Alexa and Google control, and was one of only two big-brand portables in stock on Amazon UK in October 2026. Two cautions: Dreo quotes it as 12,000 BTU in the UK but 14,000 BTU in the US, so judge it on the 3.7kW label, and there's no UK independent test of it yet. At 63dB(A) on the label, it's a typical single-hose for noise. Best for The most cooling of any single-hose unit here Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want quiet for sleeping: the Midea PortaSplit and De'Longhi's EX93 have quieter labels. Read the full review → | |||||||
Sold out right now (10)
The shop says these are sold out today. We check stock every hour, and each one moves back up the list when it returns.
| Unit | Box rating | Rated cooling | Room size (maker) | Type | Label noise | Heating | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 12,000 BTU · 3.5 kW · Portable split, inverter heat pump · 59 dB(A) · Heat pump The quietest, cheapest-to-run option, if you can fit it | 12,000 BTU | 3.5 kW | — | Portable split, inverter heat pump | 59 dB(A) | Heat pump | Out of stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched Not a box on wheels but a portable split: an indoor unit and an outdoor unit joined by a 2m pipe that runs through a window, with the noisy compressor outside. That's why its label is the quietest here at 59dB(A) indoors, and why its efficiency (SEER 6.1, A++) beats every single-hose unit, though seasonal and single-hose ratings aren't directly comparable. It heats too, at 2.2kW across an average season. The trade-offs: about 45kg across two units, a window you can work the pipe through (brackets cost extra), and a price around £850 to £900. Best for The quietest, cheapest-to-run option, if you can fit it Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you rent with windows that can't take the pipe, or need to wheel it between rooms: a single-hose unit moves far more easily. Read the full review → | |||||||
 9,000 BTU · 26 m² · Single-hose, 4-in-1 heat pump, Wi-Fi · Heat pump A heat-pump unit from a UK brand | 9,000 BTU | — | 26 m² | Single-hose, 4-in-1 heat pump, Wi-Fi | — | Heat pump | £399.99 at Meaco Checked 5 NovOut of stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched Meaco's current 9,000 BTU unit cools, heats, dehumidifies and runs from an app, and it was one of only two big-brand portables in stock on Amazon UK in October 2026, while Meaco's own shop was taking pre-orders. Meaco is a Guildford family firm with UK support and a 2-year warranty, and the box includes both a standard and a flexible window kit. One gap: the capacity and noise on its energy-label record look copied from Meaco's smaller model, so we can't give you a trustworthy label kW or dB figure yet. Best for A heat-pump unit from a UK brand Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want the quietest bedroom unit: De'Longhi's EX93 and the Midea PortaSplit have quieter labels. Read the full review → | |||||||
 11,500 BTU · 2.7 kW · 37.5 m² · Single-hose, 3-in-1 · 62 dB(A) · No An efficient, well-made unit for a living room or big bedroom | 11,500 BTU | 2.7 kW | 37.5 m² | Single-hose, 3-in-1 | 62 dB(A) | No | Out of stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched De'Longhi's newest GentleJet, and the clearest example of why the label matters: the box says 11,500 BTU, measured in hot, humid test conditions, while the EN 14511 label says 2.7kW, about 9,200 BTU. Read on the label, it's an efficient unit: A+, EER 3.1, 62dB(A), and Which? tested it in July 2026. It's expensive at £799.99, and De'Longhi's UK shop showed every Pinguino out of stock in October, so this is one to buy when stock returns, not in a heatwave. Best for An efficient, well-made unit for a living room or big bedroom Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you need heat as well as cooling: it's cooling-only, so look at Meaco's 9000 CH or Pro Breeze's 4-in-1. Read the full review → | |||||||
 8,900 BTU · 2.5 kW · 33.5 m² · Single-hose, 3-in-1 · 60 dB(A) · No The quietest single-hose unit for a bedroom | 8,900 BTU | 2.5 kW | 33.5 m² | Single-hose, 3-in-1 | 60 dB(A) | No | Out of stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched On the label, the quietest single-hose De'Longhi: 60dB(A), against 62 to 65 for most rivals, with A+ efficiency and a box rating (8,900 BTU) that sits close to its 2.5kW label. It's a bedroom unit at a living-room price, £769.99, and like the rest of the Pinguino range it was out of stock in October 2026, so plan to buy before summer. Best for The quietest single-hose unit for a bedroom Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want quiet and heat in one unit: the Midea PortaSplit has a 59dB(A) indoor label and a heat pump. Read the full review → | |||||||
 10,000 BTU · 2.5 kW · 30 m² · Single-hose, 3-in-1 · 64 dB(A) · No The cheapest single-hose unit to run, per kW of cooling | 10,000 BTU | 2.5 kW | 30 m² | Single-hose, 3-in-1 | 64 dB(A) | No | Out of stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched The most efficient single-hose label on this page: A++, EER 3.6, 0.7kWh an hour, so it costs the least to run for the cooling it gives. The catch is the box. De'Longhi sells it as 10,000 BTU, but its EN 14511 label says 2.5kW, about 8,500 BTU, so size it like a 9,000 BTU unit. At £949.99 it's priced as a premium machine, and its 64dB(A) label noise is typical rather than quiet, despite the 'Silent' name. Best for The cheapest single-hose unit to run, per kW of cooling Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want the quietest unit for a bedroom: De'Longhi's EX93 Extreme has a 60dB(A) label for less. Read the full review → | |||||||
 12,000 BTU · 3.5 kW · 30 m² · Single-hose, 4-in-1 heat pump, Wi-Fi · 65 dB(A) · Heat pump A large room, cooled in summer and heated in winter | 12,000 BTU | 3.5 kW | 30 m² | Single-hose, 4-in-1 heat pump, Wi-Fi | 65 dB(A) | Heat pump | £659.99 at Pro Breeze Checked 5 NovOut of stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched A 12,000 BTU unit whose label agrees with the box: 3.5kW of cooling, plus 3.3kW of heating from a heat pump, so it earns its space beyond a heatwave. App and voice control and two window kits come with it. The 54dB on the box is a sound-pressure figure; its label sound power is 65dB(A), typical for a single-hose unit, so it's better suited to a living room than a light sleeper's bedroom. It was sold out at Pro Breeze and on Amazon in October 2026. Best for A large room, cooled in summer and heated in winter Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you only need to cool a small bedroom: Pro Breeze's 9,000 BTU smart unit costs about half as much. Read the full review → | |||||||
 9,000 BTU · 2.6 kW · 22 m² · Single-hose, 3-in-1, Wi-Fi · 65 dB(A) · No A budget bedroom unit you can pre-order for next summer | 9,000 BTU | 2.6 kW | 22 m² | Single-hose, 3-in-1, Wi-Fi | 65 dB(A) | No | Out of stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched The honest budget pick. Its energy label backs the box: 9,000 BTU, 2.6kW, which is what a 9,000 BTU unit should deliver. App control and two window kits come in the box, and Which? has tested it, though its score is for members only. In October 2026 it was on pre-order from Pro Breeze at £309.99 to ship from early February 2027, which is exactly the right time to buy an air conditioner. It's a typical single-hose for noise, at 65dB(A) on the label. Best for A budget bedroom unit you can pre-order for next summer Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you need to cool a large or sunny living room: a 12,000 BTU unit like Pro Breeze's own 4-in-1 has a 3.5kW label. Read the full review → | |||||||
 6,100 BTU · 1.8 kW · 17 m² · Dual-duct heat pump, battery option · 65 dB(A) · Heat pump Cooling or heating a small room off-grid or through a power cut | 6,100 BTU | 1.8 kW | 17 m² | Dual-duct heat pump, battery option | 65 dB(A) | Heat pump | £799 at EcoFlow Checked 5 NovOut of stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched The odd one out, and the reason it's here: the WAVE 3 can run from its own optional 1,024Wh battery, so it keeps a small room cool, or warm, through a power cut, and it ducts air in and out through two hoses. It's small, though: 1.8kW on the label, about half a typical 12,000 BTU unit, and EcoFlow sizes it for 11 to 17m². T3 found it loud at higher speeds and saw it leak in automatic drainage mode. Buy it for a bedroom, office, campervan or off-grid space, not a living room. Best for Cooling or heating a small room off-grid or through a power cut Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you only want summer cooling for a normal room on mains power: a 2.6kW unit cools more for less. Read the full review → | |||||||
 9,000 BTU · 2.6 kW · Single-hose, cooling only, app · 64 dB(A) · No An AEG with app control, if you can find one | 9,000 BTU | 2.6 kW | — | Single-hose, cooling only, app | 64 dB(A) | No | Out of stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched AEG's replacement for the ChillFlex Pro AXP26U338CW: the same 2.6kW class, now with app control, and an honest 64dB(A) on its label. The catch is supply. AEG has dropped portable air conditioners from its UK site, AO was the only UK seller listing it, and it was out of stock on Amazon in October 2026. AEG's room-size claim of 31–35m² is too generous for 2.6kW, so size it as a bedroom unit. Best for An AEG with app control, if you can find one Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want a model with dependable UK stock and support: Meaco and De'Longhi sell and service theirs directly. Read the full review → | |||||||
 9,000 BTU · 28 m² · Single-hose, 3-in-1, Wi-Fi · No A familiar name with app control, once stock lands | 9,000 BTU | — | 28 m² | Single-hose, 3-in-1, Wi-Fi | — | No | Out of stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched Black+Decker's current 9,000 BTU smart unit, which took over the BXAC40006GB's Amazon listing. It adds Wi-Fi app control and a 2-year warranty, but there's no energy-label record for this exact model, so there's no rated kW or label noise to show; its EU sibling is labelled 2.6kW and 65dB(A). The '45dB' in retailer listings is a sound-pressure figure, not comparable with label noise. Amazon showed a future availability date in October 2026. Best for A familiar name with app control, once stock lands Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want label figures to compare: every De'Longhi, Pro Breeze and Dreo unit here has a full energy label. Read the full review → | |||||||
ⓘ As an Amazon Associate, PreparedBritain earns from qualifying purchases. We may earn a commission when you buy, or a fee when you request a quote, through our links. When two products are close, commission can decide which one we pick. A clearly better product always wins. Amazon prices come from Amazon's own product data and show the date and time they were retrieved. Prices at other retailers are checked by us, less often. Prices and stock can change at any time, so always check the retailer's price before you buy.
Before you buy
First, know what a portable air conditioner is, and isn't.
A real one has a compressor, like a fridge, and must send its heat outside: most are single-hose boxes that vent through a window kit; a few, like EcoFlow's WAVE 3, use two ducts, one bringing outside air in and one taking hot air out; and Midea's PortaSplit puts the compressor in a second unit that hangs outside the window, linked by a pipe. The cheaper hose-less 'air coolers' or 'evaporative coolers' don't cool the air at all; they blow it over water, which does little in humid UK heat. If it has no exhaust hose, it isn't an air conditioner.
Compare the label, not the box.
Every unit sold in the UK has an energy label with its cooling capacity in kW, measured to a common standard (EN 14511), and it often disagrees with the BTU on the box. An honest 9,000 BTU unit is about 2.6kW on the label and a 12,000 BTU unit about 3.5kW, as Pro Breeze's are. De'Longhi's AP98 says 11,500 BTU, measured at 35°C and 80% humidity, but its label says 2.7kW; its EX100 Silent is sold as 10,000 BTU and labelled 2.5kW, about 8,500 BTU. Dreo quotes its AC516S as 12,000 BTU in the UK and 14,000 in the US, while its label says 3.7kW. For size, Which? says 5,000 to 8,000 BTU is adequate for most living rooms or bedrooms, while makers' own room sizes for 9,000 BTU units run to about 26m²; sunny, top-floor or west-facing rooms need more.
Read the label's noise, too.
The energy label gives sound power in dB(A), the same measure for every unit: 58 to 65dB(A) for the single-hose portables we checked, with De'Longhi's EX93 the quietest at 60, and 59dB(A) indoors for the Midea PortaSplit, whose compressor sits outside. The 39 to 56dB on boxes and listings is sound pressure, measured at a distance, so it always looks quieter; Which? measured the units it tested at between 54.6 and 67.4dBA on their highest setting. For a bedroom, look for a sleep mode and the lowest label figure you can afford.
Running costs and safety.
Which? found the average portable it tested cost about 22p an hour on its highest setting, from 17p to 31p, at the October 2026 price cap of 26.32p per kWh, so several hours a night through a long hot spell adds up; the efficiency figure on the label (EER, or SEER for a split) tells you which units cost less for the cooling they give. Never run one from an extension lead, Which? says. Most current units use R290 (propane) refrigerant, which is flammable: Meaco's manual says to stand the unit upright for 24 hours before first use and to leave the sealed system to a trained engineer. A good window kit matters as much as the unit, because it stops hot air leaking back in around the hose, and a heat-pump model (Meaco's 9000 CH, Pro Breeze's 4-in-1, EcoFlow's WAVE 3, Midea's PortaSplit) can heat the room in winter too.
When to buy: before you need it.
In October 2026, De'Longhi's UK shop showed every Pinguino out of stock, Meaco's Cirro range was due back in March 2027, Pro Breeze was taking pre-orders to ship from early February 2027, and only Meaco's Pro 9000 CH and Dreo's AC516S were in stock on Amazon UK. Units sold out as fast as they arrived in the July 2026 heatwave, so the calm time to buy is late winter or spring, when new stock lands and before the first hot week. Our live stock tracker shows which of these are in stock today.
We verify every product's specifications against at least two independent sources, re-check its UK price and stock on a schedule where we can track it automatically, and cross-check safety-relevant claims against official guidance. Every review is labelled Researched or Used and reviewed by us: where we've bought a product, or been sent it free, and used it ourselves, its review says which; where we haven't, our verdict is a considered spec-and-evidence comparison, not a hands-on test. When two products are close, commission can decide which one we pick. A clearly better product always wins. Read our full methodology →
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Common questions
Do portable air conditioners actually work?
Real compressor units do: they cool the air and vent the heat outside through a hose, which genuinely drops the temperature. What doesn't work well is a hose-less 'air cooler': it just evaporates water and makes little difference in humid British heat.
What size portable air conditioner do I need?
Size on the energy label's kW figure, not the BTU on the box: an honest 9,000 BTU unit is about 2.6kW and a 12,000 BTU unit about 3.5kW, but some boxes overstate it by a fifth. Which? says 5,000 to 8,000 BTU is adequate for most living rooms or bedrooms; sunny, top-floor or west-facing rooms need more, and a big open-plan space needs a 12,000 BTU class unit or more.
What's the difference between a portable AC and an air cooler?
A portable air conditioner has a compressor and vents hot air outside through a hose, so it truly cools the air. An 'air cooler' (evaporative cooler) has no hose and just blows air over water: it barely cools in humid UK conditions and isn't a substitute.
How much does a portable air conditioner cost to run?
Which? found the average portable it tested cost about 22p an hour on its highest setting, from 17p for the cheapest to 31p for the priciest, at the October 2026 price cap of 26.32p per kWh. Several hours a night through a heatwave adds up, so check the label's efficiency figure (EER) and use the timer and sleep modes.
Are portable air conditioners noisy?
Yes: the compressor and fan make real noise. Their energy labels give sound power of 58 to 65dB(A) for the single-hose units we checked; the quieter-looking 39 to 56dB figures in listings are sound pressure measured at a distance. For a bedroom, De'Longhi's EX93 (60dB(A)) and the Midea PortaSplit (59dB(A) indoors, with its compressor outside) are the quietest here.
When is the best time to buy a portable air conditioner?
Before the first hot week. In October 2026 almost every big-brand unit was out of stock or on pre-order: De'Longhi's UK shop showed every Pinguino out of stock, Meaco's Cirro range was due back in March 2027, and Pro Breeze was taking pre-orders to ship from early February 2027. Stock sold out as soon as it arrived in the July 2026 heatwave, so late winter or spring is the calm time to buy.
Can I plug a portable air conditioner into an extension lead?
No. Which? says never to plug an air conditioner into an extension lead: plug it straight into a wall socket. Most current units also use R290 refrigerant, which is flammable, so follow the manual on ventilation and leave the sealed system to a trained engineer.
What is a portable split air conditioner?
A unit in two parts: an indoor unit you keep in the room and an outdoor unit, holding the noisy compressor, that hangs outside the window, linked by a refrigerant pipe. Midea's PortaSplit is the example here: 59dB(A) indoors on its label and an A++ seasonal efficiency rating, but it weighs about 45kg across the two units and needs a window the pipe can pass through, with brackets sold separately.
Do I need a portable AC, or is a fan enough?
For many people a fan plus good daytime shading is enough to sleep, and far cheaper and quieter. A portable AC is worth it for a genuinely hot room you can't shade, for anyone vulnerable to heat, or if you work from home through the summer.
