Best Budget Friendly: Sunbeam Restful Quilted Heated Mattress Pad

Most folks know that heated blankets are a good way to keep warm on a cold night—but the secret to staying more toasty is using a heated mattress pad.

Why?

When you heat from below, more heat stays trapped between the person and the blanket. Heated blankets, on the other hand, lose some heat to the room—that makes them less comfortable and efficient.

So what are the best heated mattress pads, full size? Here at the home ranch in Colorado it gets mighty cold. So we tried out several brands. And then we asked our parent readers for their favorites.

For the best budget-friendly heated mattress pad, we like this Sunbeam model. No, it isn’t as plush as other models—but it does the trick (heats up quickly and stays toasty warm), at a price that doesn’t break the bank.

What We Liked

• 10 heat settings.

• Quickly warms up.

• Auto shut-off after 10 hours.

• Machine washable.

What Needs Work

• Hard to adjust the control at night in the dark. While the heat setting is lit on the control, the control themselves are not lighted—as a result, it is hard to adjust the setting in the dark.

• Thin pad so wires may be noticeable. This wasn’t an issue for our tests, but some folks find the wires uncomfortable. 

• No pre-heat function. If you are willing to spend extra, that’s a nice feature.

Best Tried & True Brand: Degrees of Comfort Dual Control Heated Mattress Pad

When we asked our parent readers for their favorite heated mattress pads, this brand came up time and time again: Degrees of Comfort. And we agree, this heated mattress pad is smartly designed and super comfortable.

What We Liked

• Plush cover.

• Five heat settings are more than enough.

• Long cable cord for controller.

• Preheat function.

What Needs Work

• Instructions could be more detailed.

• Error codes on controllers can be puzzling.

Best Plush Cover: HYLEORY Heated Mattress Pad Full Water-Resistant Electric Mattress Pad Bed

One of the biggest complaints about heated mattress pads are the heating elements themselves—if the pad is too thin, you can feel the wires when you lie on the pad. Hence, when we looked for the best bets in this category, we mostly gravitated towards pads that had the most, well, padding. This model by Hyleory came out tops in our plushness tests—and it heats quickly.

What We Liked

• Very plush pad.

• Easy to clean.

• Affordable.

• Eight heat settings including preheat.

• Machine washable.

What Needs Work

• Controller cord is too short.

• Controller doesn’t lie flat on bedside table.

Best Analog Control: Biddeford Blankets Polyester Electric Heated Mattress Pad

Most heated mattress pads have digital controls and those work fine. But we realize a good number of our readers also like the simplicity of an analog dial. You don’t have to figure out which button turns up or down the pad—the dial is easier to turn in the middle of the night.

In that case, we recommend this model by Biddeford—excellent quality and super easy to use.

What We Liked

• Excellent heat.

• Simple control that is easy to use.

• Works with Alexa.

• Affordable.

What Needs Work

• Thinner mattress pad means some users may feel the wires.

About the Authors

Denise & Alan Fields are consumer advocates and best-selling authors. The Fields have authored 12 books with three million copies in print, including the best-selling guide to baby gear, Baby Bargains.

The Fields have been featured and quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times.

As consumer products experts, the Fields have been guests on the NBC Today Show, Good Morning America and ABC’s 20/20.

How We Pick Products To Recommend

We often turn to our readers (3 million strong!) to find products to recommend. We ask our parent readers for their favorites and consider their real-world experiences in our recommendations.

When we test a product, we always purchase it with our own monies. We do not take free samples, as we believe that compromises our independence.

We also fact check manufacturer information with our own measurements. If a maker claims a product weighs X pounds, we will weigh it to make sure. If the battery life is supposed to be six hours, we will see how it stands up in the real world.

In some cases, we will do interviews with experts in the field to get additional feedback on products.

To get hands-on time with products, we regularly meet one-on-one with gear companies and even tour manufacturing facilities. (When we do this, we pay our own travel expenses).

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do extensive research, evaluating products with an eye toward quality, ease of use and affordability.

We make our living from affiliate commissions, but we always recommend what we think are the best bets for our readers (not the ones that are the most expensive). We are always looking for products that offer the best bang for the buck.

Our independence is a key reason why we have been doing this so long. As we mentioned above, when we purchase a product for hands-on testing, we do so with our own money.

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Our work is 100% reader-supported!