Best Portable Air Conditioner UK 2026

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Late in the season most portable air conditioners sell out. We checked every unit on this page on 25 October: these are the ones you can order and have this week, plus the best deal for next summer.

Buying for damp or condensation rather than heat? A dehumidifier is cheaper to run and easier to find in stock this time of year: see our best dehumidifiers.

Quick answer: the best portable air conditioner in the UK for most homes is the DREO AC516S (£599.99): 12,000 BTU, quiet for its size, no water tank to empty, and in stock. For less, the BLU-09 9,000 BTU (£439.99) is the best-rated unit you can get this week, and the BLU12 (£549.99) heats as well as cools. Our budget pick, the AuraHome 9,000 BTU (£269.99), is in stock but won't arrive until December, and the JSH and both Meacos are sold out until next season. If you can't live with a window hose, the Midea PortaSplit (£1,099.99) puts the noisy half outside. Buying ahead for next summer? The Pro Breeze 9,000 BTU is £309.99 on pre-order, down from £599.99.

The biggest of DREO's range, above the smaller AC318S and AC515S reviewed further down. It uses the same drainage-free system (excess water is evaporated automatically, so there's no tank to empty) and DREO's noise-isolated compressor. Owners report cooling rooms of 27–32m², rated 4.5★ from 269 ratings. Includes window kits for sliding and casement windows plus a wall-hole port. Energy class A, 1,350W, R290 refrigerant.

Meaco is based in Guildford and sells this one direct. It cools, heats, dehumidifies (1.2 litres an hour) and runs as a fan, with app control, a sleep mode, three fan speeds and a 1–24 hour timer. Two window kits come in the box: a rigid one for sash windows and a flexible one for other window types. Meaco rates it for rooms of 16–26m² and gives it an A energy rating. Its figures pass our maths check: 1,005W for 9,000 BTU is a realistic efficiency, and works out at about 26p an hour for cooling at the 26.32p price cap. In heating mode it gives 8,100 BTU from 940W, about 25p an hour. By Meaco's figures that is roughly two and a half times the heat a plug-in electric heater gives for the same electricity. It uses R290, a low-impact refrigerant.

The closest thing to a portable air conditioner without a hose. The compressor sits in a separate outdoor box on the ground, a balcony or a window bracket (sold separately), joined to the indoor unit by a fixed 2-metre refrigerant line that passes through the window gap. No room air is blown outside, so nothing warm is pulled back in, and the noisy part is outdoors. You fit it yourself with no installer, and it heats as well as cools. The catch is the price and the outdoor half: you need a window you can leave slightly open and somewhere safe for a heavy box within 2 metres of it, which rules out many upstairs flats. Prices have ranged from about £950 to £1,100, so check before you buy. More in our guide to portable air conditioners without a hose.

The cheapest proper branded unit on our list. It's a 4-in-1 with a GMCC compressor keeping noise to ≤54dB, plus a dedicated sleep mode and child lock. Eco-friendly R290 refrigerant and a window vent kit are included. A solid all-rounder for a bedroom or smaller living space, and one of the cheapest to run here.

If you need to cool a bigger room and don't want to spend £600, this is the one we'd pick. It's £235 cheaper than the DREO for the same 12,000 BTU, rated 4.1★ from 71 reviews. The trade-offs: owners consistently call it loud, the 1.5m hose is short, there's no app, and you drain collected water manually. Its specs pass our maths check: 1,357W for 12,000 BTU is a realistic efficiency for a portable unit.

The smallest and cheapest to run of our main picks. It was Amazon's best-selling mobile air conditioner when we checked, rated 4.2★ from 423 ratings. You get cooling, dehumidifier, fan and sleep modes, a remote, a 24-hour timer, a window kit and a 2-year manufacturer warranty. Its specs pass our maths check: 780W for 7,000 BTU is a realistic efficiency. The listing says it suits rooms up to 25m². We'd keep it to bedrooms and studies of about 20m² or less, and Morris rates its own 7,000 BTU unit for just 10–15m².

Rated 4.6★ from 562 ratings on Amazon, the highest of any unit we found in stock in late October. It cools, dehumidifies and runs as a fan, and is rated for rooms up to 20m². The self-evaporating system recycles about half the water it collects to cool its coils and blows the rest out with the hot air, so you rarely empty it. A window sheet made for UK outward and inward opening casement windows comes in the box. Energy class A and R290 refrigerant. Its figures pass our maths check: 1,010W for 8,870 BTU (the listing's measured figure; it is sold as 9,000 BTU) is a realistic efficiency, and works out at about 27p an hour at the 26.32p price cap.

The bigger, heat-pump version of the BLU-09, from the same seller. It cools, heats, dehumidifies and runs as a fan, so it earns its keep in winter as well as summer, which makes it the closest in-stock alternative to the sold-out Meacos. Rated 4.4★ from 226 ratings. Self-evaporating, R290 refrigerant, a 1.5m hose and a window sheet for UK windows. The listing does not state its power use, so we cannot run our usual maths check or give a running cost. Ask the seller before you buy if that matters to you.

A newer listing that cools, heats, dehumidifies, runs as a fan and has a sleep mode, for rooms up to 20m². It uses a GMCC compressor (the same make as the AuraHome) and R290 refrigerant, is energy class A, and comes with a remote, a 24-hour timer and a window kit. It has a water-full indicator, so expect to empty a tank, especially when dehumidifying. The listing does not give its power use, so we cannot check the maths or give a running cost.

Why buy direct from the manufacturer?

• One point of contact. Returns, faults and warranty claims go straight to the company that made the unit, with no marketplace seller in the middle.
• Stock at list price, rather than third-party resellers marking prices up during a heatwave.
• Your legal rights are with the brand. Under the Consumer Rights Act, the seller is responsible if the unit is faulty. Buying direct means that's the manufacturer itself.
• Pre-orders and stock alerts, so you're first in line before the summer rush.

Each brand's returns and warranty terms are different, so we've noted the key ones on each card below.

Pro Breeze is taking pre-orders for next summer at £309.99, with shipping estimated from early February 2027. It cools, dehumidifies and runs as a fan, with app control, Alexa and Google Home support, a 24-hour timer and two window kits (sliding and hinged). Pro Breeze rates it for rooms up to 22m² and lists 0.78kWh an hour, about 21p an hour at the current price cap, which would make it one of the cheapest to run here. It does not heat, and the listed 56dB means it is not a quiet unit for a bedroom. The 60cm exhaust hose is short, so check the distance to your window, and at 26.5kg it is heavy to carry upstairs.

Meaco's new flagship, designed in the UK, is our pick if noise matters most. Its Super Quiet mode runs at 45dB thanks to a double-wrapped, insulated compressor, which Meaco says is around half the perceived noise of its older units. It cools, dehumidifies (1.6L/hour), heats and runs as a fan, comes with two window kits (one for sash windows, one flexible for any window type).

The Pinguino is the portable AC most people have heard of, and the EM Series is one of the quieter units we've covered at 47–50dB. It suits bedrooms and small living rooms up to about 25m². It cools, dehumidifies and runs as a fan, recycles its own condensate so you're rarely emptying a tank, and comes with a window kit and folding castors. Its figures pass our maths check: 1,000W for 9,400 BTU is a realistic efficiency, and it's among the cheapest to run on this page at around 26p an hour.

Morris is a West Midlands appliance brand that sells direct, and this is the small-bedroom unit in its range. It cools, dehumidifies and runs as a fan, with a self-evaporating system, a humidity sensor, a 24-hour timer, sleep mode and a child lock. You control it from the panel or the remote. There's no WiFi, which Morris keeps for its 9,000 BTU model. Morris rates it for rooms of 10–15m², a more realistic claim than most 7,000 BTU listings make. Its figures pass our maths check: 780W for 7,000 BTU, which is about 21p an hour.

More models we've reviewed

These were on our list this summer and we'd still recommend them for the right room. Each one has a full review at the bottom of the page:

• EcoFlow WAVE 3: battery-powered and vents through short ducts rather than a window kit, so it works in tents, caravans and garden offices. Full review ↓
• DREO AC318S: 7,500 BTU, drainage-free at 46dB. Our previous best overall. Full review ↓
• DREO AC515S: 10,000 BTU, drainage-free. The middle of DREO's range. Full review ↓
• NETTA 8,000 BTU: our previous budget pick at around £280. Full review ↓
• SereneLife 9,000 BTU: a self-evaporating budget unit with a "Follow Me" remote sensor. Full review ↓
• Ariston MOBIS PLUS 10: A+ efficiency and one of the cheapest to run. Full review ↓
• Pro Breeze 9,000 BTU WiFi: app and voice control. Full review ↓
• AirOrig 14,000 BTU: the most efficient large-room unit we've checked, for rooms up to 40m². Full review ↓

Want the complete renter setup?

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Choosing an aircon unit for a bedroom? Size matters as much as noise: a typical 12–18m² double needs 7,500–9,000 BTU, and a unit that's too big cycles on and off, which is more noticeable at night. Run it with the door shut for 30 minutes before bed, then switch to sleep mode.

Save money tip: Set your thermostat to 21–22°C rather than the minimum, and find a steady "sweet spot" temperature rather than switching the unit on and off. Several DREO owners report the compressor only runs around 20% of the time once the room has cooled. Use the timer or app to pre-cool before you get home.

If you use AC daily for more than a few weeks per year and you own your home, a split system will likely save money over time through lower running costs. A portable unit costs 26–36p/hr versus 8–13p/hr for a split system. Over a full summer that adds up significantly.

We compare the two side by side in portable or split? below. For independent guidance on energy efficiency ratings, the Energy Saving Trust advice on cooling and fans is a useful reference.

The go-anywhere option. With EcoFlow's add-on battery it runs for 2–8 hours with no plug socket, and it vents through two short ducts rather than a standard window kit, so it fits tents, caravans, vans and garden offices where a normal portable AC won't. It heats as well as cools, and it's efficient: about 690W when cooling, or roughly 18p an hour plugged in. Like any real air conditioner it still has to vent its heat outside the space, and at 6,100 BTU it's for small spaces only.

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Our best overall pick for most of summer 2026. It uses the same drainage-free system as the AC516S, scaled down for bedrooms and smaller spaces. Three window kit variants are included (casement, sliding and wall-hole), which solves the fitting problem that trips up many other units, plus a magnetic remote. At 800W it's the cheapest DREO to run, at about 21p an hour. (Amazon lists it at 61dB, but that's a sound power figure; DREO's 46dB is what you hear nearby.) If you need it now, the AC516S is the alternative.

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The middle of DREO's range fills a real gap: a step up from the AC318S for a larger bedroom or small living room, without jumping to the bigger and pricier AC516S. It has the same drainage-free design and app and voice control.

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Our previous cheap/budget pick for smaller rooms. NETTA is a UK brand, and this 3-in-1 covers cooling, dehumidifying and fan mode with no frills and no app. The listing quotes 48.2dB, quieter than units costing twice as much, so we'd treat that figure with some caution. At 1,100W for 8,000 BTU it's also one of the less efficient units here, at about 29p an hour. The AuraHome is the better-known budget alternative.

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A self-evaporating budget unit. The "Follow Me" feature uses a sensor in the remote so the unit cools to the temperature where you're sitting, not just next to the machine. It's self-evaporating, so draining is minimal, rated 55dB and A++, and it comes with a window kit. At 902W it passes our maths check, at about 24p an hour. It had only a handful of reviews (4) when we last checked, so it has less of a track record than our main picks. The AuraHome is the better-known budget alternative.

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The efficiency pick. Ariston is an Italian heating specialist, and the MOBIS PLUS 10's A+ rating means it uses less electricity for the cooling it delivers than most units here. We work that out at around 25p an hour, among the cheapest to run on the page. It's also reasonably quiet at 47.5dB.

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The best smart features at this size: full app control and Alexa and Google Home support, so you can pre-cool a room before you get home. It isn't whisper quiet, but owners consistently say the cooling performance makes up for it. The newer Pro Breeze 9,000 BTU 3-in-1 Smart is on pre-order for next summer.

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The strongest large-room value we've found. At 1,200W for 14,000 BTU it's the most efficient unit we've checked, and it covers rooms up to 40m². Auto swing avoids a direct cold blast, and the sleep mode gradually raises the set temperature overnight. It has R290 refrigerant, a child lock and a noise-insulated compressor housing that keeps it to 50dB.

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Not sure which to choose?

Our top picks cover every room size and budget.