The 10 Best Garage Heaters to Buy 2020

The sleek design of this infrared heater by Heat Storm will blend in nicely with a well-cared-for garage since it presents a more residential aesthetic than some of the more industrial looking heaters. It’s the most technologically modern heater on this list, with WiFi connectivity which enables you to preheat the garage and minimize the time you stay out in the cold.

This unit will heat a well-insulated two-car garage, with two heaters being able to keep even a three-car garage warm. The heater has an output of 1,500 W, which is equivalent to 5,200 BTUs, hence being able to heat an area of around 300 square feet.

The option given here is for wall mounting only, and the unit requires a 120 V, 60 Hz, 15 A grounded outlet. Although this heater requires wall mounting, it will not take up much space, with dimensions of 21.5 by 15.6 by 7.3 inches. The integrated thermostat enables you to set a temperature between 40 and 99° Fahrenheit, which can be done either manually on the unit itself or through the SmartLife app on your smartphone. As this is an infrared heater, it will provide you with warmth without drying out the air, resulting in a more comfortable work environment.

Even though this unit has impressive heating capabilities, the vents won’t get hot enough to burn your skin, and it even features an automatic shut-off function if it tips over. All this means you can stay nice and toasty without getting cooked.

This Dr. Heater unit is similar to the Faranheat heater that appears later on our list but more powerful with a maximum output of 6,000 W, an equivalent of 20,500 BTUs. It’s an electrical heater, with an industrial look, that can heat an area of up to 900 square feet, which is around the size of a three-car garage. It will work best in insulated garages, but it will do the job in smaller uninsulated spaces.

The heater is an industrial-grade infrared heater that needs to be hardwired and mounted either on the ceiling or a wall. The unit is easy to install, however, it doesn’t feature an on/off switch–the circuit breaker has to be used to switch the heater on and off. Although it’s infrared, it does have a fan for heat dispersal as well as adjustable louvers (slats to help direct the airflow). The unit features a thermostat with two temperature options – “high”, giving an output of 6,000 W or 20,500 BTUs, and “low”, with a 3,000 W output. If desired, the heater can be combined with a separate thermostat, allowing for much better temperature control in the range of 40-90°. If your garage is uninsulated and constantly loses heat, the basic thermostat would be sufficient to maintain a comfortable working temperature.

The ceiling and wall mounting brackets are included, and despite needing to be hardwired it is easy to install. With dimensions of 14.5 by 14.5 by 13 inches and requiring a minimum mounting height of 8 feet, it is not a good option for low-ceiling garages. As this heater is fully enclosed it is great for woodworking workshops where sawdust and varnish fumes are present.

A product from Mr. Heater, the Buddy is a small portable heater measuring 7.7 by 13.4 by 15 inches and weighing 9 pounds. Despite its small size, it’s able to heat an insulated two-car garage of around 225 square feet. It runs on propane, which is perfect if you don’t have spare outlets or are unable to permanently mount a heater in your garage. Being portable, this heater will keep you warm on those colder days not only inside your garage, but it any other small space that needs heating, too.

The heater has basic high and low settings with 9,000 and 4,000 BTUs, respectively. It is sold ready to be hooked up to a 1-pound propane cylinder, but it can be fuelled by larger tanks with an appropriate hose and filter, which are sold separately. The integrated sparking mechanism is reliable, and the unit is quiet as it emits radiant heat that isn’t blown out with a fan.

As it’s a gas heater, which consumes oxygen, it has a built-in oxygen-depletion Sensor which will detect low oxygen and shut off to prevent the production of carbon monoxide. For this reason, the heater is only guaranteed to work up to altitudes of 7,000 feet—not an issue for most Americans, but problematic if you happen to live in a Colorado ski town. It also has an auto shut off feature if the heater is tipped over.

Using a 1-pound propane tank, your Buddy should keep you warm for up to 6 hours on the low setting and 3 hours on high. With a 5 gallon tank, it can supply heat for up to 3 days on the low setting!

Being small and portable, while beneficial, might not make this product ideal if you’re looking for something more powerful or permanent. It also only has two settings for the heat and no thermostat, meaning there are only a limited range of temperatures to choose from.

This electric heater from Faranheat may look like a boxy PC straight out of the early ’90s, but it can generate heat like a modern-day laptop. Ceiling mountable, it’s designed to warm up spaces of around 750 sqft, or an average two-car garage. More units can be installed to heat a larger space, but this can get quite costly. The unit has a maximum output of 5,000 W, which is an equivalent of 17,065 BTUs.

The Faranheat forced-air heater has a range of temperatures between 45 and 135° and features a 1,350 rpm fan, which helps to distribute heat while remaining quiet at the same time. It has adjustable louvers as well as a thermostat with “high” and “low” options, which give an output of 17,065 and 8,533 BTUs respectively. It’s possible to install a separate thermostat if you want to fine-tune your desired temperature, however for the price of the unit you might have hoped it would come fitted with a fully-adjustable thermostat to begin with. Not only is the unit more expensive than many others on this list, but if you’re planning to run this heater a lot it can quickly ramp up your electricity bill.

The unit needs to be hardwired and ceiling mounted at a minimum height of 6 feet, making it an appropriate choice for low ceiling garages. Although the heater is small at 12.5 by 12.4 by 14 inches and requires a low minimum mounting height, you will still need to ensure you have the space required in your garage. In terms of safety, this heater is suitable for a woodworking workshop, and it does feature an auto-shut-off mechanism in case of overheating of the unit. Overall, for the reliability and build quality this Faranheat heater is well worth the price.

If you have a lot of space to heat but also want to be able to move your garage heater around from place to place, then this Mr. Heater product should do the job fantastically. This forced-air propane heater will be able to warm spaces up to 1,500 sqft, which is more than the average three-car garage. It’s perfect for garages that are drafty and uninsulated, or situations where the garage door has to stay open as you work. As the heater is portable, weighing around 13 pounds, it can easily keep you warm if you need to work outside of the garage too.

This 16 by 8.8 by 13.5 inch heater is equipped with Quiet Burning Technology (QBT), bringing the decibels down and allowing you to work without having to worry about your hearing. The product comes with a 10 foot hose and regulator for a fuss-free setup. The heater does have to be connected to a 115 V outlet and a 20 pounder propane tank or larger, so while it is portable within range of the garage, you won’t be able to take it with you for your next camping trip unless you’re able to give it both propane and electricity there. As it uses up oxygen at a phenomenal rate, good ventilation is required to minimize carbon monoxide production.

The heater doesn’t have a thermostat, with only two options for the temperature–“high” and “low”. With an output of 30,000 BTUs on low and 60,000 BTUs on high, it can run up to 14 hours on the low setting with a 20-pound propane tank. With such a great heat output, however, it can be used alongside another smaller heater, where this propane heater will be able to rapidly bring the temperature up after which it can be switched off, leaving the smaller heater to simply maintain the desired temperature.

This monster of a heater can supply you with 50,000 BTUs heating a space of up to 1,250 square feet, an equivalent of more than a large three-car garage. The heater is fuelled by natural gas, meaning it requires appropriate venting and a 115 V AC supply as well as the gas supply itself. It is a serious piece of equipment with a serious price tag.

Despite the massive amount of BTUs, this natural gas heater has a range between 35 and 75°, which isn’t anything to write home about but certainly enough to keep a workspace comfortably warm. A thermostat is also sold separately. It requires category 1 negative pressure and non-condensing vertical venting, as well as category 3 positive pressure, non-condensing horizontal venting. As it requires proper venting, it doesn’t come with a low oxygen sensor, and so investing in a carbon monoxide detector is highly advisable.

Measuring 25 by 18.5 by 17 inches, it would appear to have a low profile suitable for lower ceilings. However, this is not the case, as an 8-foot clearance from the floor to the base of the heater is required. The heater weighs a hefty 63 pounds, and it’s best if an experienced engineer does the installation.

As it is a forced-air heater, it will distribute heat throughout the space and will be best for large garages. The venting kit that’s required is sold separately, further adding to the cost of the unit. The product does come with a natural-gas-to-propane conversion kit if you’d like your new appliance to run on propane instead. It’s relatively quiet for its performance, maxing out at 55 decibels. As it’s not a closed combustion unit, it is not recommended for woodworking workshops where vapors and sawdust are present.

Although this is the smallest version of the Dyna-Glo kerosene heater, it still comes in at a rating of 50,000 BTUs. That kind of output is able to heat a three-car garage easily. For those out there wanting a mini jet engine, or needing to heat up their personal hangar, up to 180,000 BTUs options are available, with the biggest one heating warehouses up to 4,200 square feet.

The unit has a runtime fuel gauge and a pressure gauge to keep you updated on the functioning of the heater. It has a fuel capacity of 5 gallons, equating to about 14 hours of heat. The heater has a cool to the touch handle for safe repositioning, as well as an automatic-shutoff feature for if it overheats or runs out of fuel. These Dyna-Glo products will eat through huge volumes of oxygen, and so are not at all suitable for small or enclosed spaces.

This series of products has been designed to be used with the following types of fuel: K1 kerosene, diesel #1, diesel #2, fuel oil #1, fuel oil #2, Jet A and JP-8. However, K1 kerosene is the manufacturer’s recommended fuel for optimal, cleaner burns and long-lasting product life.

This natural gas vent-free heater from Mr. Heater is quite powerful, being able to heat a large two-car garage or around 750 square feet. Measuring 23.8 by 11.2 by 27 inches, it comes with legs and wall-mounting hardware, so you can decide on the best option for your garage. It’s a great natural gas option that’s perfect if you have a gas line available in your garage.

The heater has an output of 30,000 BTUs, which should be plenty for mid-sized insulated garages. No external power is required to operate this heater, as the electronic ignition is battery powered. It has a basic thermostat with 5 settings, ranging from 60 to 118° in increments of roughly 15°. This heater does require a 3/8” NPT inlet connection to the pressure regulator, and a 3/8” NPT street elbow is required if you’re using feet to mount it on the floor.

As is standard for gas heaters, it has a low oxygen shut-off system guaranteed to work at altitudes up to 4,500 feet–something to keep in mind if you live in one of the more elevated states. It is a blue flame heater, meaning that it produces convection heat to warm the air above the unit. If you want to have the warm air directed away from the ceiling, you will need to buy the blower for the unit.

This heater needs to be connected to a utility gas well, so it is recommended that you have a qualified service person install it.

Another product manufactured by Dr. Heater, this one is an electric portable infrared heater. If your garage has a spare NEMA 6-30R receptacle, then this heater is perfect for the job. Designed to heat spaces of around 600 square feet, it will easily heat a two-car insulated garage and definitely take the chill off a bigger space or an uninsulated garage. The heater has an output of 5,600 W, which is equivalent to about 19,000 BTUs. It measures 12 by 12 by 15 inches and weighs 18 pounds.

This infrared unit will heat people and surrounding objects, not the air directly, providing a comfortable working environment. The heater does have a fan, however, to further disperse the heat and make the heating process faster by circulating the air in the room. It’s very quiet, at 45 decibels, while still being able to heat a room to a temperature of 45 to 95°F. It also features overheat cut-off protection to ensure that the operation of the unit remains safe.

This product comes with a 6-foot power cord with a 6-30R plug, which requires a 240 V NEMA 6-30R receptacle. This can either be a pro or a con for you, depending on whether you already have such a receptacle in your garage. The heater does have a thermostat built-in, however, it is very basic and can be fiddly to use. As it has a sparking mechanism, it is not advisable to use it around paints and other flammable liquids and vapors.

If floor space is at a premium and you require a unit that fits in with your decor, the Aikoper ceramic space heater could be the one for you. It is an oscillating tower heater that will do well in a small insulated garage, and due to its looks and size, you can also use it around the house if needed. With a power output of 1,500 W (or 5,120 BTUs), it is a small forced-air heater measuring 8.1 by 7.6 by 24.1 inches and weighing a little under 7 pounds, which will be suitable for spaces up to 225 square feet.

The unit has a “low” setting with an output of 900 W, a “high” setting which outputs 1500 W, and an eco mode that automatically adjusts the temperature, saving you money. A thermostat is present so you can adjust the temperature between 40 and 95°F, and the oscillation feature will help to disperse the heat and warm the room evenly.

Unlike some other products on the market, this unit is made of a flame retardant material and is robust enough to not melt and pose an unnecessary fire risk. In case you do forget to switch the heater off, the unit has an 8-hour timer after which the heater will turn off. The product comes with a remote control which enables you to operate the heater from a distance. This heater also features overheat and tip-over protection where the unit will automatically switch off.