Best cars with heated seats
Ease into the cold winter months with heated seats. These are the best cars with heated seats, including cheap and small cars with heated seats.
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Heated seats get plenty of use year-round in the UK, but it feels that little bit more smug to crank them up as the temperature goes below freezing this time of year.
And, little known fact, heated seats are more efficient than the cabin heating, so they’re good for your mpg or electric range.
Car brands know how much we love heated seats too, which is why they’ve gone from a luxury feature to an option you can tick in everything from a compact city car to a family SUV.
But what’s the best car with heated seats? Keep reading to find the ideal model for you.
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What cars have heated seats?
Volkswagen ID.3
Tesla Model Y
Nissan Qashqai
Ford Fiesta
Hyundai IONIQ
Nissan LEAF
Vauxhall Corsa
Hyundai i20
Volvo EX30
The best cars with heated seats
Volkswagen ID.3
 "Volkswagen ID.3 front three quarters")
Our pick: VW ID.3 Life Pro Performance
The VW ID.3 is a fully electric hatchback that blends modern design with advanced tech, which the German brand hopes will take over the Golf as an icon of the brand.
Most models come with a 58kWh battery capable of around 260 miles of range and a 204hp motor, which can do 0-62mph in 7.3 seconds.
There are quicker and slower variants, as well as smaller and bigger batteries, but this is the one we’d pick for its impressive blend of performance and efficiency.
The real reason you should consider an ID.3 is because you get a lovely heated steering wheel to go with your heated front seats as standard.
You also get a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system, adaptive cruise control and all-round parking sensors.
Tesla Model Y
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Our pick: Tesla Model Y Long Range
There aren’t many cars as instantly recognisable as a Tesla – they’ve become synonymous with electric motoring, but they’re just as well-known for their high-tech interiors.
It helps that there are no trim levels, so every Model Y comes with the same long list of standard equipment, apart from small changes with each model year. Still, from launch, every Model Y has been fitted with heated seats, front and rear, as well as a heated steering wheel.
You can turn them on and off, but you can also have them come on automatically depending on the temperature inside your car. Or you can control them, along with the heated windscreen washers and rear window, from the huge touchscreen or the smartphone app.
The Tesla Model Y is already a very efficient car, but we suggest going for a Long Range version for added range and a significant bump up in performance compared with the standard one.
Nissan Qashqai
 "Nissan Qashqai driving")
Our pick: Nissan Qashqai e-POWER Tekna
The Nissan Qashqai is known for its comfortable interior, excellent reliability and safety, and affordability. There’s no wonder it was the third-most bought new car in 2024.
Of the three generations available, we recommend the latest model, sold from 2021. Its interior fit and finish and overall quality are noticeably higher than older examples, and we love its choice of powertrains.
The mild hybrid system is great, but we can’t get enough of Nissan’s e-POWER system. Technically, it’s a hybrid, but the petrol engine never drives the wheels – it acts as a generator to power the electric motor. This gives the car an EV-like experience, complete with that instant response off the line.
You’ll need to go for a high-spec model, like Tekna, to get heated front seats, but you also get a heated steering wheel and even a heated windscreen for this.
The Tekna trim level also adds a powered boot lid, a large head-up display, an upgraded Bose sound system and more.
Cheap cars with heated seats
Ford Fiesta
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Our pick: Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost mHEV Titanium Vignale
A car that consistently tops the used car sales charts month after month, year after year is the humble Ford Fiesta.
All but the cheapest models like Style have Ford’s famous heated windscreen, but you’ll need to go for a high-spec car (or one fitted with the optional Winter Pack) to guarantee you’ll get heated seats and other luxuries. Luckily, since there are so many Fiestas, used prices are pretty reasonable.
Handily, you can use our search filter to find Fiestas with heated seats.
Pair your Fiesta with the popular and impressive 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine for the best experience. It already offers impressive performance and diesel-like fuel economy, and newer mild hybrid variants are even more efficient.
Hyundai IONIQ
 "Hyundai Ioniq front")
Our pick: Hyundai IONIQ 1.6 Hybrid Premium SE
With used prices dropping below £12,000, the Hyundai IONIQ becomes an even more attractive pick by the day.
The standard car has a 1.6-litre petrol hybrid setup good for around 60mpg, but if you’re prepared to spend a bit more, plug-in hybrids can do more than 30 miles on electric power alone.
Unlike its main rival, the Toyota Prius, which has a noisy CVT gearbox, the Hyundai IONIQ has a smooth-shifting dual-clutch automatic gearbox, which makes it much more pleasant to drive.
Mid-spec Premium cars have heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, but we can’t rave about the top-spec Premium SE enough. You get heated rear seats and even cooled front seats, making it the ultimate family hybrid for all seasons.
Both of these also get keyless entry, wireless phone charging, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, a reversing camera and adaptive cruise control.
Nissan LEAF
 "Nissan Leaf front")
Our pick: Nissan LEAF e+ Tekna
The Nissan LEAF is credited with making electric cars affordable to the masses, and the second-gen LEAF is a welcome improvement over earlier models.
Depending on the model year you pick, mid-spec cars like N-Connected typically include heated front and rear seats and a heated steering wheel as part of the Heat Pack.
It’s these higher trim levels that also bring a standard-fit heat pump, which improves the efficiency of the cabin heating system and improves real-world range in the winter.
You’re sure to find a great deal for the 39kWh model, and its 168-mile range should be enough for most drivers. If you need to travel further, consider the ‘e+’ model, which has a bigger 59kWh battery and a range of 239 miles.
Small cars with heated seats
Vauxhall Corsa
 "Vauxhall Corsa Electric driving")
Our pick: Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 Hybrid Ultimate
The iconic Vauxhall Corsa combines stylish design and practicality, and is a popular pick for all types of buyers, new drivers to retirees.
There have been several generations of Corsa, each getting better, but one thing has remained consistent – value for money.
Corsas from 2019 onwards (sixth-gen) got heated seats in Elite Nav or Ultimate Nav trim, and special edition Griffin models added a heated steering wheel.
That’s right, heated seats and a heated steering wheel in a car less than five years old for £10,000 or less.
The peppy 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine is a good fit for this car, but the mild hybrid variant introduced in 2024 is it’s at. Around town, it’ll do up to half your trips with the engine off, which is mighty impressive for such a low-cost mild hybrid – it’s not even a full hybrid.
You might also look at the Corsa electric, which can do more than 200 miles between charges whichever of the two battery options you pick.
Hyundai i20
 "Hyundai i20 N front")
Our pick: Hyundai i20 1.0 T-GDi Premium
The i20 is a very stylish, high-quality supermini that offers a blend of practicality and comfort, complete with Hyundai’s excellent five-year/unlimited-mileage warranty.
Standard equipment is strong, with an eight-inch touchscreen, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, and a reversing camera across the board. Premium trims add an upgraded 10.25-inch infotainment and the all-important heated front seats (plus a heated steering wheel for good measure).
All third-gen i20s sold from 2020 come with mild hybrid tech, and you can even pick a seven-speed automatic gearbox to take the effort out of driving – one of the best auto ‘boxes in this class. The 352-litre boot is also very strong.
For the petrolheads, there’s a 204hp hot hatch version, the i20 N, which also has heating in all the right places.
Volvo EX30
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Our pick: Volvo EX30 Single Motor Extended Range Plus
Compared with the superminis above, the EX30 might seem big, but against its crossover rivals, it’s pretty compact. And it’s a Volvo, so it’s safe, stylish and properly well-built.
Mid-range Plus models get luxuries like heated front seats, a heated steering wheel and an air quality monitoring system to make the interior an even more refined place to be. You even get ‘Ambience Themes’ to select lighting and background soundtracks to suit your mood.
Another one of the key selling points of this baby SUV is the blistering performance – 5.7 seconds is the slowest it’ll take you to get to 62mph, and the quickest will do the sprint in 3.6 seconds.
Its 318-litre boot might not be as big as key rivals like the Hyundai Kona Electric, but at least there’s a small frunk that will just about take your charging cable.
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Heated seat FAQs
Do heated seats use fuel?
Heated seats are powered by the small battery under the bonnet, the same as things like the wipers, electric windows and radio.
None of these electrical systems directly use up fuel, but the engine does keep the battery charged, so keeping your heated seats, wipers, radio, etc. on at all times would use a small amount of fuel after a while.
How warm do heated seats get?
Heated seats don’t have specific temperatures like climate control, but they usually have at least two or three stages of heating, so you should be able to get it just right.
How long do heated seats take to warm up?
It really depends on the car, but it shouldn’t take longer than a few minutes. You can usually feel them warming up after a few seconds as well.
Can you get heated cloth seats?
Yep, you can get heated seats whether they’re finished in cloth, leather, faux leather, Alcantara or mixed fabric.
It just depends on whether the car you’re looking at has them as an option (even low-end brands offer heated seats these days).
How do heated seats work in cars?
Heated seats use heated elements, usually made of fine wires, in the seat cushion and lower part of the backrest that have sensors to make sure they don’t overheat.