The fourth heatwave of summer 2025 is upon us, making the best air cooler an essential at home. Whether you want a breezy afternoon when working from your desk or need a good night’s sleep in hot conditions, a cooling appliance is a must.
Evaporative air coolers offer a happy medium between a budget fan and a pricey, electricity-guzzling portable air conditioner. While an air cooler won’t give you the same icy chill as an air conditioner, these gadgets have far more cooling power than fans and will take the temperature down a few degrees. Plus, they don’t need to be vented out of a window and can do this without racking up a costly electrical and environmental bill.
So, how do they work? Simply put, they use the power of evaporative cooling. What that means is that inside every air cooler is a water tank, an absorbent sheet and a fan. You fill the water tank up with ice and water (the colder the better), and the sheet soaks it up. The water then evaporates from the sheet, cooling the air in the process, and the fan then pushes this cooler air out into the room.
To help you take the edge off the summer heat, I’ve tried and tested the best air coolers on the market. Some are smart and can be controlled with an app, some have larger water tanks, and some come with ice packs. They aren’t perfect, so don’t get your hopes too high, but they will certainly make things more bearable.
How I tested
Having researched air coolers (and reviewed the best portable air conditioners and handheld fans), I know the brands that make top-performing home cooling equipment. For context, I run warm, making me the ideal candidate for this task of reviewing the best air coolers.
As with all IndyBest content, I’ve had hands-on experience with all of the air coolers in this review, and performed real-world testing using the following criteria:
- Ease of set-up: I set up these air coolers throughout my home in 30C heat, filling their water tanks with lots of ice and cold water for maximum efficiency. I considered whether the instructions were user-friendly and how easy it was to find space for and set up the appliance.
- Features: I’ve thoroughly tested each of the machine’s features and controls to see how well they work. I noted down particularly useful features.
- Portability: I also looked at portability. You don’t want to attempt storing a large air cooler away in the autumn if you don’t have the room. Some are designed to be placed on a desk or bedside table, while others are floor-standing. I’ve looked at all the different types to find the best ones to beat the heat.
- Cooling ability: Above all, a good air cooler has to cool a room. I used the smart thermostat within my home to measure the temperature of a room before and after turning on the unit. I favoured the models that were quick and efficient at cooling my home.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Alex Lee is The Independent’s senior tech critic. He is well-versed in turning a critical eye on the latest household appliances, having written reviews for IndyBest since 2021. For this review, he consulted experts on the key features to look for in an air cooler and tried and tested multiple appliances before landing on his pick of the best. Beyond this, he runs warm – so, he’s also reviewed everything from the best handheld fans to AC units in a bid to stay cool as a cucumber during the summer heat. This means he’s well-equipped to assess and determine effective cooling gear. But he’s also the toughest critic.
The best air coolers for 2025 are:
- Best overall – Princess smart air cooler: £130, Wickes.co.uk
- Best budget buy – Black + Decker air cooler: £109, Jdwilliams.co.uk
- Best smart tech option – Igenix 10L smart digital air cooler: £109.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for powerful cooling – Pro Breeze air cooler: £249, Probreeze.co.uk
- Best budget personal model – JML Chillmax Air Pure 2.0: £39.99, Amazon.co.uk
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Princess smart air cooler 3.5l
Best: Air cooler overall
Fan speeds: 3
Tank capacity: 3.5l
Controls: Remote and via the app
Max airflow: 1188 m3/h
Noise level: 55db
Dimensions: H76cm x W22 cm x D28 cm
Weight: 4kg
Why we love it
- Lightweight
- Works with an app
- Quick and quiet cooling
Take note
- Small tank capacit
If you want to feel like royalty while trying to escape the heat, then no brand better fits this description than Princess. The brand’s smart air cooler not only looks sleek and modern with a touch-screen display, but it also cooled me down in 30C heat. I loved that I could control it with the Princess Home app, at home or outdoors – it’s honestly the dream being able to turn the air cooler on half an hour before you get home so that, when you put the key into the door and walk into the bedroom, you're met with a beautifully chilled room.
While it wasn’t the most powerful air cooler I’ve tested, working most effectively in smaller rooms, it features a more efficient motor, making it surprisingly quiet for its size. I also loved that I could set up schedules and timers within the Princess Home app. There’s even a remote included for increasing the fan speed and switching modes. The water tank is fairly small, however, so you won’t be able to stuff it full of ice packs. Princess does give two small ice-pack bottles in the box, but they only just fit inside the tank.
Its small, slim profile also meant that it was easy to move from room to room. While it doesn’t come with casters like the other models on this list, it’s so light that I could just pick it up and move it around. It’s a great little machine that oscillates smoothly around my room to keep me cool and comfortable.
Buy now £130.00, Wickes.co.uk
Black + Decker BXAC65001GB air cooler
Best: Budget air cooler
Fan speeds: 3
Tank capacity: 7l
Controls : Push-button controls
Max airflow: 1167 m3/h
Noise level: 49db
Dimensions: H77cm x W30cm x D31cm
Weight: 7.5kg
Why we love it
- Powerful cooling
- Large water tank capacity
Take note
- Inadequately small ice packs
- No remot
If you want an air cooler with a large enough capacity to fit multiple ice packs and litres and litres of water, without needing a refill, I’m a big fan of Black + Decker’s tower air cooler. It’s a free-standing machine with a 7l tank capacity and easy-to-use button controls. It’s pretty light and easy to shift around the house, with casters inside the box, too.
Adding water to the tank can be a bit of a fuss because of the lock pump, which has to be attached to the tank when put back in. I found it easier to fill the tank with water while it was still partially inside the machine, rather than untangling the pump and taking the whole thing out. But it evaporated water through the honeycomb filter well and effectively cooled my room down.
There are two different modes – air cooling or the fan-only mode, which can oscillate automatically. There’s no timer or sleep mode on this manual model, but you can pay a little bit extra for the model with a remote (£79.99, Amazon.co.uk), and you’ll get those features. And while there are two ice packs in the box, they’re so small that you’re probably better off running out to the supermarket and buying a tray of ice cubes yourself.
Buy now £109.00, Jdwilliams.co.uk
Evapolar Evalight plus personal air cooler
Best: Air cooler for a desk
Fan speeds: 4
Tank capacity: 1l
Controls: Control wheel on-device
Max airflow: N/A
Noise level: 45db
Dimensions: H18cm x W18cm x D18cm
Weight: 1.27kg
Why we love it
- Can be plugged into your laptop or power bank
- Small and portable
- Has a colour-changing LED nightlight
- Doesn’t oscillate
Take note
- Fairly pric
Evapolar’s Evalight plus is an engineering marvel. The tiny box-shaped “personal” air cooler is a portable air cooler, purifier and humidifier all in one, and it can be plugged into the mains, a laptop or a power bank using the included USB cable. It’s intended to be placed on your desk or bedside table, and it works a dream at delivering a strong, cool breeze directly to your face.
There’s a cartridge on the inside that absorbs the water from the tank, then the fan blows the evaporating water through the vents on the front. The filter on the inside is made from inorganic fibres, which Evapolar says should stop mould and bacteria forming (though this does need to be replaced every six months). I loved that I could just pull up the water tank attached to the side of the air cooler to fill it up and then slot it back in. No fussing with a lock pump. That tank also turns into a soothing nightlight when it’s on with different colour options.
The super-modern control wheel on the top can be turned clockwise to increase the fan speed and anti-clockwise to lower it. The display, used to control the LED light, also shows you the temperature in your room and what temperature it’s blowing out (for me, it showed 31C inside and 23C blowing out). It does get a little loud when on the highest setting, but it worked really well, and it’s intelligently designed. It will also last about an hour before needing another refill of water.
The only real downside is the price. Full-size tower air coolers cost less, and the vent also doesn’t automatically oscillate – you have to direct the grills towards your face manually.
Buy now £139.00, Amazon.co.uk
Igenix 10l smart digital air cooler IGFD7010WIFI
Best: Smart tech air cooler
Fan speeds: 3
Tank capacity: 10l
Controls: Remote and Smart Life app
Max airflow: N/A
Noise level: N/A
Dimensions: H77cm x W27cm x D26cm
Weight: 8kg
Why we love it
- Looks pretty in the home
- Large water tank
- Large oscillation field
Take note
- Not the most powerful fan
The Igenix smart digital air cooler is an absolute work of art – I may as well have just stolen it from the Louvre, and it’s also a top contender thanks to its smarts. The modern-looking machine can be controlled with the touch-control buttons on the top, the remote or the Smart Life app, which I already use a lot at home (so no learning new applications). Plus, it works with Alexa and Google Assistant, so I never had to get out of bed to turn it off.
It is a fairly simple machine to operate, generally speaking. There are three fan speeds, a night mode and a timer function – you can programme it to power off after two hours, four hours or eight – but is a great little machine. I loved that it came with the wheels already on the bottom, so I didn’t have to screw them on myself. Plus, it covers a lot of room when it oscillates, featuring 120 degrees of oscillation. Though I often found it performed most effectively when the fan was directed right at me. I also loved the huge 10l water tank, which could be loaded up with ice packs (you get two in the box, but they’re pretty rudimentary) and cold water.
Buy now £109.00, Amazon.co.uk
Pro Breeze air cooler 5l
Best: For powerful cooling
Fan speeds: 3
Tank capacity: 5l
Controls: Remote control
Max airflow: N/A
Noise level: N/A
Dimensions: H70cm x W28cm x D26cm
Weight: 7.96kg
Why we love it
- Powerful
- Comes with a remote
Take note
- Can get smelly if you don’t clean it
Pro Breeze’s air cooler was an absolute star when it came to cooling my room down quickly and quietly. It’s a heatwave hero and effectively brought the heat down in my living room. I liked that it featured a buckle to lock the water tank in place and that I could control the seven-hour timer and sleep modes using the included remote. Oh, and you get some good quality ice packs with the Pro Breeze.
It’s one of the most powerful coolers I’ve tested, really helping to bring the heat down in my room by a few degrees. It oscillated smoothly, reaching a good portion of my room, and the inclusion of a natural mode was a nice touch. It decreased the fan speed by one every 30 minutes, something I found useful when heading to bed. Again, as with most air coolers, the inside pump lock in the water tank can be fiddly to click into place, but once you get to grips with it, it’s simple enough. Most of the time, I just brought a bucket of water to the tank instead of taking the reservoir to the sink.
Another thing to note is that the air cooler can get a little smelly if you don’t change the water or don’t clean the cardboard honeycomb filter on first use (they’re not nicknamed swamp coolers for no reason). Just remember to pour out the excess liquid when you’ve finished using it. The cooler is currently sold out, but bookmark the page ahead of it being restocked.
Buy now £99.99, Probreeze.com
JML chillmax pure 2.0
Best: Budget personal air cooler
Fan speeds: 4
Tank capacity: Not specified
Controls: On-device controls
Max airflow: N/A
Noise level: N/A
Dimensions: H16cm x W14cm x D17cm
Weight: 1.6kg
Why we love it
- Nice LED colours
- Affordable
Take note
- Only good for one person
- Quite lou
If the Evapolar evalight plus (£149, Currys.co.uk) is too far out of your budget, but you still want a personal air cooler that can sit on your desk, JML’s chillmax pure 2.0 is a great budget option. While it doesn’t work via USB – you’ll need to plug it into the wall, but that’s a small compromise for cool air at a budget – it performed just as well when it came to cooling down my personal space.
Great for kids’ bedrooms, it has an LED light that switches between seven different colours and there are four different fan speed settings. There’s even a setting that gets it to produce a fine mist, but I found it to be more of a fun little gimmick than something that was actually useful. There’s a washable silver-infused filter on the inside too, something that JML says is handy for stopping mould from building up.
I liked that I could fill the reservoir from the top, and that it lasted about seven hours before I had to refill the water tank. One drawback is the sound of the fan – it’s incredibly loud for such a small device, and sounds like it could be twice the size based on the volume it produces. Nonetheless, it’s a handy little gadget – just be sure to angle it at your face, or you won’t feel the effects.
Buy now £39.99, Robertdyas.co.uk
Which is the best air cooler?
The best air cooler has to be the Princess smart air cooler. It’s modern, covers a large space, is easy to fill with water, can be controlled using the Princess Home app and of course, kept me cool in nearly 30C heat.
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