As The Independent’s senior tech critic and someone who’s been testing cooling appliances for years (including everything from the best air coolers to portable handheld fans), I’ve found that fans are an affordable, energy-saving solution to beat the heat. But when it’s really stifling, the best portable air conditioners are what I’d recommend.
An air conditioner works by pulling warm air out of a room and replacing it with cooler air. While wall-mounted units are an option, they’re expensive to install and often not used enough throughout the year to make that cost worthwhile, so portable models tend to be the more practical choice.
Before buying a portable air conditioner, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. They need to vent hot air outside through a hose, usually via a window or wall. Most come with window kits to improve efficiency, but these are generally designed for sliding or sash windows, meaning you’ll likely need to keep the window partially open. They’re also fairly bulky and heavy, although most are fitted with wheels to make moving them around easier.
It’s also worth noting that air conditioners are rated in British Thermal Units (BTUs), which indicate their cooling power. The higher the BTU, the more powerful the unit. As a guide, a 7,000 BTU portable air conditioner is typically suitable for a small room of around 18–20 square metres. If the BTU rating is too low for the space, it won’t be able to cool the room effectively.
With another heatwave on the way, now is the time to invest. To help you decide which model to choose, I’ve been testing a range of portable ACs in my very toasty flat since 2021. After making my selection from brands I trust, I assessed them rigorously against a set of criteria (speed settings, energy efficiency and noise, for example). Keep reading for my top picks – it’s worth noting that owing to popularity, the stock of these ACs is quickly changing.
The best portable air conditioner units for 2026 are:
- Best overall – MeacoCool MC pro series 9000 portable air conditioner: £349.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for bedrooms – De'Longhi pinguino PAC EX120 silent: £877, Ukelectricalsupplies.com
- Best lightweight AC – Honeywell HX series 9000BTU portable air conditioner: £339.99, Airconcentre.co.uk
- Best with wifi connectivity – Black+Decker 5000 BXAC40023GB air conditioner: £199, Amazon.co.uk
Read more: Best fans to keep cool during a heatwave, tested by experts
How I tested
I’ve been working as a consumer journalist for more than a decade. But perhaps more importantly, I run warm, so I’ve tested everything, including wearable air conditioners and, of course, portable air conditioners in a bid to stay cool as a cucumber during the heat. This means I’m well-versed in assessing and separating effective cooling gear from duds. I know how to cut through the noise of product specification and marketing and try to determine what makes one product stand out from the next.
Read more: Best dehumidifiers to tackle damp at home, tested by an expert
MeacoCool MC pro series 9000 portable air conditioner
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Best: portable air conditioner overall
BTU rating: 9,000
Dimensions: 70.1cm x 34.1cm x 33.5cm
Speed settings: 2
Weight: 23.5kg
Energy rating: A
Noise level: 52-54dB
Included remote: Yes
Why we love it
- Easy to move around
- Can be controlled using the app
- Really quiet
Take note
- Not suitable for large spaces
It’s not often I get excited about boxy-looking portable air conditioners, but I knew Meaco’s all-new pro series portable air conditioner was going to be a summer hero the second I took it out of its packaging.
The pro version of the MeacoCool MC series 9000 (my previous best buy) is an absolute dream. Just like the older model, it’s easy to shift from room to room, it’s (relatively) unobtrusive and it’s small enough to store away during the winter when it’s not in use. More than that, it brings on board my most requested feature – wifi support via Meaco’s new app.
While the app definitely still needs some work, I loved that I could quickly and easily pre-cool my room before arriving home, meaning it was as chilly as a supermarket as soon as I walked in. I could even set the timer directly through the app. The most enjoyable thing was that when I was too far from the remote at night, I could just turn on the app to toggle off the AC. Simple.
With its 9,000 BTU rating, it’s best for small to medium-sized rooms, so bedrooms and small living rooms (16-26 square metres). It was also smaller and lighter than many units I tested, weighing a mere 23.5kg and standing only 70cm tall. This meant I could easily wheel it around the house and drag it up the stairs. It also had one of the longest ducts of all the appliances, so I had a little more flexibility with where I positioned it.
Best of all, it comes with both a standard window kit and a flexible kit, which – rejoice! – works on any window and makes a huge difference in cooling. It has a 24-hour timer, sleep mode and remote control. Plus, it’s a lot quieter than the original model.
If you spend some more, you can upgrade to the Meaco 9000CH pro portable air conditioner, which also has a reverse heat pump – that means you can use it as a heater in the winter months as well as an AC in the summer months.
Buy now £349.99, Amazon.co.uk
Black+Decker 5000 BXAC40023GB air conditioner
Best: affordable portable air conditioner with wifi
BTU rating: 5,000
Dimensions: 70cm x 30cm x 30cm
Speed settings: 3
Weight: Unspecified
Energy rating: A
Noise level: 56dB
Included remote: Yes
Why we love it
- Very light
- Works with the Smart Life app
Take note
- Not the most powerful
It’s very hard to find a smart portable air conditioner at a cheap price. Air cons are pretty expensive already, and smart app controls make them even pricier. But Black+Decker’s air conditioners are smart and controllable from your phone – and they’re not too costly.
One of my favourites is the Black+Decker 5000 BTU, a highly portable, lightweight model that looks sleek and modern in the home. Featuring curved edges and a black top with capacitive touch buttons, it’s a doddle to use. It’s not the most powerful air conditioner unit, but it managed to cool down my small office room in about 45 minutes.
There are three modes – cooling, dehumidifying and a standalone fan mode – as well as a handy child lock button. The only downsides are that it’s loud and pricey. Despite its size, it’s about as loud as the 9,000 BTU models I tested.
It’s also good to note this air conditioner uses the Smart Life app instead of the Black+Decker app, so don’t mistakenly download the wrong one. Once you’re set up with the Smart Life app, it’s easy to turn the air conditioner on and off from outside the house; turn on sleep mode; and bump up the speed setting. It’s a small machine, but a mighty one, and it’s great to finally have a smart portable unit.
Buy now £199, Amazon.co.uk
Honeywell HX series 9000BTU portable air conditioner
Best: lightweight portable air conditioner
BTU rating: 9,000
Dimensions: 33.5cm x 69.8cm x 28.5cm
Speed settings: 2
Weight: 21.4 kg
Energy rating: A
Noise level: Maximum 65 dBa
Included remote: Yes
Why we love it
- Easy to move around
Take note
- Noisy
- Doesn't connect to an app
Honeywell’s HX 9000BTU unit is a powerful AC that took my medium-sized bedroom from stuffy to comfortably cool in 20 minutes. Much like the other ACs in this review, it doubles up as a fan and a dehumidifier. There are two fan speed settings, with the highest cooling a space fast – but that does come at the cost of noise, I found it too loud to sleep with it on.
The direction of airflow can be changed from either up or down, but not side to side – something I would’ve found helpful.
All of the settings can be adjusted on the LED touch control panel, which looks neat but is slightly fiddly to navigate, so I was pleased to have the remote control. It’s a shame that the aircon unit isn’t supported by the Honeywell app.
In terms of design, it’s a good-looking appliance with integrated handles and wheels that make it easier to carry and manoeuvre.
All things considered, this is a powerful and very effective mid-range option.
Buy now £339.99, Airconcentre.co.uk
De'Longhi pinguino PAC EX120 silent
Best: portable air conditioner for bedrooms
BTU rating: 11,500
Dimensions: 39cm x 44.5cm x 80.5cm
Speed settings: 3
Weight: 32kg
Energy rating: A
Noise level: 52dB
Included remote: Yes
Why we love it
- Good design
- Easy to use
- Quiet
Take note
- Pricey
This De'Longhi pinguino air conditioner is very easy to work with. You can tweak the temperature or fan speed from the remote, or even program the timer without budging from the sofa. It lowered the temperature in my kitchen in no time, thanks to its high BTU rating, and because the hose was slimmer than other models, I didn’t need to open my windows quite as widely. It has a dehumidifier function, a timer and a useful light to indicate if conditions are uncomfortable, acceptable or optimal.
Best of all, it was much quieter than most units, albeit not quite silent, as the name suggests. It operates with a decibel range between 49 and 53, and I soon stopped really noticing it. It would be a great addition to a home office or child’s bedroom, though it can also cool much larger rooms of up to 110 metres cubed. The big drawback, however, is the price. £800 is a lot to spend on keeping cool.
Buy now £961, Amazon.co.uk
MeacoCool MC series 14,000 portable air conditioner
Best: powerful portable air conditioner
BTU rating: 14,000
Dimensions: 76.2cm x 35.3cm x 47cm
Speed settings: 3
Weight: 31.5kg
Energy rating: A
Noise level: 51-53dB
Included remote: Yes
Why we love it
- Extremely powerful
- Quick at cooling
Take note
- Fairly large
- Difficult to move around
The MeacoCool MC 14000 is the second largest portable conditioner in British company Meaco’s armoury. With 14,000 BTUs, it can cool rooms between 25-35 square metres, and it made quick work of cooling down my living room, though this one doesn’t have wifi.
It’s a beast of a portable air conditioner, weighing a hefty 31.5kg and roaring like an aircraft engine. As a result, it’s difficult to move around, but there are casters on the bottom, which help. While it does look like a big clunking refrigerator, especially sitting in the corner of my room, it’s extremely powerful, cooling my room down by 6C in just 25 minutes. There are two other modes – a dry mode, for dehumidification, and a fan mode, if you want to use it like a fan, though I found this less useful, because it only swivels to a 90-degree angle, meaning I didn’t feel the breeze when I was sitting lower than the unit.
Despite costing significantly less than the De’Longhi pinguino below and weighing roughly the same, it’s more efficient, with 14,000 BTUs. This is the air con unit you want in a heatwave. Popping into the room it’s in will feel like you’ve just stepped out of the desert and into the Arctic. There’s also a new R290 refrigerant inside, which Meaco says makes it more environmentally friendly.
Another model that’s currently out of stock, I’d recommend signing up to receive an email when it’s back.
Read our full MeacoCool MC 14000 review
Buy now £403.96, Airconcentre.co.uk
VonHaus 7000 BTU portable air conditioner
Best: budget portable air conditioner
BTU rating: 7,000
Dimensions: 72cm x 33cm x 28cm
Speed settings: 2
Weight: 22kg
Energy rating: A
Noise level: 52dB
Included remote: Yes
Why we love it
- Quick cooling
- Relatively affordable
- Nice automatic mode
Take note
- Hose is quite short
Vonhaus’s 7,000 BTU portable air conditioner is a really affordable machine for what you get. While it’s a little basic, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad machine.
It cooled my room quickly and efficiently. It was also quieter than most of the portable ACs I’ve tested, matching the Meaco series 9000. It has 7,000 BTUs, so it’s ideal for small to medium rooms, and the casters underneath make it easy to wheel around. I also liked that I could pick it up using the handle if I wanted.
While it comes with a window venting kit, it’s only good for sliding and double windows, and the hose was actually a little too short for my high windows, so bear this in mind.
There are two fan-speed settings, and I was able to set timers and turn down the temperature with the included remote (though it’s quite flimsy). I particularly liked the automatic mode, which kicked the portable AC into gear when the temperature in my room exceeded 24C and switched to fan mode when it fell below 24C. Really neat. Owing to popularity, this is sold out – I’d recommend signing up for stock notifications.
Buy now £214.99, Vonhaus.com
ProBreeze 7000 BTU portable air conditioner
Best: mid-range portable air conditioner
BTU rating: 7,000
Dimensions: 31.5cm x 31cm x 70cm
Speed settings: 2
Weight: 24.5kg
Energy rating: A
Noise level: 53-54 dBA
Included remote: Yes
Why we love it
- Quick to cool the room
- Easy to manoeuvre on wood floors
Take note
- Noisy when in operation
- Setting up the seal was a little fiddly
While it’s not the most powerful air conditioner in Pro Breeze’s arsenal, the 7,000 BTU AC is a great mid-range unit. It has four modes in one: a sleep mode, two fan speeds, a dehumidifier mode and, of course, a temperature-targeted cooling mode, which enables you to cool rooms down to as low as 16C. With a digital display on top of the unit and an included remote, you can adjust the fan speed and mode without leaving your bed.
As well as the unit, inside the box, you’ll get an exhaust hose and two sealing kits – one for sliding windows, one for hinged windows. I used the latter on my window, and it wasn’t the most straightforward to set up. That said, when the Velcro had been applied to the right window frames (both inner and outer), it was easy enough to attach the seal and slip the hose through the zip.
Clunky setup aside, my only other complaint is how loud the machine is. All in all, for less than £300, I think this is a pretty impressive unit and it cools a room down fast.
While it’s out of stock at the minute, it’s definitely worth signing up to be notified when it’s back.
Buy now £289.99, ProBreeze
Your questions about the best portable air conditioners answered
What is the best portable air conditioner?
The MeacoCool MC pro series 9000 was definitely the easiest air conditioning unit to use at home, thanks to its longer hose, smaller size and wifi support. Unless you’re cooling a huge area, it’s a no-brainer. For slightly bigger rooms, look to the De’Longhi pinguino.
How do portable air conditioners work?
What makes portable air conditioners so effective is that, unlike fans, which just cool you down, portable air conditioners physically lower the temperature in the room. It does this by sucking up the hot air inside the room, expelling that hot air out through the window via an exhaust hose, and then replacing that hot air with cooler air. Fans, on the other hand, just circulate a breeze around the room, which is still effective, but not on extremely hot days.
How much does a portable air conditioner cost to run?
Portable air conditioners can cost anywhere between £250 to more than £1,000, depending on the product’s BTU rating. While fans are considerably cheaper, portable conditioners are worth investing in if you’re looking to cool down a larger space.
Cheaper models with a lower BTU rating tend to be below the £300 mark and generally aren’t worth buying unless you want to condition a small room. Higher BTU models are bigger, pricier and can cool a larger space.
Portable air conditioners cost significantly more to run than fans. They cost roughly 44p per hour. If you use your air conditioner for 4 hours and 18 minutes during the day – the UK average – and 4 hours and 48 minutes at night, it’s estimated you’ll pay roughly £28 per week. Air conditioners with an A energy rating are the most efficient to run.
If you’re not investing in an air conditioner that can set timers or has a smart app, we’d recommend investing in a smart AC controller, such as the Tado smart AC control V3+. This will help you manage and control your unit, so it runs more efficiently.
What size room does a portable AC cool?
Air conditioners are measured in British Thermal Units (BTUs) – the higher the BTU, the more powerful it is. A portable AC with 7,000 BTUs should cool a small room of around 18-20 square metres. A unit with too low a BTU for the space won’t cool it effectively.
How I tested portable air conditioners
As with all IndyBest content, I’ve had hands-on experience with all of the air conditioners in this review, and performed real-world testing using the following criteria.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Alex Lee is The Independent’s senior tech critic. Alongside critiquing the latest launches from the likes of Apple and Nintendo, he has reviewed home cooling technology since 2021, finding everything from the best handheld fans to air coolers. As someone who runs warm, staying cool as a cucumber during the summer heat is important to him, so he’s the toughest critic when it comes to these appliances. Beyond this, Alex has consulted experts on the key features to look for in an air conditioner unit and tried and tested multiple appliances before landing on his pick of the best.
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