5 of the best tower fans for families tried and tested

The problem is, with so many tower fans on the market (and with a range of safety considerations when buying a fan to use around your family) it can be difficult to know what to choose.

Best tower fans at a glance:

• Best for year round use: Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool™ Formaldehyde HP09 purifying fan heater, £699.99
• Best for simplicity: Beldray 32 inch tower fan, £42.99
• Best lightweight option: Status 29 inch tower fan, £27.99
• Best oscillating function: electriQ 9 inch Quiet Low Energy Oscillating Pedestal Fan, £59.99
• Best entry level Dyson fan: Dyson Cool Auto React Purifying Fan, £449.99

There's no shortage of budget options that will provide at least some relief from the heat at home, but is it better to invest in something with more features?

We’ve picked out and tested 5 of the best tower fans available on the market that we think will work for you family, at a range of budgets.

• Jump to is it safe to use a tower fan around children?
• Jump to how we tested tower fans

1. Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09 purifying fan heater, £699.99

– Best for year round use

Speed settings: 10 | Cord Length: 2m | Remote Control: Yes | Air Filtration: Yes, Fully Sealed to HEPA H13 standard, detects and destroys formaldehyde | Oscillation: Yes | Timer: Yes, up to 6 hours | Weight: 5.5kg | Dimensions: 76.4 x 20 x 24.8

Pros:

• Very energy efficient
• Bladeless
• App control is useful
• Heating and cooling functions

Cons:

• Expensive
• Plastic used in packaging
• Easy to knock over

While the Dyson Hot+Cool HP09 is very expensive at the outset some of this cost is offset by the fan's remarkable energy efficiency. When testing, it took our energy meter 20 minutes to register 0.01p on its medium cooling speed setting (without oscillation turned on) meaning that over the course of 1 hour of use it would cost only 0.03p to use or 0.24p for 8 hours.

As you’d expect for a fan in this price range, the build quality is solid, though it is made of mostly hard plastic which we found surprising during our testing. The design is modern and sleek and the curves and rounded edges improve safety, although the lip around the fan opening is slightly sharp.

Noise wise, the fan was relatively quiet averaging 55 dB on its medium setting, though it is worth noting that the fan was considerably louder on its highest speed setting hitting a high of 78 dB.

Considering the price, members of our Top Testers Club raved about the quality of Dyson tower fans. Parent tester Hannah noted that they are "ridiculously expensive but extremely effective and also no chance of little fingers getting hurt or hair stuck in them."

Available at: Dyson, John Lewis, Currys

2. Beldray 32 inch tower fan, £42.99

– Best for simplicity

Speed settings: 3 | Cord Length: 2m | Remote Control: No | Air Filtration: No | Oscillation: Yes | Timer: Yes, up to 2 hours | Weight: 2.76kg | Dimensions: 81.0 x 26.0 x 26.0

Pros:

• Reasonably priced
• Easy to use controls
• Built-in handles
• Easy to store

Cons:

• Base is small and unstable
• Costs more to run
• Plastic used in packaging
• Oscillation isn't great

The body of the Beldray tower fan is made of plastic but it feels bulky and hard wearing, helping it to stand-up to the rigours of family life. We did find the control dials quite fragile and could easily be broken if the fan was knocked over.

There are no blades but the vent leading to the fan mechanism is fairly narrow. Despite this, it is still worth checking your child's fingers can't reach the fan unit inside.

Where you'll likely notice the biggest compromise, however, is in the Beldray model's energy efficiency. In our testing, we measured an energy usage of 0.22p over 15 minutes or 0.88p over 1 hour on its medium setting, significantly higher than both Dyson models and the electriQ fan we tested.

The Beldray is a great budget buy, though the cheaper build quality and unstable base mean we wouldn’t advise leaving your child unsupervised around the fan.

Available at: Currys and Boots

3. Status 29 inch tower fan, £34.99

– Best lightweight option

Speed settings: 3 | Cord Length: 1.8m | Remote Control: No | Air Filtration: No | Oscillation: Yes | Timer: Yes, up to 2 hours | Weight: 2.745kg | Dimensions: 24D x 24W x 76H

Pros:

• Lightweight
• Reasonably priced
• Built-in handles

Cons:

• Base is small and unstable
• Lots of plastic used in packaging
• Control dials are fragile

Looking for a basic, lightweight fan to wheel out whenever the weather heats up? This option from Status could be the one. The lightweight is primarily achieved through the use of a plastic body which is hard wearing and solid if a little cheap looking.

When it comes to running costs, the Status fan is comparable to the Beldray model using 0.22p of energy after 15 minutes of use on its medium setting. It is, however, significantly noisier than the Beldray model with a peak noise level of 61 dB on its medium setting. We also noticed a strange clicking noise when the fan was in use that appeared to be caused by the timer which contributed to the increased noise level.

That being said, this simple, reasonably priced and easy to store model is a great option for a family looking for a quick solution during a heatwave. It’s not feature rich but it is low-profile and, thanks to the simple design, easy to keep clean.

Available at: Currys and Amazon

4. electriQ 9 Inch Quiet Low Energy DC Oscillating Pedestal Fan, £59.99

– Best oscillating function

Speed settings: 32 | Cord Length: 1.5m | Remote Control: Yes | Air Filtration: No | Oscillation: Yes | Timer: Yes, up to 12 hours | Weight: 3kg | Dimensions: 75cm height, 32cm depth, 32cm width

Pros:

• Vertical oscillation
• Wide range of fan speeds
• Remote control
• Great build quality
• Very quiet

Cons:

• Fan is top heavy
• Gaps in vent are large
• Lots of plastic used in packaging

The electriQ 9 inch fan was the biggest surprise of the bunch during our testing. It is a feature rich, highly economical and remarkably quiet fan that would be a great pick for homes with slightly older children.

There’s also the 32 speed settings, more than any other fan we tested, which offer you fine tuned control over how fast or slow you want the fan to blow in your home. Considering that this is a fraction of the price of the Dyson models, the speed settings and vertical oscillation really make it a stand out option for families looking for something a bit more premium that won’t break the bank.

The electriQ is also very energy efficient. During our testing, it used only 0.03p of energy after 15 minutes on its medium setting, so running the fan for 1 hour would only cost 0.12p. It’s not quite as efficient as the Dyson Hot+Cool tower fan but it beats out the rest of the fans we tested.

Overall, if you’re looking for an economical fan that feels premium and doesn’t cost the earth and you have a family with older children then the electriQ is a great option.

Available at: Appliances Direct

5. Dyson Purifier Cool Auto React, 449.99

– Best entry level Dyson fan

Speed settings: 10 | Cord Length: 1.5m | Remote Control: Yes | Air Filtration: Yes, Glass fiber HEPA filter | Oscillation: Yes | Timer: Yes, up to 8 hours | Weight: 5kg | Dimensions: 1,050mm height, 220mm length, 204mm wide

Pros:

• Sleek and simple design
• Excellent cooling performance
• Easy assembly
• Remote control
• Quiet

Cons:

• Plastic used in packaging
• No app control
• Easy to knock over

If you’re looking to buy a Dyson fan but the Hot+Cool model is outside of your price range, then the Dyson Purifier Cool Auto React is a great option.

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The notable difference here is that the base isn’t adjustable in the same way as the more expensive model. While this does mean that the fan is stuck at one angle, it also means that the base is somewhat more stable, particularly on a hard surface. The non-slip feet also work very well on hard and carpeted surfaces, with the fan being particularly hard to move on carpeted surfaces thanks to their friction.

It also provide some of the best cooling performance amongst the fans we tested. Where the other four options maintained the room temperature, the Auto React actually saw a drop of almost 1 degree in the room temperature from 25.7 to 24.8 degrees after 15 minutes.

Overall, if you’re looking for a fan that will last a long time and doubles up as an air filter to keep your family home cool and clean then the Auto React is a great option.

Available at: Dyson

Is it safe to use a tower fan around children?

How safe it is to use a tower fan depends on a range of factors, from the age of your child to the components of the fan itself. For example, using a tower fan to cool your bedroom while your baby sleeps in their crib is different to leaving a tower fan in the same room as an unsupervised toddler.

Even with a baby, it is important to only use a fan to cool the room, and never face it directly towards a cot or bedside crib. As the NCT notes, "never aim the fan directly at the body as that can cause dehydration."

NHS advice suggests using a fan to "circulate the air in the room," noting that your baby will sleep most comfortably when the temperature is between 16C and 20C. They suggest using a nursery thermometer to help monitor the temperature of your baby's room.

All the fans we tested come with timers built in to automatically shut off after a certain duration. This is designed to prevent overheating and overconsumption of energy and can be a great way to ensure safety when using a tower fan in the same room as you and your baby. That being said, the experts at Electrical Safety First advise that it is a potential fire risk to leave your fan running overnight or while you are out of the house.

Parents with older children might consider using a tower fan to cool their child's room down at the beginning of the night if it's used in conjunction with a baby monitor, before turning it off when you go to bed.

Overall, it is safe to use a tower fan around children but it is not advised to leave it in the same room as your child while they sleep. Supervision and adherence to the safety guidance of individual products is the best way to ensure your family stays safe.