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Plug in timer socket UK: choose the type before the brand

Updated: October 2026

You have a lamp that should come on at dusk, or a fan you do not want left running, and a search for a plug in timer socket UK returns white dials from £4.25 and digital pairs nearer £19. The wall socket looks the same for all of them, which is why people buy on price and then find the timer cannot do a different day, or was never meant for a cylinder. This page is the decision before a model name. It is from the Products Compared editorial team on 21 October 2026, using the eleven amazon.co.uk listings in this comparison. It is not a lab test. The rows are on the [Timer switch comparison](/hub/electrical-equipment/timer-switch).

You have a lamp that should come on at dusk, or a fan you do not want left running, and a search for a plug in timer socket UK returns white dials from £4.25 and digital pairs nearer £19.

Our top picks

Status Status IONOS 24 Hour Plug-in Timer Switch

Best overall

Status Status IONOS 24 Hour Plug-in Timer Switch
9.0/10about £4.95
View offer
Defender Defender 24 Hour Segment Timer Plug Socket

Rank 2

Defender Defender 24 Hour Segment Timer Plug Socket
8.8/10about £7.95
View offer
NOVKIT NOVKIT Digital Security Timer Plug Socket, 2 pack

Rank 3

NOVKIT NOVKIT Digital Security Timer Plug Socket, 2 pack
8.6/10about £18.74
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What you are actually plugging in
  2. 2.The number on the timer
  3. 3.Daily dial or a week of programmes
  4. 4.What the cheap listings do not state
  5. 5.Where to go next

What you are actually plugging in

Four jobs sit in this comparison, and only two of them are a plug you can pull out. A mechanical plug-in repeats one day in 15-minute blocks, or in 30-minute blocks on one HBN three-pack. A digital plug-in, the NOVKIT and SURAIELEC pairs, adds a week pattern and a random offset, and both state a battery. A wired segment timer is the HBN 16 A unit for an immersion, and it is not a socket. A countdown wall switch is the LIDER, with buttons from 1 to 30 minutes. If the load is a cylinder, leave this page for the immersion one. Everyone else is choosing a plug-in for a lamp, a fan, holiday lights, or a tank light.

The number on the timer

A UK plug-in timer has to suit a BS 1363 socket. That is regulation 35 of the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016. Defender states up to 3200 W. The HBN plug-ins and the MDCMLKS pair state up to 3120 W, which is the usual arithmetic of 13 A at about 240 V. The HBN three-pack highlight says 13 A / 2900 W while a bullet says up to 3120 W, so the two lines on one page do not agree. Use the figure printed on the unit you receive. One plug in the timer. If the case is hot, cracked, or smelling, stop using it.
Status Status IONOS 24 Hour Plug-in Timer Switch

Testsieger

Status Status IONOS 24 Hour Plug-in Timer Switch
9.0/10about £4.95
View offer

Daily dial or a week of programmes

If the lamp is on at the same minutes every day, a mechanical dial is the type. You push segments for the on blocks and turn the dial to the time now. There is no day-of-week on the mechanical listings here, and no random offset. The shortest step is 15 minutes on Defender, both HBN 15-minute packs, MDCMLKS, and both Status models. On the HBN three-pack the minimum is 30 minutes. A digital plug-in is the type when Tuesday should differ from Saturday. That choice, including the tick and what a power cut does, is on mechanical vs digital timer plug. A mechanical dial in this set does not keep the time when it has been unplugged.

What the cheap listings do not state

The two Status plug-ins are the low captured prices: the mini at £4.25 and the IONOS at £4.95. Neither states an amp or a watt figure in the saved bullets. The IONOS carries the best value mark here because of the low price, not because the missing wattage has been filled in. No listing in this comparison states an IP rating you could take outside. Security on a digital title is a random-mode claim, not a weatherproof socket.

Where to go next

A daily indoor lamp or tank light is a mechanical plug-in. A week pattern or a stated random offset is a digital plug-in, and the larger review file of the two is NOVKIT’s 3,114 against SURAIELEC’s nine. A cylinder is a wired 16 A timer, not any of the 13 A plug-ins. A light that should die after 10 or 30 minutes is the LIDER countdown, and a highlight that says plug-in conflicts with the wiring text. If you cannot match a printed load to the appliance, do not guess 13 A because the plug has three pins.

Common questions

Will any UK three-pin timer run a fan heater?
A three-pin body only tells you the timer is meant for a BS 1363 socket. It does not tell you a heater is a suitable load. Argos and Farnell sheets for similar plug-in timers recommend that heaters are not connected, and Electrical Safety First says not to leave a portable heater unattended. If the case gets hot, stop.
Is 3120 W the same as 13 A all day?
3120 W is the usual arithmetic of 13 A at about 240 V, and several listings print it as a claimed maximum. It is not a measured continuous rating for a heater left on for hours, and it is not an inductive rating for a motor. The HBN three-pack prints 2900 W in the highlight and 3120 W in a bullet.
Do I need a digital timer for a lamp that repeats every day?
No. A mechanical 15-minute dial is the type when every day uses the same on blocks. Digital costs more in this set, £16.99 or £18.74 for a pair, because it adds a week programme, a random mode, and a battery claim. Buy that when Tuesday differs from Saturday. The lamp still goes off during a power cut.
Can I use it outdoors if the listing says security?
No listing here states an IP rating. Indoor titles stay indoors. Security on a digital plug-in means a random offset so a lamp is not on the same minute every night. It does not mean the plastic is for a wet porch. Defender’s customer questions ask about outdoors, and the bullets do not answer with a rating.
When does this stop being a plug-in job?
It stops when the appliance is not a plug. A wired immersion belongs on a wired timer in the 16 A class. A fixed light that should run on for a few minutes is the LIDER countdown, also wired. A new circuit in England can be notifiable under Approved Document P.

Related pages

Immersion heater timer switch

Best timer plug in this set

Timer switch

How to set a 24 hour plug timer: pins and time now

Mechanical vs digital timer plug: daily dial or week

Sources

Public UK sources are listed below. Shelf prices and star lines are the figures on the saved amazon.co.uk listings.

  1. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved October 2026)
  2. GOV.UK consumer product safety (retrieved October 2026)
  3. Electrical Safety First, plugs and fuses (retrieved October 2026)
  4. Electrical Safety First, buying electrical goods online (retrieved October 2026)
  5. Approved Document P (England, 2013 PDF) (retrieved October 2026)
  6. BSI, BS EN IEC 60730-2-7:2020 (retrieved October 2026)
  7. Timeguard NTT01 instructions (retrieved October 2026)
  8. HSE electrical equipment user checks (retrieved October 2026)