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Best mosquito coils

Updated: 22 October 2026

You want a pack for a UK patio, and round-ups keep crowning a prallethrin coil this comparison does not stock. Inside these six amazon.co.uk listings, best mosquito coils means the largest honest review sample, then the better price per coil, with a clear reason to skip each row. The [mosquito coil comparison](/hub/pest-control/mosquito-coil) is the grid of prices and stars. Peter F., editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk, used the listings captured on 21 October 2026. Stars are not a bite trial, and he did not run one. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

You want a pack for a UK patio, and round-ups keep crowning a prallethrin coil this comparison does not stock.

Our top picks

Not stated Citronella spiral, 10 with holder

Best overall

Not stated Citronella spiral, 10 with holder
8.8/10about £5.99
View offer
Anbar Anbar citronella coils, 24

Best value

Anbar Anbar citronella coils, 24
7.4/10about £6.95
View offer
2you 2you pyrethrum coils, 20

Alternative

2you 2you pyrethrum coils, 20
6.6/10about £6.49
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What this page will and will not call best
  2. 2.The 10-piece holder pack
  3. 3.Twenty-four citronella coils as the value pick
  4. 4.Packs not to crown
  5. 5.If you need a named insecticide

What this page will and will not call best

Best here is a shelf rule. The top pick is the pack the most UK shoppers have already rated, if the star line has not collapsed. Best value is a lower price per coil than that tin, with a sample large enough that ten ratings cannot leapfrog it. None of these six pages prints an insecticide percentage. Lawlor and colleagues, in 2004, found less nuisance biting from insecticide coils and no trial in which coils prevented malaria. Lindsay and colleagues, in 1996, reported about 24% fewer Aedes bites with 5% citronella incense. That figure was not measured on these ASINs.

The 10-piece holder pack

The top pick is the 10 citronella spirals with a metal holder, at £5.99, listed at 4.2 from 2,081 reviews, with a seller claim of 3–4 hours. Reviewers often describe fewer bites on a patio, on holiday, or while camping, and they praise the holder for catching ash. The spirals come in pairs and snap when people pull them apart. Some later coils are described as thinner than the photograph and quicker to burn. Scottish midges are a repeated disappointment, and one indoor complaint includes a smoke alarm. The listing asks about indoor use and does not answer. A later amazon.co.uk line has shown the brand name Esschert. The listing we used has no brand field, so this page does not treat Esschert as a captured fact. About 60p a coil buys the tin and that review sample. The checks beside this pick are on the mosquito coil buying guide.
Not stated Citronella spiral, 10 with holder

Testsieger

Not stated Citronella spiral, 10 with holder
8.8/10about £5.99
View offer

Twenty-four citronella coils as the value pick

Anbar's 24 citronella coils at £6.95 are the best value row: about 29p a coil, against about 60p on the 10-piece tin, at 4.1 from 88 reviews, with a seller claim of 5–7 hours. Several buyers say the coils separate cleanly, light easily, and cut mosquito bites outside. Others report coils that break, burn unevenly, or go out after about 15 minutes, and stands described as flimsy. One campervan review still had midges, and the fragrance is weak for some people. The listing is outdoor and gives no indoor instruction. Choose Anbar when you want more than ten evenings and can spare a coil that dies early. A breezy pitch is a different job from a sheltered patio, which is covered on mosquito coils for patio and camping.

Packs not to crown

ANGIX is £4.99 for 10 citronella coils, at 3.2 from 10 ratings, with reviews of about two hours rather than six. Ten ratings do not outrank two thousand. CKB is £14.99 and 650 g, at 2.9 from 11 reviews, with smashed clay in the notes. The 2you 40-coil box is £9.95, about 25p a coil, at 3.8 from 19 reviews, and it prints no pyrethrum percentage. The 20-coil box, £6.49 at 4.0 from 39 reviews, is a clearer pyrethrum sample and still not a citronella scent. Both say indoor and outdoor.

If you need a named insecticide

If you need a percentage on the packet, none of these six listings finishes the job. Lifesystems lists prallethrin at 0.036% w/w, up to 4.5 hours and about 20 cubic metres. That label is context, not a row here. The 2you boxes say pyrethrum, not a printed prallethrin dose. Citronella on the other four packs is a scent claim. Studies of other coils do not transfer onto these tins. The difference is on citronella coil vs pyrethrum coil.

Common questions

Is the 4.2-star pack a certified test winner?
No. The 4.2 is the amazon.co.uk average on 21 October 2026. We did not commission a bite test, and the listing does not show an HSE number. Call it the top pick for the size of the sample. Do not expect the stars to predict midges or a bedroom.
Which pack is better value per coil?
Anbar's 24 coils at £6.95 work out at about 29p a coil, with 4.1 from 88 reviews. The 10-piece tin is about 60p a coil. The 40-coil box is about 25p, with only 19 ratings behind 3.8, so that unit price is not the value pick.
Why not the £4.99 ANGIX pack?
The shelf price is the lowest, and the sample is 3.2 from 10 ratings. Reviews include a burn of about two hours, not six, and flies in the smoke. A pound saved against the 2,081-review tin does not buy a larger evidence base.
Why not the 40-coil box at the lowest unit price?
About 25p a coil is real on the £9.95 price and the count of 40. The star line is 3.8 from 19 reviews, with no pyrethrum percentage printed. Reviewers describe cardboard, a short burn, and a conservatory with more flies.
Who should skip the terracotta set?
Skip CKB at £14.99 if the coils have to arrive in one piece and stay lit. Eleven reviews average 2.9, and the harsh notes are a smashed pot and coils that go out. At 650 g it is a weak camping spare.
Do more stars mean fewer bites?
No. Stars record what shoppers typed after an evening or a disappointment. They are not a landing count. The 1996 citronella trial and the 2004 coil review were not run on these six ASINs. Read the complaints before you light anything indoors.

Related pages

Mosquito coil

Mosquito coil buying guide: six checks on the label

Citronella coil vs pyrethrum coil: what the label says

How to use a mosquito coil: split, light, and put out

Mosquito coils for a patio evening or a camping trip

Sources

Public UK and study sources used for this comparison. Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures captured for these six listings. Last checked 21 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK native mosquitoes (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  2. UKHSA invasive mosquito surveillance (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  3. NHS malaria (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  4. HSE biocidal product authorisation (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  5. Liu and colleagues, mosquito coil emissions (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  6. Kongkaew and colleagues, citronella versus DEET (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  7. Lindsay and colleagues, citronella incense (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  8. RSPCA cat poisoning (retrieved 21 October 2026)