Heated motorcycle gloves buying guide

Find the best heated motorbike gloves for winter warmth

Updated November 2024 by Mark H

Riding a motorcycle in the depths of a typical UK winter is something that the majority of UK bikers choose to avoid. For those of us riding purely for pleasure a cold, dark, slimy ride out is possibly the last thing on our minds. Wrapping ourselves and the bike up until Spring is the order of the day for many.

But what if you can’t? Perhaps your bike is your only means of transport, or your commuting tool. Or maybe, just maybe, a dry and sunny winter Sunday manages to lure you back out on the roads for a quick blast.

There’s a lot of great heated motorcycle clothing on the market these days – from heated inner socks, to heated waistcoats and leggings. By a country mile however, the most popular item of heated motorcycle clothing is the humble glove.

There’s a very good reason for this. It’s relatively easy to keep your core warm with a good motorcycle jacket and layering – but not so easy to do the same on bodily extremities. You can buy a pair of the warmest and best insulated winter motorcycle gloves to stave off the worst of the cold, but the fact is that due to the high surface area to volume ratio of your hands as they face the full force of a 60mph windchill, keeping your hands properly warm can be a losing battle.

Of course, an increasing number of bikes now come with factory fitted heated grips. Heated grips are great, and can mitigate much of the chill by heating your palms. If you've got heated grips and hand guards, then your summer gloves might see their use extended by a good few weeks. Certainly, my Tracer 9 GT+ has heated grips and handguards as standard, which makes summer gloves fine (for me) down to around 10 degrees at sustained speed.

But when it gets really cold, your fingers will start to suffer first. That's when a pair of the best 12v motorcycle battery powered, or rechargeable heated motorcycle gloves can make all the difference in keeping you properly warm.

If your hands start to get cold on a bike, the feeling can vary from uncomfortable to downright painful. Even at the “slight chill” end of the scale, your control of the bike will begin to be impaired. Combine this physical motor impairment with the mental distraction (and lack of concentration) caused by the cold, and you’re adding another unnecessary layer of risk to your (already somewhat riskier) winter ride.

This is where heated motorbike gloves come in. By combining a well-insulated, waterproof glove with electrically heated elements, heat loss from the glove is balanced by heat being generated internally. Riders who try heated motorcycle gloves for the first time typically keep electrified for life!

What are the best heated motorcycle glove brands?

For some years, Keis and Gerbing (both UK based companies specialising in heated clothing & gloves) have been the market leaders and premium brands of choice. Over the years, other general motorcycle clothing companies like RST, rev'it and Furygan have got in on the heated bike glove act, however the best known brands still perhaps remain Keis and Gerbing.

Top 5 heated motorcycle gloves

As of November 2024, ranked by customer reviews at Sportsbikeshop. The top 5 best heated motorcycle gloves are:

• RST Pro Series Paragon 6 - Rated 4.7/5 from 145 reviews
• Keis G601 - Rated 4.6/5 from 56 reviews
• Keis G701 - Rated 4.6/5 from 50 reviews
• Keis G701s - Rated 4.6/5 from 40 reviews
• Gerbing Xtreme GT - Rated 5/5 from 8 reviews

How are heated bike gloves powered?

Thanks to the utilisation of rechargeable lithium ion technology, the best heated motorbike gloves are now commonly powered by a small rechargeable battery pack which sits in a pocket around the cuff. This will provide enough juice for a good few hours of cold weather riding, depending on the chosen heat setting.

If you’re a more frequent or long distance cold weather rider then battery power is likely to be insufficuent (and a pain to charge every day) so it’s probably best to opt for a pair of gloves that can be hard wired to your bike’s 12v battery. Fortunately, both Keis and Gerbing feature the ability to be powered by both (although the battery packs need to be bought separately).

Battery pack options are also handy if you own or use multiple bikes, or indeed want to use your gloves for skiing or other cold weather activities independent of your bike!

Are heated motorbike gloves protective?

The best heated gloves still need to offer as much protection as you would get from a regular winter bike glove. We always favour the abrasion resistance of leather over textile designs (certainly on the palm), and look for additional hard impact armour over the knuckles and scaphoid.

Interestingly, the Keis G601 meets the standard for CE level 2 protection, which is quite a rarity even on fully armoured summer race gloves.

Can you control the heat?

Yes – typically, the temperature can be regulated or turned off altogether via controls on the top of the glove, which can be accessed whilst riding.

Some heated gloves also now offer the ability to control settings with bluetooth via an app.

Which part of the glove gets heated?

Heating elements are typically layered on the top of the hand and down the tops of the fingers and thumb. Some gloves will also provide heat down the sides of fingers. The underside of the gloves won’t usually be heated. Heated grips would be the solution here but perhaps the use of heated grips and heated gloves is only necessary if you’re into some really extreme long-distance cold weather riding.

Are heated motorbike gloves reliable?

Gerbing and Keis are both confident enough in their heating elements and electrics to offer a lifetime guarantee.

Are heated motorbike gloves worth it?

Heated motorbike gloves can be a godsend for year round bikers, and are the best solution for turning dangerously cold and stiff hands into warm dexterous digits. Of course, how and when you use the bike plus your own personal tolerance for the cold will be the deciding factor, but the majority of bikers who try heated gloved for the first time won't ever look back.

How much can I expect to spend on heated motorcycle gloves?

Many of the best heated motorcycle gloves retail at around £200 - but always check if this includes optional battery packs. Keep an eye out for seasonal discounts.

Tip Be sure to check if the rechargeable batteries are included in the price. Battery packs aren't always included and will need to be bought separately.

Looking to turn the heat even higher? Check out more of the best heated motorcycle clothing options including vests, leggings and insoles here: