Best Heated Motorcycle Gloves: Goodbye Stiff Hands

The best heated motorcycle gloves will keep your hands toasty but not sweaty and let you focus on more important things - like your ride.

To choose the best heated motorcycle gloves on the market, I employed The Drive’s comprehensive research methodology and evaluated dozens of gloves before choosing the top contenders. Although I haven’t personally tested these products, my selection is informed by consumer testimonials, expert reviews, discussions on relevant online forums, and my institutional knowledge of the motorcycle industry. 

These durable winter gloves from Highway 21 have genuine leather construction with a waterproof, windproof, and breathable Hipora liner. To keep your hands even warmer, they have 100 grams of Thinsulate insulation. You’ll like the touchscreen-compatible fingertips, so you won’t have to take the gloves off while using your phone, and the pre-curved fingers help to make the gloves more comfortable, as they help reduce finger fatigue.

A lithium-ion battery powers the gloves, and there’s a controller with three heat settings for adjusting how warm they get. The gloves stand out with their four-hour battery life on the low setting, three hours on the medium setting, and 2.5 hours on the high heat setting.

Unfortunately, these gloves lack moisture-wicking abilities, meaning your hands can still get wet from sweating while wearing them.

If you're keeping your hands warm on a budget, Hotwired's 12V Heated Glove Liners are the way to go, but there are a few caveats. Unlike the rest of the options on this list, these are glove liners meaning you can wear them under your existing gloves. At this price point, it feels necessary to highlight that these liners use a micro-alloy filament and not copper wire like older gloves used.

These liners heat up to 90 degrees Fahrenheit quickly and are powered via a 2-amp fuse that connects directly to your bike’s battery. Alternatively, you can use them with a Hotwired Jacket liner and its pre-installed wiring system.

These liners are low-profile and made of stretch fabric, and most people drop down a size as they run large. Even so, you’ll need to ensure that your current gloves are on the loser side and leave enough space. If you don’t have any gloves that fit this description, you’re better off buying heated gloves instead of liners. This model’s biggest drawback is that there is no temperature control unit, so the power is either on or off.

Transform your commute with Alpinestars’ HT-5 Heat Tech Drystar battery-powered gloves that resist the weather, keep you warm, and are protective. They have all the features you'd expect, such as Gore-Tex, 3M Thinsulate 100g backhand insulation, DWR hydrophobic treatment, and microfleece to keep your hands warm and dry. Then there are the standard protective features like goat leather palms, flexible rubber knuckle guard, and 5mm XRD® impact protection foam in knuckles and palm pad.

So what makes these gloves special? It's the extra details that I love. They have a visor wiper, articulated grip, entry assist pull loop, touchscreen fingertips, and better tactile feeling. Plus, you get a handy storage bag that holds the gloves, batteries, and charging cable. So never again lose the charging cord in the mystery cables bin or drawer you keep in your house.

My biggest complaint about the gloves is that they could have a better lining. The fleece is OK but not the softest or most comfortable. These gloves are best used with heated grips, so while they'll keep the backs of your hands warm, there's no attention to the palm side.

Conquer the coldest of climates on your next adventure with these Aniline cowhide leather gloves with an Aquatex water-resistant membrane from Gerbing to give you all of the benefits of leather with the performance of modern innovation. Cranked up to their max heat of 135 degrees, and the 150 grams of Thinsulate insulation, will have your hands straight up sweating. There's a floating TPU knuckle guard, palm gel pads, and super fabric reinforcements for protection. What's nice about these gloves is their versatility. Plug them into your motorcycle, ATV, snowmobile, airplane, or boat — that is, if you have all of these toys.

I find it disappointing that the insulation doesn't go to the end of the fingertips. That's frustrating when this is where you need the most help with heat retention. They also have a narrow gauntlet, which becomes a hassle when trying to pull them on over your sleeves.

My top pick for the best heated motorcycle gloves is the Highway 21 7V Radiant Heated Gloves with genuine leather construction, Thinsulate insulation, hipora liner, and armored knuckles. If you're looking for a more affordable option, the Hotwired 12V Heated Glove Liners are your best bet.  

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