Electric and motorised blinds have moved from a niche, high-cost fitting to a realistic option for most homes - particularly for windows that are hard to reach, rooms where you want to set schedules, or anyone who simply doesn't want to wrestle with a beaded chain every morning. This guide covers the two picks we'd send most buyers to: a plain motorised roller and a motorised day-and-night blind, both made-to-measure. If you're after cord-operated blinds, or have a specific room type like a conservatory or roof window in mind, those are covered in separate guides.
What "motorised" actually means
There's a spectrum here, and retailers don't always label it consistently. At its most basic, an electric blind replaces the beaded chain with a motor in the tube - you raise and lower it with a wall switch or a handheld remote. At the more connected end, smart blinds add Wi-Fi or Zigbee radio to that motor, letting you control them from an app on your phone, link them to a voice assistant, or build them into a home-automation routine.
The two picks in this guide sit in the middle ground: both offer remote control and, through their respective apps, smartphone integration. Neither requires a dedicated smart-home hub or professional installation - they're consumer products designed for DIY fitting. That said, motorised blinds do require a power source. Hardwired mains connection gives the cleanest finish and the most reliable operation, but many modern electric roller motors run on rechargeable battery packs instead, which avoids the need to run cabling. Check which power method a specific range supports before ordering.
From a child-safety perspective, motorised blinds are the most straightforward solution available: no hanging cords, no breakaway connectors to maintain, no cleat to keep out of reach. UK regulations (BS EN 13120, in force since 2014) require domestic blinds to be cord-safe, and motorised operation satisfies that requirement completely.
What to look for
Power source. Battery-powered motors are easier to install - no electrician needed - but you will need to recharge or replace the pack periodically. A mains-connected motor is maintenance-free from a power perspective but requires either an accessible socket or a cabled spur to the window. Think about what's realistic in each room before you order.
Control method. Most motorised blinds in this price range come with a remote control as standard. App integration varies: some ranges support standalone apps; others work with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, or Apple HomeKit. If home-automation integration matters to you, confirm compatibility before buying rather than assuming it.
Fabric type and opacity. The motor is just the mechanism - the choice of fabric still drives the light-control outcome. A motorised roller in a blackout fabric gives a very different result to one in a light-filtering weave, and the motor adds nothing to the fabric's performance. Similarly, a day-and-night blind can't achieve full blackout even when motorised, because the zebra-stripe construction only aligns opaque and sheer bands - it doesn't seal the edges. If blackout is the goal, choose a motorised roller with a blackout fabric rather than a day-and-night.
Fitting and recess depth. Motorised rollers typically need a slightly deeper recess than cord-operated versions because the motor adds bulk at one end of the tube. Check the retailer's minimum recess depth for each range. If your recess is shallow, a face-fit outside the window frame is usually the fallback.
Cassette. A top cassette (the housing that encloses the tube) gives a cleaner finish, hiding the motor and any rolled fabric. Most retailers offer this as an optional add-on. On a visible motorised roller it's worth considering - the motor end can look less neat than the idler end if there's no housing.
Made-to-measure. Both picks here are made-to-measure, which is what you want for a motorised blind - off-the-shelf sizes rarely align with a specific window, and cutting down a motorised blind is more complicated than cutting a cord-operated one.
Scheduling and grouping. One of the more practical benefits of app-connected blinds over remote-only ones is the ability to set timed schedules - open at 7am, close at sunset - and to group multiple blinds so one command operates all of them at once. If you're fitting several windows in the same room, check whether the range supports grouping before committing to the purchase. Not all mid-range electric blinds do.
Our picks
Electric Splash
at Swift Direct Blinds
A motorised plain roller from Swift Direct Blinds for hard-to-reach windows.
Electric Enjoy Roller
at Blinds 2go
A motorised zebra roller from Blinds 2go with app and remote control.
Pick details
Electric Splash
at Swift Direct Blinds
A motorised plain roller from Swift Direct Blinds for hard-to-reach windows.
The Electric Splash from Swift Direct Blinds is a plain motorised roller - the simplest, most versatile form of electric blind. It's the pick for anyone whose primary motivation is eliminating a cord from a hard-to-reach window, or who wants the option of scheduling or remote operation without the complication of a day-and-night mechanism.
The range runs to 16 colour finishes: a broad neutral palette covering black, grey, pearl, oyster, ivory, and natural hessian, plus a handful of statement options in blue, purple, and mocha brown. That's enough variety to blend with most interior schemes without the finish feeling like an afterthought. The naming is descriptive enough to shortlist by - Dove Grey, Taupe Brown, Grey Whisper, Silver Mist - though as with any roller blind you should request samples before ordering if colour accuracy matters.
The "Splash" name suggests this range is positioned partly at kitchens and bathrooms, where cord-free operation is a practical benefit as much as a lifestyle one. Motorised operation also suits rooms where the blind gets used repeatedly through the day, since remote control is quicker and less wear-inducing on the fabric than repeated manual pulling.
Starting price is at the accessible end of motorised rollers, which makes this a useful entry point for testing motorised blinds before committing to the more involved smart-home end of the category. The 16-finish colour range also compares well to many motorised rollers that offer only a handful of neutrals - having genuine colour variety available, including the deeper black and the indigo blue, means this doesn't have to be a plain-white default.
Electric Enjoy Roller
at Blinds 2go
A motorised zebra roller from Blinds 2go with app and remote control.
The Electric Enjoy Roller Blind from Blinds 2go is a motorised day-and-night blind - the pick for rooms where you want in-blind light control rather than a choice between fully up and fully down. The day-and-night mechanism layers alternating sheer and opaque horizontal bands; aligning the bands gives privacy with light, staggering them dims the room, and combining motorisation means you can adjust the position from your phone or a remote rather than manually sliding the fabric.
The Enjoy range is available in five finishes, all in the white-to-grey family: Soft White, Matte White, Antique White, Thunder Grey, and a Luxe White (premium) variant at a higher price point. That's a deliberately tight palette - day-and-night fabrics show the stripe structure prominently, so the visual interest is built in, and a neutral background colour lets it work without competing with the rest of a room's colour scheme. If you need something in a stronger colour, this isn't the range.
Compared to the Electric Splash, the Electric Enjoy is a different proposition - not just a different mechanism but a different aesthetic outcome. The zebra stripe is visible and intentional; the opaque bands give a rhythmic texture to the window even in the "open" position. That suits contemporary interiors where the blind is part of the room's look rather than an invisible utility.
It's worth restating: day-and-night blinds, however good the fabric, are not blackout blinds. The staggered position reduces light but doesn't seal it. If your room needs genuine darkness - a night-shift worker's bedroom, a nursery at dawn - a roller with a true blackout fabric will serve you better, motorised or otherwise.
What we didn't include
We've kept this guide to two picks: a plain roller and a day-and-night blind. Motorised Roman blinds and motorised venetian blinds are available from various UK retailers, but the cord-to-motor conversion adds significant cost and complexity to types that are already among the more expensive made-to-measure options. For most buyers considering motorised blinds for the first time, a motorised roller is the lowest-risk starting point - simpler mechanism, more fabric choice, easier installation, and a price gap that's meaningful in a multi-window room.
We also didn't include cordless (non-electric) blinds here. Cordless spring-loaded rollers and top-down/bottom-up blinds are genuinely cord-free, but they're a different product: manual operation with no remote, app, or scheduling capability. If the goal is cord elimination for child safety on a tight budget, cordless is worth considering separately.