Electric vs Manual Recliner Sofas: Which Should You Buy?

Most people walk into our showroom having already decided they want a recliner. The question that takes longer is which kind. A manual recliner and an electric (power) recliner can look identical from across the room, and many of our ranges are sold both ways, so the choice comes down to how the mechanism suits the people who will sit in it. This guide explains the difference plainly, then gives you five questions that settle it.

How a manual recliner works

A manual recliner uses your own body weight and a simple mechanism. On most sofas you pull a handle or latch on the side of the seat, the footrest springs up, and you lean back to recline. To close it you push the footrest down with your calves. A pushback recliner has no handle at all: you lean back against the backrest and the chair reclines. Our Archie pushback chair works this way, "with no lever or cable needed".

The appeal is simplicity. As the description of the Wilbur manual recliner range puts it, there is "nothing to plug in and no motor to go wrong".

How an electric recliner works

An electric recliner uses a motor controlled by buttons, usually on the inside of the arm. Press and hold, and the footrest rises and the back lowers smoothly; let go and it stops exactly where you are. That means you are not limited to "up" or "down": you can stop at any point in between, which is the main reason people who spend long evenings on the sofa prefer power.

Electric ranges also tend to carry extras. The Belgravia has USB charging built in; the Nico fabric recliner has USB and USB-C fast charging ports and a recline its description calls "silent"; and the Phoenix Media adds Bluetooth, with USB-C ports in the arms of every piece.

The Nico fabric electric recliner: power recline with USB and USB-C ports built in.

Side by side

Five questions that decide it

1. Who finds the footrest hard to close? Closing a manual footrest takes a firm push with the back of your legs. For most adults that is nothing, but for someone with knee, hip or back trouble it can be the hardest part of sitting down. If that describes anyone in the house, go electric, and if standing up is also difficult, look at lift and rise chairs too.

2. Where are your sockets? Every powered seat needs a supply. Walk round the room before you choose a layout and decide where each cable will run. If the sofa will float in the middle of an open-plan room, a manual recliner removes the problem entirely.

3. How often will you actually recline? If reclining is a Sunday-afternoon treat, manual is plenty. If you will recline every evening, the ability to stop at exactly the angle you want is worth having.

4. Does every seat need to recline? Not necessarily. On the La-Z-Boy Winchester each seat can be static, manual latch recline or electric recline, so a corner can mix them. That keeps cost and cables down where nobody needs a mechanism.

5. Fabric or leather? Both mechanisms come in both coverings. Leather wipes clean easily (see our leather sofa care guide); fabric feels warmer to sit on in winter. Browse fabric recliner sofas and leather recliner sofas side by side.

The Isobella is a manual recliner, in Charcoal or Grey fabric, with pocket springs topped with foam and Dacron fibre.

Can't decide? Choose a range sold both ways

Several of our ranges come in the same shape and fabric as either a manual or an electric recliner, so you can pick the look first and the mechanism second. The Gabrielle is "available as either a manual or an electric recliner in every size"; the Torino and the Douglas work the same way. It is also common to buy a power recliner sofa for the main seat and a manual chair beside it.

Things to check on any recliner

• Space behind and in front. A recliner needs room for the footrest to extend and, on many designs, for the back to drop. Measure with the seat open, not closed, and check the route into the room with our Will it Fit guide.
• Seat construction. Pocket springs under the seat foam hold their shape better than foam alone. Ranges like the Torino, Isobella and York list pocket sprung seats.
• Head and lumbar support. High-back designs such as the Gabrielle include separate head support; La-Z-Boy offers head tilt and lumbar options on the Winchester.
• Corners. If you want a recliner in an L-shape, start with corner recliner sofas rather than a 3+2 so the reclining seats sit where people actually sit.

Recliner questions, answered

Do electric recliners use much electricity?

The motor only runs while you are moving the seat, so day-to-day use is small. Charging ports draw power only when something is plugged in.

What happens to an electric recliner in a power cut?

Without power the motor cannot move, so the seat stays where it is until power returns. Some chairs, such as the Riya, come with a battery pack; several of our lift and rise chairs have a backup battery in the handset.

Is a manual recliner more reliable?

It has fewer parts, and no motor or wiring, so there is simply less that can fail. Both types are built for daily use.

Can I see both in Rotherham?

Yes. Sitting in each for a few minutes is the quickest way to decide, and we would rather you try the mechanism than guess.

Also read: Best 3 seater sofas for UK living rooms · Manual recliner sofas · Recliner chairs