Essentially, if your bathroom is not excessively cold/damp then you could probably get by with a normal towel rail.
If your bathroom can be cold, however, electric towel rails are really useful in those slightly cool months where your bathroom gets chilly, but before the heating comes on. They're also useful for drying clothes on if you don't have a tumble dryer. Mine is set up on a timer and it's really good for taking the chill off the bathroom first thing in the morning.
Yes, that's what I meant. We use one in a basement toilet which is colder and more prone to damp than anywhere else in the house. It does depend on the size of the household, my household couldn't function without a tumble dryer!
If your bathroom can be cold, however, electric towel rails are really useful in those slightly cool months where your bathroom gets chilly, but before the heating comes on. They're also useful for drying clothes on if you don't have a tumble dryer. Mine is set up on a timer and it's really good for taking the chill off the bathroom first thing in the morning.