The invention relates to a vehicle heater, comprising at least one pipe, which has a plurality of chambers, ceramic heating elements, which are arranged in the chambers, and contact plates, which rest against the heating elements in the chambers via a front side and face an upper side or underside of the chamber via a rear side, wherein at least two chambers of the pipe are separated by an intermediate wall, which runs from the upper side to the underside of these two chambers. The contact plates have a slit, in which the intermediate wall is arranged.