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If you’ve been hoping to make your outdoor space more inviting and safe, you’ve probably been disappointed by standard battery-powered lights. They run out of charge quickly and need to be plugged in to charge again. Who has the time to attend to their outdoor lighting every day?
The solution is simple: solar-powered garden lights. They charge on their own, and the maintenance is minimal. Plus, they are a lot brighter and more powerful than standard outdoor lights.
Luckily, we’ve researched to find the perfect solar lights for your garden – keep reading to find out.
Our List of Solar Lights
Here are the reviews, technical specifications, pros, and cons of solar lights for UK gardens.
Transform your garden with the mesmerizing dance of flames. Geemoo Solar Lights offer a stunning flickering effect, creating a warm and inviting ambiance.
Illuminate your space without breaking the bank. Habitat Solar String Lights feature a playful neon effect, adding a colorful and affordable touch to your garden.
Elevate your outdoor decor with Usboo Solar String Lights. Durable and energy-efficient, these lights create a charming atmosphere, perfect for any garden or backyard setting.
Light up your fence with style. Garden Trading Solar Festoon Lights effortlessly enhance your outdoor space, providing a cozy and inviting glow for evenings spent outdoors.
Add a touch of sophistication with Solar Helsinki Lantern. This elegant lantern combines functionality with timeless design, casting a soft and atmospheric glow in your garden or patio.
How to Install Solar Lights for Optimum Performance
Here’s how you can install your solar garden lights for the ideal performance:
- First, make sure the lights have direct access to sunlight. The sun's rays should be hitting the solar light perpendicularly.
- Make sure there are no obstructions, such as trees or overhangs. This way, the battery will be able to fully charge throughout the day.
- You can mount the solar light on open pathways or even line walkways with string solar garden lights. The main purpose is to keep the lights fully exposed at all times.
- While placing it in an open area is crucial, it's also important to make your light accessible. You should be able to unmount it when it's time to be fixed or replaced.
Utilising a cordless drill streamlines the installation process of the best solar lights, allowing you to effortlessly affix them to various surfaces and optimize your outdoor area's illumination with sustainable energy. Visit our cordless drills page for more info.
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Best Solar Garden Lights in 2024
Explore our comprehensive reviews of the finest solar garden lights carefully curated for you. Each light undergoes rigorous testing, guaranteeing our recommendations are both dependable and trustworthy. Illuminate your garden with confidence using our expertly chosen models.
01
Best Overall
Geemoo Solar Flickering Dancing Flame Lights
Reasons to Buy
- Great value for money
- Comes in a pack of six
- Impressive warm glow
- 10-hour battery life
- Easy to assemble
Reasons to Avoid
- Subpar build quality
The Geemoo Solar Flickering Dancing Flame Solar Light has a fiery, fricking glow, making them look like candle-lit lanterns. They’re the perfect mixture of functional outdoor lighting and decorative lighting.
Powered by a high-end polysilicon solar panel, these lights have a rechargeable Ni-MH battery that runs for 10 hours. They’re also impressively easy to assemble and include six lanterns you can mount to the ground. We recommend them for creating a well-lit pathway for your garden.
Why Do We Geemoo Solar Flickering Dancing Flame Lights
We like that the Geemoo Solar Flickering Dancing Flame Lights have the perfect atmospheric feel to serve as pathway lights. They illuminate your walkway with a warm and inviting light for up to 10 hours.
| Lumens | Unspecified |
| Dimensions | 5 x 5 x 10 cm |
| Operating Time | 10 hrs |
| Weather Resistance Rating | IP65 |
Functional outdoor lighting and decorative lighting.
02
Best Budget
Habitat Solar Neon Effect Bulb String Lights
Reasons to Buy
- Colourful and fun
- Neon glow-in-the-dark
- Ideal for a small garden
Reasons to Avoid
- Below-average battery
- The bulbs are too close together.
The Habitat Solar Neon Effect Bulb String Lights are the perfect fairy lights to add some colour to your garden. Each string has ten colourful lights which can run for six hours on a single charge. The best part about these fairy lights is that they glow in the dark, even when they’re off.
But keep in mind that the fairy lights are close together since the string is short. This is why they may work better for a small garden or patio wall.
Why Do We Recommend Habitat Solar Neon Effect Bulb String Lights
We like the simple and intuitive design of these Habitat fairy lights, offering quality at a reasonable price.
| Lumens | 150 |
| Dimensions | 10 x 6 x 6 cm |
| Operating Time | 8 hrs |
| Weather Resistance Rating | IP65 |
A small garden or patio wall.
03
Best String Lights
Usboo Solar String Lights
- Soft and atmospheric lighting
- Eight lighting modes
- Includes on/off switch
- No rust or obvious weathering
- Great value for money
- Includes power cables
Reasons to Avoid
- Slow to turn on.
- Doesn't have a warranty
- Low performance after overcast days
The Usboo Solar String Lights have a bubbleglass effect, taking the aesthetic of fairy lights to a high level. Thanks to the 730 cm string, it can also double as a solar wall light.
What we really love about these fairy lights is the golden glow, which doesn’t compromise the brightness. Even after months of testing, the lights hadn’t rusted or weathered.
Why do we recommend Usboo Solar String Lights?
The Usboo Solar String Lights create a soft and warm environment, especially in the summer. We like that these fairy lights have eight different light modes that serve many purposes.
| Lumens | 100 lumens |
| Dimensions | 730 cm long, 2.5 cm diameter per bulb |
| Operating Time | 15 hrs |
| Weather Resistance Rating | IP65 |
Families looking for a mix of quality and durability.
04
Best Fence Lights
Garden Trading Solar Festoon Light String
Reasons to Buy
- Multiple hanging loops
- Has 20 bulbs
- Vintage design
- Multiple light modes
- Great price
Reasons to Avoid
- Not the brightest
- Small solar panel
The Garden Trading Solar Festoon Light String is easily one of the best fence and wall lights on the market. It stands out due to its many benefits, but we especially love its conveniently spaced lights and vintage design. They would work perfectly along a gazebo trim or nestled on top of trees.
Why do we recommend Garden Trading Solar Festoon Light String?
Despite its small size, the Garden Trading Solar Festoon Light String offers a huge variety of bulbs at a regular price. The panel size is definitely environment friendly since it saves energy, and the low-lumen range helps create an atmospheric environment.
| Lumens | 50 |
| Dimensions | 950 cm long |
| Operating Time | Unspecified |
| Weather Resistance Rating | IP44 |
Gardens where you’re looking to add some vintage looks.
05
Best Lantern-Style
Solar Helsinki Lantern
Reasons to Buy
- Stylish metal frame
- Sturdy materials
- Can double as a nightstand
- Very bright
- Comes with an on/off switch
Reasons to Avoid
- Not warm or atmospheric
- Subpar battery life
Those who don’t like the look of solar wall lights appreciate the traditional look of solar lanterns. The Solar Helsinki Lantern is the perfect example, with its sophisticated build and sturdy legs. The only thing we don’t like about it is that it can’t switch to a warmer light when needed.
Why do we recommend Solar Helsinki Lantern?
If you prefer the vintage look of lanterns over standard solar lights, the Solar Helsinki Lantern is perfect for you. Its stylish design also means it can double as a nightstand.
| Lumens | 230 |
| Dimensions | 31 cm |
| Operating Time | 6 hrs |
| Weather Resistance Rating | Unspecified |
People looking for multipurpose solar lights.
How We Tested These Solar Lights
We tested these solar garden lights based on their ease of assembly, features, design, brightness, value, and durability.
- Ease of Assembly: We set a timer before we began assembling and installing the solar garden lights. The quicker we got the job done, the higher the lights went up on our list.
- Brightness: Once the lights were fully charged, we tested them in a dark room and ran through all their features, such as motion sensors and light modes. We also attempted to read a book under each solar light to test how bright they were.
- Build: We used a watering can to stimulate rain and test the water resistance of the solar-powered lights. We also dropped the lights a few times and hit them with golf balls to test their durability against hail. Finally, we froze them to see how they'd perform in snowy weather.
Best Solar Garden Lights Buyer’s Guide
Buying the right solar lights for your garden isn’t as simple as getting the brightest product (although that is a deciding factor). Many other factors go into the choice, including:
Brightness
Brightness is measured in lumens. Despite popular belief, there’s no such thing as “not enough” or “too many” lumens – it’s all about your intended use.
For example, solar light for landscaping ambience would only need 5 lumens, while spotlights and floodlights would benefit from 350 lumens and more. Your needs also depend on where you’ll be placing the solar lights.
Remember that different manufacturers offer different lumen ratings, even if it’s the same type of light. Some lights are meant to be layered so you can personalise the brightness level by placing them close together or far away.
Type
You’re not alone if you think solar lights only come in one size. There are many ways to categorise solar light types, but let’s talk about the different ways they operate.
Motion-Activated Solar Powered Lights
Motion-activated lights have sensor technology that is triggered by movement. They’re best placed in an outdoor space for safety purposes to alert you when there’s an intruder or critter in the backyard.
Dusk-to-Dawn Solar Lights
Dusk-to-dawn solar lights also rely on sensor technology, turning on as soon as the sun goes down and turning off when it detects sunlight. The lights stay on all night to keep your outdoor space easy to navigate and deter intruders or critters.
Time-Controlled Solar Lights
Despite how great the battery capacity and solar cell size are, the gathered solar energy will still be limited. So you’ll need to decide when you want the lights to turn on and how long they should stay on. Timer-controlled solar lights offer complete control over those factors.
Features
Regardless of your budget, your choice of solar lights should have at least one unique feature. You can find Wi-Fi-enabled and mobile-operated options that turn on without you having to leave the house. Other models change colours with the help of remotes, adapting to blinking or strobe light patterns.
Panel Size
Regarding panel size, there’s one advice to keep in mind: “The bigger, the brighter.” Plus, bigger solar panels also stay bright for longer. Still, smaller solar panels can work perfectly fine, depending on your needs. Larger solar panels may be a better fit for those who need all-night wall lights.
Light Modes
Lastly, you need to make sure your solar garden lights have at least more than one light mode. Most solar lights include dimming, glowing, and twinkling modes. Some models also come with power saving mode for when you can compromise on brightness to make your lights last longer.
FAQs
Here are the answers to the most frequently asked questions about best solar lights.
Solar garden lights harness sunlight through photovoltaic cells, storing energy in batteries for nighttime use. Most models are designed to withstand various weather conditions, but it’s crucial to check the product specifications for durability in your specific climate.
Consider factors such as brightness, lighting duration, design, and weather resistance. Opt for lights with sufficient lumens for your space, adjustable settings, and durable construction to ensure they enhance your garden for years to come.
To optimize performance, place the lights in direct sunlight for charging. Regularly clean the solar panels from dirt and debris, and ensure the rechargeable batteries are in good condition. Additionally, store lights during prolonged periods of non-use and follow manufacturer guidelines for maintenance.
