The best surge protectors, compared.
Top pick: Belkin 4-gang 2 m surge lead Best value: Masterplug 3-socket surge adaptor – About £8.25, 4.6 from 5,929 reviews, and switched sockets, with joules unstated and the neighbouring socket often blocked. Updated October 2026.
A surge protector here is a portable strip or a plug-through adaptor that adds sockets on a BS 1363 outlet and claims to absorb some transient overvoltage. It is not a Type 2 device in the consumer unit. The treats a Type 3 strip as a supplement only,rplug says this class of lead is not a lightning arrester. You tell a clearer listing from a weaker one by a fused UK plug, a printed surge figure or an honest gap, a protection indicator, and a load you can stay inside. The strip still shares one 13 A budget. A kettle, a heater, or a microwave belongs in the wall. The [buying guide](/hub/diy-supplies/surge-protector/sub/surge-protector-buying-guide) covers the plug, the joules, the indicator, and the 13 A limit. UK shoppers buy one for a television, a console, a desk, or a workshop because the wall has too few sockets.
A surge protector here is a portable strip or a plug-through adaptor that adds sockets on a BS 1363 outlet and claims to absorb some transient overvoltage. It is not a Type 2 device in the consumer unit.
36 products checked · 58 hrs invested · +18,400 readers
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
Where will you plug it in?
The Belkin BSV400 is a four-socket, 2 m strip listed at 525 joules and £14.99, with 4.7 from 6,912 amazon.co.uk reviews, the largest review count in this set. Reviewers describe a sturdier case than cheaper strips, plugs that stay put, and spacing that takes larger adapters. Several say it does not get hot in ordinary use. There are no keyhole slots, so you cannot screw it to the wall the way a mounting bar allows. The listing’s amperage figure of 1,363 A is not a credible load, and a USB-port attribute does not match this BSV400 model. Belkin UK support states a £20,000 connected-equipment warranty for BSV400, but that sum is not printed on this amazon.co.uk listing, which shows a one-year manufacturer warranty. Some review text describes six sockets or USB, so those comments are not treated as evidence for this four-gang.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A television or desk strip that can lie on the floor or a shelf, where a large review count and a printed 525 joule figure matter.
Less suitable: Anyone who must screw the bar to a wall, or who needs USB ports on this model.
Specifications
Common questions
How many sockets and what joule figure?
Four sockets, 2 m cable, 525 joules on the listing.
Can it be screwed to a wall?
Reviewers say there are no mounting holes.
Does this model have USB?
The title and model BSV400 do not describe USB. A listing attribute says 4 USB ports, which is not used as a feature.
The HANYCONY HN6088 is a four-socket, 1.8 m braided lead at £14.98, with two switched banks and four USB slots claimed, and it holds 4.7 from 1,621 amazon.co.uk reviews. Reviewers like the compact body and the braided cable on a desk. Surge protection is claimed and no joule figure is printed. The plug-type attribute says Type B only, and the description does not state a BS 1363 plug, so check the photos before you rely on it. USB stays live when the socket banks are switched off. Large plugs can block the neighbouring socket, and one reviewer measured a lead shorter than they expected. The product warranty on the listing is six months.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A desk that needs four sockets and USB, if the photos show a UK plug and you can accept an unstated joule figure.
Less suitable: Anyone who wants a printed joule rating, or who needs the USB ports to switch off with the sockets.
Specifications
Common questions
How many AC sockets?
The title and bullets say four. The outlets attribute says 8, which is not used as the AC count.
Can the USB ports be switched off?
Reviewers say the USB stays on when the socket banks are switched off.
Is a joule rating printed?
No.
Across 1,267 amazon.co.uk reviews at 4.7, the Masterplug SRG4210N is a four-socket, 2 m lead at £8.70 that prints 370 joules and shows power and surge LEDs. Reviewers call it well made for the price, with plugs that seat easily and a cable long enough for the desks they describe. The title says the sockets are unswitched, so you cannot turn one appliance off without pulling its plug. One buyer says the plug that arrived was not the moulded plug in the photos, and the plug is non-rewirable, which blocks anyone who needs to pass the cable through a small hole. Masterplug states a connected-equipment warranty of up to £1,000 for three years if you register, and that cover is void if you daisy-chain. It is a portable strip with a surge claim, and Masterplug says this class of lead is not a lightning arrester.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A television or a desk that needs four sockets on a short lead, where appliances can stay plugged in.
Less suitable: Anyone who wants a switch on each socket, USB charging, or a plug they can remove to feed the cable through a hole.
Specifications
Common questions
How long is the cable?
2 metres.
What surge figure does the listing print?
370 joules, with power and surge LEDs.
Is each socket switched?
The title says unswitched.
This Masterplug adaptor keeps one 13 A pass-through socket and adds two USB outlets, at £14.66, with a surge indicator and no cable. Across 408 amazon.co.uk reviews at 4.7, people use it where a single socket must also charge a phone. One reviewer says their computers survived a local substation spike while this adaptor was in use; that is one report, not a laboratory test. Joules are not stated. USB charging is slow for at least one buyer, and the indicator was not bright enough for another. A reviewer also found it corrupted a Powerline network adaptor sharing the same socket area. You still have only one mains outlet, so a television and a soundbar need another socket.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A bedside or desk socket that must keep one mains plug and charge a phone from USB.
Less suitable: A television plus soundbar, or anyone who needs a printed joule figure and several mains outlets.
Specifications
Common questions
How many mains sockets does it add?
One 13 A pass-through socket, plus two USB outlets.
Is a joule rating printed?
No. The listing claims surge protection and a surge indicator, without a joule figure.
The Masterplug MSWRG3-MP puts three individually switched sockets on a plug-through body at £8.25, with no cable, and it holds 4.6 from 5,929 amazon.co.uk reviews. Reviewers use the switches to leave a printer or a lamp plugged in while it is off, and they like the side sockets that let leads exit downwards. Surge protection is claimed, with an indicator, but no joule figure is printed. On a twin wall plate it blocks the neighbouring socket, which comes up often. The indicator and switch lights are bright enough that bedroom users complain, and the green light stays on when the individual switches are off. One reviewer says the switches get fairly warm after a long time on. The listing states a connected-equipment warranty of up to £1,000 for three years.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A single wall socket where you want three switched outlets and no cable on the floor.
Less suitable: A twin socket you still need for a second plug, and anyone who wants a printed joule figure.
Specifications
Common questions
Does it have a cable?
No. It is a plug-through adaptor that uses the wall socket directly.
Are the sockets switched?
Yes. The listing and reviews describe an individual switch for each of the three sockets.
Will it block the other socket on a double plate?
Reviewers say it does. It is bulky on a twin wall socket.
The DEWENWILS six-way lead is £16.99, with a 3 m cable, individual switches, and 270 joules in the description, rated 4.6 from 2,224 amazon.co.uk reviews. Reviewers use the switches beside a sofa or a desk and like the extra metre compared with a 2 m bar. Wall-mount holes and a spare fuse are mentioned as useful. New sockets are tight and the switches are stiff until they wear in. The first bullet says four switches on a title that says six sockets, so count the switches in the photos. One reviewer says that after months one socket died, the indicator lights failed, and the unit then buzzed and was taken out of use. The surge-rating attribute says 13 amps, which is the current, not the joule figure.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A sofa-side or desk setup that needs a switch on each socket and about 3 m of cable.
Less suitable: Anyone who wants the highest printed joule figure here, or who needs the listing bullets to agree on the switch count.
Specifications
Common questions
Are the sockets switched separately?
Yes. The title and reviews describe individual switches. One bullet says four switches, which conflicts with the six-way title.
What surge figure is in the description?
270 joules. The surge-rating attribute says 13 amps, which is the current, not the joule figure.
How long is the cable?
3 metres, with wall-mount points.
The HANYCONY HN6090 is an eight-socket, 1.8 m braided lead at £19.99 that prints 1,800 joules, the highest joule figure in this set, with 4.6 from 2,042 amazon.co.uk reviews. Two bank switches let you turn one side off, which reviewers use so they do not daisy-chain a PC and a monitor. USB is listed as two USB-A and two USB-C at 3.1 A total, but one buyer received one USB-C and three USB-A. Charging is slower than a phone’s own charger, because the ports share that 3.1 A budget. You cannot see at a glance which socket is live, because the switches are per bank. One reviewer says the lead cut power when a faulty plug smoked and the PC stayed on; that is a single account of overload behaviour, not a surge test. The listing warranty is six months, and there is no connected-equipment sum on the page.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A PC or television pile that needs more than four mains sockets and a printed joule figure.
Less suitable: Anyone who wants one switch per socket, or a USB-C count they can take from the photos without checking the unit.
Specifications
Common questions
What joule figure does the listing print?
1,800 joules.
How are the sockets switched?
Two switches, one for each bank of sockets, not one switch per socket.
What USB output is stated?
Four USB ports, 3.1 A total. One review describes a different USB-C count.
The HANNELORE metal strip is £29.95, with seven sockets in one row, a 3 m cable, and one master switch, rated 4.6 from 104 amazon.co.uk reviews. Reviewers mount it under a desk, on a wall, or in a rack, and they use the switch to kill a whole bench or an aquarium cabinet. The maker states a 2,500 W ceiling, which is below the 3,120 W of a 13 A circuit at 240 V, so a heater still belongs in the wall. Surge protection is claimed and joules are not stated. One reviewer found it too tall for a tidy 1U fit, and the side cable exit fouls the rack when the ears are rotated. Another says switching the unit off tripped the house RCD repeatedly. There is no USB.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A workshop bench, a rack, or a cabinet where one switch must kill seven sockets and you will stay inside 2,500 W.
Less suitable: A bedside table, a television that needs a printed joule figure, or a 1U rack space with no room for the cable exit.
Specifications
Common questions
What load does the maker state?
13 A and 2,500 W, with a warning not to exceed 2,500 W.
Is there one switch or one per socket?
One master switch for all seven sockets.
Is a joule rating printed?
No. Surge protection is claimed without a joule figure.
The IECOPOWER eight-way is £23.99, with a 2 m cable, 1,050 joules, a master switch for the sockets and the USB, and a claim of two USB-C ports at PD 20 W plus two USB-A ports at 18 W. Across 90 amazon.co.uk reviews at 4.4, some buyers charged an iPad from USB-A and a MacBook from USB-C. Several others found the USB-C ports loose or dead, and one said the USB stopped after about two weeks. One unit went pop as soon as it was plugged in, with nothing connected. The listing claims two T-slots for wall mounting, but reviewers say ordinary screws do not fit and the supplied screws are too short. The LEDs are bright for a bedroom. Ninety reviews is a small base for a £23.99 strip with those fault reports.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A desk that needs eight sockets and a stated 20 W USB-C claim, if you can return the unit when a USB-C port is loose.
Less suitable: A bedroom, a wall-mounted install with ordinary screws, or anyone who wants a large review sample before paying £23.99.
Specifications
Common questions
What USB charging does the listing claim?
Two USB-C ports at PD 20 W and two USB-A ports at 18 W.
Can it be wall mounted?
The listing says yes. Several reviewers say the slots will not take a normal screw.
What joule figure is printed?
1,050 joules.
The SE UKASE T8A2C is an eight-socket tower at £17.99 with a 2 m cable and three USB ports sharing 2.4 A, rated 4.4 from 65 amazon.co.uk reviews. It stands on pull-out feet or can be wall mounted, which reviewers use where a long bar would cross the floor. The listing prints Type 3 figures, Uc 255 V, Uoc 3 kV and Up 1.5 kV, and it does not print joules. The description claims a kill switch that one buyer could not find. Until the feet are out it can tip, and some reviewers call the plastic light. One reviewer smelled hot plastic and treated the unit as a fire risk. Sixty-five ratings is a thin sample next to the four-gang leads in this set.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A tight floor space where a vertical eight-socket tower is easier than a long bar, and you have checked the feet and the smell on arrival.
Less suitable: A television setup that needs a printed joule figure, or anyone who wants a large review sample.
Specifications
Common questions
Does it stand on a desk?
Yes. Reviewers say four pull-out feet stop it tipping. It can also be wall mounted.
What surge figures are printed?
Type 3 parameters: Uc 255 V, Uoc 3 kV, Up 1.5 kV. Joules are not stated.
What is the USB output?
2.4 A total across three USB ports.
On 15 October 2026 the scores use the ten amazon.co.uk listings kept in this comparison. They are not a laboratory test and they do not rank the wider UK market. A conflicting plug-type or amperage attribute already treated as a data error is not scored as a feature. The weights below sum to 100.
Amazon rating and review count
35%Evidence is higher where the rating is 4.6 or above and the review count is in the thousands. Belkin’s 6,912 reviews score 34 on this slice. The tower’s 65 reviews score 10.
Surge claim on the listing
30%Points are highest where joules, indicator lamps, and a connected-equipment sum all appear on the amazon.co.uk listing. The Masterplug four-gang scores 28 for 370 joules, power and surge LEDs, and a warranty of up to £1,000 for three years. Listings that only say surge, with no joules, score 8 to 15.
Usable specification
20%Load, cable or plug-through form, and socket count. Points fall where the load figure is unusable, the switch count conflicts, or the description does not state a BS 1363 plug.
Review sentiment
15%Deductions for repeated faults in the reviews: a failed socket and buzzing, loose or dead USB-C ports, a pop on first plug-in, a hot-plastic smell, or a repeated RCD trip.
Start with the plug, a surge figure you can read, and the 13 A budget. A strip or a plug-through adaptor still shares one wall socket. Then choose the form: a bar, a tower, a plug-through adaptor, or a metal rack strip. Prices in this set run from about £8.25 to about £29.95 on amazon.co.uk. If you need sockets in the same place every day, more wall sockets beat another lead.
A surge protector here is a portable strip or a plug-through adaptor. It adds sockets on a BS 1363 outlet and claims to absorb some transient overvoltage. UK shoppers buy one for a television, a console, a desk, or a workshop because the wall has too few sockets. You tell a clearer listing from a weaker one by the fused UK plug, a printed surge figure or an honest gap, a protection indicator, and a load limit you can stay inside. It is not a Type 2 SPD in the consumer unit.
A plain lead adds sockets. A surge claim you can check is a printed joule figure, or the tower’s Type 3 parameters, plus an indicator where the listing has one. The word surge on its own leaves the figure unstated.
Masterplug says this class of lead is not a lightning arrester. There is no statutory joule minimum in the sources used here. A kettle, a heater, or a microwave still belongs in the wall, because the strip shares one 13 A budget.
Belkin’s 1,363 A figure is not a credible load, and a USB attribute on the BSV400 is not used as a feature. The DEWENWILS surge field that says 13 amps is the current, not the 270 joules in the description. Assume USB-C runs a laptop only when a Power Delivery wattage is stated.
The first check is a BS 1363 plug and a BS 1362 fuse for a UK socket. The Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 are the frame for that plug. A listing attribute that says Type B or Type C, while the title or the power-plug line says Type G, is a data error until the photos show a UK plug. It is not scored as the plug.
The strip shares one 13 A budget. Socket count, a longer cable, USB ports, and switches do not add amps. A kettle, a heater, or a microwave goes in the wall. Electrical Safety First says one lead per socket, no daisy-chaining, and do not exceed the current rating. London Fire Brigade says not to share an extension between a kettle, a toaster, and a microwave. HANNELORE prints its own ceiling at 2,500 W, below the 3,120 W of a 13 A circuit at 240 V, so a heater still belongs in the wall.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You want a bar with an indicator, a printed joule figure, and enough sockets to avoid daisy-chaining. The Masterplug four-gang is about £8.70, with 370 joules, power and surge LEDs, and 4.7 from 1,267 reviews. The title says the sockets are unswitched.
A renter with one spare socket wants switched outlets and no cable on the floor. The Masterplug three-socket adaptor is about £8.25, with 4.6 from 5,929 reviews. Joules are not stated, and reviewers say it blocks the neighbouring socket on a twin plate.
A bench or a 19-inch rack wants one switch for the whole strip, kept inside the maker’s ceiling. The HANNELORE metal seven-way is about £29.95, with a 3 m cable and a stated 2,500 W limit. Joules are not stated, and the review count is 104.
The top pick is the Masterplug four-gang, 2 m lead at about £8.70. It scores 82, the highest of these ten listings, with 370 joules, power and surge LEDs, a connected-equipment warranty of up to £1,000 for three years on the listing if you register, and 4.7 from 1,267 reviews. The title says the sockets are unswitched. The best value is the Masterplug three-socket adaptor at about £8.25, with 4.6 from 5,929 reviews and a switch on each socket. Joules are not stated, and reviewers say it blocks the neighbouring socket on a twin plate.
Masterplug 3-socket surge adaptor
About £8.25, 4.6 from 5,929 reviews, and switched sockets, with joules unstated and the neighbouring socket often blocked.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources on surge protective devices, BS 1363 plugs, and extension leads. Listing prices and star counts are from the amazon.co.uk extracts kept for this comparison on 15 October 2026. Prices move.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Scores use the ten listings kept on 15 October 2026. They are not a laboratory test.
