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Light switch buying guide

Updated: October 2026

You are replacing one tired plate in a UK hallway or bedroom, and the amazon.co.uk title is already mixing 1-way, 2-way, amps and a metal finish. Those are four different decisions. This light switch buying guide puts them in order: how many rockers and how many positions, then whether a protective earth is in the cable, then the load mark printed on the unit, and only then the colour. The twelve listings in the [light switch comparison](/hub/electrical-equipment/light-switch) are the source. Captured shelf prices run from about £3.00 for a white curved plate to £5.99 for black nickel. None of this is a lab test.

You are replacing one tired plate in a UK hallway or bedroom, and the amazon.co.uk title is already mixing 1-way, 2-way, amps and a metal finish. Those are four different decisions.

Our top picks

British General BG NBN12 black nickel

Best overall

British General BG NBN12 black nickel
9.4/10about £5.99
View offer
Knightsbridge Knightsbridge CU1000 1-way white

Rank 2

Knightsbridge Knightsbridge CU1000 1-way white
9.2/10about £3.99
View offer
Knightsbridge Knightsbridge CU2000 curved white

Best value

Knightsbridge Knightsbridge CU2000 curved white
9.2/10about £3.00
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Count gangs and ways before you look at colour
  2. 2.Read the load mark, not the wattage cell
  3. 3.Plastic unless a CPC is in the box
  4. 4.What this comparison will not decide for you

Count gangs and ways before you look at colour

A gang is a rocker on the plate. A way is a position that already controls the same light. This comparison is 1-gang only, so every mains plate here has one rocker. One position, such as a bedroom with a single door, is 1-way. Two positions, such as the bottom of the stairs and the landing, are 2-way. A 2-way plate can leave the spare terminal unused and work as 1-way. A 1-way plate cannot run that landing pair. The Knightsbridge CU1000 is the only plate titled 1-gang 1-way. The saved listing uses the same image URL as the curved CU2000. Three switches for one light need an intermediate, and none of the twelve rows is one. That case is on the 1 way vs 2 way light switch page.

Read the load mark, not the wattage cell

BEAMA’s bulletin on BS EN 60669-1:2018 is the plain-English version of the letters. 10 AX means 10 A for a filament or inductive load and 10 A for externally ballasted lamps. It does not mean 10 A plus an extra allowance. This capture does not print a self-ballasted LED wattage. Only the Vector gloss white plate, at £5.49, states 10 AX in the title and the bullets, on eight reviews. Several British General listings print both stories at once. The Amazon title often says 20 A and 16 AX, while a later bullet says 10 A and 10 AX. Report both. A higher printed ampere figure is not a reason to ignore the way, or the earth.
British General BG NBN12 black nickel

Testsieger

British General BG NBN12 black nickel
9.4/10about £5.99
View offer

Plastic unless a CPC is in the box

Plastic and urea plates do not use the plate itself as the earth path. Marbo, Invero, CU2000, the BG 812, Vector and the CU1000 sit in that group. A metal back box still gets the protective conductor. Brass, chrome, black nickel and matt black in this set are Class I. No earth in the lighting cable means you do not buy those rows. You do not add a metal accessory until a CPC is provided. Pre-1966 lighting cables often have no earth at all. Captured metal plates sit at about £5.77 to £5.99. A moisture gasket is for tarnish and new plaster. It is not a bathroom zone rating. Finish and the short screws are on the metal or plastic light switch page.

What this comparison will not decide for you

Two of the twelve rows never terminate a lighting circuit. The Philips Hue Dimmer switch V2, at £15.21, is a battery remote. The Hue Tap dial, at £36.20, prints 25 A and 240 V, which is not a mains rating. If the bulbs are not Hue, both rows are the wrong object. There is no 2-gang plate, no mains dimmer, no pull-cord, no intermediate and no outdoor grid. A Wi-Fi cell does not make the plate smart. Only the polished chrome NPC12 states a 16 mm minimum box. Like-for-like replacement is not notifiable in England under Approved Document P. It still has to be safe, and that document is not the rulebook for Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Common questions

Is 2-way the same as 2-gang?
No. Gang is the number of rockers on the plate. Way is the number of places that control the same light. A 1-gang 2-way plate has one rocker and can serve two positions, such as the ends of a stair. A 2-gang plate would have two rockers, and this comparison does not include one.
Can I buy a 2-way plate for a room with one switch?
Yes. A 2-way plate can be used as 1-way by leaving the spare terminal, usually marked L2, unused. Screwfix’s guide describes that, and the Marbo bullets say the same for that white plastic plate. The reverse is not true. The 1-way CU1000 cannot become the second switch on a stair.
Do I need 10 AX for LED bulbs?
You need a mark that actually covers the lamps you fit. BEAMA treats 10 AX as 10 A for filament or inductive loads and 10 A for externally ballasted lamps. Self-ballasted LEDs need the manufacturer’s own wattage figure, and this capture does not print one. Vector is the only row whose bullets state 10 AX and LED compatibility together, on a sample of eight reviews. A plain 10 A title is not automatically the same claim.
When is a metal plate the wrong purchase?
When the lighting cable has no protective conductor. Antique brass, chrome, black nickel and matt black in this set need that earth on the plate. Plastic is the limit until a CPC exists. A gasket against plaster, a lacquer note, or a high star rating does not replace it.
Are the Philips Hue units in this comparison ordinary switches?
No. The Dimmer switch V2 and the Tap dial control Hue lamps. The bullets describe mounting, magnets or handheld use, not a 230 V terminal swap. One review of the dimmer says a bridge was required even though the bullets say you can pair with or without one. The Tap dial’s 25 A and 240 V cells conflict with the remote description. Leave both rows unless the lamps are already Hue.

Related pages

Best light switch

How to replace a light switch

Light switch

1-way vs 2-way light switch: positions, not a gang

Metal or plastic light switch: the earth comes first

Sources

Public UK sources are listed below. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures checked on 21 October 2026.

  1. Approved Document P (2013, England) (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  2. EN 60669-1:2018 in the legislation.gov.uk record of Decision (EU) 2020/1779 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  3. BSI: BS EN 60669-1:2018 scope (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  4. BEAMA: load ratings for manually operated functional switches (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  5. IET: Section 701, locations containing a bath or shower (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  6. NICEIC via Voltimum: wall-mounted light switches (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  7. NICEIC via Voltimum: lighting circuits without a CPC (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  8. B&Q: how to replace a light switch (retrieved 21 October 2026)