The best solar lanterns, compared.
Top pick: GEARLITE flickering flame lantern, two-pack – Joint-highest score, 4.6 from 352 ratings, for a two-pack flame lantern at about £19.99 with an IP65 claim and a dusk sensor. Not a path or a power-cut light. Best value: SUBOOS camping lantern, two-pack – Two camping lanterns at about £17.99, 4.4 from 407 ratings, with solar, USB and a battery slot. Cool 6000 K light, and the panel is not the charge people rely on. Updated 22.10.2026.
A solar lantern on amazon.co.uk is a battery LED, not a 230 V garden fitting. UK shoppers use the same words for a table ornament, a wall sconce and a camping lantern, so the job comes first. You tell a suitable one by a stated IP code, by a second way to charge on a dull day, and by whether the cell can be swapped or is sealed. IP65 means dust-tight and water jets under IEC 60529, not immersion. IPX5 is jets with the dust digit unspecified. IPX4 is splashing. Waterproof or water resistant with no code is not a test result. A flame LED is a glow. Cool white is a task light. Do not rank brightness by the largest lumen figure. The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 start at 50 V AC or 75 V DC, so a few-volt lantern sits outside that regime. The General Product Safety Regulations 2005 require a safe product. Mains outdoor lighting is an electrician's job under BS 7671. The [solar lantern buying guide](/hub/garden-decor/solar-lantern/sub/solar-lantern-buying-guide) sets the checks in order.
A solar lantern on amazon.co.uk is a battery LED, not a 230 V garden fitting. UK shoppers use the same words for a table ornament, a wall sconce and a camping lantern, so the job comes first.
36 products checked · 61 hrs invested · +18,600 readers
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What should it do?
GEARLITE’s flickering flame pair is about £19.99, with a details weight of 660 g and 4.6 from 352 amazon.co.uk ratings. The lanterns hang or sit, claim IP65, and run from a built-in 800 mAh cell that the panel alone is meant to fill, with the switch on before first use. The bullet says a light sensor turns them on at dusk and off at dawn, and it claims up to 15 hours after 4 hours of sun. Across the UK texts the flicker reads as a warm glow on decking or a fence through a summer evening, and buyers order a second pair. The same texts say it will not light a path: one side-of-house row needed a brighter light beside it. Overcast days need the sunniest spot, there is no USB fallback, and the colour is called very orange compared with the picture. It is the top pick for a table or a fence where you want a candle effect that switches itself, not a tent light or a lamp for a power cut.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A patio table, a fence or a grave marker where a warm flicker should come on by itself.
Less suitable: A tent, a path or a room in a power cut, where you need to see by rather than sit beside a glow.
Specifications
Common questions
Will this light a path?
UK texts praise the flicker and say it is not bright. One side-of-house row needed a brighter light beside it.
Does it turn itself on?
Yes, if the switch is on. The bullet says a light sensor turns it on at dusk and off at dawn.
Is the cell replaceable?
The details block says one rechargeable AAA is included. The bullet describes a built-in 800 mAh battery.
The Miniature Masterworks 5800T is a collapsible lantern and torch at about £9.35, 8 × 8 × 14 cm and 296 g, with 4.6 from 9 amazon.co.uk ratings and five UK texts in the file. Buyers call it handy in the house or the garden and like charging it from the solar panel or Micro-USB instead of buying loose cells. The listing also offers a USB output for a phone, and it states neither lumens nor a runtime. One of those five texts says it goes off too quickly and takes a long time to charge. The weather line says water resistant, with no IP code, and the night behaviour is manual. A 4.6 from nine ratings is a thin base next to lanterns with hundreds of reviews. Treat it as a cheap spare for a glove box if a short run is acceptable, not as a light you leave on a fence.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A glove box or a windowsill where you want a small light and can charge it by cable.
Less suitable: A fence or a patio you expect to glow every evening from the panel alone.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this lantern state an IP rating?
No. The listing says water resistant and mentions rain and dust. There is no IP code.
How do you charge it?
The bullets say an integrated solar panel or a Micro-USB cable. There is also a USB output for a phone.
How long does it stay on?
The listing has no runtime. One of five UK texts says it goes off too quickly and takes a long time to charge.
CECOMBINE’s white iron pair stands 13 × 13 × 31.5 cm and is listed at about £20.99, with 4.6 from 6 amazon.co.uk ratings and only three UK texts in the file. Those short notes call it a pretty night light, a size that suited a garden table, and a patterned glow with a useful amount of light. The listing says waterproof and a rust-resistant coating, and it gives no IP code, no lumen figure and no USB port. Charge is solar only, with two AAAA cells included and no stated capacity. The details weight is 600 g and a bullet says 520 g, so the page does not agree with itself. A 4.6 from six ratings does not outweigh a flame pair with hundreds of reviews. Choose it as a pierced table ornament if the look is the point, not as a light you can judge after one grey week.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A patio table or a gift where a white Moroccan cut-out is what you want to look at.
Less suitable: A decision that needs a large review base, an IP code or a second way to charge.
Specifications
Common questions
Is there an IP rating?
No. The listing says waterproof and a rust-resistant coating. It does not give an IP code.
How many reviews are in the file?
The listing says 4.6 from 6. The saved listing has three UK texts, all short and positive, with no repeated fault.
Can it charge by USB?
No USB charge is in the listing. It is solar only.
The Mesqool CL1000 collapses into a lantern with a bottom torch, 8.1 × 8.1 × 26.9 cm and 340 g, listed at about £25.99 with 4.5 from 5,903 amazon.co.uk ratings. Across 50 UK texts it is bright enough for a tent or a power cut, and it is the only row here with solar, a hand crank and USB. You switch it on by pulling the top up. The bullet claims 200 lumens at 6500 K, a 35-hour runtime and a 3000 mAh cell, while the details line says batteries are not included. Reviewers say the panel is small and slow from empty, and a phone drains the cell quickly. You dim it by pushing the shade down over LEDs that stay on underneath. IPX4 is splashing, and the bullet says not to leave it fully in water. Take it when a second and a third charge method matter, not when you want a warm garden candle.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A tent, a power cut or a cupboard where the crank still works if the panel and the cable are both unavailable.
Less suitable: A patio table that should flicker warmly, or a phone you expect this cell to refill.
Specifications
Common questions
What if the panel is flat?
The crank and the USB port are the other two charge paths. UK texts say the panel is small and slow from empty.
Will it charge a phone properly?
The bullet calls it a 3000 mAh power bank. UK texts say a phone drains the cell quickly.
How do you dim it?
UK texts say you push the shade down over the LEDs. The LEDs stay on underneath.
The Lepwings AXWCL2201 is about £34.99, 9 × 9 × 25 cm and 576 g, with 4.5 from 2,132 amazon.co.uk ratings. The listing states 280 lumens, a 3000 K bullet, 48 LEDs, a sealed 6000 mAh cell, two fold-down panels and USB-C, plus an 80-hour eco-mode claim that is not a UK winter measurement. Across 50 UK texts the warm dimmable beam covers a small room or a tent once USB has filled the cell, and the base is said not to tip easily. One buyer left it in direct sun for 8 hours from flat and got about 10 minutes of light. USB itself is described as slow, and there is no dusk sensor. The weather line says water resistant, with no IP code. The listing offers a 365-day warranty. Choose it when you will charge from a cable and want warm light you can dim, not when the panel is meant to be the main charger.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A bedside, a tent or a power cut where you will fill a 6000 mAh cell by USB-C and want 3000 K light.
Less suitable: A garden that should come on at dusk from the panels alone, or a buyer avoiding the dearest row in this set.
Specifications
Common questions
Will a day of sun fill it from empty?
One UK text left it in direct sun for 8 hours from flat and got about 10 minutes of light. USB is the charge people rely on.
Is 80 hours a winter result?
No. That is the eco-mode claim on the listing. It is not a UK winter measurement.
Does it come on at dusk?
No. A UK text wanted an automatic dusk switch and noted there is not one.
Lanktoo’s C30 is a flat tent light at about £15.29, 13 × 13 × 2.5 cm and 340 g, with 4.5 from 73 amazon.co.uk ratings. The highlight says IPX5 and a sealed 5200 mAh cell, and the light-output field prints 2000 lumens on that thin body, which you should not use as a brightness rank. The battery-life field says 6 hours, while a bullet claims 6+ hours at maximum and up to 150+ hours on the lowest setting. UK texts like the slim body, the bright white and the red mode for night use, and they say a USB charge lasts a camping weekend. Two texts say the instructions tell you solar charging is not for daily use, and those buyers returned it. Phone charge is only a top-up. It is a weekend light if you will use a cable, not a lantern whose panel is meant to keep a table glowing.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A pack or a tent where you charge from USB and want a thin light with a red mode.
Less suitable: Anyone who wanted the solar panel as the everyday charger, or a warm candle on a patio table.
Specifications
Common questions
Is 2000 lumens a measured figure?
It is the light-output field. The body is 13 × 13 × 2.5 cm. Do not rank brightness from that number.
Is solar meant for daily charging?
Two UK texts say the instructions say solar charging is not for daily use, and they returned it.
What runtime is listed?
The battery-life field says 6 hours. The bullet says 6+ hours at maximum and up to 150+ hours on the lowest setting. That is not a UK winter measurement.
SUBOOS sells two camping lanterns for about £17.99, each about 8.5 × 8.5 × 19 cm and 350 g for the listing weight, with 4.4 from 407 amazon.co.uk ratings and 41 UK texts read. The page states 200 lumens at 6000 K, a magnetic base, a hook, and three ways to fill the cell: solar, USB, and a battery slot reviewers call AA. Buyers use the pair on a caravan pitch, at a barbecue, or in a room during a power cut, and some units arrived already charged. One UK text says the beam drops after about the first 90 minutes, and fitting batteries is how that buyer kept it bright. Several texts call the solar panel slow, and some USB ports would not take a charge at all. The 6000 K tone is called poor for reading. It is the best value here if you want two task lights and can accept cool white, not a warm candle for a patio table.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A caravan, a barbecue or a power cut where two cool task lights and a battery fallback are worth more than a flame effect.
Less suitable: A patio table that should look like a candle, or a buyer who will rely on the solar panel alone.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the light stay bright all evening?
One UK text says it dims to a low level after about the first 90 minutes. Fitting batteries is how that buyer kept it bright.
Is the solar panel enough on its own?
Several UK texts call solar slow and use USB or batteries instead. Some USB ports would not take a charge.
Is it a warm garden lantern?
No. The colour temperature is 6000 K. UK texts call the beam cool and poor for reading.
The Yonktoo YYD-C30 is a flat camping lantern at about £15.29, 14 × 12 × 15 cm and 300 g, with 4.4 from 26 amazon.co.uk ratings. The page claims IPX5, a sealed 5200 mAh cell, 400 lumens, and five modes: cool, warm, natural, red and red flash. UK texts treat USB-C as the charge that actually fills it, and several call the panel slow or hard to see working. Cool white is described as harsh inside a tent, while the warm mode is there if you switch to it. It can put a little charge into a phone, not a full top-up, and the cell is a sealed pack you cannot swap. The details block lists both 5 W and 12 W, so do not treat the watt line as one measured figure. Buy it when a flat body and a cable fill matter, not when you want a dusk-to-dawn garden candle.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A tent or a power cut where you will charge by USB-C and want a choice of white and red.
Less suitable: A table that should come on by itself from a day’s sun, or a buyer who needs to swap the cell later.
Specifications
Common questions
Is the solar panel the main charger?
UK texts treat USB-C as the real charge. Several call the panel slow or hard to see working.
What does IPX5 mean on this listing?
The bullets and the specification line say IPX5. The water-resistance line only says water resistant. IPX5 is jets, with the dust digit unspecified.
Can the battery be swapped?
No. It is a sealed nonstandard cell.
Moman’s SW2-1 wall sconce is about £29.99, 22 × 14.7 × 14.7 cm and 540 g, with 4.3 from 499 amazon.co.uk ratings and 43 UK texts. The bullets claim IP65, a 2200 mAh cell, four-sided panels and a PIR to 5 metres and 120 degrees, with three modes. The luminous-flux field prints 0.3 lumen, which those texts contradict by calling the same light a porch glow or bright for a solar wall light, so do not sort by that field. Fit is screws and a bracket, facing up or down, at a suggested 1.8 to 2.5 m, and one box had no instructions so the modes were missed. Short tests mention heavy rain with no problem. One of six was returned with water in the PIR and a corroded board. Runtime falls after cloudy days, and there is no USB. It is the wall lantern to read first when you want a motion sconce with a large review count, not a lamp for a room in a power cut.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A door, a garage or a patio wall with sun on the panels, where a motion glow to about 5 metres is enough.
Less suitable: A room in a power cut, or a buyer who will treat the 0.3 lumen field as the brightness.
Specifications
Common questions
Is 0.3 lumen the brightness?
That is the luminous-flux field. UK texts call the same light bright enough for a porch or only a glow. Do not sort by that field.
How is it fixed?
Screws and a bracket, facing up or down. Suggested height is 1.8 to 2.5 m. One box had no instructions.
Does IP65 mean it survived rain in reviews?
Short tests mention heavy rain with no problem. One of six was returned with water in the PIR and a corroded board.
Yaolon’s vintage wall lantern is about £25.99, 24.8 × 18.3 × 19.8 cm and 600 g, with 3.8 from 31 amazon.co.uk ratings and 20 UK texts. It is a 3.7 V solar fitting, so it needs screws rather than an electrician, and the listing claims IP65, 300 lumens at 4000 K, and a PIR to 3 metres and 120 degrees. The bullet says two screws; one UK text counted three, and the plugs are called poor. From a distance the plastic reads as metal, and some buyers like the warm porch glow after a sunny day. Others call the light dull or quick to dim, and one unit was dead after two days. All-night mode did not stay on when other lights came on. The cell capacity is not stated, and there is no USB. It is a low-voltage sconce if the shape is the point, not the wall light with the larger review base.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A porch or a garden bar where a vintage shape at 4000 K matters and the sensor only needs to reach about 3 metres.
Less suitable: A buyer who wants the wall sconce with hundreds of ratings, or a bright light through a run of grey days.
Specifications
Common questions
Does it need an electrician?
No. It is a 3.7 V solar fitting. The bullet says two screws and no wiring. One UK text counted three screws.
How far does the sensor reach?
The bullet says up to 3 metres and 120 degrees.
Why is the star rating lower than the others?
The listing is 3.8 from 31. UK texts mention cheap-looking plastic, a dull or quickly dimming light, and one unit dead after two days.
Ten amazon.co.uk listings carry a 0–100 score in the display file, taken from the star figure times 20. This is not a laboratory test. There is no separate weight table in that file. The display file marks the flickering flame pair as the top pick: joint-highest score, with the strongest decorative review base in the set. It marks the two-pack of cool camping lanterns as the best value. The five criteria below follow the buying order in the digest, written as points. They add to 100.
Job
25%A flickering table lantern, a motion-sensor wall sconce and a collapsible tent light do not answer the same question. The job comes before the star rating.
Weather claim
20%IP65 is dust-tight and water jets under IEC 60529, not immersion. IPX5 is jets with the dust digit unspecified. IPX4 is splashing. Waterproof or water resistant with no code is not a test result.
Charge on a dull day
20%USB, a hand crank or a battery slot matters in a UK winter. A lid panel is a trickle. Decorative rows in this set are panel-only.
Cell
15%A named rechargeable AAA or AAAA can be replaced. A sealed pack is the product. When that cell fails, you replace the lantern.
Light character
20%Do not sort by the largest lumen integer. Cool white is a task light. A flame LED is a glow. A flux field that fights the reviews is not a brightness rank.
Pick the job before the shelf price. A flickering table lantern, a motion-sensor wall sconce and a collapsible tent light are different products. Then read the IP code, the charge method for a dull day, whether the cell can be swapped, and whether the light is a glow or a task beam.
A solar lantern in this search is a battery LED with a small panel. It is not a 230 V garden fitting, and it is not a candle lantern with a tealight. UK shoppers use one phrase for three jobs: a flickering or pierced table ornament, a vintage wall sconce with a motion sensor, and a portable camping or power-cut lantern. Those do not answer the same question. A star rating on a decorative lantern does not answer a power-cut or a security job. Pick the job before the shelf price.
Waterproof or water resistant with no code is not a test result. IP65 means dust-tight and water jets under IEC 60529. It does not mean immersion or a flooded border.
A 2000 lumen figure on a body 13 × 13 × 2.5 cm, and a 0.3 lumen flux field that reviews call a porch glow, are not a measured comparison. Sort by the job and the review texts.
A listing runtime is not a UK winter result. A panel left in shade will not fill the cell. A 6000 K camping lantern is a task light, not a candle for the table.
Three products share this search. A decorative lantern hangs or sits, often as a two-pack, with a flame flicker or a pierced shade and little task light. A wall sconce needs screws on a sunny wall, and both wall listings here claim IP65 and a PIR, one stated to 3 m and one to 5 m. A camping lantern is a hook or a flat body you carry, with modes and often a power-bank port. IP65 is jets, not immersion. IPX5 leaves the dust digit blank. IPX4 is splashing.
USB, a hand crank or a replaceable battery matters when the day is dull. Panel-only decorative lanterns have no second charge. A named AAA or AAAA can be replaced. A sealed 5200 mAh or 6000 mAh pack cannot. Do not sort by the catalogue lumen. Cool white at 6000 K or 6500 K is for seeing by, and UK texts call some of it harsh for reading. A 3000 K dimmable beam is the warm camping option, and it still needs a cable if the panel is flat. A flame LED is a glow.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You want a warm flicker that comes on at dusk, and you do not need to see a path. GEARLITE is about £19.99 for two, with 4.6 from 352 ratings, an IP65 claim and a panel-only 800 mAh cell. UK texts praise the flicker and say it is not bright. A grey week has no USB fallback.
You want two cool task lights and a battery fallback. SUBOOS is about £17.99 for two, with 4.4 from 407 ratings, 200 lumens at 6000 K, and solar, USB and a slot reviewers call AA. One UK text says the beam drops after about 90 minutes. Some USB ports would not take a charge.
You will drill a sunny wall and you want a motion glow with a large review file. Moman is about £29.99, with 4.3 from 499 ratings, an IP65 claim, a 2200 mAh cell and a PIR stated to 5 m. The flux field prints 0.3 lumen, which the UK texts do not support. There is no USB fallback.
The top pick is the GEARLITE flickering flame pair at about £19.99. It shares the highest score in this set, 92, with 4.6 from 352 ratings, and UK texts praise the flicker on a table, decking or fence. The listing claims IP65, a panel-only 800 mAh cell and a dusk-to-dawn sensor once the switch is on. The same texts say it will not light a path, and a grey week has no USB fallback. The best value is the SUBOOS two-pack at about £17.99, 4.4 from 407 ratings, 200 lumens at 6000 K, with solar, USB and a battery slot. One UK text says it dims after about the first 90 minutes, and the tone is cool white. Neither result is a laboratory brightness test, and neither listing runtime is a UK winter measurement.
GEARLITE flickering flame lantern, two-pack
Joint-highest score, 4.6 from 352 ratings, for a two-pack flame lantern at about £19.99 with an IP65 claim and a dusk sensor. Not a path or a power-cut light.
SUBOOS camping lantern, two-pack
Two camping lanterns at about £17.99, 4.4 from 407 ratings, with solar, USB and a battery slot. Cool 6000 K light, and the panel is not the charge people rely on.
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 for the electrical equipment voltage threshold, general product safety, outdoor mains lighting and IP codes, plus garden sources on winter solar runtime. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts are the figures in the display file. The digest does not date that capture. BBC Gardeners’ World is a price anchor for a decorative lantern that is not one of these ASINs.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk (tag pcuk26-21). If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are from the listings. This is not a laboratory test.
