Guide
Power stations for camping, caravans and vans
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Off the grid, weight and solar charging matter more than raw size. A 250-500 station keeps phones, lights and a laptop going for a weekend; add a cool box and you want 500-1,000 Wh.
What to look for
- Weight. Under 6 kg is easy to carry from the car; 1 kWh models are around 11-13 kg.
- 12 V car socket. Runs a camping fridge more efficiently than its 3-pin plug.
- Solar input. A higher maximum lets a bigger panel refill it in a day.
- Noise. Fans run while charging fast; most are quiet when lightly loaded. We show the maker's dB figure where published.
DC-only models (no 3-pin socket) are lighter and cheaper but can't run mains appliances.
Power stations worth a look
Questions buyers ask before buying
It's a lot of money for something I'll hardly use.
Price it against what it protects: a freezer full of food, a working router when you work from home, a CPAP machine through the night. A 1 kWh station that covers fridge, router, lights and phones for about half a day starts at £419. It also earns its keep outside power cuts: camping, the garden or a van. Who gets value.
Power cuts hardly ever happen where I live.
Most are short. The ones that matter come with winter storms and can last a night or more, and they are hard to plan for. A station sits in a cupboard charged and ready, needs a top-up every few months, and doubles as a camping or garden battery the rest of the year.
Will it actually run my things?
That is the right question, and the box rarely answers it. Pick your appliances in What will it run? and you will only see stations with enough output and battery for them, with the hours each one lasts.
Aren't lithium batteries a fire risk?
Almost every current model uses (lithium iron phosphate) cells, which are far more stable than the lithium-ion in older gadgets. Buy from the maker's UK store or a big UK retailer, keep the vents clear and charge it indoors. Fire risk explained.
Won't the battery be dead in a few years?
LFP stations are rated for 3,000 to 10,000 charge cycles. Used once a week, even 3,000 cycles is over 50 years, and five-year warranties are now common. How long they last.
I'm not technical. Is it complicated?
No wiring and no fuel. You charge it from a wall socket, then plug things into it like a normal socket. Many switch on by themselves when the mains drops. If weight worries you, filter by it: some 1 kWh models are about 11 kg and smaller ones under 6 kg.
Ready to choose?