Best portable power stations for a power cut (2026)

The longest-lived battery we list: BLUETTI rates the Elite 200 V2's LiFePO4 cells for 6,000+ cycles to 80%, about 70% more than the 3,500+ it quotes for the older AC200MAX, and backs it with a five-year warranty. 2,073Wh and 2,600W of output run a fridge-freezer, boiler controls, router and lights together, with a 3,900W lifting mode for simple resistive loads, and it recharges to 80% in just over an hour. BLUETTI quotes 16dB at low loads, which matters if it sits in a living room overnight. The trade-off against the EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max Plus at a similar price is expansion: this unit cannot take an extra battery, so 2kWh is the ceiling, and its switchover is 15ms rather than 10ms.

Best for A whole household through a day-long power cut — fridge-freezer, boiler controls, router, lights and phones — in a fixed-capacity unit built to last.

• LiFePO4 rated for 6,000+ cycles to 80% — the highest cycle rating of any unit we list — with a five-year warranty
• 2,600W output (3,900W lifting mode) with 2,300W AC charging: 80% in about 1.1 hours
• 1,000W of solar input, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth app control, and four selectable UPS modes

• Not expandable: 2,073Wh is the ceiling, where the DELTA 3 Max Plus grows to 10kWh
• 24.2kg — it lives where it is plugged in
• 15ms UPS switchover rather than the 10ms of BLUETTI's smaller units; fine for a router, worth checking for anything more sensitive

Who shouldn't buy it: Your realistic power cut is a few hours: a 1kWh unit covers the fridge and phones for that at half the price and weight. And if you plan to grow into a multi-battery home-backup system, buy an expandable unit instead — this one is complete as sold.

A well-judged, genuinely portable unit that covers most household outage needs without fuss. The long-life LiFePO4 battery and fast recharge make it a sensible one-off buy — just wait for it to drop from its inflated RRP.

Best for Keeping the essentials going through a power cut — fridge, phones, router, lights and small medical devices.

• Long-life LiFePO4 cells rated to ~4,000 cycles (roughly a decade of regular use), so it won't need replacing mid-decade
• Recharges from empty in about an hour on mains — useful if you get warning of an outage
• Quiet in use and, at 10.8kg for 1,070Wh, easy enough for one person to move room to room

• 1,500W ceiling and 1,070Wh capacity won't run high-draw items like kettles or most electric heaters for any meaningful time
• Poor value at full RRP; only worth it when discounted

Who shouldn't buy it: Your goal is to run heating or a kettle during an outage — a 1,500W limit won't cope with a 2–3kW load. And if you only need to keep phones and a laptop alive, a £30–£90 power bank does that for a fraction of the price.

This is the DELTA 3 Classic with the door left open. Same 1,024Wh LiFePO4 pack, which EcoFlow rates at 4,000 cycles to 80% (it quotes the Classic only as a 10-year life), same 1,800W output, but with an extra-battery port that takes it to 5kWh, dual solar inputs up to 1,000W, 140W USB-C ports and a 56-minute mains recharge. For a home that wants to start with one unit and grow into whole-fridge, whole-day backup, it is the better buy than the Classic; for a home that will never expand, the Classic does the same job for less. EcoFlow's UK store listed it as available to order rather than in stock when we checked; Amazon had it in stock at the same price.

Best for Households that want the fridge, router and phones covered for a long power cut and may add a second battery later — the expandable 1kWh choice.

• Expandable to 5kWh with EcoFlow's extra batteries, and dual solar inputs up to 1,000W — the 1kWh unit you won't outgrow
• LiFePO4 cells rated for 4,000 cycles to 80%, IP65-rated battery pack, five-year UK warranty
• Full mains recharge in 56 minutes, under-10ms UPS switchover, and four mains sockets with 140W USB-C for laptops

• Costs more than the DELTA 3 Classic for the same capacity and output — only worth it if you'll use the expansion port or the solar inputs
• At 12.5kg it is a two-hands carry, not something to move around casually
• Kettles and heaters only through X-Boost: 1,800W is the rated output, and EcoFlow says X-Boost runs heating appliances such as kettles (it names 1,200-3,000W) at reduced power, so expect a slow boil rather than a normal one

Who shouldn't buy it: You know you'll never add a battery or solar panels — the DELTA 3 Classic is the same power station without the ports you won't use. And if a fridge isn't on your list, a 300Wh unit or a big power bank covers phones, lights and the router for a fraction of the price.

Set against the AC180 it replaces, on BLUETTI's own specs for both, the numbers favour it: the same 1,800W output and five-year warranty, 4,000+ rated cycles, 1,000W of solar input against 500W, a 70-minute full recharge, and 11.5kg against 16kg. Against the EcoFlow DELTA 3 Classic, which usually costs a little less, it is 600g lighter, takes twice the solar input, has two 100W-plus USB-C ports and a 12V car socket the Classic lacks; both have two mains sockets. Either keeps a fridge cold for the better part of a day. This is our pick of the two if you have or plan solar panels, or will carry it about; the Classic is the cheaper way in.

Best for Keeping a fridge, router, phones and lights running through a long power cut — light, quiet, and close to the DELTA 3 Classic on price.

• 11.5kg for 1,024Wh — 4.5kg lighter than the AC180 it replaces — and BLUETTI states it runs at 30dB under a 600W load
• 1,000W solar input and a 70-minute full mains recharge; LiFePO4 rated 4,000+ cycles to 80%, five-year warranty
• 140W and 100W USB-C ports, an under-10ms UPS switchover, and 3,600W surge for fridge compressors

• Two mains sockets; the EcoFlow DELTA 3 and DELTA 3 Plus have four
• No stacking extra battery: capacity is fixed at 1,024Wh unless you use a B80 in power-bank mode
• BLUETTI's UK store shows it as a sale price against a higher list price — check what it is on the day

Who shouldn't buy it: You don't need the fridge covered: a 300Wh unit or a big power bank keeps phones, lights and the router going for a fraction of the price. And if you want a system you can expand to several kWh, look at the EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus (to 5kWh) or DELTA 3 Max Plus (to 10kWh) instead.

The DELTA Pro 3 is the top of EcoFlow's portable range: 4,096Wh, 4,000W output rising to 6,000W with X-Boost, 2,600W of solar input and expansion to 12kWh. EcoFlow rates the LiFePO4 pack at 4,000 cycles to 80%. It is a wheeled suitcase-style unit, 51.5kg without extra batteries, built for people who want to run a fridge, freezer and kitchen appliances together. Next to the DELTA 3 Max Plus it offers twice the capacity and a third more output at more than twice the weight; most households will be well served by the smaller unit.

Best for Several days of whole-home essentials and heavy kitchen appliances at once, if you can handle a wheeled 51.5kg unit.

• 4,096Wh and 4,000W, enough to cover several appliances at once
• Up to 2,600W of solar input and expansion to 12kWh
• Wheels and a pull handle, and a rated 4,000 cycles to 80%

• 51.5kg is not a unit to lift; plan where it lives and where it is used
• Costs more than twice as much as the 2kWh units, which suit most single-fridge needs
• One long-term reviewer had the unit cut its output twice with a fault warning that a full power cycle cleared, so keep the reset steps to hand

Who shouldn't buy it: You only need a fridge, router and phones covered: a 1kWh unit does that for a fraction of the cost and weight. Whole-house backup that needs to switch automatically also needs an electrician and a proper changeover, not just this unit.

A lot of power station for its sale price: 2,048Wh, 2,400W and a 10ms switchover in a 19.1kg unit you can carry, with expansion batteries if you want days rather than hours.

Best for A 2kWh home backup with the output for a microwave as well as the fridge, router and lights, and room to add batteries for longer cuts.

• 2,400W rated output covers a microwave and most kitchen appliances, briefly
• Expandable to about 12kWh with add-on batteries, according to Jackery
• 10ms UPS switchover and LFP cells rated for 6,000 cycles

• At 19.1kg it is a two-handed lift
• A 2kWh battery still empties in under an hour on a 3kW heater; it is for essentials, not heating

Who shouldn't buy it: You want to heat the house in a power cut: no portable unit does that for long. If your list is the fridge, router, lights and phones, a 1kWh unit is usually enough.

Anker's current 1kWh station, with 2,000W output, long-life LiFePO4 cells and very fast mains recharging. It runs household essentials through a typical power cut and switches over quickly enough to act as a UPS for a router or CPAP machine.

Best for A household wanting a dependable 1kWh backup for phones, laptops, the router, lights and a fridge through a power cut.

• LiFePO4 battery rated to keep at least 80% of its capacity after 4,000 cycles
• 2,000W output (3,000W peak) from nine outputs, including a 12V car socket
• Recharges from the mains in about 49 minutes, or from up to 600W of solar

• At about 11kg it's portable, but not something to carry far
• About 1kWh won't run a kettle, heater or oven for long

Who shouldn't buy it: You only need to keep phones and a laptop charged; a power bank costs a fraction. For heating or cooking, or days of fridge running, look at a 2kWh-plus station.

The home-backup pick in EcoFlow's current range. 2,048Wh and a 3,000W output mean it runs a fridge-freezer, the boiler's pump and controls, the router, lights and chargers at the same time, and X-Boost stretches it to 3,900W for simple resistive loads. It recharges from empty in 68 minutes, takes 1,000W of solar, and its extra-battery port expands the system to 10kWh, which is what separates it from the plain DELTA 3 Max. At 22kg it lives where it is plugged in. EcoFlow does not publish a cycle-life figure for this model on its UK page, which is unusual for the brand, so we have not quoted one.

Best for A whole household through a day-long power cut — fridge-freezer, boiler controls, router, lights and phones together — with room to grow to 10kWh.

• 3,000W output (6,000W surge) runs the fridge-freezer, boiler controls, router and lights together — the step up from the plain DELTA 3 Max, which EcoFlow rates at 2,400W
• Expandable to 10kWh with one or two extra batteries, plus 1,000W of solar input, so it can anchor a proper home-backup setup
• Full recharge in 68 minutes from the mains, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth app control, and a 10ms UPS switchover

• 22kg: this is a stay-put unit, not a carry-to-the-car one
• EcoFlow's UK page states no cycle-life rating for it, unlike the DELTA 3 (4,000 cycles) — ask before you buy if longevity is your reason
• The full five-year warranty needs registration in the EcoFlow app; unregistered it is three years

Who shouldn't buy it: Your realistic power cut is a few hours, not a day: a 1kWh unit keeps the fridge cold and the phones charged for that, at half the price and weight. And if you have a heat pump or electric heating you hope to run, no portable unit does that — this covers essentials, not heating.

Three kilowatt-hours in 26.3kg: BLUETTI says Frost & Sullivan certifies the Elite 300 as the world's smallest 3kWh portable power station, and it's certainly compact for its capacity. You get 2,400W with 4,800W of surge, 10ms UPS switching, a 140W USB-C port and a 12V 30A socket for a campervan, with a LiFePO4 battery rated for 6,000 cycles. It can't take add-on batteries, and the solar and car cables cost extra. Its £1,399 on 10 October 2026 was a sale price (from £1,599) due to end on 14 October.

Best for A day or more of essentials in a 26kg box

• 3kWh in 26.3kg
• 6,000+ cycle LFP battery
• 10ms UPS, 140W USB-C, 30A 12V

• No add-on batteries
• Solar and car cables extra
• Sale price ends 14 Oct

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if a fridge, router and phones through a day's cut is the job: the 2kWh Elite 200 V2 does that for £500 less.

The DELTA 3 Max is the fixed-capacity sibling of the DELTA 3 Max Plus: the same 2,048Wh capacity at 20.3kg against the Plus's 22.1kg, but with 2,400W of output where the Plus gives 3,000W, 500W of solar input where the Plus takes 1,000W, and no extra-battery port where the Plus grows to 10kWh. EcoFlow quotes a 3-year warranty plus a 2-year extension. It is the choice for someone who knows 2kWh is the ceiling they need and wants it a little lighter than the DELTA 2 Max; anyone who may add batteries later should pay for the Plus.

Best for Two days of fridge and essentials from one 2kWh unit that is lighter than the DELTA 2 Max.

• 2,048Wh and 2,400W in 20.3kg, about 3kg lighter than the DELTA 2 Max
• AC recharge in roughly 68 minutes on the retailer's figure
• LFP pack with an app and a quiet rating of 25dB at 600W stated by a UK retailer

• No expansion port: capacity stays at 2kWh
• Solar input is 500W, half that of the Max Plus
• Five-year cover relies on registering for the extra two years

Who shouldn't buy it: You may want to grow past 2kWh or run heavier loads: the DELTA 3 Max Plus expands to 10kWh. If you only need a fridge, a 1kWh unit costs much less.

The newest 1kWh Jackery, and the more future-proof of the two at this size: 1,800W output, a 10ms switchover for a router or PC, and the option to add batteries rather than replace the unit. Worth it over the 1000 v2 if you think you will want more capacity later.

Best for A 1kWh home backup that can grow: the fridge, router, phones and lights through a power cut now, with room to add batteries later.

• Expandable: start at 1,024Wh and add up to five battery packs, to about 11kWh, according to Jackery
• 10ms UPS switchover, fast enough for most routers and desktop PCs
• LFP cells rated for 6,000 cycles to 70% capacity

• 1,800W won't run a kettle or a 2–3kW heater
• The add-on batteries are a large extra cost, so expandability only pays if you really will use it

Who shouldn't buy it: You only need to keep phones and a router going: a smaller unit or a big power bank does that for far less. And no unit this size runs electric heating for long.

The best-value model in EcoFlow's current 1kWh range, and the lowest-priced of its three: the same 1,800W output and LFP chemistry as the DELTA 2, a slightly faster 45-minute 0-80% mains recharge, and a 10ms UPS switchover. The trade-off is that this 'Classic' model's capacity is fixed: unlike the DELTA 2 there is no extra-battery port, so 1,024Wh is what you get.

Best for Keeping a fridge, router, phones and a few lights running through a multi-hour power cut, for households who won't need to expand capacity later.

• LFP cells EcoFlow rates for a 10-year lifespan, backed by up to 5 years' warranty (3 years standard, 2 more when registered in the EcoFlow app)
• Recharges 0-80% in 45 minutes on the mains (60 minutes to full), with a built-in 10ms UPS switchover for sensitive electronics like a router or NAS
• 1,800W continuous output (3,600W surge; up to 2,400W via X-Boost) covers most household essentials

• Unlike the DELTA 2, there is no extra-battery expansion port, so 1,024Wh is a hard ceiling — the standard DELTA 3 or DELTA 3 Plus (1-5kWh expandable) exist if you might want more later
• No 12V car-style DC output port, unlike the standard DELTA 3 / DELTA 3 Plus
• Only 5 outputs (2 AC, 1 USB-A, 2 USB-C), fewer than EcoFlow's DELTA 3 and DELTA 3 Plus

Who shouldn't buy it: You only need to keep phones, a tablet and a laptop topped up — a much cheaper power bank does that job. And skip this specific 'Classic' model if you think you'll want to add capacity later, since it has no expansion port; the standard DELTA 3 or DELTA 3 Plus do.

Less a power station than the start of a home battery: 2,764.8Wh built in and 3,840W of output from UK sockets, expandable to 19.35kWh with up to six B300K batteries, or 58kWh with three units on a Hub A1. It takes 2,400W of solar through two inputs, refills from the mains in about 70 minutes, and can restart from solar after running flat. The base unit has mains sockets only (USB and 12V need the £249 Hub D1), it weighs 38kg, and its 20ms switchover is slower than the Elite range's 10ms. Its £1,599 on 10 October 2026 was a sale price (from £1,899) due to end on 14 October.

Best for A home battery you can grow from one day to several

• 3,840W from UK sockets
• Expands to 19.35kWh
• 2,400W solar input

• USB and 12V need a £249 hub
• 38kg: it stays put
• 20ms switchover, not 10ms

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want to carry it: at 38kg it lives in one place, and the Elite 300 gives 3kWh at 26kg.

A well-judged mid-size unit for household backup: the long-life LFP battery, genuinely fast recharge and quiet operation make it a sensible first power station. Just size it to essentials, not the whole house.

Best for Keeping the essentials going in a power cut — fridge, broadband router, phones and a few lights.

• LFP (lithium iron phosphate) battery rated for roughly 3,000 cycles / ~10 years — far longer-lived than older lithium units
• Recharges 0-100% in about an hour from the mains, so it is ready again quickly between outages
• Light (~6.1kg), quiet, and ships with proper UK 3-pin sockets plus a 100W USB-C port

• 512Wh is modest — enough for low-draw essentials for several hours, not for running a home for a day
• Native 500W output means high-wattage appliances need X-Boost, and it still will not run a kettle, oven or electric heater

Who shouldn't buy it: You want to power high-draw appliances (kettle, microwave, heaters) or keep much of the home running — the capacity and 500W output are too small; step up to a Delta-class unit instead.

BLUETTI's biggest single box: 3,840Wh and 2,600W with 5,200W of surge, on wheels with a telescopic handle, which matters at 39kg. Mains and solar together take it to 80% in 60 to 88 minutes, depending on whether you go by BLUETTI's page or its manual. Against the Elite 300 it holds 27% more but is rated for half the cycles (3,000+ against 6,000+), so for a battery you'll cycle often, the Elite 300 is the longer-lived choice. Its £1,799 on 10 October 2026 was a sale price (from £1,899) due to end on 14 October.

Best for The most energy in one wheel-along box

• 3,840Wh: the most in one box here
• Wheels and a telescopic handle
• 5,200W surge

• 39kg
• 3,000-cycle rating, half the Elite 300's
• No add-on batteries

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you'll cycle it daily, say with solar: the Elite 300's 6,000-cycle battery should last longer.

Jackery's smallest current power station: 512Wh and 500W at 5.7kg, with the same long-life LiFePO4 cells and sub-10ms switchover as its bigger units. Enough to keep a router, phones and a couple of lamps going through an evening or a night. Jackery's page gives no surge figure, so don't count on it to start a fridge-freezer's compressor.

Best for Phones, a router, a laptop and lamps through an evening's power cut, in a unit you can carry with one hand.

• LiFePO4 cells rated for 6,000 cycles, according to Jackery
• UPS switchover under 10ms, so a router can stay plugged in through a cut
• 5.7kg: a one-handed carry, with a car socket and two USB-C ports as well as two mains sockets

• 500W rated output rules out kettles, heaters and microwaves
• Jackery gives no surge figure, and solar input stops at 200W

Who shouldn't buy it: You want the fridge-freezer covered through a cut: that needs the 1kWh class, such as the Explorer 1000 v2. For phones alone, a large power bank costs far less.

BLUETTI's sodium-ion unit, built for the cold: BLUETTI rates it to charge at −15°C and run at −25°C, where most LiFePO4 power stations are rated to charge only above freezing. The cost is weight and price for the capacity: 900Wh and 16kg at £899 on BLUETTI's UK store on 1 November 2026, against 1,024Wh, 11.5kg and £499 for BLUETTI's own Elite 100 V2 the same day. In a heated home a LiFePO4 unit does the same job for less; buy this only if it will live, or be charged, somewhere that freezes.

Best for Power in a garage, shed, campervan or outbuilding that freezes in winter.

• Rated to charge at −15°C and run at −25°C, according to BLUETTI
• 1.5W standby loss, so it holds its charge for months between uses (BLUETTI's figure)
• 1,500W output, 2,250W lifting mode for heating-type appliances at reduced power, and a UPS switchover

• 16kg for 900Wh: heavier than LiFePO4 units with more capacity
• Costs more per watt-hour than LiFePO4 units of a similar size
• 20ms UPS switchover, slower than the 10ms many rivals quote: fine for lights and a fridge, check it for a desktop PC

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if it will sit in a heated house: a LiFePO4 unit such as the BLUETTI Elite 100 V2 gives more capacity for less money and weight. And no unit this size runs electric heating for long.

The RIVER 2 Pro is a 768Wh unit with 800W of output, 1,600W under X-Boost, and 220W of solar input in a 7.8kg body. It is a good fit for a household that wants more than a 250Wh starter unit but not the weight of a 1kWh one. The recurring complaint from reviewers is the fan: EcoFlow's spec sheet gives noise up to 62dB when charging and discharging at high wattage, and testers describe it as intrusive at close range. Next to the 1,024Wh DELTA 3 Classic it has less capacity and no expansion, but it weighs about 4kg less.

Best for Router, lights and a small fridge for a few hours at a time, from a 7.8kg unit.

• 768Wh and 800W for 7.8kg, enough for a small fridge for part of a day
• 70-minute full recharge from the mains
• 220W of solar input

• Fan noise reported as loud during fast charging and heavy loads
• Not expandable, and 768Wh is tight for a fridge plus a freezer
• Older design with 3,000 rated cycles versus 4,000 on the newest EcoFlow units

Who shouldn't buy it: Quiet is a priority or you want to cover a fridge for more than half a day: a DELTA 3 Classic or DELTA 3 Plus has more capacity. For phones and a router alone, the RIVER 3 does the job at a lower cost.