Portable Power Stations

A portable power station is a large rechargeable battery with built-in outlets: AC plugs like the ones in your wall, plus USB and 12V ports. It charges from a wall socket, a car or solar panels, and runs silently with no fumes, so you can use it indoors, in a tent or in a van.

Start with the right size

Two numbers decide whether a power station fits your needs: capacity in watt-hours (Wh), which sets how long it lasts, and output in watts (W), which sets what it can run. Our calculators work both out for you.

What to look for when buying

• Battery chemistry: LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate) batteries are often rated for 3,000+ charge cycles and are the safer, longer-lasting choice. Older NMC lithium-ion units are lighter but wear out sooner.
• Continuous and surge output: continuous watts must cover everything you run at once; surge watts must cover motor startups.
• Solar input: a higher maximum solar input (in watts) means faster charging from panels.
• Expandability: some models accept extra batteries later, a good option if you might move into home backup.
• Pass-through charging and UPS mode: lets the unit power devices while plugged in and switch over during an outage.

Guides in this section

Our in-depth guides on choosing, using and comparing power stations are listed in the Portable Power Stations guides archive, with new ones added every week.