Solar lights are a godsend for many keen gardeners, home owners, and anyone who appreciates a little no-nonsense lighting. They draw energy from the sun during the day and then expand this energy at night, helping you to light your home, garden, patio, and driveway.
Solar lights are a low-cost energy solution, and in an age of spiraling energy costs, they play a very important role. These lights are easy to install, cheap to run and maintain, and environmentally friendly.
What’s not to love?
Here are some cool options that we currently love in the Solar Lights Outdoor niche:
Solar Lights Outdoor – Quick Recommendations
1. Best Solar Spotlights Outdoor
Solar spotlights should be powerful and reliable, and the GKOLED UL Solid Brass spotlight fits that description perfectly. It’s rigid, solid, water-resistant, and very reasonably priced.
Buy The GKOLED UL Spotlight Here
2. Best Solar Lantern Outdoor
These TomCare LED lanterns combine a vintage aesthetic with modern reliability and affordability. They can add a touch of class to any setting.
Buy Our Top Solar Lanterns
3. Best Solar Lamp Outdoor
Cozy, attractive, functional—you can’t go wrong with the Hykolity Outdoor Wall Lamps. There are two rust-proof lamps per pack and they look great in any setting.
Buy This Dual-Pack Of Lamps
4. Best Solar Waterproof Lights Outdoor
These Enlight string lights are our top pick thanks to their long-lasting bulbs, waterproof structure, and shatterproof construction.
Pick up the Enlight Classic Coffee Lights
5. Best Solar Strings Lights Outdoor
The Brightech string lights are strong, long-lasting, and surprisingly bright. They also contain 15 bulbs per strand and you can connect 40 strands end-to-end.
Buy the Brightech Ambience Pro Lights
6. Best Driveway Solar Lights
These solar driveway lights contain a dozen in a pack and hold a lot of power, providing some fantastic illumination when the sun goes down.
Find Our Top Pick Driveway Lights on Amazon
7. Best Pathway Lights Outdoor
Outdoor lights need to be bright, affordable, and weather-resistant. The HNES lights tick all of those boxes and that’s why they are our top pick.
Buy HNES Outdoor Lights
8. Best Solar Motion Sensor Lights Outdoor
These motion sensor lights are very reactive and incredibly strong. You get two in a pack and they are more affordable than many other options currently on the market.
Buy These Lights From Amazon
9. Best Solar Security Wall Lights Outdoor
Whether you’re illuminating a flag, porch, door, or garage, these lights will do the trick. They are bright and feature automatic activation.
Buy From Amazon
10. Best Flagpole Lights Outdoor
You can use these powerful lights to illuminate a flag, but they also serve as general purpose outdoor lights and are an affordable and effective option.
Buy From Amazon
11. Best Solar Christmas Lights Outdoor
Two-hundred LED and waterproof lights in a single pack—what more do you need to know? These colorful lights look great, are easy to install, and are affordable enough to buy several packs.
Get Your Christmas Lights Here
How Did We Create (And Rank) The Best Solar Powered Lights Outdoor List?
There are a few key features that we look for when determining which solar lights are best:
- How bright are they?
- How affordable are they?
- How long do they last?
- How good do they look?
- Are they weather-resistant?
There are a lot of options on the market and as this is a growing industry, more are being added all of the time. As a consumer, you have the freedom of choice and can afford to be picky. As reviewers, we dismiss the vast majority of the lights we find and focus only on the best—the cream of the crop.
Here are the very best solar lights for outdoor use, covering your garden, driveway, pathway, and home security needs:
Best Solar Lights By Type
1. Best Solar Spot Lights Outdoor
Not only does the GKOLED house a powerful spotlight, but the lamp itself is made from solid brass. It feels sturdy, looks good, and should last for a long time. It’s weather-resistant, features a limited lifetime warranty, and is UL registered.
Despite all of those great features, this is a very affordable spotlight. You get a lot for your money, and that’s why it’s our pick for the best outdoor spotlight.
- Beautiful brass spotlight
- Completely weather resistant
- Available in packs of 1 or 10
Verdict = Affordable Quality
2. Best Solar Lantern Outdoor
A personal favorite that looks even better in the garden than it does on the Amazon page. These lanterns have an antique effect on the outside and a flame effect on the inside. They look just like the sort of lanterns you’d expect to see dangling outside a Victorian home or cemetery.
However, you’re not paying for aged iron and you don’t need to worry about relighting candles. The light is LED and is activated via a simple on/off switch. The case is made from metal, with plastic sheets providing the glass effect.
- Beautifully warm flame effect
- Antique effect
- Easy to use and maintain
Verdict = Editor’s Choice
3. Best Solar Lamp Outdoor
These outdoor wall lights feature a smooth and eye-catching matte black finish, along with a water-resistant construction. There are two per pack and the transparent glass ensures that the warming inner lights shine strong. They’re easy to install and make for a great addition to a balcony or placed either side of a front or back door.
The slick black design ensures that these lights work well in any setting and can conform to many design schemes. Whether you live in an old colonial home or a newly built condo, they will fit right in.
- Two lights per pack
- Strong, eye-catching, water-resistant construction
- Bright lights and transparent glass
Verdict = Fantastic Value
4. Best Solar Waterproof Lights Outdoor
The Enlight coffee lights are just the sort of lights you’d expect to find on the patio or terrace of an upmarket restaurant or bar. Whether you can achieve the same effect in your yard is a different story, but you will be starting with a good foundation!
The only downside is that these lights are a little expensive, but you get what you pay for. If you want the best of the best—lights that will work throughout all seasons—you can’t go wrong with these.
- Classy but affordable
- Long string of bulbs
- Super high-quality lights
Verdict = Premium Purchase
5. Best Solar String Lights Outdoor
These lights are a little cheaper than the Enlight option but they are made to a very high standard. What’s more, the reduced price means you may still have cash leftover in your budget to purchase a few more solar strings or grab some outdoor furniture.
You will struggle to find a more versatile set of outdoor solar string lights. You can use them to add some winter warmth to your patio, string them from trees to light up a party, or use them as year-round Christmas tree lights.
- Strong LED lights
- A cost-effective solution
- Perfect for all spaces
Verdict = Versatile Buy
6. Best Driveway Solar Lights
Place these lights on either side of your driveway to create an illuminated path.
There are a lot of lights out there that provide similar features, but many are weak, low-quality, and just don’t do the job. These lights are made to a much higher standard and provide a surprising amount of light.
There are 12 lights to a pack, which is usually more than enough to illuminate most driveways.
- Very high-quality driveway lights
- Slick and stylish
- Powerful illumination
Verdict = Great Buy
7. Best Pathway Lights Outdoor
These affordable lights offer up to 10 hours of illumination and there are 10 of them in a pack. They are automatic. Just stake them into the grass edging of your driveway or garden, wait for them to soak up the sunshine, and then watch as they glow throughout the night!
There are a couple of different color options to choose from. You can opt for a warm orange glow or a cooling blue/white light. The former is our preferred option, but choose the one that will look best in your yard.
- Long-lasting lights
- Powerful illumination
- 10 to a pack
Verdict = Value Option
8. Best Solar Motion Sensor Lights Outdoor
Powerful illumination is provided by 100 LED lights and there are two sets per pack, giving you a total of 200 little LEDs. That should be more than enough to provide the illumination you need. If not, they are cheap enough to buy two or more packs and spread those lights around.
As they are motion-activated, you can use these lights as security lights or as a way of illuminating your patio for nighttime drinks and parties. Many security lights can be disappointing when they are truly put to the test, but there are no such issues here.
They are bright without being overpowering.
- Versatile motion sensor lights
- 100 LEDs in a single light
- Wide coverage
Verdict = Unmissable Deal
9. Best Solar Security Wall Lights Outdoor
These lights are great for home security. They work automatically and can be placed so that they point toward doors and pathways. They are small, easy to install, and provide some great lighting. The panels draw a lot of energy to ensure the light stays strong throughout the night.
A security light can work wonders for deterring thieves and may also keep wild animals at bay. Darkness is a burglar’s best friend and if your home is lit-up, they’ll stay clear. It’s not just about security, either. You can also use these lights to shine on a flag, garage, wall, or whatever else you want to illuminate.
- Strong solar-powered lights
- Multi-purpose security lights
- The bulbs are interchangeable
Verdict = Best in Class
10. Best Flagpole Lights Outdoor
If brightness is important, you can’t go wrong with these lights. They are very bright and will keep shining all night. If they are too bright, simply adjust the setting and trade that strength for longevity.
You can get anywhere up to 15 hours of light out of these solar lights, but they will also give you a good 5 to 6 hours of light on the highest brightness setting.
Being able to play with the brightness/longevity in this way is one of our personal favorite features. It means you can set the brightness high when you’re throwing a party and need more illumination before turning it low when you just want to light up a flag or wall.
It’s a feature that you can find on many other lights but one that isn’t always reliable.
- Incredibly bright
- Adjustable brightness setting
- Easy to install
Verdict = 5-Star Purchase
11. Best Solar Christmas Lights Outdoor
Christmas lights are notoriously unreliable. They tangle too easily, blow too quickly, and leave you disappointed. There are no such issues with these lights, though. There are 200 to a pack and they come in a variety of colors. There are also 8 different modes to keep things interesting.
Just because they are Christmas lights doesn’t mean you need to save them for the holiday season. Scatter them over trees, tables, and fences in your yard to create a winter atmosphere all year long.
- Colorful lights
- Lots of lights in a pack
- Completely waterproof
Verdict = Incredible Value
FAQ – Solar Lights Outdoor Top Questions:
How Do Solar Lights Outdoors Really Work?
Solar lights use solar panels to draw energy from the sun and power rechargeable batteries. During the day, the lights take as much energy as they can and this is then unleashed during the evening hours.
Depending on the conditions and the quality of the lights, the panels should be able to generate enough power to keep running throughout the night.
One of the biggest complaints about solar lights is that they don’t work or don’t work for long. This is likely the result of them drawing minimal power during the day but could also indicate a low-quality light. As with everything else, you get what you pay for, and if you want something that will shine bright for many hours, you need to buy the best solar lights on the market.
Fortunately, as the above guide shows, quality solar lights aren’t always expensive. In fact, there are some very reasonably priced lights on the market. You just need to know what you’re looking for, and that’s why we created this guide.
What Are The Solar Light Types Out There?
There are several different types of solar lights, including:
- Solar Spotlights: A spotlight is a single powerful light that beams onto a surface. You can use a spotlight to illuminate the outside of your home, a flag, or anything else that needs a little light.
- Solar Flood Lights: Floodlights are large lights that cover a particular area. They are the sort of lights used at outdoor stadiums and parks, though when it comes to flood lights for the home, they are typically much smaller.
- Solar-Powered Motion Lights: As the name suggests, motion lights trigger whenever they detect motion. They are often employed as security lights as they can alert a homeowner to a would-be thief. They also trigger when there are animals nearby and whenever homeowners walk out in front of them.
- Solar Pathway Lighting: Pathway or driveway lights are placed either side of a path or drive and provide illumination. If you have a long path/drive leading to your property and don’t have any nearby lights, pathway solar lights are perfect. They are a low-energy and low-cost way of lighting your way in the evening hours.
- Decorative Solar Lights: Solar lights aren’t just practical. You can drape them from outdoor furniture, trees, fences, walls, and even your home, using them for cozy decoration. These lights come in an array of colors, from warm ambient lights to colorful Christmas lights.
- Solar Lanterns: Lanterns typically carry candles and use a mixture of metal and glass to create a sturdy construction that provides illumination. Solar lanterns use a similar design but feature solar-powered lights instead of candles.
The type of light that works best for you will depend on your location and needs. There’s also no reason why you can’t purchase several of these lights and add them all to your outdoor space.
What Are The Benefits Of Going Solar With Your Outdoor Lights?
There are several benefits of using solar lights for your outdoor lighting:
- Save Money
- Help The Environment
- Decorate Your Yard
- Improve Security
- No Complicate Installations
What Do You Need To Look For When Buying Solar Lights?
One of the biggest mistakes that consumers make when buying solar lights is to choose the best-looking option. Obviously, looks are important, but it’s a light, not a t-shirt, and so it needs to be practical as well.
Focus on the power of the light, the quality of the construction, and the length of the battery. How much light will it give out? How long will it last? Can it withstand strong winds, heavy rain, and snow?
What Types Of Outdoor Solar Lights Are There?
Solar outdoor lights need sunlight to work, so the majority are outdoors. You can technically power an internal light with external solar panels, but when we talk about solar lights, we are typically referencing outdoor lights.
Take a look above for a list of the many types of outdoor solar lights and their functions.
Why Go With Solar Lights Outdoors?
There are several reasons why you should consider solar outdoor lights over lights powered by traditional batteries and direct power:
- Ease of Installation: As a solar light draws power from the sun, it doesn’t need to be plugged into an outlet, which means you don’t need to trail power cables through your yard and home. Simply attach the light where you want it to go and then wait for it to work its magic.
- Cost: Solar lights get all of their power from the sun, so even if you have a lot of them, you don’t need to worry about escalating energy bills. The technology has also improved immensely over the last few years and is more accessible than ever, so solar lights are often cheaper than non-solar alternatives.
- Automatic: If you have a battery-powered or mains-powered light in your yard, you need to turn it on every time that you leave the house. If you’re returning home after a long day at work and need something to light a driveway or pathway, it’s just not a practical solution. Solar lights work automatically. They draw energy during the day and then snap on during the night—this automatic process will make your life much easier and your garden much brighter!
- Environmentally Friendly: The carbon footprint of a few garden lights isn’t substantial, but it would be better if it wasn’t there at all. With solar lights, all of the energy comes directly from the sun, so there is no mains power and no disposable batteries.
- Variety: As this guide shows, solar lights come in all shapes and sizes, so there is something for all tastes and gardens.
How Difficult Is It To Set Up Solar Powered Outdoor Lights In My Garden?
Solar lights are very easy to set up. They come with basic instructions and some of them just need to be hammered into the ground. Always check the instructions before setting up your lights.
How Much Does It Really Cost?
Solar lights are available from as little as $20 per pack, and they usually last for years. You don’t need to worry about additional energy costs in that time, either.
Solar Lights Outdoors – Conclusion
Solar lights are the perfect solution for your outdoor lighting needs, and that’s true whether you live in the blazing desert heat of Arizona or the colder northern climates of Maine. These lights are used in gardens and streets all over the world and they are surprisingly effective even in minimal sunlight.
Check out our guide above to find the right lights for your needs and if you’re doing your own research, be sure to check the reviews, specifications, and other essentials before placing an order.