Andrew Heinzman
It’s that time of year—the days are shorter, the nights are longer, and you can’t find your way from the driveway to your front door. Maybe it’s time to install some solar-powered patio lights.
What to Look for in Solar-Powered Lights
Shopping for patio lights is more complicated than you’d expect. These little solar-powered lamps come in all shapes, sizes, and price ranges. And since you can’t see them in action before you buy, it’s hard to know which offer the best bang for your buck.
Here are a few things to think about before you buy solar-powered lights:
- Form Factor: Do you need traditional path lights or something you’re less likely to trip over? Do you need something more specialized, like a spot or patio light?
- Brightness: Unless you just want them for decoration, path lights are useless if they’re too dim. For the sake of real-world usability and common sense, we’ve made sure all the lights in this article are actually bright enough to light your path.
- Price: Path lights can get really expensive. Try to find a price you’re comfortable with, and don’t be afraid to go a little over budget (the more expensive lights tend to last for a few years).
Without further ado, here are our picks for the best solar-powered path lights.
Best Overall: GIGALUMI Solar Pathway Lights
GIGALUMI’s six-pack of pathway lights is a solid option for any home. They look great for their price (that bronze finish goes a long way), and they have warm LEDs and real glass lenses. Their run time is about 10 hours, so they should last through those long, cold winter nights.
GIGALUMI Solar Pathway Lights 6 Pack, Solar Landscape Lights Warm White, Super Bright High Lumen Waterproof Metal Automatic Solar Yard Lights for Path, Garden, Lawn, Patio and Walkway
GIGALUMI's Solar Pathway Lights have a durable bronze finish and bright, warm LEDs. They're a great, high-quality option for any home.
$39.99 
$44.99 Save 11%
Best Budget: Maggiftt Solar-Powered LED Lights
Path lights are a lot more expensive than you’d expect. If you want to light up your yard without breaking the bank, we suggest Maggiftt’s 11-Pack of Solar-Powered LED Lights. Reasonably bright with an eight-hour run time, these aren’t the most durable lights on the planet. But, hey, it’s 11-pieces for not a lot of dollars—you can’t lose!
MAGGIFT 12 Pcs Solar Pathway Lights Solar Garden Lights Outdoor Solar Landscape Lights for Lawn, Patio, Yard, Walkway, Deck, Driveway and Garden
This 11-piece light set is a steal for the price. They're not the fanciest, but they look nice and get the job done.
$24.99 $29.99 Save 17%
Best Premium: TomCare Flickering Flame Solar Torch Lights
Wow, is that a real torch? No, it’s just a set of TomCare Flickering Flame Solar Torch Lights! These decorative path lights come in a four-pack. They’re made of durable metal and contain warm, flickering LEDs.
With a 10-hour run time, these path lights are perfect for fancy walkways or late-night barbecues. You can even fasten them to bamboo poles and make tiki torches, should you be so inclined.
TomCare Solar Lights Metal Flickering Flame Solar Torches Lights Waterproof Outdoor Heavy Duty Lighting Solar Pathway Lights Landscape Lighting Dusk to Dawn Auto On/Off for Garden Patio Yard, 4 Pack
The TomCare Flickering Flame Torch Lights are made of high-quality metal and LEDs. They're perfect for pathways or decorative scenes.
$89.99
Best In-Ground Lights: GIGALUMI Solar Ground Lights
GIGALUMI’s eight-pack of Solar Ground Lights is a solid alternative to traditional path lights. These lights sit flush with the ground so they won’t trip you, your kids, or your pets. They also won’t be in your way when you mow the lawn. They have an eight-hour run time, so they’re perfect for lighting paths, accenting plants, or decorating your patio.
GIGALUMI 8 Pack Solar Ground Lights, 8 LED Solar Powered Disk Lights Outdoor Waterproof Garden Landscape Lighting for Yard Deck Lawn Patio Pathway Walkway (White)
GIGALUMI's Solar Ground Lights are bright, durable, and affordable. They're a great alternative to traditional-style path lights.
$25.99 $39.99 Save 35%
Best Spotlights: LITOM Solar Landscape Spotlights
If you’re looking for a solar-powered light that points at your house, pool, garage, plants, or address plaque, check out this two-pack of LITOM’s Solar Landscape Spotlights. They have two brightness modes: Low and High. They’ll run for 12 hours in Low mode, and six in High. These lights also come with wall mounts if you want to hang them on your deck or porch.
Of course, you could just get some dedicated deck lights. Good thing we picked some of those, too!
Best Deck Lights: URPOWER Wireless Three-Mode Lights
If you’re looking for a wireless alternative to deck lights, then this four-pack of URPOWER’s Three-Mode Deck Lights might be your best option. These solar-powered lights are as bright as regular outdoor lights, have a six-hour battery life, and require no installation (well, you have to hang them with a nail or some Velcro).
Like other solar-powered lights, these automatically turn on when it’s dark, but they also have two motion sensor modes. The first mode works with the always-on mode and simply boosts the brightness when someone walks by the light. The other motion sensor mode turns the light on when someone walks by, like a typical motion sensor light.
URPOWER Solar Lights Outdoor, 3 Modes Solar Motion Sensor Lights with 270° Wide Lighting, IP65 Waterproof Security Lights Outdoor Solar Flood Lights for Front Door, Backyard, Garage, Deck (4 Pack)
The URPOWER Wireless Three-Mode Lights are bright, cheap, and easy to install. They also have two motion sensor modes so you can use them for just about any application.
$40.99
