Buying guide · checked
Best portable power station UK 2026: which Anker SOLIX suits you?
For small gear, the C300 DC. For fridge-plus-essentials backup, the C1000 Gen 2. For campervans and power tools, the C2000 Gen 2. For multi-day backup, the F3000. None feeds your home wiring. The C300 DC powers USB / DC devices; the larger models have their own AC sockets.
Our shortlist at a glance
Pick by the job, not the brand. All four boxes below come from one maker whose UK specs we have checked, so the comparison is apples to apples: capacity in kWh decides how long things run, output in watts decides what can run at all.
Small gear and travel: Anker SOLIX C300 DC. A 0.288 kWh portable battery with 300W combined USB / DC output and no AC socket and 140W fast charging. Phones, laptops, lights, camera gear.
Fridge-plus-essentials backup: Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2. 1.02 kWh with 2,000W output, a 49-minute full recharge and 10-millisecond backup switchover. The sweet spot for most homes.
Campervans and power tools: Anker SOLIX C2000 Gen 2. 2.05 kWh (extendable to 4 kWh), 2,400W output and a campervan socket. The only one here with a cheap-tariff charging mode.
Multi-day backup: Anker SOLIX F3000 (price unconfirmed). 3.07 kWh on wheels with the biggest solar input of the four. Heavy at 41.5 kg, but it moves.
How to choose: capacity first, output second
Capacity (kWh) is your fuel tank: a 1 kWh box holds roughly one kilowatt-hour of usable energy, enough to run a 100W load for about 10 hours. Output (W) is your engine: a 300W box cannot start a 2,000W kettle, however big its tank.
A common mistake is buying on capacity alone and discovering the output cannot run the one appliance you bought it for. Check both numbers before anything else. Every product page on this site lists them first.
The four compared, spec by spec
The C300 DC is the day-pack of the range: 0.288 kWh, 300W with 600W surge peaks, 7 ports and dual 140W USB-C that refills it to 80% in 60 minutes. The LFP battery chemistry is the long-life kind.
The C1000 Gen 2 is three times the storage (1.02 kWh) with nearly seven times the output (2,000W steady, 3,000W peaks) across 9 sockets, and it still refills from empty in 49 minutes. Its 4,000-cycle battery is rated for roughly a decade of use.
The C2000 Gen 2 doubles that again (2.05 kWh, 2,400W) and adds what the smaller two lack: an add-on battery to reach 4 kWh, a campervan socket, engine charging on the move, and a mode that charges overnight on cheap electricity.
The F3000 is the outlier: 3.07 kWh, wheels and a pull handle, up to 2,400W of solar panels for a ~1.5-hour sun recharge, and even EV-charger-plug charging at up to 3,600W. Anker reckons one charge runs a fridge about 42 hours.
What none of them can do
None of these four feeds power into your home wiring or the grid. They charge through their supported inputs, then run compatible devices. The C300 DC has USB / DC ports only; it has no AC mains socket. That makes them backup and off-grid gear, not energy-bill gear. If you want the full distinction, read plug-in home battery vs portable power station.
Prices and where to check them
See the individual product pages for dated retailer prices and the current manufacturer prices we could verify. Amazon blocked fresh price and stock verification on 17 October 2026, so earlier Amazon figures are labelled as historical. Compare the same base unit, excluding solar-panel bundles.
Price verification: 17 October 2026
Product prices are dated snapshots for the stated base unit. See each linked product page for the retailer, price-check date and stock notes. Installation, extra batteries and panels may cost more. A price update does not mean all technical specifications or connection rules have been rechecked.
EcoFlow, Jackery and BLUETTI alternatives
The portable comparison now includes the EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus (1.024 kWh stated capacity, 1,800W continuous AC), Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 (1.07 kWh, 1,500W AC) and BLUETTI Elite 100 V2 (1.024 kWh, 1,800W AC). Each has its own UK model page, dated manufacturer price and backup limitations.
These are alternatives to compare, not a new hands-on test ranking. Check continuous output, the exact UK socket version, charging limits and the delivered energy needed by your appliances. Stated battery capacity is not the energy guaranteed from the AC sockets. Use the portable comparison filter to compare like for like.
Questions people ask
What is the cheapest portable power station worth buying?
Compare the dated prices on each product page. Choose the C1000 Gen 2 for essentials, the C2000 Gen 2 for greater capacity and expansion, or the C300 DC for small USB-powered gear. Current Amazon prices could not be reverified on 17 October 2026.
Can a portable power station cut my energy bills?
No. A portable power station runs appliances plugged into its own sockets. It cannot feed your home wiring, so it cannot shift your household onto cheap-rate electricity.
Can I charge a portable power station from solar panels?
Yes, all four charge from solar panels as well as a wall socket or car socket. The F3000 takes up to 2,400W of panels, the C300 up to 100W.
Which portable power station runs a fridge in a power cut?
The C1000 Gen 2 (1.02 kWh, 2,000W) keeps a fridge, lights and router going from its own sockets and switches over in 10 milliseconds. The F3000 (3.07 kWh) lasts far longer.
Sources and further reading
- Anker SOLIX UK — C300 DC product page288Wh, 300W, 7 ports, 140W charging, £179.00
- Anker SOLIX UK — C1000 Gen 2 product page1.02 kWh, 2,000W, 49-minute recharge, 10 ms backup
- Anker SOLIX UK — C2000 Gen 2 product page2.05 kWh, 2,400W, add-on battery, campervan use
- Anker SOLIX UK — F3000 product page3.07 kWh, solar input, weight, backup behaviour
- Amazon UK — Anker SOLIX portable listingsExact-model listings, live checked 3 September 2026