A portable power station is a big battery in a box — a power bank grown up, with proper 230-volt mains sockets alongside the USB ports. When the lights go out, or you are camping, working in the garden or running a market stall, it keeps phones, laptops, fridges and power tools running. The field spans roughly 200 to 2000 watt-hours (Wh) of capacity, much of it expandable with add-on batteries. These are the best models, drawn from an extensive group test and checked against current UK prices.
What to Look For
Three numbers matter most. Capacity in watt-hours (Wh) is how much energy is stored — a 1024 Wh unit runs a 100 W laptop charger for roughly ten hours. Continuous output in watts (W) is what it can power at once — a kettle or microwave wants 1500 W or more, a laptop barely 65 W. And battery chemistry decides longevity: lithium-iron-phosphate (LiFePO4) cells last far longer than older lithium-ion, which is why almost every model here uses them. Beyond that, weigh up fast mains charging, solar input if you want to go off-grid, expandability if your needs might grow, the number and type of ports, and whether there is a companion app for monitoring.
The Winner: EcoFlow Delta 3 Plus
The Delta 3 Plus took the top overall result, and it is easy to see why. Its 1024 Wh is expandable all the way to 5 kWh with extra batteries, it delivers a steady 1800 W, and it charges quickly from the mains with very low conversion losses. A generous spread of ports, a compact body and full app control round it out, and it doubles as storage for a balcony solar setup. The only real misses are the lack of a built-in torch and no wireless charging pad. At around £579 it is the best all-rounder here. Check the price on Amazon
Best Value: Anker Solix C1000
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Cheap, compact and strong is exactly how it earned its place. The Solix C1000 Gen 2 packs a lot of usable capacity for the money, peaks at 2000 W, and stays expandable with add-on batteries. It ships with a mains adapter and a capable app; the only shrug is the absence of a torch. Around £699 buys a genuinely flexible unit that will cover most household and camping duties. Check the price on Amazon
Best Compact: EcoFlow River 2 Max
For grab-and-go duty the River 2 Max is the pick: handy and light at around 12 kg, built on a long-lived LiFePO4 cell, quick to recharge and happy with up to 500 W of solar input. Four sockets and a clear app display make it flexible for a campsite or a day on site; there is no light on the unit and it is audible under heavy load. At about £389.99 it is the easiest of the group to carry. Check the price on Amazon
Best Entry Model: Bluetti EB3A
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If you mainly want to keep phones, a laptop or a CPAP machine going through a short outage or a weekend away, the EB3A is the affordable way in. Its 268 Wh is modest and not expandable, and it has only two mains sockets, but it adds a built-in torch and app control — a lot of reassurance for under £200. At roughly £199 it is the sensible starting point. Check the price on Amazon
Also Worth Knowing
Two more from the test deserve a mention. The EcoFlow Delta 2 is a popular mid-capacity choice — expandable with extra batteries, quick to charge from the mains and good for up to 2300 W — and is widely stocked in the UK. The Anker 767 is a heavyweight that supplies 2300 W from a long-life LiFePO4 cell and adds a torch, but at the time of writing it is hard to find on Amazon UK, so check availability before setting your heart on it rather than a similarly specified alternative.
How to Choose
Start with what you need to run and for how long: multiply an appliance's wattage by the hours you need, add a margin for conversion losses, and buy a little more capacity than that figure. Make sure the continuous output comfortably exceeds your most demanding device — anything with a heating element, such as a kettle, hairdryer or microwave, is thirsty and can trip a smaller unit. Favour LiFePO4 cells for longevity, add solar input if you will be off-grid for days at a time, and choose an expandable model if you think your needs will grow. Weight matters too: a sub-12 kg unit is a two-finger lift, while a 2 kWh giant is a two-handed heave.
Verdict
The EcoFlow Delta 3 Plus is the one to beat: big, expandable capacity, strong 1800 W output and clean, fast charging make it the standout all-rounder at around £579. The Anker Solix C1000 is the value alternative, the River 2 Max the one to carry, and the Bluetti EB3A the sensible sub-£200 starting point. Match the capacity and continuous output to your actual needs and any of them will keep the essentials running when the mains cannot.
