The Best Guide to Solar Garden Lighting You'll Ever Read

Good garden lighting is a vital addition to any backyard, turning it into a welcoming evening haven as well as adding safety and security. Solar lighting is a cheap, sustainable and easy option over wired-in or battery-operated lighting when creating a nightscape garden but boy, do you need to know a few facts before you shop, if you want to skip past a heap of sub-standard, short-lived and over-priced products. And that's what this guide is here to do.

As a gardening editor for well over a decade, I’ve tried and tested more garden solar lights than I care to remember. Some have lasted for years and are still brightening up my backyard; others barely lasted half a summer. I soon realised that what products died and what survived had nothing to do with the pricetag, but that their performance was entirely predictable – once I figured out what all the ratings in the packaging fine print meant.

These solar lighting ratings can tell you precisely how much light the product will throw out, so you can choose the exact right spot on the spectrum from inviting glow to can-see illumination. They also tell you how weatherproof – or otherwise – the product is, which is a pretty good indicator of where you can use it, and how long you can expect it to survive. Understand the very basics of materials used to make solar panels and batteries, too, and you'll know how efficient and long-lasting the light will be.

Armed with these basic facts, you'll be able to buy solar lighting far more wisely – and that's a gamechanger because, while there are loads of great products on the market, there's also a lot of tat that's not worth your money. Ready for the low-down before you get started on putting your outdoor lighting ideas into reality? Here’s exactly what you need to know to get yourself a great deal on solar lights for your garden.

The 5 Solar Lighting Facts You Need To Know

Sure, we all buy solar lights because they’re pretty. But if you want them to be practical, too, here are the facts that should guide your buying decision, too.

1. Weatherproof Rating

How long garden lights will last outside, subjected to everything the weather can throw at them, depends on the Ingress Rating (IP). This measurement shows how well protected an electrical or mechanical product is in its environment. An IP has two figures: the first relates to solid matter, such as dust, on a scale of 0–6; the second relates to liquids, scaling 0–8.

Many solar lights are rated IP44, and the first number indicates that solid particles smaller than 1mm can’t penetrate, and the second number shows it’ll cope with splashes of water. So, an IP44 lantern such as this Boho Wicker Lantern from Amazon will be fine in the garden in dry weather, but leave it outside permanently and it’ll quickly fail once fall arrives. An IP54 rating, like this Handwoven Wicker Lantern from Amazon has, sounds like a much higher rating, but while it's a little more dust-proof, it's only as water-resistant as the last lantern.

If you want a product that's rain- and dust-proof, that you can leave outside more permanently, you need to look for a minimum rating of IP65, like this similar Solar Rope Lantern from Amazon has. There's not a huge difference in style or price between these three products, but I know which one I'd buy.

For long-term use, a second digit of 6 means it’ll withstand the heaviest rain, 7 indicates it’ll cope with temporary submersion, while 8 shows it’s fine to be permanently submerged. Even if you’re not planning to submerge a lamp, a maximum IP rating of 68 is a real asset for a permanent light in an exposed position. So, these IP68-rated Nymphy Pathlights from Amazon and these IP68-rated Solar Deck Lights from Amazon would both a good buy. No rating? You can safely presume it's IP44.

If you simply want a product to style up your garden for the summer, and turn your patio or deck into an outdoor living room, however, don't waste your dollars on durability you don't need.

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2. Light Output

The other figure you’ll spot when you’re shopping for solar lights is the number of lumens (LM), and this is a measure of how much light the product puts out. If you want to add some garden ambience with a soft glow, then look for a light with a rating less than 100 lumens. However, if you want enough light to enable you to actually see your way around the garden after dark, you need a product with at least 200 lumens.

Say you want to buy some path lights. If you wanted to simply pretty up the path after dark, these Dimmable Solar Pathway Lights from Amazon with a rating of 10-40 lumens would be a great buy. But if want to illuminate that path so you don't break a leg carrying the shopping in after work? These Bobcat Solar Pathway Lights from Amazon with 300 lumens would be a better buy.

Some solar lights carry a super-high lumen rating, like these Motion Sensor Floodlights from Amazon boasting 3,000 lumens. If you're looking for security lighting, these would do a brilliant job – but if you're simply wanting to light your patio post-dusk? You'll be wearing sunglasses as you sip your sundowner.

Bear in mind, too, that this lumen rating is dependent on how much energy those solar panels are able to generate. So, if you're looking for a high lumen output, solar panels that you can adjust to point towards the sun's position at midday will be better able to deliver the top end of that rating.

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3. Bulb Warmth

As well as the lumen rating showing how much light a product is capable of delivering, the bulb color also matters. Light is delivered along a spectrum from warm to cool and while warmer yellow-toned white light delivers a welcoming, cozy ambience, cooler, blue-toned white light illuminates better. So, choose a bulb color to match the light's intended purpose.

If you were shopping for a lantern to bring a warm glow to your patio coffee table, you'd want to look for a warm white light like that given by these Nfever Lanterns from Amazon. If you wanted a lantern to hang outside the back door so illuminate the step, however, you'd be better off looking at products with blue-toned white light like this UBright Lantern, also from Amazon. Using cool-toned lighting around your boundary and warm-toned lighting on your patio to create a focal point is a great way to make a small garden feel bigger as well.

If you enjoy sharing your garden with wildlife, then it’s good to know that a warm-toned light distracts critters far less than cold-toned light. There's plenty you can do to limit the effect of lighting on wildlife, too.

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4. Solar Panel Material

Don't worry, we're not going to delve deep into the complexities of solar panel mechanics – but there are a couple of facts that are well worth knowing, if you want bright solar lights that will still work well in cloudy conditions or on short winter days, or to position one in partial shade.

Solar lights work by using a solar panel to harness the power of sunlight and convert it into electricity. These panels are typically constructed from silicon-based photovoltaic cells – but not all are created equal. You’re likely to find polycrystalline panels on cheaper products, and these absorb less sunlight than more expensive monocrystalline panels. If you live in a sunny climate, or if the product isn’t emitting a high level of lumens, then a polycrystalline panel is perfectly adequate. But if you want lights with a high lumen output to work well when there's less sunlight available, it’s worth paying the extra for a product with a more efficient panel made from monocrystalline.

If you're planning to position the solar light where it only gets sun for part of the day, investing in mono panels is a good idea, too.

The best garden solar lights with monocrystalline panels will state this fact as it's a strong selling point. However, if there’s no indication, you can take an educated guess by the color: poly panels often have a blue hue, while mono panels tend to be black. Poly panels may also carry the abbreviation PET.

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5. Battery Capacity

If you're concerned about your lights still working on cloudy, short days, it's worth knowing the basics of solar light batteries, too. Almost all solar lights now have batteries to store the electricity generated from sunlight and power the lamp after-dark. However, the battery type and its capacity has a big impact on the light’s long-term performance.

Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries: this is the battery type used in most solar lights. They give a good balance of capacity, cost and lifespan, and are – as far as batteries go – environmentally friendly to produce.

Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd) batteries: older, cheaper solar lights are often fitted with these batteries that are less efficient and less eco-friendly.

Lithium-based batteries: offering greater capacity and a longer lifespan, this premium option often comes with a price tag to match. There are two types. Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4 or LFP) batteries are now beginning to supersede Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) technology; the former are more expensive, but they last longer and tolerate extreme hot or cold temperatures better.

If you need a solar light that's going to be fixed in place and used for prolonged periods over several years, if you live in a zone with extremes of temperature, or if the light level requires a significant amount of energy (such as a floodlight), then a product with a lithium battery is worth the splurge. If you need a solar light that caters for all those criteria, don't bother looking at any products without a lithium battery. Otherwise, a NiMH battery will do its job just fine.

Check the battery capacity when you're comparing top-end products, too. It's measured in milliampere-hours (mAh) and ranges from 300mAh to 1000mAh-plus and the higher the number, the greater the capacity.

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