If you want to take your landscaping and your front or backyard in general to the next level, landscape lighting is the best way to do it. Of course, most homeowners are well aware of how expensive wired lighting systems are to buy and install. To get the same effect at a fraction of the price, you can get outdoor solar lights instead. The expert product reviewers at BGR tested more than 35 different models to choose the very best outdoor solar lights and solar pathway lights you can get.
Our top picks
- Best overall: Bobcat Solar Pathway Lights
- Best spotlights: NYMPHY Waterproof Outdoor Solar Lights
- Most unique design: SOLPEX Waterproof Outdoor Solar Lights
- Best flush lights: Rayolon Solar Ground Lights
- Best wall-mounted lights: MIHANI Motion-Detecting Outdoor Solar Lights
Those are the best of the best, and you can’t go wrong with any of them if you want new outdoor solar lights for your pathways, landscaping, and more. Keep reading to learn more about what makes each model so impressive.
1. Best overall: Bobcat Solar Pathway Lights
Pros: Inexpensive, sleek & modern design, easy to install, waterproof, bright, reliable, matching landscape lights & spotlights
Cons: Some people have issues with longevity
Anyone searching for pathway lights should look no further than the Bobcat Solar Pathway Lights.
We tested solar pathway lights from more than a dozen different brands, and we tried multiple models from most of them. Bobcat was the clear winner.
Bobcat’s outdoor solar lights have the sleekest design by far, which is a huge plus. Most other pathway lights look cheap and plasticky, even from far away. With Bobcat’s lights, people won’t even realize they’re plastic unless they get up close. They have a great modern design that looks expensive despite how affordable these lights are.
We also gave this model high marks for brightness and ease of installation. Plus, they’re waterproof, so you can place them anywhere.
As an added bonus, it’s worth noting that Bobcat offers matching landscaping lights and spotlights, so you can create a cohesive lighting arrangement that looks fantastic.
Where downsides are concerned, we really couldn’t find any. Some user reviews mention longevity issues where some lights stop working after a year or two, but those reports are a clear minority. We didn’t have any problems like that when we tested them.
2. Best spotlights: NYMPHY Waterproof Outdoor Solar Lights
Pros: Inexpensive, easy to install, waterproof, nice and bright, reliable
Cons: Plasticky
If you want outdoor solar spotlights, we’ll make the choice very easy for you. NYMPHY Waterproof Outdoor Solar Lights are the best of the best, hands down.
These low-cost outdoor solar lights were the brightest spotlights we tested. They charged reliably in direct and indirect sunlight, and they couldn’t be easier to install and position.
They’re waterproof with an IP68 rating, so you can put them anywhere without having to worry about the weather. They’re also very affordable, with an average cost of around $10-$15 per light depending on the current sale.
The only real downside to these outdoor solar lights is something you’ll have to accept regardless of which affordable model you choose. Inexpensive pathway lights feel like they’re inexpensive since they’re made of plastic instead of metal.
3. Most unique design: SOLPEX Waterproof Outdoor Solar Lights
Pros: Inexpensive, easy to install, waterproof, long-lasting
Cons: Plasticky, not everyone will like the shadow pattern
The SOLPEX Waterproof Outdoor Solar Lights were our second-favorite pathway lights behind our top pick (Bobcat Solar Pathway Lights). There’s really only one thing about them that gave us pause.
These are some of the most affordable outdoor solar lights you can get. At the time of this writing, they were priced at around $4.15 per light when you buy an 8-pack. That’s an incredible value for pathway lights that are as bright and reliable as these.
They are a bit plasticky, which should be fairly obvious when you’re paying about $4 per light. From far away, though, some people might not be able to tell that they’re plastic.
As we mentioned earlier, there’s really only one main problem with these outdoor solar lights, but it won’t be a problem for everyone. As a matter of fact, many people find it to be a main selling point.
When these lights are on, the shadows create a very unique pattern on the ground. SOLPEX calls it a snowflake design, but we found that it looks more like a wagon wheel. Whatever you want to call it, it’ll be a nifty feature for some people and a deal-breaker for others. It all depends on your style preferences.
4. Best flush lights: Rayolon Solar Ground Lights
Pros: Bright, easy to install, waterproof, three color options
Cons: Durability
Of the various flush-mount ground lights we tested, Rayolon Solar Ground Lights were our favorites.
These solar-powered ground lights couldn’t be any cheaper. They have a retail price of around $3.15 per light, and they often go on sale for even less than that.
Rayolon’s outdoor solar lights can be installed in seconds, and you can put them anywhere thanks to the weatherproof design. They also come in three different light colors: Warm, white, and blue light.
Our main downside with these lights concerns durability. Put simply, they are not built to last. You may find yourself replacing one or two lights every couple of years, which isn’t ideal. At around $3 per light, however, you should obviously expect to get what you pay for. Also, it’s worth noting that every other flush-mount solar light we tested had the same issue with longevity.
5. Best wall-mounted lights: MIHANI Motion-Detecting Outdoor Solar Lights
Pros: Inexpensive, reliable, good motion detection sensitivity, VERY bright
Cons: Some people have problems with the remote
There are practically a million different choices out there when it comes to wall-mounted outdoor solar lights. We tested over a dozen of the most popular options, and our favorite was the MIHANI Motion-Detecting Outdoor Solar Light.
This model is sold as an individual light or in a pack of two, three, or four. Needless to say, it gets cheaper if you buy more — but even on its own, this light retails for under $25.
MIHANI uses ultra-bright LEDs and there are a whole lot of them. In fact, each light includes a whopping 232 individual LEDs. You won’t have any issues with brightness, and there is an option to dim the LEDs if they’re too bright.
This outdoor solar light passed our motion detection tests with flying colors. We also had no problems with the included remote control, though some users reported that the remote didn’t work well for them. That being said, this is a “set it and forget it” type of light anyway. Once you install and configure it, you should never have to think about it again.
