Guide
Battery life: LFP, cycles and warranties explained
We may earn commission if you buy through our links. It never changes our rankings. How we work with suppliers.
Quick picks
2,042 · 2,200 W · 24 h power-cut cover
From £807
Nearly every power station on sale in the UK now uses (lithium iron phosphate) cells. They last far longer than the older lithium-ion types and are more stable, which is why makers quote 3,000 to 10,000 charge cycles.
What a cycle figure means
One cycle is a full empty-to-full charge. Makers quote cycles until the battery holds a set share of its original capacity, usually 80% and sometimes 70%. We show which on each page, because "6,000 cycles to 70%" and "4,000 to 80%" aren't the same promise.
Used once a week, even 3,000 cycles is over 50 years, so for most people the warranty and the electronics matter more than the cycle count.
Cost over its life
On every page we divide the price by the energy the battery can deliver over its rated cycles. It's a fair way to compare value between sizes and brands, but it only applies if you use it daily, for example charging from cheap overnight electricity.
Warranty
Five years is now common. Some makers give three years plus two when you register in their app. Where a seller doesn't state the length, we say so.
Questions buyers ask before buying
It's a lot of money for something I'll hardly use.
Price it against what it protects: a freezer full of food, a working router when you work from home, a CPAP machine through the night. A 1 kWh station that covers fridge, router, lights and phones for about half a day starts at £419. It also earns its keep outside power cuts: camping, the garden or a van. Who gets value.
Power cuts hardly ever happen where I live.
Most are short. The ones that matter come with winter storms and can last a night or more, and they are hard to plan for. A station sits in a cupboard charged and ready, needs a top-up every few months, and doubles as a camping or garden battery the rest of the year.
Will it actually run my things?
That is the right question, and the box rarely answers it. Pick your appliances in What will it run? and you will only see stations with enough output and battery for them, with the hours each one lasts.
Aren't lithium batteries a fire risk?
Almost every current model uses LFP (lithium iron phosphate) cells, which are far more stable than the lithium-ion in older gadgets. Buy from the maker's UK store or a big UK retailer, keep the vents clear and charge it indoors. Fire risk explained.
Won't the battery be dead in a few years?
LFP stations are rated for 3,000 to 10,000 charge cycles. Used once a week, even 3,000 cycles is over 50 years, and five-year warranties are now common. How long they last.
I'm not technical. Is it complicated?
No wiring and no fuel. You charge it from a wall socket, then plug things into it like a normal socket. Many switch on by themselves when the mains drops. If weight worries you, filter by it: some 1 kWh models are about 11 kg and smaller ones under 6 kg.
Ready to choose?